On October 9, The Paper focused on Qidong twice. The shared origin of Shanghai and Qidong along the river and sea brings them ever closer, and Qidong's coastal slow-living lifestyle has become the top choice for short getaways among Yangtze River Delta tourists. Details are as follows.
Shared River-Sea Origin, One Family: Shanghai and Qidong Grow Closer
The article reports that Shanghai and Qidong are not merely geographically close; there is a kinship etched into their very bones. They share the same local dialect and cultural roots, representing a natural extension along the same river-sea cultural belt, and this connection finds new resonance through exchanges between the two places. This stretch of land called Qidong, where the local "Ala" dialect can be understood, has never been the opposite shore but rather the place of origin. Crossing the river is not a journey to a faraway place but an everyday occurrence.
The full text is reproduced as follows.
Shared River-Sea Origin, One Family: Shanghai and Qidong Grow Closer
From September 25 to 30, Zhong Xiaoying, head of Qidong Chengyuan Culture, attended the World Design Capital Conference (WDCC) held in Shanghai. In late August, she had just participated in the China International Fashion Fair (Autumn) in Shanghai. "Zhangzhen Cloth Art," a clothing and cultural creative brand under Chengyuan Culture that explores and preserves the craft of yarn-dyed homespun cloth, has gained considerable recognition in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions. "We exhibit in Shanghai about a dozen times each year, and Shanghai customers love our products," Zhong Xiaoying said. "Ultimately, it comes down to our shared cultural roots. Homespun cloth, tiger-head shoes, and other main products are cultural symbols we have in common."
In the view of Feng Wei, a professor in the Department of History at Fudan University, Shanghai and Qidong are not just geographically close; people from both places feel a sense of mutual recognition. Qidong feels as familiar as a neighbor or relative.
Not only Feng Wei, but for most Shanghai residents, Qidong has never been a distant place. It sits just across the Yangtze River, only an hour's drive over the Chongqi Bridge. The dialect is understandable, the tastes are similar, and relatives and friends visit each other frequently. This closeness is etched into their bones. But if one treats Qidong merely as "a place to stop by," they may miss its deeper significance.
Separated by a Single River: Why Does the Qidong Dialect Sound More "Shanghainese" Than Expected?
The name Qidong means "opening up our eastern frontier." This land is a work co-authored by Yangtze River silt and ocean tides. Over two hundred years ago, this was merely a sandbar in the vast river and sea. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty, thirteen sandbars gradually emerged where the river met the sea, administered under Chongming County and known as the "Outer Sands." Migrants from Chongming, Haimen, and even Jurong in Jiangnan came to reclaim the land, and by the late Qing Dynasty, the population gathered here had reached 300,000. In 1928, Chongming's Outer Sands was formally established as a separate county, named Qidong after the phrase "opening up our eastern frontier."
This land that grew from sandbars is naturally related to Shanghai. The Qidong dialect is almost identical to the Chongming dialect of Shanghai, both belonging to the Shanghai sub-group of the Taihu Wu dialect region. In the early Republic of China period, central Qidong was under Haimen County and belonged to the same "Huhai Circuit" as Shanghai, and the riverside areas were originally one family. This closeness is even written into place names. Chongming people call Qidong "North Sands," and Qidong people call Chongming "Great Sands." Two sandbars facing each other across the river, sand connected to sand, dialect connected to dialect.
A scholar who has long studied Jiangnan language and culture once explained it this way: the closeness between the Qidong dialect and the Shanghai dialect is not about being "similar" but about being a natural extension along the same river-sea cultural belt. Shanghainese feel warmth when hearing the Qidong dialect because their local accents share a common origin. For Shanghainese, stepping into Qidong is not like crossing a river but more like returning to another home between the river and the sea.
Last autumn, Qidong artist Yang E held a calligraphy and seal carving exhibition titled "Looking at the Sea" at the Xinxiang Art Museum in Jing'an District, Shanghai, attracting many Shanghai cultural figures and citizens who lingered for a long time. "Shanghai's Haipai culture and Qidong's river-sea culture share the same roots and voice. Many Shanghai colleagues unconsciously consider river-sea culture within the framework of Haipai culture. When I exhibited in Shanghai, what people mentioned most was the river-sea atmosphere in my works that resonates with people from both places." Among the exhibited works, "Yuantuo Sunrise" struck a chord with viewers — the character "sun" resembles the morning sun over the sea, "rise" looks like a winding sea wall, and the character "tuo" on the right resembles a person walking alone. The landscape of Yuantuo Cape and one person's long gaze toward the river and sea are both fused into these characters. A Shanghai viewer said after seeing the exhibition: "I originally thought Qidong was just a place a bit beyond Chongming. I never expected its calligraphy and painting to contain another kind of Haipai — not the refinement of Shikumen, but the openness of the river and sea." This evaluation precisely marks the beginning of Shanghainese rediscovering Qidong.
From Lüsi Work Songs to Music Over the Sea: The "River-Sea Tides" Belonging to Both Places
"Qidong's river breeze and sea charm are the birthmark of my music." This is how Lu Lu, an erhu player with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, describes the connection between her performance and Qidong. Lu Lu began learning the instrument as a child, later entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and after graduation joined the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. In her view, the fishermen's labor depicted in the orchestra's classic piece "Fishermen's Song of the East China Sea" has an intrinsic connection with the tonal shifts of Lüsi fishermen's work songs and the melodies of Jiangnan silk-and-bamboo music.
Lüsi fishermen's work songs are the "original soundtrack" of Qidong's fishing culture. Originating from fishermen's labor that flourished alongside the salt industry during the Ming and Qing dynasties, they follow the work flow of going to sea, fishing, receiving the tide, and returning to port, with over 40 varieties of long and short work songs still extant. The rhythms match the movements of hauling ropes and pulling nets, and each work song is a dialogue with the river and sea. Over the years, musicians from Jiangsu, Shanghai, and elsewhere have visited Lüsi for field research more than ten times. In the 1980s, the folk music rescue team of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music collected 76 pieces including fishermen's songs and work songs in Lüsi. Thanks to that collection and preservation, Lüsi fishermen's work songs were included in Jiangsu Province's first batch of intangible cultural heritage listings.
After entering the professional stage, these sounds gained new arrangements and expressions. At the end of July this year, Lu Lu toured Brazil with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, bringing Qidong's river-sea memories to the world stage. What is even more moving is the encounters on stage. During a performance in Qidong, Wang Xiaoben, a huqin player with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, shared the stage with local veteran artists. Shanghai musicians improvised accompaniment for traditional tunes, with the veteran artists familiar with the origins of the melodies and the professional players grasping the rhythm and layers of the stage — a simple rural melody gained richer vocal parts. "I have always felt that the musical exchange between Shanghai and Qidong is a two-way achievement between roots and stage, neither dispensable and each nourishing the other," Wang Xiaoben said. In his view, Qidong is a treasure trove of material for Chinese music creation, while Shanghai is an upgraded platform for its dissemination.
For Shanghai, Qidong's river-sea culture and folk arts are precious sources of living water — Lüsi work songs, sandy-land minor tunes, and yangqian storytelling are all unique regional nutrients. For Qidong's local Chinese music, Shanghai's platform and reach are the best boosters. Shanghai's professional arranging, stage directing, performance planning, large venues, and diverse audience markets can help Qidong's culture reach a broader stage. River water flows into the sea every day, and local accents and art gain new resonance through exchanges between the two places. When Qidong's work songs resound on Shanghai's stages, only then do Shanghainese truly realize that the "Haipai" they know has always carried the undertone of river breeze and sea charm.
