Fuxing Park   1 Photos   Oct 26, 2008
 
[YEAR: 1985]
[LOCATION:121.4642003126202,31.21941165125683]
[CATEGORY: Park]
[DISTRICT:Luwan]
[FEATURE: French Concession]
[ALIAS: French Park]

Fuxing Park is located at Luwan District of Shanghai and carries the history of the city. It was originally named Gujiazhai Park after the local Gu family who opened it over 100 years ago. The park was renamed the French park after it was bought by the French for the purpose of stationing armies in 1900, and became the largest public garden in French Concession. After World War II broke out, the Japanese Government took over the administration of the French Concession, the park name then became Daxing Park. After 1945, its name was finally changed to Fuxing Park.

Today, Fuxing Park is the only French style park in Shanghai, showcasing symmetrical fountains and flowerbeds. It is well designed and many different trees provide shelter from the sun here for residents in the hottest months of the year. As a result, it is also called "carpet garden". There is also a slightly surreal sculpture of Marx and Engels in the park that was completed on the ninetieth anniversary of Engels' death on August 5, 1985.

One of the best things about the park is the bar and restaurant here . Once you have had a wander, watched the Tai Chi and seen Marx-Engels, why not pop in here for some great "tapas" or a drink. The Restaurant is right next to one of Shanghai's best modern art galleries too. ShangArt often have brilliant and radical exhibitions by artists from throughout China. It is always worth popping in to this small and friendly gallery to see what is on display.
 
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Former Residence & Memorial Hall 孙中山故居纪念馆   2 Photos   Oct 26, 2008
 
[YEAR:1920 ]
[LOCATION: 121.463041,31.218206]
[CATEGORY: Memorial Site]
[DISTRICT:Luwan]
[FEATURE: French Concession]

Dr. Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese political leader often referred to as the Father of Modern China. He was the first provisional president when the Republic of China (ROC) was founded in 1912.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Former Residence & Memorial Hall, No.7 Xiangshan Road is the address of the residence, located in former French Concession, which was bought by some Chinese living then in Canada for Dr. Sun Yat-sen to support his revolutionary activities. Dr. Sun and his wife, Song Qingling, lived in this house in 1920-1924. After Sun's death, Song continued to live here until 1937.

During his stay here, Dr. Sun reformed the Kuomintang and entered the first round of cooperation with the Communist Party of China. In addition, he had written several books in this house. Now, articles on display in this residence include the sword, military maps and writing tools once used by Dr. Sun.
 
Xujiahui 徐家汇   7 Photos   Oct 9, 2008
 
[YEAR: 1600]
[LOCATION: 121.4337513510059,31.19577044607086]
[CATEGORY: Streets]
[DISTRICT: Xuhui]
[ALIAS: Zikawei]

Xujiahui is an area in the Xuhui District of Shanghai. Its history can be traced back to Ming Dynasty. Xujiahui literally means "property of Xu family at the junction of two rivers" in Mandarin. The "Xu family" actually refers to the family of Xu Guangqi (1562-1633), China's most notable Catholic convert, also a great agricultural scientist of ancient China. Xujiahui was once the ancestral home of Xu Guangqi and his family. The two rivers refers to Zhaojia Bang and Fahua Jing. Xujiahui is also the place where Catholicism began to be spread in Shanghai.

Xujiahui was on the west border of the former French Concession of Shanghai. Pronounced in the old Shanghainese dialect of Wu Chinese, it is called "zi-ka-wei". During the 18th century it was known by Shanghai's western residents as "Ziccawei". With land donated by Xu Guangqi's family and those acquired by other means, the Society of Jesus established a grand cathedral as well as an entire one square mile complex that covers most of present-day Xujiahui. In addition to the cathedral, the mainly French Jesuits also built orphanages, monasteries, schools, libraries and an observatory. Xujiahui began to show heavy influence of Catholicism.

The St. Ignatius Cathedral also referred to as Xujiahui Cathedral, is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral, located on Puxi Road, in the Xujiahui district of Shanghai. It was built in 1847 as one of the first structures to be built by the Jesuits. It was later reconstructed in 1906. Designed by English architect William Doyle, it is said to have once been known as "the grandest cathedral in the Far East." It can accommodate 2,500 worshippers at the same time. Before 1920s, it was the highest architecture in Shanghai. The cathedral was featured in the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg's 1987 film Empire of the Sun. Today, the cathedral is attended by over 2000 people every Sunday.

