It is the nature of mankind to enjoy nature and to enjoy a relaxing environment surrounded by natural beauty. This is a key element of our life.  

Take the exit on Yanggao Road from Yangpu Bridge and drive for another  minute along Yunshan Road to the south. There you will encounter a beautiful well-kept grassy area. Lush, green and well-manicured, it looks good enough to rest on. European and American-style houses line the road and trees let the sunlight dapple through the leaves and branches.

 

 

 

 

Lush grass surrounds the buildings at Green City. Residents here enjoy a life close to nature. Photos: Courtesy of Green City 
 

At dawn, a gentle mist hangs over the river that meanders through the district. Walking or jogging beside the waterway, you can hear your soft footsteps as well as birdsong. Running alongside the river are other joggers and early morning walkers, wearing tracksuits, some with hair bands keeping blonde hair locked in place. The whole experience, the feel of the fresh air and the trees that surround you, the dew and the sunlight flickering through the leaves, all create a feeling of rejuvenation. The smell of fresh-cut grass reminds you that this is life as it should be led.

Sense of tradition

Follow the bronzed road signs and you will come to the housing area, red-brick structures that exude a sense of tradition. They encourage strangers to explore further. Up close you can read the bronze sign on the gate: Green Court - the landmark area of Green City.

Walking through Green Court, you are welcomed initially by the fresh green lawns. Green Court stands apart, keeping its lawns and gardens as a trademark way of distinguishing properties. The design of the court enhances the feeling of relaxed solidity.

The area slopes gradually from the north to the southeast. It is dotted with waterfalls and springs, with a water system running through the estate from north to south. Stand beside one of the babbling brooks and watch the fall leaves tumbling gently to the ground and you will also feel the gentle joy of nature that life here encourages.

Look inside one of the homes here. Every unit seems spacious and airy. Sunlight flickers through the tree branches outside and through the large windows bringing warmth and energy to the home. Inside the wooden floors are carpeted throughout. The aroma of fresh coffee hits you as you glance over the bookshelves. Pop out to the balcony and look down on the rugby field and the serried rows of self-contained milky white sandstone apartment buildings. Lush grass verges run beside the homes and the thoroughfares. This is Phase II of Green Court.

Glass elevators

Unlike Phase 1's classic styling, the buildings in Phase II have a more modern styling. The buildings feature outdoor glass-walled elevators. There are expanses of lawn and the self-contained buildings and open surroundings enhance the feeling that residents here are close to nature. 

The whole development has a rectangular shape and slopes from north to south. Standing at the northern end, you can look down on the soccer fields and the Green Sports & Leisure Center. Standing on the east side, you can look over the only world-class rugby field in Shanghai and glimpse some Green villas tucked away in the woods beyond. The ground floors of the apartment buildings feature arched porticos with boutiques and elegant European-style stores. Outside the shops there is a pedestrian mall.  The entire district is designed to balance the central features and the outlying areas and is lushly green throughout the year. The green of the grass and shrubbery sets off the white sandstone buildings  and sky-blue roofing. Everything blends with everything else - a picture of harmony and beauty.

The afternoon sunshine warms the visitors' faces. Children are playing on the grass and through the mall. Their mothers close by chatting and enjoying the games their children are playing. This is Green Court, a development that puts people first. For foreign families here, their children can enjoy an early education center, a children's art gallery, and classes for child ballet, painting, and handicraft. There's a even a reading room for the tiny ones. Children and their parents enjoy life here. Green City - a touch of nature in the city today and a forerunner for the world.