Shanghai's most-famous grape producing town - Malu - plans to open a 30-million-yuan (US$3.6 million) park next year that will allow visitors to experience the pleasures of the fruit of the vine.

When the 30-hectare facility in Jiading District opens next July, visitors will be able to pick their own grapes, boat on a lake and relax while listening to music and drinking wine in a 400-meter arbor hung with grapes.

The more botanically inclined will be treated to discussions and other information on grapes in general and on Malu's 36 varieties. They may learn, for instance, that Malu produces about one-quarter of the city's grapes and that the town's output comes to maturity each year earlier than anywhere else in China.

Known across the nation for their high quality, Malu grapes are also the priciest, selling for 50 yuan per kilogram - five to six times the average for domestic grapes.

Those who don't want to wait for the park to open may want to visit the Fifth Grape and Technology Culture Festival, which runs through August 28. For a price, visitors can pick their own grapes and take them home.

"We hope people will enjoy not only tasting the grape but also the artistry of its shape," said Shan Chuanlun, director of the Shanghai Malu Grape Research Institute.

(Shanghai Daily July 21, 2005)