Other structures that can still be seen today include Xuhui College on 68 Hongqiao Road, now renamed Xuhui Middle School. Established by Jesuits in 1850, Xuhui College was the first educational institution in China to offer a fully western curriculum.

Now it's mainly a commercial district of Shanghai. On the location of a former brick factory now stands the Xujiahui park, which was completed in 2002. The park also contains a man-made pond and meandering brook, basketball courts, and a children's playground. The Shanghai Conservatory of Music, located to the park , often stages free performances during the Spring and Autumn months in the park.

The main Xujiahui shopping district is centered around the intersection of the streets Hongqiao Rd, Huashan Rd, Zhaojiabang Rd and North Caoxi Rd. Each of these streets terminates at the intersection, which is home to three supermarkets, six major shopping malls and nine large-scale office towers. Everything from cosmetics to cars to cucumbers is available within five minutes, but the type of product that Xujiahui is most famous for is electronics. It is one of the biggest places for people to get electronic equipment, from computers, cameras to game consoles as well.
 
Duolun Road 多伦路   6 Photos   Oct 9, 2008
 
[YEAR: 1911]
[LOCATION: 121.4769171065002,31.26444678844772]
[CATEGORY: Streets]
[DISTRICT: Hongkou]

Duolun Road is a significant and commemorable street in Shanghai. It was built in 1911. The shaped road's both ends were joined to the prosperous North Sichuan Road near Lu Xun Park and Hongkou Stadium. The length of it is only about half a mile. The street is both narrow and short, and is also winding and deep and quiet, edged by little buildings of various styles, row upon row. The road today is a famous pedestrian street for tourism and commerce. The history of Shanghai is showed concentratively in one aspect in Duo Lun Road and its surrounding areas, which can be, in fact, summarized as:" Shanghai, a city of hundred years, can be seen in Duo Lun, a little street."

Duolun Road was built by the Municipal Committee of Shanghai, which was at that time the construction administration of the Shanghai International Settlement. However the road was located outside the international settlement. Such events often happened in the semi-colonized Shanghai, which was called constructing the roads beyond the settlement area. At that time, the road was named Darroch after a Britain missionary, who went to China and met with the emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty (1636-1912).

It was in 1920s and 1930s when the road met its golden time. A lot of writers and social elites lived there, which made the area a place yielding thoughts and literature. Among them were reputable writers like Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun and Ye Shengtao, as well as those members of the influential Association of Left-wing writers like Ding Ling, Sha Ting and Qu Qiubai. Also lived there certain amount of governors or politicians like Kong Xiangxi, Bai Chongxi, Tang 'Enbo and Chen Yi.

Duolun Road is also an epitome of historic architecture of the last century in shanghai. The Islamic-style house of Kong Xiangxi was elegant building along the road. The residence of Tang 'Enbo is of a neoclassic French-style which was once popular in the city. The local church Hong De Hall, also known as Fitch Memorial Church, was in a mixed-style of east and west. The former campus of the art university of China in traditional style was also the commemorable place where the association of left-wing writers was founded. In the surrounding blocks, the dense Lilong housing is the most significant and typical urban texture of old Shanghai.

Duolun Road is no doubt a historic road which witnessed the time when Shanghai was modern.
 
Nanjing Road 南京路   5 Photos   Oct 9, 2008
 
[YEAR:1851]
[LOCATION: 121.470197439,31.236683103]
[CATEGORY: Streets]
[DISTRICT: Huangpu]
[ALIAS: Nanking Road]

Nanjing Road, also known as Nanking Road, which attracts over 1 million visitors daily, is the main shopping street of Shanghai and is one of the world's busiest shopping streets. It is called the No.1 Shopping Street of China. Today's Nanjing Road comprises two sections, Nanjing Road East and Nanjing Road West. In some contexts, "Nanjing Road" refers only to what was pre-1945 Nanjing Road, today's Nanjing Road East, which is largely pedestrianised. Today, its eastern section is in Huangpu District and extends from The Bund west to People's Square. The western section begins at People's Square and continues westward towards Jing'an District.

