Category: Exploring Shanghai

  • Shanghai Disney Resort Guide

    I was searching for a guide for a friend and thought it was a good topic for English writing practice.

    Essentials
    • ID/Passport: Bring the original ID or passport you used to book your ticket.
    • Non-glass Water Bottle: Free water is available throughout the park (room temperature at fountains, hot water at some restaurants).
    • Power Bank: Rentals inside the park are expensive and sometimes unavailable.
    • Snacks: Allowed, but alcohol, strong-smelling foods, and items that need reheating are not permitted.
    • Shanghai Disney Resort App: Essential for checking wait times, booking passes, and viewing the daily schedule.
    • Other: Camera, wet/dry wipes, mini fan, folding umbrella, raincoat.

    Prohibited Items
    • Photography Gear: Selfie sticks, light reflectors, extendable poles, and tripods.
    • Special Containers: Glass containers, aerosol sprays, and pressurized cans.
    • Recreation Gear: Roller skates, skate shoes, tents, hoverboards, and drones.
    • Weapons: Knives, toy guns, and other weapons.
    • Oversized Items: Luggage larger than 56x36x23cm, folding chairs/stools, and strollers larger than 110x85cm.
    • Pets: Strictly prohibited, except for service dogs.

    Dress Code
    Guests 16 and older cannot wear character costumes, floor-length gowns, full-face masks (except medical masks), or full-face character makeup.

    Final Tips
    • Check the official guidelines — rules may change. Always review the latest version on the official website or app.
    • Wear comfortable shoes — expect to walk about 20,000 steps a day.
    • Travel light — it makes security faster and your day much smoother.

    帮朋友整理上海迪士尼的游览注意事项,顺便练习下英文。

    基本事项

    • 身份证/护照:得携带预订门票时使用的原始身份证或护照。
    • 无玻璃水瓶:园区内提供免费饮用水(饮水处是冷水,部分餐厅提供热水)。
    • 充电宝:园区内租赁费用较高,有时还借不到。
    • 零食:允许携带,但禁止携带酒精饮料、气味浓重的食物以及需要加热的物品。
    • 上海迪士尼度假区App:用于查询等待时间、预订门票及查看每日活动安排。
    • 其他:相机、干湿巾、迷你风扇、折叠伞、雨衣等。

    禁止携带

    • 摄影器材:自拍杆、反光灯、可伸缩杆和三脚架。
    • 特殊容器:玻璃容器、喷雾罐和加压罐。
    • 娱乐设备:轮滑鞋、滑板鞋、帐篷、悬浮滑板和无人机。
    • 武器:刀具、玩具枪及其他武器。
    • 过大物品:尺寸超过56×36×23厘米的行李、折叠椅/凳子以及尺寸超过110×85厘米的婴儿推车。
    • 宠物:严禁携带,导盲犬除外。

    着装要求:16岁及以上宾客不得穿着角色服装、长裙、全脸口罩(医疗用口罩除外)或全脸角色妆容。

    小提醒:

    轻装出行——有助于加快安检流程,让行程更加顺畅。

    穿着舒适的鞋子——每天步行约20,000步是常事。

    查看官方指南——规定可能随时变更,务必在官方网站或应用程序上查阅最新版本。

  • One of My Favorite Small Gardens

    This is the Merchant Guild Hall. Built in 1715 during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, it tells the story of Shanghai’s shipping development before the Opium War. It’s just 3 kilometers from the Bund, and only 642 meters from the tailor market, which is popular with foreigners. Yet, it remains largely unknown.

    However, today, the main character isn’t the building itself, but rather the small garden right beside it.

    In Chinese gardens, three things are essential: vitality, Yi Jing, and Feng Shui.

    Vitality is obvious to the naked eye, so I won’t dwell on it. Yi Jing is a poetic state of mind, an artistic conception that is hard to convey, so I’ll let the words on the screen do the talking. As for Feng Shui, it’s a bit complex. But in short, it’s about letting nature flow through the air, or arranging the space to live comfortably with nature.

    All of this revolves around one core idea: “Though created by human hands, it looks as if it was formed by nature itself.”

    I’ve traveled all across the Jiangnan region, the heartland of Chinese gardens, and this corner is one of the finest examples I’ve ever seen, even if it’s a reconstruction or a newly built one.

  • Another Reason Why Chinese People Visit Temples

    A few days ago, I told a friend from New Jersey about an experience I had at the Jade Buddha Temple. He thought I was a Buddhist.

    I explained that I went there just for the vibes and the lotus flowers. He didn’t question further, but I could see the confusion on his face.

    Well, for many Chinese people, visiting a temple is just like an architecture student visiting St. Peter’s Basilica.

    Buddhism and Taoism, blended with Confucianism, are deeply woven into our language and history, so we’ve been learning about and influenced by them since we were kids.

    That’s why many people go to temples for cultural reasons, not religious reasons.

  • A Small Discovery About Yu Garden

    I have been collecting some information about Yu Yuan (Yu Garden) recently.

    By chance, I discovered a painting of the Nine-Zigzag Bridge and the Mid-Lake Pavilion by a British female artist from 1924 (102 years ago).

    It is a tragic coincidence that right after this artwork was finished, a fire broke out, devastating the wooden bridge and damaging the tea house. This painting may have captured the final view of the original structures before they were lost to the flames.

    What a tangible piece of history!

  • Renjiaxi Hiking Trail

    I hiked the Renjiaxi trail last Saturday. It’s the second time I’ve hiked on this trail.

    If you’ve been there this season, you’ll know why I like it so much. Maybe this video I posted will give you a clue.

    Not just for the views, but also for the delicious waxberries and the friendly locals.

    On my way down the mountain, I ran into a local. He placed his full baskets of waxberries on the roadside and said to me, “Don’t be shy, help yourself as much as you like.” He was not trying to sell his waxberries. He told me that all the waxberries on his farm were for winemaking, not for selling as fruit.

    He wasn’t the only local who offered me waxberries that day. The main crop in the village below the mountain is waxberries. If you strike up a conversation with the locals as you walk along, before you know it, you’ll be stuffed full.

    The locals are professional. Every waxberry they gave me was perfectly ripe, sweeter than the ones I picked myself.