FOR Shanghai residents, Chongming Island has long been a place of peaceful refuge from the pressures of urban life. But now the fresh air, tasty local delicacies and traditional culture that have made China’s third-largest island a favorite local retreat are getting even more attention thanks to its ecological, sporting and hospitality amenities.

One place benefiting from the island’s continued development is Green Cabin. Located in the tranquil, scenic gardens of Miao Town, Green Cabin is a B&B-style guesthouse that attracts people from across China and abroad.

“It is a fusion of local culture and European design,” says owner Shen Yang, a Chongming local. “I want to insert a bit of romantic and modern style into the old, traditional local Chongming culture.”

Shen spent six years upgrading and renovating his old nongjiale — a type of family-run rural inn found across China — into the B&B establishment Green Cabin is today. The process involved bringing French designer Baptiste Bohu on board to help mix a bit of European charm with regional characteristics.

Shen explains that over recent years, the development of the up-scale B&B market in Moganshan, a popular urban retreat in nearby Zhejiang Province, has fueled growth in smaller, independently operated hotels, guesthouses and hostels in the region. As of 2015, there were over 400 such establishments operating in the Moganshan area, according to statistics.

Despite a relatively late start, Shen believes that Chongming is in a strong position to compete for back-to-nature tourists. “For Shanghai residents, Chongming is much easier to get to than Moganshan. We must use this advantage to win more people’s attention,” he adds.

Shen’s establishment contains numerous examples of Chongming’s unique crafts, including handmade furniture, bamboo baskets, painted ovens and woven rugs. There’s also an outdoor swimming pool, an herb garden, a restaurant serving “farm to table” dishes and plenty of homemade drinks perfect for whiling away a lazy afternoon in the countryside.

On the other side of the island in Shuxin Town, Shen Hong focuses on sustainability at his rice and aquaculture farm. Shen has been working his land for 11 years and he’s proud to see that his efforts to farm responsibly have been adopted by nearby families.

Shen is also an expert in tidal biology and has done research on Chongming as well as Changxing and Hengsha islands.

“I am familiar with the area where I was born,” says Shen. “I am trying to combine different research, production and management methods together to create new ecological practices.”

At Shen’s farm, only clean water and soil are used to make sure his products are pollution-free. Every harvest, Shen pulls in about 50 kilograms of crayfish, frogs and turtles each, plus 250 kilograms of rice per hectare. This haul generates about 150,000 yuan (US$22,460), a sizable sum for most local farmers.

But Chongming’s focus on sustainability goes beyond farmers like Shen. Recently, the 2016 Shanghai Chongming Eco-Island International Forum was held on the island, discussing strategies to develop the island’s eco-civilization. Also at the forum, Laura Petrella, leader of the City Planning, Extension and Design Unit at UN-Habitat, and Tang Hailong, director of Chongming County, signed a cooperation contract.

Plenty to do, see and taste

Picturesque landscapes, seasonal delicacies and colorful food festivals make Chongming a tasty getaway destination. Freshwater crabs, sweet tangerines, hybrid rice, home-made liquors and lamb are just a few of the must-try local specialities calling out to visitors.

For those interested in the island’s traditional culture, Sanmin Culture Town features centuries-old folk arts like cloth weaving, and zaohua oven painting — the latter being listed as part of Shanghai’s intangible cultural heritage.

The zaohua tradition dates back to a time when clay ovens were built into walls and decorated with scenes of flowers and rural life. There is even a museum dedicated to these ovens in Xianghua Town.

In a special treat for nature lovers, the first-ever Shanghai Lotus Culture and Art Festival and Photographic Contest will run through October 25 at Shanghai Chongming Lotus Garden. The exhibition and contest is divided into several segments, while the surrounding garden features more than 350 varieties of the flowers, including those from as far away as Liaoning Province and Taiwan.

Various fun activities are also being held there, including screenings of old movies, a traditional food fair, blind date party and Kongming lantern flying and blessing. Tourists can also enjoy a lotus-themed dinner in the garden restaurant.

