On November 22, City News Service and Yichuan Road Subdistrict hosted the 2025 Yichuan Intangible Cultural Heritage Chrysanthemum Garden Fair, inviting Shanghai expatriates to participate in traditional handicraft workshops.

The event offered both Chinese and international residents an opportunity to experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture and build a platform for cultural exchange.

This year's exhibition spanned 1,600 square meters and showcased over 23,000 pots of chrysanthemums, including more than 60 rare varieties.

The showcase also incorporated the chrysanthemum cultivation techniques of Zhaojia Garden – an intangible cultural heritage of Shanghai with a history of more than 270 years.

The display included over 20 carefully curated chrysanthemum varieties – showcasing several dozen exceptional specimens – cultivated by Zhao Zhangyong, the eighth-generation inheritor of the Shanghai municipal-level intangible cultural heritage, "Zhaojia Garden Chrysanthemum Cultivation Technique."

The varieties featured diverse forms and carried rich cultural symbolism.

Set against the lakeside scenery and rust-colored architecture of Yichuan Park, the flowers highlighted the enduring appeal of traditional chrysanthemum culture.

Khosrow Rezaei, who has lived in Shanghai for seven years and comes from Canada, was deeply impressed by the exhibition.

"Oh, that was really amazing. Yeah. I mean, there are two aspects of Chinese parks that I always notice: First, the layout is thoughtfully designed. It's not just, you know, rows that are perpendicular to each other.

"It has got curvature; it has got taste in the design of it. And then the flowers themselves – today I was really amazed by the spectrum of colors. Really nice. Very nice," Rezaei said.

"I have been to several parks: from the Botanic Gardens all the way to other parks. There is a special room for flowers: from sidewalks to the streets to the parks. Plenty. I have never seen anything like this anywhere in Europe," he added.

"I really like Shanghai," Marina Nebratenko from Russia said. "So prosperous, like blossoming, and it's so beautiful. I think Shanghai is one of the best places, and there are a lot of interesting events here, a lot of historical and cultural sites. It will not be boring. My phone's memory is so full because I'm taking a lot of photos every day."

Speaking about the chrysanthemum exhibition, she said, "It was really nice. All the flowers are beautiful – and it's just one type of flower, yet they're so different."

She has visited several other parks in Shanghai and often recommends them to her friends and classmates.

"I recommend. It's so perfect for taking photos and it's so nice, such great views."

The chrysanthemum exhibition extended beyond Yichuan Park into surrounding communities, including the Banna Suzhou Creek Station · 1690 Party-Mass Service Center, allowing the charm of intangible cultural heritage to reach even more residents. Expat participants also visited the center to make cloisonné-style chrysanthemum coasters as part of the handicraft workshop.

Maryia Kashpar from Belarus tried making this type of intangible cultural heritage craft for the first time.

"I've never tried it before. It's the first time. I think it's interesting and fun because I'm trying it for the first time. That's why it takes time to understand how to do it and get used to it. I will keep it for myself rather than giving it as a gift, because I struggled with it so much that I really want to have it for myself."

Khosrow Rezaei also did well with his handicraft piece and was fully engaged in the process.

"Very tedious," he said. "Takes a lot of patience. And Chinese art, up to now, from what I have seen, really requires small, steady hands. Yeah, I really appreciate how much work goes into these handicrafts. It's really amazing."