Shanghai's Roads Captivate Motorists, Passengers

​Chinese roses bloom along Shanghai's elevated roads. [Photo/Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau]

A vibrant display of flowers along Shanghai's elevated roads has recently drawn widespread attention online, with many residents and visitors praising the city's romantic urban charm.

The floral displays are supported by a refined maintenance system that keeps elevated-road scenery colorful for much of the year.

Shanghai's elevated roads feature seasonal flowers in spring, summer, and autumn. Chinese roses dominate spring and early summer, while bougainvillea takes center stage in summer and autumn. In winter, evergreen plants maintain visual appeal.

Around the May Day holiday, the city's elevated roads entered "Chinese rose season", with roughly 118,000 pots of Chinese roses placed along key elevated sections, including Yan'an Elevated Road and routes near the Hongqiao transportation hub.

Yan'an Elevated Road is the main viewing route, where about 26,000 pots of Chinese roses adorn the east-west artery, with the landscape refreshed regularly.

Wang Zihao, a site manager from a landscaping maintenance company, said Chinese roses were first introduced on the elevated road in 2018. Since 2021, the planting design has paired Chinese roses with either golden privet or abelia, creating a mix of pink blossoms and fresh green foliage.

This year's peak bloom period ran from April 27 to May 10. The roses will undergo trimming and replacement in late May and are expected to bloom again in June.

Wang said new rose varieties with longer flowering periods are also being cultivated, with around 4,000 pots planned for trial use in 2027 to elevate their visual effect.

A recycling system ensures stability while reducing waste. Seasonal rotations of Chinese roses and bougainvillea are complemented by nursery recovery programs, where replaced plants receive professional care before returning to the elevated roads.

Professional maintenance is key to keeping the displays in top condition. Crews perform watering and pest control through mobile operations from midnight to 4:30 am. Other tasks, including weeding, loosening soil, fertilizing, and trimming, are conducted after elevated road sections are fully closed. Each night, more than 30 workers care for 8,000 to 9,000 pots of flowers, making elevated-road maintenance far more demanding than ground-level landscaping.

As part of renovations on the Inner Ring Elevated Road, a smart irrigation system has been installed. It automatically waters plants based on humidity, temperature, and soil moisture data, supporting scheduled, periodic, and manual spraying modes, while helping reduce daily labor costs.