Over at the island’s Egret Love Park, visitors can spend a romantic evening in a field of lavender and herbs while a light show plays in the background.

As for the island’s local delicacies, visitors can enjoy a range of crab and freshwater fish dishes, all made with fresh ingredients in delicious home style.

Baodao Crab Farm in Luhua Town features a crab catching experience and crab culture exhibition. Local farmers can tell you how the crabs are bred. Or you can learn how to catch and truss crabs from the nearby pond.

One can walk through the colorful and fragrant tangerine trees in Luhua Town, one of the largest producers of the fruit on the island. Visitors can also cycle along the nearby lake and quench their thirst on fresh fallen tangerines.

Come and play

With its ample forest coverage, winding roads, amazing sunrises and sunsets, calm lakes and quiet village paths, Chongming Island is a great place for outdoor sports lovers.

The island’s nature lanes offer joggers and cyclists spectacular views as they make their way through a number of local towns and villages. Xincun Village is the cradle of sweet-scented osmanthus while Miao Town features trident maple trees that change color in the fall.

Every year, the island hosts marathons that attract both professional and amateur runners from all over the world. The 42-kilometer nature lane at Sanxing Town offers an ideal route for joggers thanks to its well-designed mix of forest cover and open views.

Looking ahead, the Changxing Island Park, just across the Yangtze River Bridge, will soon be completed. It will be built with a 21-kilometer half-marathon path that is sure to lure runners.

For cyclists, the island is covered with 413 kilometers of riding lanes. These lanes are spread across a number of routes which pass by landmarks like the Xisha Wetland, Dongping Forest Park and Hengsha Island. The two-meter-wide lanes are painted red. On several routes, rest stations can be found every 4 to 8 kilometers.

The sporting fun doesn’t end there though. The 3-month-long Chongming Leisure Sports Meeting includes activities like dragon boat racing, football matches and horse riding.

Plenty of wet and wild fun can be experienced at Mingzhu Lake Park. A popular spot for triathlon swimmers, the park also offers rowing, water bicycling and kayaking.

The areas near Dongping Forest Park and Genbao Football Base are built into professional football camps featuring more than 10 standard football fields and accommodations.

The Chongming Sports Center in Chengqiao Town can hold 10,000 people, where locals can enjoy professional basketball and football games. There will also be sports centers in Bao Town, Chenjia Town, Miao Town and Changxing Town featuring swimming pools, table tennis, badminton courts, indoor rock climbing and squash. The outdoor tennis fields, jogging lanes and basketball fields are also available.

The Dongtan Wetland area, on the east side of the island, is an ideal place for golf, fishing, horse riding, jogging and tennis.

Hyatt Regency Chongming is also supportive to the development of sports on the island. With a convenient location and tailor-made services, it offers mountain bikes, tandems and kids’ bikes for sightseeing. It also has a pet-friendly program featuring 24 dedicated dog-friendly rooms complete with enclosed outdoor courtyards and special canine comforts.

The hotel recently held a charity run to raise money for children with kidney disease. Nearly 150 marathon participants and 40 hotel volunteers took part in the event.

District in the making

As the city’s last remaining county, Chongming will soon be classified as a district as the Shanghai government works to promote the area’s sustainable development.

A committee at the Eco-Island International Forum discussed strategies for handling this change and its implications for social and economic management.

In time, Chongming will be transformed from a rural county to an urban area, bringing more resources in a number of important areas.

“Chongming has abundant nature resources including forest, wetland, farms, water ways and tidal areas. We use ... techniques to value and make full use of them,” says Huang Shenfa, deputy director of Shanghai Academy of Environmental Sciences.

With development, public services will be improved and placed on par with those of other districts. This means island residents will enjoy the same comfort and benefits when it comes to transport, housing, travel, culture and entertainment, agriculture, education and health care as those elsewhere in the city.

Among the projects being considered is a Metro line linking Chongming with the Pudong New Area.