The history of Nanjing Road can be traced back to the year 1851. At that time it was called Park Lane, which comes from the Bund to He’nan Road. In 1854, it was extended to Zhejiang Road, and eight years later, once more extended to Xizang Road. In 1865, it was named formally Nanking Road by the Municipal Council, which administered the International Settlement. In Chinese it was usually referred to as the Main Road. In 1943 the International Settlement was annulled, and after World War II the government changed its name from Nanking Road to East-Nanjing Road, meanwhile named the former Bubbling Well Road West-Nanjing Road, and give a general name of the two roads Nanjing Road, which with five kilometres total length.

As early as in the beginning of 20th century, eight big department stores were established along the street one after another, such as Sincere, Wing On, Sun Sun, and The Sun. Today, East Nanjing Road is a dedicated commercial zone. Located here are most of Shanghai's oldest and largest department stores, as well as a variety of domestic retail outlets, and some traditional eateries with a long history.

Tourists and guests often celebrate various holidays and festivals at Nanjing Road, such as the Chinese New Year, New Year's Eve, Christmas and Shanghai Tourism Festival. Some parts of the buildings and shopping malls seen in front of the Nanjing Road today may host a fireworks display over the main isle of the street.
 
People's Square 人民广场   5 Photos   Oct 9, 2008
 
[YEAR: 1861]
[LOCATION: 121.4701479857395,31.23090242605536]
[CATEGORY: Streets]
[DISTRICT: Huangpu]
[FEATURE: People's Square]
[ALIAS: Renmin Square]

People's Square is a large public square just off of Nanjing Road. It has become one of the most important landmarks of Shanghai. On the north-east of the square stands the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and the Shanghai Grand Theatre is on the north-west. Between two buildings stands the City Hall. In the south lies the Shanghai Museum, covering 58,000 square meters. In front of it is a big fountain of People's Square. Many pigeons can be seen flying here and there.

Prior to 1949, People's Square was a part of the horseracing course of Shanghai. During the Sino-Japanese War, it was used as a military camp of Japanese. Then it became a club for American army in the War of Liberation. After gambling and horseracing were banned by the new Communist government, a part of the race course became the People's Square, which included a large avenue and spectator stands for use during parades.

In the 1990s, major changes were made to the square. The Shanghai Municipal Government was moved from the former HSBC Building at the Bund, and the Shanghai Museum was also moved away from its previous site in a former office building. More recent additions include the Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall were built in this area. People's Square is also the site of Shanghai's municipal government building, and is used as the standard reference point for measurement of distance in the Shanghai municipality.

Other parts of the race course still remain today. The clubhouse buildings became the Shanghai Art Museum, while part of the race track became People's Park, a public park.
 
The Bund 外滩   10 Photos   Oct 9, 2008
 
[YEAR:1840]
[LOCATION: 121.4860426620846,31.23847752340768]
[CATEGORY: Streets]
[DISTRICT: Huangpu]
[FEATURE: The Bund]

The Bund is an area of Huangpu District in Shanghai. It's one of the most famous tourist destinations in Shanghai.The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings and wharves on this section of the road, as well as some adjacent areas.

Located along the Huangpu River, the Bund shows off Shanghai's outstanding foreign buildings, most of which were erected before 1937. In the 1930s, the string of buildings hosted the city's financial and commercial centers, and the world's greatest banks and trading empires established a base here, including banks and trading houses from Britain, France, the U.S., Russia, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands and Belgium. A building boom at the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century led to the Bund becoming a major financial hub of East Asia. The former French Bund, east of the walled city was formerly more a working harbourside.

By the 1940s the Bund housed the headquarters of many, if not most, of the major financial institutions operating in China, including the "big four" national banks in the Republic of China era. However, with the Communist victory in the Chinese civil war, many of the financial institutions were moved out gradually in the 1950s, and the hotels and clubs closed or converted to other uses. The statues of colonial figures and foreign worthies which had dotted the riverside were also removed.

The Bund centres on a stretch of the Zhongshan Road, named after Sun Yat-sen. To the west of this stretch of the road stands some 52 buildings of various western classical and modern styles, including Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque. They are called "The International Architectural Exposition''.

At the northern end of The Bund, along the riverfront, is Huangpu Park, once called British Public Gardens,which was under the control of the Brits in 1930s. It was forbidden territory to Chinese people for years, unless they were accompanying employers. That's why the park is famous for the sign reported to have proclaimed "No dogs or Chinese", although this exact wording never existed. Today, the park is free and open to everyone, in which is situated the Monument to the People's Heroes, a tall and abstract concrete tower which is a memorial for the those who died during the revolutionary struggle of Shanghai dating back to the Opium Wars.

