Qian pointed out that the waterfront can be generally divided into three zones－a historical area that features the city's industrial legacy, a cultural space with museums and galleries, and a nature spot.

The 2.8-km section of the trail in Yangpu district is where a range of industrial buildings is located. There is a cotton mill as well as Shanghai's first water and power plants, all of which have a history of almost 100 years.

In Xuhui district, the 8.9-km trial links an array of museums and art galleries. The Yuz Museum was formerly an old hangar, the Long Museum used to be an old coal-loading dock, while the Star Museum was a railway station.

Chen Zihan, a landscape designer at the West Bund Group, the main developer of the riverside in Xuhui district, said that there would be 10 museums open to the public along this section of the trail by 2020. He added that the West Bund group has also signed a memorandum of understanding with France's Pompidou Center to hold an art exhibition at the West Bund Art Museum which is scheduled to open by the end of 2018.

Over at the 2.5-km section of the trail in Hongkou district, people can take in the view of skyscrapers in the city's Lujiazui financial area. This is considered the main attraction of the trail.

To help the public better understand the trail, the Shanghai Surveying and Mapping Institute released an online map of the trail in December. On it, people can identify where attractions, restrooms and public transportation facilities are located.