Suzhou Creek night cruises hit the water this summer
The rehabilitation of Suzhou Creek means cruises on the river have been able to start this year, with night cruises the latest way to travel the waters. Photo by Flickr user Micah SittigAdd one more thing to you summer “to do” list: Suzhou Creek scenic night cruises. Although the city already has plenty of boats trolling the Huangpu at night, showing off the glamor of both Bunds, the Suzhou Creek will show off the subtler side of Shanghai from old factories and warehouses from the 1930s to colorful residential high-rises and newly built parks.
A limited number of daytime cruises on the creek did begin early this spring, but these will be the first night tours permitted by the city, part of a city-wide plan to revamp parts of Shanghai to make it a more desirable tourist destination. Much of the drive has been rooted in the number of people coming to the city for the Shanghai 2010 Expo.
The 10 kilometer cruise will float by 16 specially lit spots located from Moganshan Lu to Changfeng Park.
Although a specific date hasn’t been set for the first night tour, Putuo District Tourism Bureau Deputy Director Liang Liqun assured Xinmin Evening News, "This August, the Suzhou River night tours will definitely open.” The tours will take about 45 minutes and cost RMB 70 per person, according to Shanghai Daily with fees going to cover the cost of the creek’s new landscaping.
Suzhuo Creek goes to rehab
Of Suzhou Creek’s 125 kilometer length, 53 of them run through Shanghai. As Shanghai developed, the creek (also called Wusong River) fell victim to urbanization, becoming massively polluted (and terribly smelly) from factories lining the river and general city waste.
The river pollution hit its worst in the early 1990s, and since the late 1990s the Shanghai Municipal Government has been redeveloping the area through the “Suzhou Creek Rehabilitation Project.” The local government’s 12-year plan included bringing life back in to the river, through redeveloping the historic buildings that line the river, creating parks and embankments for locals to enjoy along the river, introducing wastewater and water resource management to the area and also improving the river’s water quality to make it inhabitable by fish and other organisms.
This summer's Suzhou Creek cruises will show off the extent of the work and progress that has been made in the area.
