Nanhui Peach Blossom Festival (4/7/2012)

Saturday, April 7, 2012
A beautiful spring day.
We spent some time in a part of Shanghai where we rarely go - Pudong.
Pudong Road:

A wide street with a green median and new buildings.
But wait, there are still lane apartments:

One of the newest residential developments is Shimao Riviera Garden:

Seven highrises of apartments.
A view of the Huangpu River from one of them:

Almost all the barges are headed upriver with the tide.
View of the garden of Shimao Riviera Garden:

Here we not only had a wonderful lunch, but also got a ride to to one of the more significant Flower Shows in the world, according to CNN (http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/flower-blossoms-around-world-304771).
The drive to the Nanhui Peach Blossom Festival took at least an hour, beyond the reach of any Metro, yet we were still considered to be in Shanghai. The Festival takes place in several locales within the township of Nanhui, from March 25 to April 11.
We went to the Taohuacun/Nanhui Peach Blossom Village, the main host of the festival.
Saw ducklings for sale on our way in:

Started to see peach blossoms everywhere:

They come in several varieties with different colored blossoms:

White:

Dark pink:

Regular pink:

Came to the Multipurpose Plaza:

Here there were kiddie rides: 

And a stilt dancer performance, with comedy:

Note that the musicians were right up front.
Fan dancers:

Gymnastics:

With some twirling:

There was a covered corridor:

Yellow rapeseed. dark pink peach, and pink & white magnolia blossoms:

Waterside pavilion:

Some trees had multi-colored blossoms:

Rapeseed or canola blossoms:

Sculpture in the children's area:

Fishing for goldfish:

Be sure not to miss the pig races!

The piglets trotted around a course with some obstacles:

They had to deal with a slide, and then jumping into water:

Colin

The Littlest Peach Tree:

Inartificial?

The coconuts (sold as drinks) looked real:

The land of the cotton candy fairies (per Colin):

Covered bridge:

Goldfish Pond:

This lion is full:

Five-arched bridge:

Arched bridge:

Hmm, white-flowered canola? No, it's Eruca sativa/Arugula:

Arugula patch:

The "Primitive Peach Flower Forest:"

Which I believe is the peach orchard; all the trees were pruned to less than 5' tall - the easier to pick the fruit.
Peach blossoms:

Posing in the trees, and a fancy trash can:

Tamiko & Kent:

The orchard:

Two elderly ladies cleaning the waterway:

A sunken boat:

Heavily pruned trees:

Bamboo raft ride:

Low bridge:

They called them the Overhead Rope Bridges, or Wire Bridges:

The pair of swinging suspension bridges were held by chains:

Sharon, Colin, and Kent are on one bridge.
This kiddie ride was too eerie to watch:

A mechanical Mickey pulling a miniature rickshaw (the child is real!).

A ring toss game to win a bunny:

Items made with palm (as in Palm Sunday-type) leaves:

These arches are made with artificial peach blossoms:

Selling real peach tree branches:

More vendors:

Somebody was picking the flowers:

A local farmer earning some extra money?

The wife is totally protected from the sun!
One of the stilt dancers is clowning around in a food booth:

A sweets vendor:

I believe it is something like nougat.
Kites:

Back at Shimao Riviera Garden, with their own windmill facsimile:

Handy poop bags:

They also have their own sculpture garden:

This one is sport-themed:

We ended up having an early dinner at Jstone Italian Restaurant:

A reflection of Shanghai's two tallest buildings are behind Kent.
A lighted harp display in front of Times Square in Pudong:

A strange sculpture in an alley:

Couldn't figure out what it was, but now it looks like "The Scream."
Shanghai's tallest building, the Shanghai World Financial Centre Tower or the Bottle Opener, at night: