This Summer, Visit Shanghai and Get Up Close with Mermaids – Even Locals Are Flocking Here

Where do families take their kids when visiting Shanghai during summer break? Oriental Pearl Tower, the Bund, Huanjin? It’s too hot, and the kids might not enjoy it. What children love most in summer is water, and animals are another favorite of innocent hearts. I recommend Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is themed around marine culture, divided into five major zones and one themed resort hotel. It features six large animal exhibition venues, sixteen star marine shows, two high-tech cinemas, and over ten amusement facilities. The five zones are Mermaid Bay, Polar Town, Undersea Realm, Ocean Tribe, and Ice Kingdom. The six animal exhibition halls are Volcano Shark Pavilion, Antarctic Penguin Pavilion, Sea Beast Exploration Hall, Iceberg Arctic Hall, Undersea World Pavilion, and Coral & Jellyfish Hall.

From home, I took Line 11 to Luoshan Road Station and transferred to Line 16. I got off at Lingang Xincheng Station, then took bus No. 1135 from the left-side bus stop. Board at Lingang Avenue Hucheng Ring Road stop, and after three stops, alight at Yinfei Road D Port Bus Hub (Ocean Park).

First, show your Shanghai Health Code, get your temperature checked, and go through security. It’s a good idea to add the Haichang Ocean Park official WeChat account to check show schedules and plan your route. It’s hot, so bring water, though drinks, water, and handmade marine animal ice creams are available inside.

I did my homework and planned a route like this for reference:

Sea Beast Exploration Hall — Iceberg Arctic Hall — Beluga Love (10:30) — Walrus Theater (11:30) — Penguin Restaurant lunch

Killer Whale Theater (13:00) — Time-Space Cable Car — Dolphin Theater (14:00) — Volcano Shark Pavilion —

Mermaid Fairy Tale (15:00) — Dolphin Roller Coaster — Coral & Jellyfish Hall — Soaking Wet Cool Party (16:20) — Undersea World Pavilion — Water Dance Fish Show

Right from the park entrance, kids were taking photos everywhere—this has become a must-visit spot for both tourists and locals in Shanghai. On Line 16, I overheard a conversation between a mother and daughter: the mother told her child, 'It’s 37°C today, I’ll take you to play; tomorrow it’s 38°C, so we won’t go out, okay?' Mothers are truly amazing. Many parents and children got off at Lingang Xincheng Station, all heading to Haichang Park. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park changes in two years.

Once inside, I really regretted not bringing my child, because Haichang Ocean Park has added so many new attractions and changed a lot.

Our first stop was the Sea Beast Exploration Hall, where adorable sea lions greeted us. Here you can also see seals, fur seals, manatees, and otters.

I regretted not having my kid with me this time because Haichang Ocean Park is absolutely worth visiting—the best is yet to come.

The weather was a bit hot, but with so many shows in the venues, you only get direct sun when walking between them. Inside, it’s much cooler.

Here live a group of friends from the Arctic: Arctic wolves, polar bears, belugas, and Arctic foxes. Not only kids, but even I learned about many marine animals and creatures from other regions after coming here. You gain knowledge you can’t find in books, broadening your horizons. It’s truly a great place, so it’s no wonder there are still so many visitors despite the heat.

In this room, there’s a white animal everyone thought was a dog. Haha, that’s an Arctic fox. It often steps on the running wheel to play, no wonder people mistook it for a dog.

I also saw the cute internet-famous sea lion Ding Ding, who loves to press its head against the glass tank. If you move, it moves with you—so much fun.

After visiting these two halls, we caught the 10:30 Beluga Love show. Belugas are the elegant beauties of the whale family, the ocean’s singers. The stunning performance left a deep impression. The beluga and its caretaker put on a wonderful, romantic show—I’d call the caretaker the Beluga Prince, so handsome. The beluga even formed a heart shape. This is also a perfect spot for couples to confess their love.

After the romantic Beluga Love, we watched the funny and cute interactive show Walrus Funny Travels. The star walrus loves to show off its charming figure, and when it sees a pretty lady, it shyly covers its eyes~

The sea lion also salutes and does handstands—super cute.

