Shanghai will revitalize its cruise liner port in the northern Wusongkou estuary in a bid to bring back the crowds after its operations were suspended for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



The first commercial project was opened on Monday to help transform the Wusongkou International Cruise Liner Port, once the busiest in Asia and the world's No. 4, into an international tourist destination.



A national ship model design competition was launched at the port on Monday, China Maritime Day, to further attract public attention to the resort at the junction of the Huangpu and Yangtze rivers.



Over 150 teams from a dozen domestic universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Shanghai Maritime University, will take part in the contest both online and offline.



They will make models of famous vessels, race at the port and showcase their designs and craftsmanship.



According to the master plan, the Shanghai International Cruise Liner Resort will become another international tourist resort on par with the Shanghai International Resort in the Pudong New Area, with the Shanghai Disney Resort at its core.



Apart from cruise liners, it will feature water sports and riverside travel to help Shanghai's ambition to become a world-famous tourism city, according to the district government.



The resort will cover about 12.48 square kilometers and have 13.5 kilometers of waterfront along the Huangpu and Yangtze rivers.



Over 300,000 square meters of new commercial projects with a total investment of 3 billion yuan (US$447 million) will be built in three years.







Tourists will mainly be attracted by the various water sports and recreational activities, such as sailing. A water sports products center will be developed with other commercial facilities, including a new shopping center.



The newly opened project "Sea One" at 60 Wusongkou Road includes three office buildings, a luxury hotel and shopping malls.



It will become the "sitting room" of the future riverside resort to attract businesses and tourists.



Cruise ships from around the world were the cause of the earliest clusters of pandemic infection, forcing operators to shut down tours and countries to close their ports.



At the Shanghai port, all cruise liner operations have been suspended since January 30, 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.



Since opening in October 2011, the Wusongkou terminal has welcomed 2,200 cruise ships carrying over 14 million passengers.



Several liners from the world's top cruise companies – Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Genting – have made their maiden voyages in Asia from the terminal. It is able to receive four luxury liners at the same time after a major expansion in 2019.



Wusongkou is also a historic landmark of Shanghai. Its lighthouse was once the tallest structure in the city and remains a national landmark.



In 1842, when a British fleet attacked the wharf, General Chen Huacheng (1776-1842) led an army to repel the invaders.



Although the the cannons at the fort managed to sink several British ships, the defenders still lost the battle and Chen lost his life.







Source: Shanghai Daily