Shiji Park

Loyal readers will remember that I helpfully pointed out in an earlier post or two that Shanghai is big. Really big. Considering just how big it is (quite big actually) there isn't all that much to do in a sort of family way. You can eat (loyal readers may have noticed that there are a number of different restaurants in Shanghai mentioned in earlier posts, too), you can party, you can shop but there aren't that many family attractions here.

Fortunately young children like Lilli and Max aren't really that demanding. They like running around, swimming, making lots of noise and pushing each other over. Throwing an ice cream into the cage every now and again keeps them happy and cools them down. That was a joke.

With this in mind, we went on the metro to Shiji Park today. As far as I can tell, this is the only park in Shanghai really deserving of the name "Park" by dint of the fact that it has real grass in it. It also has an enormous musical fountain that spurts water in time to the music. It features hundreds of nozzles built into the floor, so on a hot day, you can play chicken by with the jets (and presumably with the many varieties of water-borne bacteria that Shanghai municipality serves up) as the music stops and starts.

The fountain had attracted a big crowd. Some of the children were scampering politely around the edge of the fountain. Lilli waded right in, and got soaked to the skin. Spurred on by the enthusiastic crowd, Max followed her in and got equally wet. Lilli proceeded to take off her dress and run in and out and right across the fountain plaza to the crowd at the other side. Both Lilli and Max attract a lot of attention wherever they go here. It is for a good reason that Europeans hold on to the cliche that Asians are always taking pictures - it's because it's true.

It doesn't take much to keep the children entertained. The children kept everyone else in the park happy.