Near the Nanjing Road intersection stands what is currently the only bronze statue along the Bund. It is a statue of Chen Yi, the first Communist mayor of Shanghai. Further east is a tall levee, constructed in the 1990s to ward off flood waters. The construction of this high wall has dramatically changed the appearance of the Bund.

From the Bund, you can also see the Oriental Pearl Television Tower and many skyscrapers in Pudong located on the other side of the Huangpu River.
 
Xintiandi 新天地   4 Photos   Oct 9, 2008
 
[YEAR: 2000]
[LOCATION: 121.4699757503329,31.22273563049794]
[CATEGORY: Streets]
[DISTRICT: Ruwan]
[FEATURE: French Concession]

Shanghai Xintiandi, is an urban tourist attraction imbued with the city's historical and cultural legacies. It is near the site of the First Congress of the Communist Party of China. It is composed of an area of restored traditional Shikumen (stone gate) houses on narrow Long-tangs (alleys) which is a special old form of building architecture only found in Shanghai, a modern shopping mall with a cinema complex, and some adjoining houses which now serve as book stores, cafes and restaurants. Xintiandi means "New Heaven and Earth" in Chinese, and is considered one of the first lifestyle centers in China.

Xintiandi is divided into the North and South Blocks. In the North Block, antique buildings with their modern interior design, decorations and equipment play host to a dazzling array of restaurants specialising in French, American, German, British, Brazilian, Italian, Japanese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong cuisine, putting on display the full international dimension of Shanghai Xintiandi. The dividing line between the two blocks, Xingye Road, is the site of the First Congress of the CPP. In the South Block, modern architecture is the motif while Shikumen is an accompaniment. A shopping, entertainment and leisure complex of 25,000 square metres in the South Block opened in mid 2002. Aside from a series of international restaurants representing the flavors of the world, there are classy boutiques, accessory shops, a food court, a movie cinema, a great one-stop fitness centre as well as 88 Xintiandi Executive Residence, which offers luxurious serviced apartments.

The marketing of xintiandi is mainly targeted towards overseas visitors, who seek to experience the romanticised atmosphere of old Shanghai. The area was developed by the Shui On Group during the re-development of the surrounding area, when similar shikumen houses were demolished wholesale. The houses in Xintiandi were then restored, and now house an art gallery, cafes, and restaurants. Today, Xintiandi has developed into a commercial and entertainment hub in Shanghai that fully accomplishes Shui On's goal: "Yesterday meets tomorrow in Shanghai today".
 
Zhouzhuang Town 周庄镇   6 Photos   Oct 1, 2008
 
[YEAR: 1086]
[LOCATION: 120.8405103234644,31.11744681811393]
[CATEGORY: Town]
[DISTRICT: Kunshan]

Zhouzhuang, one of the most famous water-rich towns in China, is situated in Kunshan City, 92 km northwest of Shanghai downtown. It is noted for its profound cultural background, well-preserved ancient residential houses, elegant waters and traditional lifestyle with a strong local flavor.

In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), Zhouzhuang was a part of the fief Yaocheng, called Zhenfengli. Zhouzhuang got its present name in 1086 during the Song Dynasty, in the memory of Zhou Digong, a very devout Buddhist, who donated this piece of land to the Quanfu (Full Fortune) Temple.

The town covers an area of 3600 hectares. Most of its residential houses, about 60 percent of the total, were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Zhouzhuang is well known for its beautiful environment and simple architecture. Although more than 900 years have past, its architectural style is still well preserved.
 
Zhujiajiao Town 朱家角镇   3 Photos   Oct 1, 2008
 
[YEAR: 300]
[LOCATION: 121.0565732119105,31.11199490695496]
[CATEGORY: Town]
[DISTRICT: Qingpu]

Located in a suburb of Shanghai city, Zhujiajiao Town is an ancient water town well-known throughout the country. It has a history of more than 1700 years .In the period of the three kingdoms there were already country fairs in Zhujiajiao and the business prospered in the Ming Dynasty.

Now Zhujiajiao is a graceful and quiet town. walking on the zigzag stone pathway and the winding long lanes, you would feel like walking in an elegant and fresh painting, small rivers shaded by willow trees, bridges over the river, houses dated back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, unsophisticated local people, all of these are the charm of the small town.

 
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