Chrysanthemums bloom in late autumn in Shanghai. [Photo provided to China Daily]

More than 100,000 potted chrysanthemums are blooming at the Shanghai Gongqing Forest Park, while the city begins its winter days.

As the city's largest flower show of the season, the park presents 1,000 varieties of chrysanthemums, covering 100,000 square meters.

In addition to the potted chrysanthemums, visitors can also enjoy the flowers made into various shapes and moldings. The gardeners have shaped thousands of chrysanthemums into peacocks, dolphins, swans and modern architecture, such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

With its slim, curling petals and elegant look, the chrysanthemum is regarded as one of the four "honorable plants" because it blooms in the cold days of late autumn. The others are plum, orchid and bamboo, which are symbols of the literati.

Appreciating the chrysanthemum in autumn has been a tradition ever since the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420). Tao Yuanming (AD 365-427), a scholar and poet wrote the most famous poems about the flower: Pick a chrysanthemum near a fence and enjoy the mountain in the south at your leisure.

Cultural events will be held during weekends to celebrate the show. Master painters and calligraphers will paint chrysanthemum flowers and write poems. Ikebana artists will teach visitors how to make a chrysanthemum bouquet.

Craftsmen from the renowned porcelain town of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province are invited to fire porcelain with chrysanthemum designs in a mini kiln in the park.

The park has, for the first time, published its Park Visit Index for the convenience of visitors.

If you go

Gongqing Forest Park

No.2000 Jungong Rd, Yangpu District, Shanghai 

9 am-6 pm, Nov 1 to Nov 30

021- 6574-0586

Price: 20 yuan ($3.28) per person