By Hu Min
The 2026 Shanghai International Flower Festival Jing'an sub-venue, known as the Jing'an International Flower Show, is set to kick off on April 18, presenting a blossoming visual feast to citizens and tourists.
Under the theme "Flourishing Jing'an, A Life in Full Bloom," the show sets the main venue at the green space of Suhewan MixC World, links Nanjing Rd W. and Daning business areas, and covers multiple horticultural centers.
The Blossom Pet Land at Suhewan MixC World takes the spotlight. It creates an immersive experience by empowering a human-pet coexisting space with floral art. Its highlights include giant pet-themed plant sculptures such as an eye-catching West Highland and a giraffe topiary gateway.
The design ingeniously combines fresh flowers, green plants, resin and fiberglass-reinforced plastic to create multiple immersive photo spots. It not only demonstrates exquisite horticultural skills but also builds an imaginative "blossoming utopia" for pet lovers, advocating harmonious time between people and pets in an urban oasis.
Feng Rui, the project director, explained that the inspiration came from a chance encounter during the design phase. When the design team visited the site for surveying, they found the lawn was pet-friendly, with many residents walking their dogs. At that moment, they saw a group of puppies gathering around a West Highland.
"We already knew this was a pet-friendly public space, and the nearby Suhewan MixC World has many shops and venues related to the pet economy, therefore, we wanted to create a dog topiary for the flower festival," said Feng. Initially, the plan did not include a Westie as the team had been considering a Chinese rural dog, a poodle, or other breeds. But after seeing the West Highland that day, everyone agreed immediately: this was the one.
However, the team had created a series of difficulties for themselves. First, they needed to realistically recreate the Westie's iconic flowing long coat. The design and construction team tested more than a dozen types of grass before settling on feathergrass and blue fescue. The former closely mimics the long, fluffy fur on the Westie's head and body. Soft and billowy, it sways gently in the wind, making the dog look as if it's running playfully. Blue fescue, also soft but shorter, works perfectly for the fur on its paws.
Another floral installation draws inspiration from Shanghai's iconic Shikumen architecture, aiming to evoke the city's unique memory and temperament. It creates spatial rhythm through geometric floral patterns, translating the ripples of Suzhou Creek and Shanghai-style patterns into contemporary visual language.
Materials include fresh flowers, dried flowers, and paper flowers, among others, with the special integration of Shanghai intangible cultural heritage velvet flower craft. It allows the warmth of handcraft, urban memory and modern floral design to coexist and thrive in one space.
Inspired by the soft, innocent childhood imagery in classic paintings, the "Dreamy Flower Valley" installation uses layered vertical green walls as the base. Floating bubbles from the paintings serve as a gentle bond, connecting the colorful contours of the flower festival logo.
During the show, several themed gardens including a hydrangea garden, a rose garden, and a wellness aromatic garden will be set up, integrated with cutting-edge expressions such as AI and digital art.
The Jing'an Impression Floral Art Competition will take place at Tianhou Palace with 15 floral works divided into invited professional groups and open recruitment groups. Integrating the intangible cultural heritage of Shanghai-style flower arrangement, the competition presents large-scale floral installations and premium bouquet exhibitions. Contestants will complete on-site creation and preliminary setup from April 14 to 15, with public exhibitions running from April 17 to May 10, allowing people to appreciate exquisite Shanghai-style floral craftsmanship up close.
The 2026 Shanghai Jing'an Garden Cultural and Creative Exhibition, the city's first large-scale garden-themed cultural and creative show, will open at the art center of Jing'an Sculpture Park on April 15 and open to the public for free from April 16 through May 15. Under the theme "integration," the exhibition gathers more than 1,000 works from 39 global institutions and individuals, covering art installations and lifestyle aesthetics.
