Beyond bloom management and variety care, Gucun Park is also enhancing visitor services and cultural tourism integration. An upgraded cherry blossom passport is being introduced, integrating resources from Baoshan's commercial areas, dining, accommodations, and cruises.
Visitors who purchase festival tickets or participate in associated events can receive discounts and free parking. The park is also introducing accessible viewing services, including free electric vehicle transfers and wheelchair assistance for visitors with lower limb disabilities.
Behind the vibrant cityscape of cherry blossoms lies groundbreaking progress in domestic cherry blossom breeding, according to Yu Lixia, senior engineer of the horticultural landscape department at Chenshan Botanical Garden.
"By 2020, only 21 domestically bred cherry blossom varieties were authorized. Between 2021 and 2025, that number grew to more than 200," Yu says.
Chenshan Botanical Garden has introduced nearly 30 native and domestically bred varieties. These account for over 30 percent of the total, with high-quality domestic varieties like Feihan cherry gradually being used in urban landscaping, effectively breaking the monopoly of foreign cherry blossom varieties.
The garden is helping develop "technical guidelines for planting and maintaining cherry blossoms in urban green spaces", addressing long-standing gaps in local landscaping standards, ensuring vibrant blooms and stable flowering periods.
Weather patterns have also shaped this year's bloom in Shanghai. A relatively warm winter and intermittent high temperatures accelerated flowering for some varieties. Kawazu-zakura trees at Chenshan Botanical Garden entered full bloom nearly 10 days earlier than in 2025 — the earliest peak in almost five years.
Yu says the early bloom offers both pleasure and scientific value as it enriches residents' spring experiences while providing valuable field data for monitoring plant phenology in cities.
Shanghai's cherry blossom viewing map has long achieved multipoint blooming, greatly enhancing viewing convenience. Besides the core landmarks of Gucun Park and Chenshan Botanical Garden, Lu Xun Park, Jing'an Sculpture Park, Gongqing Forest Park, and Century Park are all excellent choices for residents to enjoy the blossoms.
"Cherry blossoms also brighten neighborhood streets and smaller community green spaces. The succession of early, mid — and late-blooming varieties allows people to enjoy blossoms from late February through April, extending the romance of spring across the entire city," Yu adds.