Crossing the River Is Not a Journey but Daily Life; Qidong Is Not the Opposite Shore but the Place of Origin
Beyond encounters in exhibition halls, more frequent connections between Shanghai and Qidong happen in everyday life. Vicky (pseudonym) works at a leading foreign bank in Shanghai and usually visits Qidong every two to three weeks, where her parents and other elders live. If her work schedule happens to be in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai area, she often heads to Qidong after finishing work on Friday and stays for the weekend. Each time she visits Qidong, she notices changes in her hometown. Music festivals and markets are held around Diehu Lake and the Riverside Green Corridor, boutique shops run by creative owners have increased, and cycling and outdoor activities are becoming more diverse. "Longitudinally speaking, the progress is very evident," she said. The naturalness of these exchanges is also related to the shared dialect. In Vicky's memory, there has rarely been a language barrier between Qidong and Shanghai. "We Qidong people are very close to Shanghai." Many of her relatives and friends live in Shanghai, and the connection between the two cities has never been interrupted.
Qing Yi (pseudonym), who works in Shanghai's chip industry, also maintains ties with Qidong. For these young people working in Shanghai, education, employment, and family life are distributed across two cities, and commuting has gradually become part of life. Feng Wei pays more attention to practical cooperation between the two places in talent. "Every graduation season, I strongly recommend that students go to Nantong and Qidong to look for development opportunities," he said. He believes Qidong can use spring and autumn recruitment opportunities to visit Shanghai universities to introduce its industries and job positions, reducing the information gap between talent supply and demand. Wang Xiaoben hopes the two places can "plant culture together," producing more cross-boundary creations between Shanghai and Qidong, sparking entirely new works, and jointly creating a "Yangtze River Concerto" for this era.
Looking back at the work "Yuantuo Sunrise," a Shanghai viewer might recall something — Yuantuo Cape is the first place in Jiangsu to see the sunrise, and when Shanghainese stand on the Bund watching the sunrise, they see the same sun rising from the same river and sea. Qidong and Shanghai, separated by a stretch of river, share the same dawn. The eastern frontier that grew from sandbars and the prosperity on both banks of the Huangpu River are two forms nurtured by the same land and water. This land where "Ala" can be understood has never been the opposite shore but this side of the river and sea. It is time for Shanghainese to take a walk to Qidong — not for travel, but to acknowledge a kinship.
Rushing to Qidong to Unlock Coastal Slow Living, Becoming the Top Choice for Short Getaways Among Many Yangtze River Delta Tourists
The article focuses on Qidong's "Sunrise Over River and Sea, Dreaming of the East" cultural tourism brand continuing to shine under the coordinates of Yangtze River Delta integration. More and more Yangtze River Delta tourists are listing Qidong as their top choice for short getaways — chasing a sunrise that illuminates the river and sea, savoring a mouthful of exhilarating freshness, and falling in love with a city of river breeze and sea charm. At the edge where river meets sea, encounter sunrise, ocean, and the warmth of everyday life.
The full text is reproduced as follows.
Rushing to Qidong to Unlock Coastal Slow Living, Becoming the Top Choice for Short Getaways Among Many Yangtze River Delta Tourists
On September 24, "Flying Man" Liu Xiang posted a short video on social media with the caption "Happy Holidays," unveiling his vacation life in Qidong. In the video, Liu Xiang drives along a winding coastal highway wearing sunglasses, with fields, blue seas, and wind turbines lining the tidal flats. Outside the car window, healing coastal scenery unfolds. Under the clear blue sky, red-framed photo spots and scattered fishing boats complement his brown bucket hat as he slowly enjoys Qidong's seaside slow time like any ordinary tourist.
For Shanghai, which is separated from Qidong by only one river, crossing the Yangtze to reach Qidong is no longer a long journey but a short trip reachable within an hour's drive: chasing Jiangsu's earliest sunrise over the sea, combing tidal flats for seashells, checking in at the two-color sea photo spot, and tasting freshly caught seafood at Lüsi Fishing Port. In recent years, with the continued advancement of Yangtze River Delta cultural tourism integration, Qidong has continued to deepen its "Sunrise Over River and Sea, Dreaming of the East" city cultural tourism brand, frequently going to Shanghai for tourism promotions. More and more Shanghai tourists are listing Qidong as their top choice for short getaways. Across the river, tourist sources interconnect and everyday life coexists, and a vivid picture of Shanghai-Qidong cultural tourism integration has long been unfolding.
