City throws open its doors to welcome visitors from all around the world, He Qi reports.

Dancers and a Duffy Express float from the Shanghai Disney Resort participate in the opening parade of the tourism festival. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

Featuring a green mountain, the Shimao Quarry Hotel, a telescope, buildings, bicycles and flowers, the float of the Sheshan National Tourist and Holiday Resort was among the most impressive at the opening parade of the Shanghai Tourism Festival on Sept 14.

According to the resort, which was showcasing a float for the first time at the festival, which runs through Oct 6, the decorative platform had to be redesigned multiple times due to safety concerns arising from the number of elements on it.

"Since Songjiang district has launched many landmarks in recent years, we wanted to integrate and promote as many of our resources as possible," explains Zhou Yan, deputy director of the Sheshan National Tourist and Holiday Resort's management committee.

"We have the highest mountain in Shanghai, the world's deepest subterranean five-star hotel, the relics of Jiangnan culture, an astronomical and seismological observatory, a botanical garden and many ecotourism resorts. We wanted to display them all to show that Sheshan is the backyard of Shanghai."

The float parade has been one of the most anticipated segments of the festival since the first float made its way through People's Square in 1993. This year, the parade kicked off at the Shanghai Times Square on Huaihai Middle Road.

Themed "70 Years of Glory, Beauty and Joy", the parade featured 1,500 performers and 25 floats from 19 countries and regions.

Dancers and members of a Maori art troupe from New Zealand participate in the opening parade of the tourism festival. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

A float from the Sheshan National Tourist and Holiday Resort at the parade. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

As the host city, Shanghai brought out the floats from theme parks, high-end resorts and local brands, including Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, Sheshan National Tourist and Holiday Resort and jewelry company Lao Feng Xiang.

This year marked the sixth time that Shanghai Disney Resort participated in the opening ceremony parade of the Shanghai Tourism Festival with its Duffy Express float.

"Since this was a night parade, light played a major role in how we designed the float. The float was created with several light boxes of varying shapes and sizes," says Denny Newell, director, creative and production, entertainment, Shanghai Disney Resort.

"We also paid close attention to the details, combining both Chinese elements and familiar Disney iconography. Some of these elements include the Chinese pattern used as the background for the train's carriage, and the Mickey-head-shaped Chinese knots found throughout the design."

Newell adds that the most challenging aspect of the float was figuring out how to disguise the truck that carries the float.

Ansai waist drum dance performers from Yan'an, Shaanxi province. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

Carnival band Glunggephoniker from Switzerlan. (GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY)

"We looked at how to use negative space to create illusion and divert the eye. There are also height restrictions and the team does several site walks to be sure the float will make it safely down the route," he says.

"With 12 assigned floats attending the parade in 1993, more departments and enterprises have applied to become a part of the event in recent years, and we selected the floats according to the districts and brands," said Chen Jian, a representative of the organizing committee office of the Shanghai Tourism Festival.

Apart from the growing number of floats, the quality of the decorated platforms has also improved.

"In the past, we found that the lights used on the floats were not bright enough and the colors were not diverse enough. Now, the LED lights we use are brighter and they also allow us to adjust the colors and save on energy," says Chen.

Twenty-five floats will parade through the city's districts in the coming days. After the parade, they will be parked at the Shanghai Yuehu Sculpture Park in Songjiang district from Sept 29 to Oct 6 for tourists to view.

Contact the writer at heqi@chinadaily.com.cn