Sneak Peek: Shanghai’s ‘New World’s Best’ Planetarium – Embracing Frontier Charm

The world's largest planetarium opened grandly on the 18th by Dishui Lake in the Magic City. As a Shanghai native on summer vacation, I had to be among the first to explore it. What secrets does this 'new world's best' Shanghai Planetarium hold? With great curiosity, our family of three set off eagerly to check it out.

Departure: A Journey of Childhood Fun and Space

This time I still chose to drive ourselves; our family car is the Chevrolet Menlo EV Mickey Space Edition. The world's first electric manned lunar rover was developed with the participation of General Motors. It created revolutionary electric drive systems, suspension systems, mesh wheels, and unique drive controllers for lunar gloves. I wonder if I'll see even more advanced lunar rovers developed by China here at the planetarium?

On the classic tech-savvy exterior of the Chevrolet Menlo, Mickey elements are integrated, exuding youthful vitality and childlike charm, very eye-catching on the road.

This Chevrolet Menlo Mickey Space Edition, with exclusive Mickey space-themed decals around the body, instantly lights up my girlish heart. The aerospace theme runs through the entire vehicle, the embossed emblems are artistic embellishments, and the hot-stamped gold logo displays taste and style.

In addition to the Mickey decals on the windows, there's a Mickey hidden on the wheel hub covers that glows at night, full of childlike fun everywhere.

This car takes the classic Mickey image as its design core, with Mickey figures hidden everywhere, brimming with childlike magic. Opening the door, the Mickey astronaut theme is projected on the ground, instantly as if stepping into Disney World.

Sitting in the cockpit, the fairy-tale dreamy visual impact continues. The interior is adorned with Mickey nameplates, even the headrests are custom-made. The cabin is wrapped in Alcantara material, with outstanding texture, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

The starry sky panorama sunroof features a Mickey astronaut theme pattern that blends with the sky, full of dreamy colors. Sitting inside feels like being immersed in the Disney world.

The flying-wing dual-element floating cockpit is full of technology. The steering wheel, instrument panel, and center console are all accented with exclusive decorative lines, combined with Mickey-themed decorations, as if sitting in a space capsule. We, heading to the planetarium, are about to embark on a space exploration journey with the Chevrolet Menlo.

The Chevrolet Menlo Mickey Space Edition uses the new-generation MyLink+ smart car connectivity system, integrated with Mickey theme, and paired with the iFlytek voice system, making interactive operations like online navigation and entertainment a more wonderful experience. 'Set off for Dishui Lake.' Start the car, light up the screen, set the navigation, play a favorite song, and head to Dishui Lake!

Seeing it was still early, we decided to take a drive around Dishui Lake first, to relax and enjoy the breeze.

The Chevrolet Menlo continues Chevrolet's youthful and modern body design style. Sporty, pure electric drive, green and eco-friendly, leading the modern frontier trend.

The summer sun is extraordinarily bright, illuminating the entire interior through the panorama sunroof. The universe and starry sky Mickey theme pattern makes us full of curiosity about the boundless sky and mysterious universe.

On the embankment of Dishui Lake, the underwater world theme murals add a beautiful scenic line to the lovely lake view.

Opening the trunk, sitting at the back, enjoying the breeze and the view. The spacious trunk space, even if Longlong lies down entirely, it doesn't feel crowded. For family outings, it means more luggage space to go farther.

The murals on the lakeside embankment are full of childlike imagination. Various cute creatures are rendered through cartoon creations, lively and adorable, making you smile involuntarily.

The auspicious beast Sinan Yu at Dishui Lake is also an architectural masterpiece that embodies human creativity and imagination, full of magic, attracting people to visit and take photos.

Sinanyu is one of the ten famous scenes of Dishui Lake, located in Nanhuizui Sea View Park. The Sinanyu is constructed entirely from steel, but its streamlined design breaks the stereotypical rigid look of steel structures. Under the sunlight, Sinanyu shines with a silver glow, echoing the blue sky, like waves on the sea shimmering. This mythical beast faces the sea, its mouth wide open, as if to swallow the sea water, guarding the peace and smoothness of this land.

