Lucy,
Congratulations on your upcomming adventure in Shanghai. I have had the opportunity to visit Shanghai seven times and loved every minute of it. One of the first things to strike me in winter was the trees which appeared to have been butchered. Branches were cut back, nearly to the trunks, where new growth sprung to life in the form of nunerous water sprouts and contorted branches. Struggling for life, these trees appeard to have been tourchered and disfigured. Visit agin in spring and these trees, in full leaf, take on new and very dense form of life. It takes a while to appreciate these trees. I for one, struggled to include the 150 yer old transplant trees in my designs. After seven trips I look forward to seeing the trees and have even cut back a very sick tree in my own yard in Boston to see it renew itself.
As for the sites, the city is a site to see in itself. I could walk the streets all day long and find wonderment around each and every corner. It is the most exciting city I have ever visited. It is ever changing and different every time I visit. New high rise buildings spring up, seemingly over night.
Allow yourself time to visit the old shopping streets and traditional parts of the city as well as the gardens.
John Ryther, ASLA
ICON parks design