On July 3, the Qidong Cultural Tourism (Shanghai) Promotion Conference and Cultural Industry Investment Fair was held in Shanghai.
Chasing a Sunrise That Illuminates the River and Sea
At just past four in the morning, the sky was still dark, yet many figures had already gathered on the river-sea embankment in the Yuantuo Cape Tourist Resort. Many visitors brought tripods and cameras, quietly facing east, waiting for a rising sun to leap from the sea where three waters converge. "Watching the sunrise in Shanghai, it's mostly morning light through gaps in high-rises. In Qidong, the sun rises directly from the sea horizon where the river meets the sea. The view is wide open, and the atmosphere is completely different." This is how Zhang Yuhui, a tourist from Jing'an District, Shanghai, described his feelings about visiting Qidong to chase the light for two consecutive years.
Qidong is located where the Yangtze River, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea converge. It is the easternmost point of Jiangsu's landmass and the first place in Jiangsu Province to welcome the sunrise. The ten-thousand-li Yangtze River collides and blends with the Yellow Sea and East China Sea here, forming a unique "three waters convergence" spectacle. The 178-kilometer river-sea coastline stretches out — this is Qidong's exclusive river-sea gift and its natural "family asset" for developing the cultural tourism industry. The "Freshest Highway" is like a golden chain, linking together "pearls" such as Diehu Park, the Riverside Green Corridor, the Three Waters Convergence, Silver Sand Beach, Golden Beach, Qitang City, Tonghai Reclamation Company, and Lüsi Fishing Port. What is most wonderful is that this scenic corridor has both pristine wetland tidal flats and trendy leisure spots, offering immersive natural wilderness experiences as well as meeting the diverse needs of young people taking photos and families with children for leisure, matching Shanghai residents' expectations of escaping urban noise and getting close to nature.
Shanghai resident Liu Xiaoyun also had an unforgettable light-chasing experience. She rushed to the sea embankment with her family at four in the morning and watched as "the eastern sky gradually brightened, as if someone had smeared a layer of pink on the pale blue horizon, hiding countless streaks of golden light. A red sun slowly rose from the distant horizon, suddenly jumped and leaped out of the sea surface. Instantly, the space between sea and sky seemed to be ignited, and ten thousand rays of rosy clouds poured down a crimson glow through the gaps in the clouds, and the azure sea sparkled with golden waves." She wrote this beautiful scene into her essay "Going to Qidong to Chase the Light" and affectionately expressed her feelings about this moment — "Draped in morning glow, I carefully savored the taste of sunlight — beautiful, clean, sweet, fragrant, and delightful, strand by strand, wisp by wisp, soaking into my heart and lungs, blending into my meridians and blood."
Golden Beach is the favorite destination for Shanghai family tourists. Shanghai tourist Jiang Heming's family visited Qidong again this summer for a short trip, bringing small buckets and shovels to comb the tidal flats at Golden Beach. "This is our third time in Qidong. The children love stepping on the tidal flats, digging for clams, and catching small crabs. There's no such opportunity to get close to wetlands in the city." Between the ebb and flow of tides, ox carts and mini trains slowly traverse the tidal flats, scattering laughter along the way.
On Qidong's river-sea coastline, there are not only great spots for family tidal flat combing but also scenic destinations for photography enthusiasts to set up their "long lenses." The once-viral tidal trees — nature slowly carves regular yet dynamic branches on the tidal flats. At high tide, the entire tidal tree pattern hides beneath the blue waves, becoming a quiet and mysterious "undersea forest." After the tide recedes, the golden beach reflects the texture of the gullies, and the interplay of light and shadow creates a healing coastal masterpiece. The Yangtze River Estuary (North Branch) Wetland at the Three Waters Convergence is a key "stopover" on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds. Rare birds such as the black-faced spoonbill, Oriental white stork, Chinese crested tern (the mythical bird), and spoon-billed sandpiper are regular visitors, and the tidal flats guard the ecological picture of thousands of birds gathering.
