Government News
Shanghai's North Bund welcomes international cruise passengers with cultural celebration 2025-04-07
Sichuan Opera face-changing performance at the "Hai Shang Zhi Chuang" cruise market.
The Insignia (因锡亚号) cruise ship gently docked at the North Bund International Passenger Center in Shanghai at 8am on Monday (April 7).
Welcoming over 500 international travelers, a cultural celebration, themed "Hai Shang Zhi Chuang," unfolded right on the pier, featuring an immersive welcome ceremony and a traditional Chinese culture fair – all up close and personal.
The "Hai Shang Zhi Chuang" cruise market is the first cultural experience event in Shanghai tailored for inbound cruise passengers under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. It's both a tribute to the cruise ship as a traveling platform and a metaphorical "window" for discovering Chinese culture through the gateway of Shanghai.
The pier was buzzing with energy as visitors explored a vibrant open-air market featuring 12 curated stalls. Divided into three key zones – Intangible Cultural Heritage, Oriental Chic, and Guochao Interactive – the market offered everything from lacquer fans and sugar painting to Song brocade weaving, shadow play, calligraphy, and trendy Chinese-style souvenirs.
While guests browsed, the atmosphere came alive with traditional performances: a hanfu (traditional Chinese attire) costume parade with interactive experiences, lion dancers weaving through the crowd, and an intangible cultural heritage puppet show bringing classic Chinese tales to life.
Foreign visitors browse the cruise market
The entire event was designed with international guests in mind, complete with bilingual guides and mobile payment assistance, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for visitors from around the world.
Berhard, a tourist from Switzerland, said it is his first time seeing a real lion dance – so much more thrilling than on TV while proudly showing off a photo with one of the lion dancers.
And his friend added that they were in Hong Kong two days ago where the skyscrapers were incredible but the North Bund is different – the river is wider, the buildings are like pieces of art, and the smell of coffee is actually in the air.
They plan to squeeze in a quick visit to downtown Shanghai before the ship departs.
"Even if we don't see everything this time, we've already decided – we're coming back to explore China more deeply," Berhard said.
A tourist poses for a photo with lion dancers.
Meanwhile, Sarah, a traveler from the United States, was gleefully hopping from stall to stall. "It's so great to be back in Shanghai!" she said. "Last time I was here for only a few days. This time, I'm soaking up everything I missed."
She was particularly fascinated by the handmade sugar painting art and said she planned to walk the Bund to catch the city's changing light throughout the day. "And tomorrow, we're saving the afternoon just to ride the maglev – can't wait to try it. It's going to be wild!"
Good news for future travelers: on Wednesday (April 9), the Seven Seas Explorer (七海探险家号) is scheduled to dock at Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, where the "Hai Shang Zhi Chuang" market will return for another round of cultural festivities.
In 2025, the cruise terminal expects to host 17 cruise ship visits. As of the end of March, seven ships had already called at the port, bringing in nearly 7,000 inbound visitors.
The event was bustling with people.
Source: Shanghai Hongkou Media Center
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| 04-16 | 21315227 | Processing |
| 03-12 | 21315226 | Processing |
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Inquiry Status
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