The Chevrolet Menlo leads us all the way to the planetarium, a space exploration journey is about to begin. By the beautiful Dishui Lake, we spot the uniquely shaped planetarium from afar, strikingly eye-catching against the blue sky and beautiful lake view. Its 'Three-Body' giant 'butterfly pastry' shape symbolizes the sun, earth, and moon, presenting three planets entwined and orbiting each other.

Park the car aside and take a photo with the planetarium. The tech-savvy look of the Chevrolet Menlo echoes the equally tech-filled planetarium, like a magic key unlocking a space exploration journey. * Shanghai Planetarium parking tip: The planetarium parking lot has about 160 spaces, quite limited. During peak seasons, come early or park at the nearby Starry Sky Park parking lot, about a 10-minute walk.

In 1971, astronauts of Apollo 15, with the LRV developed with GM's participation, successfully landed on the moon and traveled 17.5 km. Such innovative spirit and leading position have continued in GM's later mass-produced electric vehicles. The Chevrolet Menlo we're driving inherits that innovation and cutting-edge tech in space technology. I wonder if we'll get to witness the historic moon landing feat and see that epoch-making lunar rover? Let's enter the planetarium to find out.

After purchasing tickets and making a reservation, just swipe your ID card to enter the planetarium. It has 3 floors above ground and 1 below, with three main exhibition areas: Home, Universe, and Odyssey. After carefully studying the route map at the entrance, it's clear we'll need a second visit to fully explore it. In the lobby on the first floor, a Foucault pendulum is set up, drawing a crowd. People stand for one or two hours just to feel that the ground beneath them is actually moving.

First, enter the 'Home' exhibition area on the first floor. Here the entire solar system is recreated, introducing our nearest cosmic systems. From mythological stories to the starry universe, it takes us from our immediate surroundings to understand the sun-earth-moon system and the solar system. Various demonstration models, audiovisual explanations, Longlong is immersed and watches with great attention. There are also over 70 meteorites from asteroids, the moon, Mars, etc. Each 'visitor from space' has its own story worth studying.

The 'Home' exhibition area is full of technology, not just a visual feast but also interactive experiences. Compared to traditional dry astronomy lectures, this format is more vivid and easier to understand and absorb knowledge. It's also a great place to take cosmic-style photos. Arrive early when fewer people are around, and you can have a collision with the earth, moon, and solar system. More stunning than sunset lamps or rainbow lights, the real cosmic scenes will definitely amaze your social media circle.

Before entering the 'Universe' exhibition area on the second floor, you walk through a magical passageway, experiencing 'Interstellar Travel'. Waving your arms, the starry sky on both sides transforms, beautiful and dreamy.

In the 'Universe' exhibition area, you can learn many fascinating cosmic facts: wormholes, gravity, photon transitions... terms that often appear in textbooks are vividly displayed here using videos and scientific devices, with many interactive sections. Hands-on and brains-on, the knowledge comes alive, boosting kids' interest. Here you can touch the forefront of contemporary cosmology, from ancient to modern human exploration of the universe. The mysterious cosmos, full of unknowns, awaits more explorers. Longlong was fascinated at each exhibit, and we didn't want to disturb him.

The 'Odyssey' exhibition area unfolds the long journey of human space exploration, recounting the development of astronomy and the contributions of scientists worthy of admiration. Here you can see the Chang'e lunar rover, Zhurong Mars rover, the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station, and even a 1:1 mockup of the space station core module where you can experience the daily life of astronauts in space. Don't miss stepping inside.

Every corner of the Shanghai Planetarium embodies human wisdom, packed with knowledge, making you want to slow down and study carefully. By day's end, many exhibits remained unexplored, a regret to be remedied next time. After getting tired, you can replenish at the 'Galaxy Fueling Station' on B1. Even the latte art features planet patterns, a unique souvenir.

Summer road trip, taking the kids to see the starry seas, to laugh freely and grow. With the Chevrolet Menlo Mickey Space Edition accompanying us, we set sail dreamily, embracing childlike fantasy, exploring frontier charm together, and experiencing the wonders of the world. Our footsteps never stop, exploration never ends. With Mickey, driving the Chevrolet Menlo, we continue to the next fantastic journey!