From iconic landmarks to vibrant new hotspots

Ye Fengting

When you think of Jiad-ing, what comes to your mind first? Perhaps it’s the renowned auto city, or the historic Fahua Pagada. In re-cent years, Jiading has seen a wave of new landmarks, as its familiar spots continue to offer fresh experiences.

Yuanxiang Lake provides a po-etic living environment for Jiading residents. A “cultural loop” is tak-ing shape around the lake, stringing several architectural masterpieces in the suburban district.

Jiangnan Bookstore • Eye of Li-ucheng is a popular hotspot along this loop, offering stunning views of the Jiading New City. Liucheng is another name for Jiading. The bookstore showcases creative local artworks, such as Xuhang straw weaving, and features books on the culture and history of Jiading and the broader Jiangnan region, promoting the area’s distinctive heritage.

Across the lake are the Shanghai Poly Grand Theater and Jiading Library. Designed by renowned Jap-anese architect Tadao Ando, the Shanghai Poly Grand Theater is an iconic cultural landmark in the Jiad-ing New City. The theater is also the first in China with a water feature.

The Jiading Library features a Jiangnan-style courtyard design that blends traditional architectur-al charm with contemporary flair. From a bird’s-eye view, its rooftops resemble open books. The library boasts a collection of 300,000 books on open shelves and offers 1,500 reading seats.

The Anting International Au-tomobile City and the Shanghai International Circuit are must-visit destinations. The F1 Chinese Grand Prix is held at the Shanghai Interna-tional Circuit. Visitors can also enjoy exciting karting experiences here.

Next to the circuit is the Porsche Experience Center, where visitors can drive on world-class tracks, relishing the excitement of drifting, cornering and powersliding.

For those seeking a slower pace, the Shanghai Auto Expo Park offers the opportunity to ride in vintage convertibles, allowing you to experi-ence the elegance of a bygone era. After that, you can head to the Jiabei Country Park for a mountain biking adventure on a 4.74 km trail in the woods. Alternatively, you can visit Maoqiao Village in Huating Town to enjoy BMX bikes.

Jiading is home to China’s first automotive-themed museum. The Shanghai Auto Museum, with a total exhibition area of over 10,000 square meters, boasts a collection of more than 100 vintage cars.

In Anting Automobile City, a myste-rious building houses the Dalai Time Museum. Located in Anting Citizen’s Square, it features a collection and exhibition of precious clocks, timing devices, and mechanical musical in-struments from various nations and centuries. Here, time is no longer an abstract concept but a tangible entity, inviting you to touch and feel it.

Jiading features many hidden gem museums and galleries. One stand-out is the Jiayuanhai Art Museum, nestled in the fields of Dayu coun-tryside in Malu Town. Designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, this museum features a stunning glass façade that harmonizes with the sur-rounding streams and rivers.

Since its opening, the museum has hosted a range of themed ex-hibitions, including the “Tadao Ando: Light, Shadow, and Nature” exhibition. Currently on display is an exhibition of works by Lu Yan-shao, an innovative 20th-century Chinese landscape painter. Over 60 landscape paintings that showcase the scenery of the Jiangnan region are featured.

The museum’s gift shop introduc-es new products from time to time, and visitors can enjoy speciality cof-fee drinks at the café on the second floor.

Just a five-minute walk from the Ji-ayuanhai museum is the Malu Grape Park, where you can pick different varieties of tasty grapes.

Jiading’s nightlife is equally vi-brant, and you can enjoy the water light show at the Shanghai Poly Grand Theater. You can also gather fam-ily or friends to savor xiaolongbao (small steamed buns) in Nanxiang Old Street, watch a Kunqu opera per-formance at Guyi Garden, or visit Xiyunlou, an open-air riverfront pe-destrian mall featuring a variety of shops and restaurants.

Dalai Time Museum

The Shanghai International Circuit

Photos courtesy of Li Qi, Yang Yujie and Peng Xiaoyan