The vast marshlands of Chongming.

By Tom Mangione

Since the completion of the Changjiang Bridge and the Changjiang Tunnel last year, the tourist industry on Chongming Island is booming. Driving down its long, country roads, one sees stretches of older villas being torn down for redevelopment as guest houses. What was once a sleepy island at the mouth of the Yangtze River dedicated primarily to agriculture looks to become the latest getaway for Shanghai's city slickers.

However, despite this spate of new developments, large swathes of the island remain untouched, enabling the traveler to get a real feel for Chinese country life. The Global Times spent a day there to see what could be seen.

Grounded: The F-6 fighter plane on show in Dongping Forest. Photos: Tom Mangione

Before you go

Be aware that Chongming Island is not small; after Taiwan and Hainan Island it's China's third largest island. Some of its sights are over 60 km apart, so be prepared to travel. Bikes can be rented at many of the tourist destinations. There are local public buses crisscrossing the island, but they are relatively slow and infrequent. The best way to get around is by renting a cab for the day, but expect to pay at least 250 yuan ($36.90).

It's also advisable to bring your own lunch. While it's possible to find places to eat near Dongping Forest or at the main town of Nanmen, most other places don't have food readily available.

Forest jump

The island's most developed attraction, Dongping Forest Park is a 3.6 square kilometer expanse of forest filled with trails and various familyfriendly amusements (entry 70 yuan).

Although portions of the park appear to be recently renovated, many of the long corridors made by the straight groves of trees have been lost to the undergrowth. Although the park can be explored on foot, it's recommended you rent a bike inside the park for 15 yuan an hour. Unless you plan on biking around outside the park later, don't rent a bike from the hut outside the main gate. A regulation requires that you enter and exit through the park's second entrance half a kilometer away.

While touring around, be sure to take a detour down Senlin Road, meaning "Forest Road" in Chinese, which meanders through the park's biggest section of conifers. The nearby Bamboo Park isn't much to look at, but a teahouse on the shores of a small pond provides an air-conditioned space to enjoy ice cream (10 yuan) or a pot of tea (30 yuan and up). The teahouse includes an old Western-styled saloon complete with barrels and ornate woodwork, echoing with the sounds of American soft rock hits of the 90s from a faux phonograph.

The amusement park features a zipline (30 yuan), a rock climbing wall (20 yuan) and a go-karting track (10 yuan). For 30 yuan, you can ski down an artificial slope of finely pruned grass for half an hour. You can also rent a paddle or motor boat and take a ride through the parks' maze of estuaries. Paddle boats and small motor boats can be rented for 20-30 yuan per half hour. On your way out, don't miss the retired PLA F-6 fighter plane. The 7,500 kilogram monster is parked in the middle of the forest near the entrance on Yinlin Road.

Wetlands not dry on sights

On the very eastern tip of the island lies the massive expanse of the Dongtan National Nature Preserve and Bird Viewing Park. The 50 yuan entry fee includes entrance to a small park and the chance to walk around on a raised platform over the wetland itself. The small museum and coffee shop lie in a sea of dark green marsh grasses.

If you are interested in getting a look at one of the park's many species of birds, take a pair of binoculars.

Locals claim that October is the best time to go birdwatching, but with a little patience you can still spy storks, sandpipers and even peregrines.

Traditional fishing

Not far from the highway leading to the Changjiang Bridge lies the Yingdong Ecological Village (20 yuan). Here tourists can use traditional boats and fishing implements to see what they can catch. Fishing nets and poles can be rented for half a day for 10 yuan, and trips around the lake on one of the old junks costs 10 yuan. You'll have to pay for any fish caught, costing from 16 yuan per kilogram and up.

Non-fishers will also be enthralled - or maybe appalled - by the chance to view cock fighting and goat fighting. The Yindong Ecological Village offers places to stay the night from 200 yuan and up.

Getting there

The fastest way to get to Chongming Island is by two bus lines (12 yuan, one way), accessible from Metro Line 1's Wenshui Road Station or from Line 2's Shanghai Science and Technology Museum Station (Exit 6). The buses take about an hour to get to Chenjia Village on Chongming Island. Note that the village is close to the eastern tip of the island, but a good 60 kilometers away from the Dongping Forest Park.

If you want to go to Chongming's center at Nanmen and closer to the Dongping Forest Park, it's best to go by ferry (45min to 1 hour) from the Baogang Port. To get there, you'll have to take Metro Line 1 to the end at Fujin Road, and then take a cab to the port.