Shanghai Greenhouse Garden is located at No. 199 Jiming Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, within the Shanghai Expo Culture Park. As a multi-functional ecological complex in the center of the South Area of the Shanghai Expo Culture Park, it is adjacent to the Central Lake and backed by the Twin Peaks, covering an area of about 22,000 square meters with a total construction area of approximately 40,000 square meters. Its main body consists of a tourist service center and three themed pavilions: Pavilion 1 · Desert Sandbar, Pavilion 2 · Cloud Forest, and Pavilion 3 · Misty Gorge. The pavilions are connected by an underwater exhibition corridor, with the steel bar structure of the industrial heritage of Shanghai No.3 Steel Works preserved. The exterior facade adopts a cloud-shaped curved glass curtain wall, and the shape design is based on the renovation of the original old factory buildings of Shanghai No.3 Steel Works, forming a natural and elegant cloud-shaped curve.
History and Culture
The site of the Shanghai Expo Culture Park has a profound historical context. Its original location was part of the venue area of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, carrying the historical memories of the grand Shanghai World Expo and witnessing an important node in Shanghai's urban development. After the conclusion of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, how to revitalize the idle resources of the Expo Park and create an urban public space with both historical inheritance and ecological value became an important issue in Shanghai's urban planning and construction, leading to the planning and construction of the Shanghai Expo Culture Park. As a core ecological landscape project in the park, Shanghai Greenhouse Garden was originally built to provide citizens in the central urban area with a place to get close to tropical plants, while inheriting the core concept of the World Expo “Better City, Better Life”.
In 2017, the construction of the Shanghai Expo Culture Park was officially launched, and the Greenhouse Garden, as a key ecological supporting project, entered the planning and design stage simultaneously. Its architectural design fully draws on the modern architectural style of the Expo Park and integrates the concept of ecological low-carbon construction, adopting green building technologies such as energy-saving glass, rainwater recycling, and natural ventilation. In October 2021, the North Area of the Expo Culture Park opened to the public for the first time, and the Greenhouse Garden met tourists at the same time as the North Area. After opening, it quickly became popular for its unique indoor tropical landscape and a popular check-in spot on the Pudong riverside.
Over the years, the Greenhouse Garden has not only been a leisure and sightseeing spot for urban residents, but also undertaken the important mission of ecological popular science in the central urban area. It has successively held many tropical plant science popularization and research activities for primary and secondary school students, combining the historical memories of the World Expo with modern ecological culture. It has become an important window showing the achievements of Shanghai's urban renewal and conveying the concept of ecological environmental protection, and also added a strong natural and cultural heritage to the Shanghai Expo Culture Park.
Main Attractions
Pavilion 1 · Desert Sandbar
Covering an area of 3,033 square meters, it displays xerophytes such as cacti and welwitschias through sandbar landforms and mountain caves, with a light and shadow hall supporting the demonstration of plant growth processes.
Pavilion 2 · Cloud Forest
With an area of 4,207 square meters, it features rainforest landscapes such as buttress-rooted giant trees and water forests, and houses freshwater fish such as white hatchetfish.
Pavilion 3 · Misty Gorge
With a scale of 8,037 square meters, it takes tropical flowers and trees such as cannonball trees and giant dragon bamboos as the main scenery, and has a 10-meter-high waterfall and a palm flower stream.
Recommended Tour Route
Recommended route: Pavilion 1 → Pavilion 2 → Pavilion 3, taking about 2.5 hours.
Travel Tips
- The recommended visiting duration is 2-3 hours. If combining with other scenic spots in the Expo Culture Park (such as Shen Garden and the Riverside Promenade), it is recommended to arrange a full day.
- The best visiting seasons are spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), when the climate in Shanghai is pleasant, the flowers and fruits in the Greenhouse Garden are in full bloom, and the effect of taking photos is the best.
- It is recommended to bring a camera and a mobile power bank. The light in the Greenhouse Garden is soft and the scenery is beautiful, suitable for taking fresh-style photos. Walking throughout the tour consumes a lot of power.
- You can check the time of science popularization explanations in the Greenhouse Garden in advance on the official WeChat public account of Shanghai Expo Culture Park, and follow professional explainers for a deeper understanding of the mysteries of various plants.
- It is recommended to bring drinking water. There are only a few vending machines in the Greenhouse Garden, so bringing drinking water is convenient for timely hydration.
- For tourists visiting with children, you can prepare small questions about plants in advance to guide children to observe various exotic plants and enhance the fun and scientific nature of the visit.
- For tourists who like a quiet environment, it is recommended to go on weekday mornings when there are fewer tourists, so you can better experience the peaceful atmosphere of the Greenhouse Garden.
Notes
- Picking plants, breaking branches and leaves, and trampling on the vegetation in the exhibition areas are prohibited in the Greenhouse Garden. Touching the science popularization facilities and plant cultivation equipment in the pavilions is forbidden to protect the safety of plants and public facilities.
- The overall temperature is relatively high and the humidity is high in the Greenhouse Garden. It is recommended to wear loose and breathable clothes, and you can take off your coat as needed after entering the pavilions to avoid stuffiness and discomfort.
- Smoking, using open fire, and bringing pets (excluding guide dogs) into the Greenhouse Garden are prohibited.
- There are wooden plank roads and slippery footpaths in the pavilions. Please watch your step during the visit. The elderly and children must be accompanied and cared for by adults to avoid accidental falls.
- Loud talking, chasing and frolicking in the Greenhouse Garden are prohibited to maintain a quiet environment and not affect the visiting experience of other tourists.
- Applying to the management office of the Expo Culture Park in advance is required for shooting commercial promotional photos or videos; commercial shooting activities are not allowed without permission.
- Spitting and littering in the Greenhouse Garden are prohibited to keep the environmental sanitation of the pavilions.
Transportation
- Metro: Take Shanghai Metro Line 13 to Expo Avenue Station, exit from Exit 4, walk for about 5 minutes to reach Gate 1 of the Expo Culture Park, then walk another 10 minutes to the Greenhouse Garden.
- Bus: Take Pudong Line 12, Pudong Line 102 or Line 1030 to Expo Avenue Shangnan Road Station, walk for about 3 minutes to the entrance of the Expo Culture Park, then walk to the Greenhouse Garden.
- Self-driving: Depart from the urban area of Shanghai, take the North-South Elevated Road and Inner Ring Elevated Road to Expo Avenue. There is a special parking lot in the Expo Culture Park.
- Cycling: There are shared bike parking spots around the scenic area, suitable for local residents in Pudong New Area to cycle here. There is a non-motor vehicle parking area at the entrance of the Expo Culture Park.
Opening Hours
Regular opening hours are 9:00-17:00 every day, with entry to the Greenhouse Garden stopping at 16:30 and the garden closing at 17:00 synchronously with the main park. During legal holidays every year (Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day), the opening hours are adjusted to 9:00-17:30, with entry stopping at 17:00 and official closing at 17:30.
Tickets
Tickets start from 98 RMB per person. You can search for “上海世博文化公园” on WeChat to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Online Booking
Click here to jump to the Trip.com ticketing platform for ticket purchase.