Shanghai has brought striking floral displays into major commercial districts as part of the ongoing Shanghai International Flower Festival, which organizers said is designed to merge flowers with culture, business, and sports to spur consumer spending.
At Taiping Lake, a hand-crafted floral carousel stands on the water against the backdrop of Xintiandi district's iconic Shikumen architecture, while shop windows on Nanjing Road are dressed with intricate floral patterns, turning the renowned shopping street into an open-air spring art gallery. In a particularly eye-catching display, a grand white horse sculpture appears to leap from a sloping bed of yellow blooms.
"It's delightful to see such pastoral scenery in the urban environment. It's quite a surprise," said one visitor.
In Pudong, the city's bustling modern core, roses and camellias transformed a pedestrian street into a grand avenue, where five European-style arches, richly decorated with blooms, lined the walkway.
There, nearly 30 shops created themed floral entrances, linking together the main route of an exhibition. A flower market gathered more than 60 brands covering about 10 categories, while a dedicated flower zone introduced over 30 industry suppliers offering fresh bouquets delivered straight from farm to market.
For many viewers, flower sculptures shaped as animals left an impression.
"There are animal-shaped decorations made of flowers along the way. I only saw large patches of flowers in previous flower shows, and it is the first time for me to see them used for creative shapes," said a Shanghai resident.
At the Yuyuan Garden, a major tourist destination and historical site, performers dressed as the mythical 12 Flower Goddesses and engaged in storytelling through dance. The performance delighted local visitors as well as those from afar.
"It's our first time seeing something like that. So it was so beautiful. I like so much fun to see," said an Egyptian tourist.
The 2026 Shanghai International Flower Show opened on Saturday with events in two main venues, 10 sub-venues and multiple exhibition spots across the city. It will run till May 10.
Shanghai brings blossoming displays to shopping districts, spurring spending
India, home to one of the world's youngest populations, is witnessing a growing number of students heading to China in search of quality education and stronger career prospects.
Fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics and engineering are seeing a notable rise in enrollments.
Naresh Patra, a researcher in astrophysics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, chose to study in China for what he describes as the excellent value for the potential boost to his career.
"First thing, the education system is very good and expenses are too low. And second point [is that] you will get good exposure about machine learning and AI, and third point you will get jobs immediately after passing from these universities," said Naresh Patra, a student from India.
There has been a noticeable surge in inquiries from Indian students for courses in engineering and artificial intelligence. To attract more international applicants, Chinese universities have ramped up investment in world-class infrastructure, including advanced laboratories, while expanding scholarship offerings across a wide range of disciplines.
Akshay Bhambri is among those who secured such a scholarship, supporting his research in traditional medicine. He describes his academic experience in China as highly professional and well-structured.
"In different departments, there are enough resources to do that, and even in libraries, whatever you need is provided immediately to you. So this kind of environment for a researcher, for a student, be it undergrad or PhD student, is very helpful when they want to do some kind of research or some kind of understanding to get what they want immediately, so that they can excel in their work," said the researcher.
Cross-border studies are also foundational to forming academic partnerships between China and India, but experts say that even greater outreach and engagement are needed.
"It will be more possible if there is a higher level, not just the people-to-people level, but (if) we see the authorities from both sides interact, and university-to-university interactions, in that case, there would be a lot of confidence building," said Nishith Shah, principal of India China Academy.
More Indian students choose Chinese universities for quality education