Savoring a Mouthful of Exhilarating Freshness
Watch the sunrise, eat seafood — Qidong is right next to Shanghai. On Shanghai tourists' itinerary lists, the highlight is Lüsi seafood. Lüsi Fishing Port is one of the four largest fishing ports in China. When a thousand sails return to port, the docks are bustling. With Qidong ushering in full fishing season on September 16, going to Qidong for seafood on weekends has become something many Shanghai food lovers look forward to. Seafood restaurants in Lüsi Port Town and Xianyu Town are packed with guests daily, with customers skillfully ordering in Shanghainese dialect. Steamed swimming crab has plump, sweet flesh; oil-soaked hairtail is fresh without being fishy; iron-plate clams and steamed egg with clams are classic Qidong sandy-land dishes; and blanched red shrimp preserve the original freshness of sea shrimp — one bite captures the essence of the river and sea's gifts.
When fishing boats dock, baskets of seafood carrying the chill of seawater come ashore one after another: swimming crabs, hairtail, clams, mantis shrimp, jellyfish — carrying the salty freshness of the sea, going straight from the cabin to nearby restaurants and seafood markets. Many Shanghai tourists specifically set aside half a day to browse Yinggang Market, select fresh seafood, and bring it back to Shanghai to prepare steamed, blanched, iron-plate, or oil-soaked dishes, savoring the original sweetness of the ocean in every bite.
Visiting Qidong for fresh flavors is not just about satisfying the palate. Fishing port sightseeing, seafood shopping, and fisherman's cuisine — multiple experiences can easily fill a weekend itinerary. "You can buy seafood in Shanghai markets too, but it lacks that 'from boat to table' freshness." Shanghai resident Dong Lanqing buys seafood to take home every time she visits Qidong. After her relatives and friends tried it, they all asked her to bring some back, and she has since added several seafood vendors' contact information. Many tourists spend the day watching the sea and taking photos, then wait for fishing boats to return to port in the evening, enjoying the fishing port breeze and authentic seafood to end their day. Many Shanghai residents come back repeatedly, following the fishing seasons to taste different seasonal seafood.
Beyond natural sea views and seafood cuisine, diverse cultural tourism offerings retain Shanghai tourists of different age groups. Young tourists prefer Qitang City Immersive Park, where they change into Tang-style clothing, wander ancient streets, interact with NPCs for photo opportunities, and immerse themselves in the bustle of the Tang Dynasty, easily producing a set of traditional Chinese-style photos. Those who prefer quiet vacations can choose Silver Sand Beach, strolling on the artificial white sand beach facing the two-color sea, or camping and resting. Those who enjoy culture and ecology can drive along the River-Sea Scenic Avenue, checking in at the Tonghai Reclamation Company site, the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University Ninth Branch School, and the Wave-Breaking Wall ruins along the way, learning about the eastern frontier story of Zhang Jian, the top scholar of the late Qing Dynasty.
Many young people treat Qidong as a short video shooting location. Sunrises, tidal trees, fishing port boats, and Tang-style architecture — diverse scenes suit various shooting styles, continuously generating interest on social platforms and creating word-of-mouth传播 effects. "It wasn't until I came to Qidong that I discovered life can be tuned to your favorite channel." Shanghai blogger Miya Juyou posted short videos in June this year of checking in at Qidong's two-color sea, Qitang City, and other locations on social platforms, gaining 35,000 likes in just a few days, with comments full of "requesting guides" and "requesting budgets." "I saw someone's Qidong sunrise photos on Moments and immediately made plans to come with friends for the weekend." Young tourist Dai Ning from Putuo District, Shanghai originally visited Qidong just for the Diehu Music Festival but was moved by the river-sea scenery and checked in at multiple attractions consecutively.
