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July 1, 2016

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The city’s parks welcome people after sundown

By Hu Min | July 1, 2016, Friday | Print Edition

SHANGHAI’S parks will be more accommodating than ever this summer with extended hours, improved facilities and expanded security measures, greenery officials said yesterday.

Seven parks in downtown Huangpu District will extend their opening hours to 9pm year-round from today after having their lighting systems and surveillance cameras upgraded, and the frequency of security patrols will be increased after dark, the city’s greenery authorities announced yesterday.

Fuxing Park, Huaihai Park, People’s Park, Penglai Park, Gucheng Park, Liyuan Park and Jiuzi Park will be open between 5am and 9pm year-round. Until today they closed at 5pm or 6pm.

There has been a strong demand from local residents for parks to open at night with the arrival of summer, and the extension allows people to have a pleasant evening stroll, said Lu Jianping, deputy director of the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau.

Old paths, drainage systems and structures have been repaired or renovated in preparation for the new schedule, said bureau officials.

Three parks in the district — Guangchang Park, Nanyuan Binjiang Park and Yanfu Park — began opening round the clock on May 1.

With the exceptions of Shaoxing Park and Yuyuan Garden, which cannot be opened at night, 11 parks in Huangpu will now remain open after dark, the bureau said.

Zhongshan Park in Changning District, which normally shut at 9pm, began opening round the clock yesterday.

The park’s monitoring system and lights have been upgraded to improve security.

When Shanghai Daily visited last night, people were playing chess, dancing, skateboarding and jogging.

“I think it is good to open the park round the clock because some people may want to stay longer, and I have seen strengthened security measures like increased patrols and even a police dog,” said Chen Aijuan, a mother who lives nearby and takes her 8-year-old daughter to ride her skateboard at the park.

“But I also hope those public square dancers will not stay until midnight, because they cause noise and occupy large public areas of the park,” she complained.

Another nearby resident, Tian Jiayi, said the nocturnal park experience could be a little better.

“The convenience store should remain open at night because night strollers need to buy water,” she said. “And the lights are not bright enough, and people should be careful on their belongings.”

She added: ”But all in all, it is not bad to open it longer and dancers need a place instead of occupying streets in front of residential complexes to dance.”

Meanwhile, about 200 movies, including the blockbusters “Kung Fu Panda” and “Zootopia,” will be screened for free at night in parks and greenbelts across the city until the end of September, the bureau announced yesterday.

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