The walrus likes pretty girls and even had a sit-up competition with one.

The adorable scenes made everyone laugh. Walruses are easy to remember because of their long tusks.

It was about lunchtime, so we went to the Penguin Restaurant. The first floor was full, so we ate on the second floor. Stepping inside felt like entering an undersea world—a magical feeling.

The penguins were so cute, I didn’t want to eat them—I just wanted to take them home. This is a children’s meal.

There’s also Hainanese chicken rice and eel rice, both delicious.

Another worth trying is the Whale Shark Restaurant, connected to the Volcano Shark Pavilion. Here you can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner with over ten thousand rare fish.

The Sand Tower Restaurant, located in the Undersea Realm zone, is also popular, specializing in Southeast Asian cuisine, and is currently hosting a food festival.

After refueling, we started our afternoon itinerary. At the Killer Whale Theater, you can learn more about our friend the killer whale through educational presentations.

Take the Time-Space Cable Car to explore the Dolphin Theater! The cable car ride is free—it’s included in your admission ticket.

The large-scale interactive show Dolphin Love Song was performed on a dreamlike stage. A dolphin spirit leaped out of the water—I was so stunned by the amazing scene that I missed capturing the moment. To truly experience this breathtaking sight, you have to see it for yourself!

Dolphins are highly intelligent marine animals, and their coordination with the caretakers was impressive, earning rounds of applause.

The spectacular stage effects made it one of my favorite theater performances.

If you’re lucky enough, you might even get a kiss from a dolphin! But you need to be at least 16 years old.

Inside the ocean park, there’s even a volcano—that’s the Volcano Shark Pavilion. Its biggest highlight is the seven-degree tilted immersive exhibition tank, the best ocean-viewing spot, bar none!

The Mermaid Fairy Tale show also takes place here. In the huge tank, five mermaids appeared, so captivating and beautiful. They danced underwater, stunning and gorgeous. The performers are all excellent swimmers, since free diving requires strong swimming skills. Watching the graceful scenes, everyone was doing the same thing—holding up phones or cameras to capture the wonderful moments.

Along the walkway, there are also various shark display tanks, great spots for photos.

The splendid undersea world is truly magical.

On the way to the exit, you’ll pass the gift shop, where adorable plush toys and souvenirs will make you want to take them all home.

This is the standalone Coral & Jellyfish theme hall. The jellyfish concert hall, created through mirrored reflections, constantly shifts with colorful lighting, giving a dreamlike feel.

I personally love jellyfish; the way they pulse and dance is so beautiful. I took many photos and could watch them forever.

There are also many coral species, like feather mushroom coral and mushroom sunflower coral.

The Undersea World Pavilion, loved by adults and children alike, is next! The underwater tunnel here is very long, great for portrait photos, though it’s a bit crowded during summer break. But no worries—bring a prime lens and blur the background, and you can still get great shots.

Everyone loves lingering in the Undersea City Garden, a very popular spot. Staying indoors away from the heat, you can still have a great time.

The high-difficulty free-diving underwater show Water Dance Fish Show is highly entertaining. Fish swim around the underwater flower fairies as they appear.

The flower fairies and little sprites coordinated perfectly, showcasing the dreaminess of the underwater world.

In addition to animal viewing, the ocean park has thrilling and fun rides. Hurry and hop on the Dolphin Roller Coaster and Volcano Rafting for an adrenaline rush.

I didn’t try them myself, but friends who did said they were scary without real danger, and lots of fun.

After a whole day of fun, dusk arrived, and the hot, wet-and-wild cool party began! Everyone gathered together and partied with the performers.

Water guns and a foam battle made the kids ecstatic.

I visited many spots today, but I didn’t cover the entire park. A good tip is to stay one night at the Haichang Ocean Park Resort Hotel, and the next day enjoy all the rides like Speedy Penguin, Happy Flying Fish, Flying Giant Fish, Pelican Adventure, and Ocean Carousel.

Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park also introduces different themes during various holidays, and there’s a daily visitor limit. Be sure to book tickets early. I’m already looking forward to my next visit to Haichang~