10 Places to Go to Appreciate Sweet, Sweet Osmanthus in Shanghai
October in Shanghai is the season of osmanthus, when people can immerse themselves in aroma without perfume. The osmanthus fragrance all over Shanghai even somehow makes working overtime less depressing.
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The annual aroma feast awaits us again in numerous Shanghai parks but, among them, which will be able to quench those fragrance cravings best? Read on to find out where you can find incredible spots where osmanthus is in full bloom.
Guilin Park
When it comes to osmanthus appreciation in autumn, what immediately occurs to the old Shanghainese is to visit Guilin Park.
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Guilin Park used to be a private garden. It was built in 1931 by by Qing Gang for their leader Huang Jinrong. In 1933, it was expanded into the garden you see today. Due to 20 different kinds of sweet-scented osmanthus trees that were planted there, it was renamed Guilin Park.
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You will have a good time here with the chirp of birds, the scent of flowers, the flowing of mild wind and shaky shadows of trees. With birds chirping, the scent of flowers and cooling shadows of the trees, you're sure to have a peaceful time here.
Guilin Park's osmanthus also includes many food and beverage options too, such as drinking osmanthus tea or enjoying a bowl of osmanthus red bean soup.
Address: 188 Caobao Lu, Xuhui District
Hours: 6am - 6pm
Ticket: RMB 2
Fangta Garden
Over 200 osmanthus flowers have been planted in Shanghai's Fangta Garden, and the age of the trees there, on average, sit at 40 years. There are three major variets: orange osmanthus, golden osmanthus and silver osmanthus.
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These sweet-scented osmanthus trees are located everywhere in the park. The dense clusters nestle along the east entrance, near Qiusheng Pavilion and around the main square.
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From the moment you enter, you'll be greeted with a refreshing aroma. Several of the golden and silver osmanthus trees lie within the vicinitiy of Qiusheng Pavilion, Lanrui Hall, Tianzhugong Square and have been in full bloom.
Address: 235 Zhongshan Dong Lu, Songjiang District
Hours: 5:30am-5:30pm (May 1st - October 31st), 6am-5pm (November 1st - April 30th of the following year)
Ticket: RMB 12
Shanghai Botanical Garden
As the national 4A-level scenic spot, Shanghai Botanical Garden boasts more than 40 years of history. Undoubtedly, it is a fantastic spot for appreciating this delicate bloom.
There is a special area in Shanghai Botanical Garden for osmanthus, with more than 40 varieties spanning over 50 acres of land.
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There are more than 20 50-year-old early silver osmanthus in the garden, which is said to be the earliest-bloomed osmanthus in Shanghai’s gardens!
Want to enjoy the scent for yourself? Take a shortcut through Gate 3 of the park and you'll immediately be swept away by the smell of osmanthus in the air.
Address: 1111 Longwu Lu, Xuhui District
Time: 7am-5pm
Ticket: RMB 15, RMB 40 for the package ticket
Qiuxia Garden
Qiuxia Garden houses a combination of temple and three private gardens: Gong's Garden, Shen's Garden and Jinshi Garden. It is said to be the oldest and most intact among the five classical gardens in Shanghai. The layout is exquisite and the environment is elegant, which makes people feel like they are traveling through time.
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There are more than 140 osmanthus trees, four of which are more than 100-years-old and and cover many varieties such as golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus and orange osmanthus.
Address: 314 Dong Da Street, Jiading Town
Ticket: RMB 10
Gucun Park
Appreciating osmanthus rivals enjoying cherry blossom season here.
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There are more than 6,000 osmanthus flowers of different sizes and shapes in the park, varieties of which include golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, orange osmanthus, which are scattered in every corner of the park and give off refreshing fragrance.
To make the most out of your trip, turn left after entering the park and enter Qingpu Lu. However, if you enter the park from Gates 2 and 3, you can still enjoy the osmanthus aroma, as there are plenty of flowers planted along the roads.
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Address: No. 4788, Hutai Lu, Baoshan District
Hours: 6am - 6pm
Ticket: RMB 20
Shanghai Grand View Garden
Shanghai Grand View Garden remains one of the few famous osmanthus spots in Shanghai, even in the Yangtze River Delta region. It also opened up an osmanthus garden named “Golden Fragrance” for people to enjoy. The area is about the size of five or six football fields with osmanthus scattered all around.
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The youngest osmanthus is around 40 years old and there are more than 100 ancient osmanthus trees over 100-years-old. When the sweet-scented osmanthus is in full bloom, the aroma will float through every corner of the area and spread out a mile away.
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The best route for appreciation is the entrance of Hengwu Garden, Daoxiang Village, Ziling Island and Daguan Yuan.
Address: 701 Jinshang Lu, Qingpu District
Hours: March to October: 8am-5pm; November to February: 8am-4:30pm
Tickets: RMB 60 per person
Osmanthus Field
The osmanthus field, which is close to a thousand acres in area, is said to be one of the largest in Shanghai.
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More than 6,000 osmanthus trees have been planted in the field. At present, about 1,000 golden osmanthus trees have blossomed, and the scent of osmanthus can be detected throughout the garden. If you want to snap a shot in the osmanthus flower sea, this is the spot for you.
Address: Xingta Village, Fengjing Town, Jinshan District
Ticket: Free
Oriental Land
Oriental Land is nestled beside a large lake in Shanghai - Dianshan Lake. If you pay this one a visit, you can be sure that the experience you'll have here will be different from the traditional as there's more of a focus on fashion and leisure.
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Oriental land has a 3.4km long "Osmanthus Avenue" where over 8,000 osmanthus flowers bloom on both sides and exude their attractive scent. Varieties here include both golden and silver osmanthus.
The osmanthus in Oriental Land is expected to last until the beginning of November.
Address: 6888 Huqingping Lu, Qingpu District
Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm
Ticket: RMB 50
Guyi Garden
Guyi Garden is hailed as the second Shanghai Botanical Garden but is smaller in size. Osmanthus trees here are not as concentrated as the above-mentioned attractions. They are planted in groups of three or five in various places in the courtyard.
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There are two famous osmanthus trees that are nestled near the southern entrance of Guyi Garden. You might have to wait a while to snap that all important Instagram selfie.
Address: 218 Huyi Lu, Jiading District
Hours: 7am-6pm
Ticket: RMB 12
Shanghai Old City Park
Shanghai Old City Park is situated within the city center and the sweet scent of osmanthus can often drift a mile away to entice visitors.
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There are more than 160 kinds of golden osmanthus in the park, and it outnumbers any other urban parks.
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With osmanthus planted along both sides of the road, the sparkling petals are a delight to the eye as we welcome in Shanghai's winter period.
Address: 333 Renmin Lu, Huangpu District
Tickets: Free
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