Residents Transform West Bund for Shanghai International Flower Show

Residents are turning the West Bund into a vast public park as the Shanghai International Flower Show opens on Saturday, bringing citizen-led botanical innovation to the waterfront.

The Xuhui branch of the citywide festival covers a 3-kilometer stretch along the Huangpu River and features nearly 40 scenic spots.

Highlights of the 23-day event include eight micro-gardens designed and built by ordinary citizens to showcase sustainable urban living.

"We built this from scratch after work over five days, digging holes and planting flowers to bring our garden dream to life," said a participant Tao Ruiqian.

Tao collaborated with three friends she met online to build the "Boat of Flowers." They planted blue and purple delphiniums around a small wooden boat. Visitors can stop at the installation to play interactive games like fishing and blowing bubbles.

The citizen-led initiative represents a shift away from traditional flower displays toward interactive community building and ecological awareness.

Organizers will dismantle the waterfront displays after the festival concludes on May 10 and relocate the plants to local neighborhoods.

Organizers selected eight groups from 13 initial applications to build the public displays. Seven teams live in Xuhui district, while one team traveled from Yangpu district.

The citizen builders focused their designs on themes like psychological healing, edible plants, and artificial intelligence.

Residents from the Caohejing and Kangjian neighborhoods built an "Urban Healing Balcony." The team repurposed old wine boxes, bicycle baskets, and plastic bottles into planters. They filled the containers with catnip, rosemary, and basil to ensure the display remains safe for visiting animals.

Two sports fans from the Hongmei neighborhood designed the "AI Symbiosis Garden." The creators used their local sports chat group to collect empty plastic bottles from neighbors. They gathered enough recycled materials in just two nights to build their display.

"These gardens are not just a colorful performance. They represent real life and the genuine needs of our residents," said Tongji University professor Liu Yuelai. He noted that the project aims to turn "visitors into participants."

"We are cultivating the next generation of master gardeners where every citizen becomes a creator of their own lifestyle," Liu said.

Organizers mapped out two cycling routes that connect the main flower show venue at the Shanghai Botanical Garden with the Xuhui riverfront displays.

A 5-kilometer route caters to families and casual visitors. A 10-kilometer route takes serious cyclists past additional art museums and historical districts.