Songjiang district in the southwestern suburbs of Shanghai is the cradle of the most dynamic metropolis in China, predating the famed city by more than 1,000 years.

Today its beautiful hills, creeks and superior air quality make Songjiang, once a farming area, a favorite destination for urbanites.

With Expo 2010 Shanghai well underway, Songjiang is ready to welcome more visitors from home and abroad.

"The theme of the Expo is 'Better City, Better Life', and we are trying to put the slogan into practice in Songjiang," said Lou Jianyuan, deputy director of the Songjiang Commerce and Tourism Commission.

"We are fully prepared to welcome Expo tourists with a number of new facilities completed in the past two years," said Lou.

The district's Chenshan Botanical Garden, the city's largest, began trial operations in April this year and Happy Valley Amusement Park is already the most popular in Shanghai after 10 months of operation.

Lou added that transportation in Songjiang has been improved for visitors' convenience. Six main streets have been widened and planted with trees and grass, while 1,000 bicycles at 15 sites across the district can be freely borrowed if returned within two hours.

Fifteen environmental friendly buses traveling around Sheshan National Tourism Resort carry tourists between major scenic spots and hotels near Sheshan Mountain.

"What's more, three parking lots, with combined capacity to accommodate 1,400 cars, have been built in Songjiang. These are mainly used for visitors from neighboring Zhejiang province to leave their cars and take buses to the Expo venues," Lou said.

"Yet the result is not yet satisfactory as many tourists may not be aware of the facilities."

To provide better service for overseas visitors, employees in travel agencies, restaurants and hotels have had special classes in spoken English. Some 59 travel signs in both Chinese and English indications have been installed.

"Apart from the improvement in infrastructure, we have also prepared different kinds of activities for the coming visitors during Expo," Lou said, adding visitors with Expo tickets can enjoy discounts in several scenic spots including Qingqing Tourism World and Shanghai Film Studio.

Happy Valley will host a beer carnival from July 3 to August 29, while families can enjoy a more tranquil time in the countryside at Cangqiao, where juicy "crystal pears" are grown.

As well, Wushe Agricultural Leisure and Sightseeing Park offers the opportunity to stay in the home of a local farmer, eat homemade food and enjoy picking fruit and vegetable from his garden.

Lou also noted an astonishing hotel under construction in an 83-m deep quarry near Tianma Mountain. Seventeen floors of the 19-storey hotel are below original ground level - and four floors are underwater. "You can see fish swimming around you while having dinner." The hotel is scheduled for completion next year.