China’s luxury retirement homes draw millions from investors
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - Retiree William Tang recently decided to swap his life in downtown Shanghai for a luxury elder-care development in the city's far west, paying US$220,000 to rent a two-bedroom apartment for 15 years. "It is more like a resort," Tang said after viewing the Ardor Gardens showroom, which highlights amenities including an indoor swimming pool, yoga rooms, wine tastings and round-the-clock care. For a growing number of Chinese and international investors, elder-care developments like Ardor Gardens are becoming irresistible bets. Money is pouring into the sector amid renewed attention on just how quickly China is aging. Sydney-based property and infrastructure company Lendlease Corp Ltd., which put US$280 million into Ardor Gardens, is among investors that see the policy environment becoming more favorable as the Chinese government tackles its demographic challenges. "The market will likely be completely different 10 years from now," said Lendlease's China President Ding Hui. "If you wait for 10 years before starting to think of buying land, learning, training up a team and developing a business model, very likely you would have missed the opportunity." According to...
Gardens by the Bay sakura season extended till April 11
SINGAPORE - Visitors to Gardens by the Bay will have three extra weeks to enjoy the popular peach and cherry blossoms display, with the Sakura Featuring Hello Kitty floral display running till April 11. Due to the ephemeral nature of the blooms, the annual sakura season previously ran for a total of three weeks at the gardens. But this year's display, which opened on March 1, was marked by a delay in the shipment of cherry blossom trees from Europe. This was because of disruptions in the shipping industry, Gardens by the Bay said on Wednesday (March 24). Speciality sakura trees from Japan had arrived as scheduled. Gardens by the Bay said that the trees from Europe, which arrived two weeks ago, have since been incorporated into the floral display. Visitors will need to pre-purchase timed-entry tickets online from Gardens by the Bay's website or via its smartphone app. The $100 digital SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, issued by the Singapore Tourism Board, can also be used. It allows admission into Cloud Forest, OCBC Skyway and Flower Dome, which houses the Sakura Featuring Hello Kitty floral display. For updates on the state of the flowers blooming, visitors can check Gardens by the Bay...
Gardens by the Bay restarts full light and sound show from Friday
SINGAPORE - Visitors to Gardens by the Bay will get to enjoy the full suite of its light and sound show from this Friday (Jan 8) as Singapore moves into phase three of its reopening. Garden Rhapsody, the popular light and sound show at main attraction Supertree Grove, will return to its original time slots of 7.45pm and 8.45pm every evening, Gardens by the Bay said on Monday. The show had been paused during the circuit breaker last year and the two shows were replaced by soothing background music and soft lighting in September. The show, which sees the lights of 12 Supertrees moving to a musical soundtrack, is free and lasts for 15 minutes. There are 11 shows lined up for this year, the Gardens said in a statement. This month, visitors will get to experience Garden Waltz, a compilation of waltz music from well-known composers such as Frederic Chopin's Grande Valse Brilliante and Johann Strauss Junior's By The Beautiful Blue Danube. Safe distancing and security officers will be out in force to ensure safe management measures such as the wearing of masks and keeping a safe distance are adhered to. Gardens by the Bay senior director of programming and events Chua Yen Ling said: "Singa...
1,000 new gardening plots to be available to public next year
Gardening enthusiasts and more families can nurture their own small gardens as the National Parks Board (NParks) is doubling the number of available plots to 2,000 over the next year. The new plots, each slightly larger than a queen-size bed, will be spread across 18 parks, including Aljunied Park, Choa Chu Kang Park, Punggol Waterway Park and West Coast Park. Applications are open until Nov 8. Along with the extra allotments, NParks will also distribute about 60,000 seeds - such as for kangkong and Chinese spinach - to the public, and hold free online master classes on how to grow more difficult varieties like capsicums and tomatoes. These virtual classes, which were launched as part of NParks' fourth Community Garden Festival at HortPark yesterday, are running this weekend. Participants can redeem free seeds of edible plants and learn planting tips and techniques through live demonstrations. The classes will also be available for free on the NParks YouTube channel. NParks also announced two new attractions yesterday - My Backyard Kitchen and Valley of Edibles - at HortPark, showcasing edibles such as lady's fingers and brinjal. The Community Garden Festival is part of the edible ...