Shanghai People's Park (Renmin Park)

Shanghai People's Park

The People's Park is also known as the Renmin Park, with a total area of 98,200 square meters (24.3 acres). It runs from Middle Xizang Road in the east to North Huangpi Road in the west, and extends from West Nanjing Road in the north to People's Square in the south. The park has eight gates; the main gate is located at no. 231 on the West Nanjing Road.

The park can be divided into three areas: the east area, the middle area and the west area. The major attraction in the east area is the Memorial to the May Thirtieth Movement. The Antarctic Stone, the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, a teahouse, an outdoor theater, and a dance hall can be found in the vast middle area. Additionally, tourists can have a rest, play chess, or have a picnic on the stone tables and stone stools in the jungle of the middle area. Compared with the east and middle areas, the west part has a lot of landscape architecture, including pavilions, corridors, artificial hills, pools and pergolas.
 

The Memorial to the May Thirtieth Movement (an anti-imperialist movement on May 30th, 1925) is located in the northeast of the park. The foundation was laid on May 30th, 1985 in memory of the 60th anniversary of the May Thirtieth Movement. The memorial was unveiled on May 30th, 1990. Covering a total area of 4,000 square meters (1 acre), it is made up of a main sculpture made of stainless steel, a bronze sculpture, and three granite stones.

With a height of 15.6 meters (17 yards) and a width of 21 meters (23 yards), the main sculpture weighs 50 tons (55 short tons). It bears the inscriptions of "May 30th". These radiating inscriptions embody optimism and enthusiasm of Chinese people. The bronze sculpture measures 3 meters (3.3 yards) in height, and 4 meters (4.4 yards) in width. The two workers on it look serious and solemn, which shows the bravery and determination of Chinese workers. With a height of 5 meters (5.5 yards) and a width of 24 meters (26 yards), the middle granite stone bears inscriptions engraved by Chen Yun and Lu Ding who took part in the May Thirtieth Movement. Furthermore, the history of the movement is carved on the other two tablets that measure 4 meters (4.4 yards) in height and 12 meters (13 yards) in width.

Morning Exercises in the Park

Playing Cards in the Park

The Antarctic Stone is in the middle area of the park. It was collected by the first Chinese Antarctic expedition on the George Island at the South Pole on February 21st, 1982. It was erected in the park on February 2nd, 1985. With a height of 1.7 meters (1.9 yards), the elliptical dark brown stone bears inscriptions of "Antarctic Stone".
 

Amusement Facilities in the Park

Situated on the axis of the park, it is the first art gallery that concentrates on contemporary art and design. A series of large-scale art exhibitions has been held, and the museum attracts many visitors.
 

With a total area of 3,300 square meters (3,947 square yards), the Lotus Pond in the west area of the park is made up of two pools. Lotus flowers are planted in the east pool while gold fish are raised in the west pool. To the east of the pond are the exuberant dawn redwoods and to the west stands a square pavilion. A winding corridor and a rectangular waterside pavilion are to the south of the pond. An octagonal bamboo pavilion stands on the northeast of the bridge which arches in the middle of the pond. There is a fascinating lotus show in the lotus pond during summer. Tourists can come and enjoy the beautiful lotus flowers.
 

The Marriage Market is the highlight of the Shanghai People's Park. It attracts a lot of people on weekends. Even some parents come here to choose the future wives and husbands of their children. On the notes are written the personal information of those who want to find a partner, including their gender, age, occupations, income, photos, telephone number, and educational background. In addition, their requirements for partners can be found on the notes. For instance, one man wants to find a good-looking and slim lady to be his future wife.
 

In the 1980s, some college students and English lovers came to the park to communicate with foreign tourists to practice their spoken English. The practice has been kept ever since. Every Sunday, the English corner attracts a lot of kids, students, foreign tourists, and senior citizens. It is a very interesting place.

Marriage Market

English Corner

 By metro:
1. Take metro line 1 or metro line 8, get off at People's Square Station, leave from Exit 16, and get into the park through Gate 1.
2. Take metro line 2, get off at People's Square Station, leave from Exit 12, and go to the park through Gate 4.

 By bus:
1. Take bus 20, 37, or 330, get off at the Jiujianglu Huanghelu Station, and get into the park through Gate 4.
2. Take bus 451 or 454, get off at the Nanjing Xilu Xizang Zhonglu Station, and get into the park through Gate 5.
3. Take bus 20, 37, 330, or 805, get off at the Nanjing Xilu Huanghelu Station, and get into the park through Gate 5.
4. Take bus 108, 167, 312, 318, 454, 537, 930, or 980, get off at the Renmin Square (Guangdong Road) Station, and get into the park through the south gate.
5. Take bus 18, 49, 167, 312, 318, 451, 537, or 930, get off at the Renmin Square (Fuzhou Road) Station, and get into the park through the south gate.
6. Take City Sightseeing Bus and get off at the park.

Scenic Spots	People's Park	Museum of Contemporary Art
Ticket Price	Free	CNY 80 Free for children under 1.3 meters (4.3 feet).
Opening Hours	6:00-18:00	10:00-18:00

 1. Shanghai Museum
2. Shanghai People's Square
3. Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
4. Nanjing Road
5. The Bund

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