This is Chongming Dongtan, a wetland of international importance, and it is a different world from the endless city, a good hundred kilometres away. The sky is wide, the horizon is flat, and the only sounds are wind in the reeds and the calls of birds.
Chongming is the largest alluvial island in the world, built up over centuries from the silt that the Yangtze carries down from the interior. The land is still growing at its eastern end, as sediment builds new mudflats, and the wetlands that form there are among the most important stopover sites on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the great bird migration routes. Each spring and autumn, hundreds of thousands of waders, ducks, geese and gulls pass through, resting and feeding on the mud before flying on to Siberia or Australia. Rare species, such as the black-faced spoonbill and the Far Eastern curlew, can be seen, and winter brings flocks of swans and geese.
The reed beds, mostly common reed and bulrush, are the habitat for smaller birds and, on the margins, for an invasive cordgrass from North America, which conservationists have been working to control. A boardwalk and observation towers at the park allow visitors to get close, and the best time is in the early morning at high tide, when the birds are pushed up to the edge. Bring binoculars and a windproof jacket, because the wind off the sea is strong.
Getting here from Shanghai is straightforward by car or bus, over the Yangtze Tunnel and Bridge, and then along the island's main road, which runs straight and flat between rice fields and greenhouses. Riding your own motorcycle in China requires special permits and is rarely available to visitors, so most travellers come by tour or taxi. Services on the island are limited, with some small restaurants and shops, but fuel and food are available in Chengqiao, the main town.
The island is known for its crabs, especially in autumn, and for a sweet rice cake sold in local shops. Try both.