Falling in Love with a City of River Breeze and Sea Charm
In July this year, Qidong's cultural tourism promotion entered the Shanghai Book City, bringing river-sea scenery, seafood cuisine, and premium travel routes directly to Shanghai residents, formally introducing coastal seafood-seeking vacation routes to Shanghai tourists. At the promotion site, Shanghai cultural tourism influencer Mr. Fu shared his experiences of visiting Qidong multiple times. "In recent years, many people have been complaining about tourism homogenization — everywhere looks the same," he said. "But Qidong is different. River-sea sunrises, tidal flat combing, fishing port seafood-seeking, Qitang check-ins — these diverse experiences are very suitable for Shanghai families and parent-child trips."
Similar language and customs also give Shanghai tourists a natural sense of familiarity with Qidong. The Qidong sandy-land dialect and Shanghainese share deep roots, with many words pronounced similarly, leaving no barriers in communication. Walking through scenic areas and fishing port towns, Shanghai tourists and local residents communicate with ease, sharing similar local accents and feeling less of the alienation of traveling elsewhere. Many elderly Shanghai residents travel in groups to Qidong, watching the sea and eating seafood, marveling that decades ago crossing the river required a ferry and took half a day, but now the bridge spans the water and arrival is instant.
"I used to think Qidong was far away. Now I can leave on a weekend morning, watch the sunrise and eat seafood, and still return to Shanghai the same day." Shanghai tourist He Minghua reflected that Yangtze River Delta integration has truly changed ordinary people's lives. Behind the two-way flow of tourists is Qidong's continuous improvement of cultural tourism infrastructure and visitor experience. In recent years, targeting the goal of "building a well-known leisure tourism destination in the Yangtze River Delta," Qidong has been building a spatial layout of "one core" (the main city cultural tourism leisure service core), "one ring" (the colorful hundred-li ecological loop), and "three poles" (Yuantuo Cape, Jianghai Lanwan, and Qilong as three tourism growth poles). In 2025, the city's tourism visits exceeded 10 million, generating approximately 10 billion yuan in tourism revenue. Parking lots, visitor service centers, and other infrastructure at various scenic areas have been continuously upgraded. Star-rated hotels, boutique leisure resorts, business hotels, express hotels, and homestays are all available to meet different accommodation needs. Cultural tourism departments continue to regulate the market, optimize the seafood market consumption environment, and protect the consumer rights of out-of-town visitors. They also introduce cultural tourism benefits, partner with Shanghai travel agencies, organize inaugural Shanghai tour groups, and regularly conduct two-way tourist exchanges, continuously promoting Qidong's cultural tourism resources to the Shanghai market.
The vitality of urban cultural tourism lies in resource interconnection and complementary advantages. Shanghai has a massive urban consumer population and a mature cultural tourism market. Qidong possesses scarce river-sea ecological resources and distinctive seafood cuisine. The two places face each other across the river, naturally possessing a foundation for cultural tourism synergy. Shanghai tourists rush to Qidong, chasing morning light, wading through waves, combing tidal flats, taking photos, and tasting seafood, shedding urban pressure at the river's end and the sea's edge. Qidong leverages Shanghai's enormous tourist source to activate coastal cultural tourism consumption, driving coordinated development of dining, accommodation, fisheries, and cultural tourism industries.
Connected by one river, river and sea coexist. Standing at the coordinates of Yangtze River Delta integration, the "Sunrise Over River and Sea, Dreaming of the East" cultural tourism brand continues to shine. Qidong keeps enriching its cultural tourism products and deepening Shanghai-Qidong cultural tourism cooperation, inviting more Shanghai residents to cross the Yangtze and embark on a river-sea rendezvous, encountering sunrise, ocean, and the warmth of everyday life at the edge where river meets sea.