Changchun Cultural Square

Changchun Cultural Square

Originally named Geological Palace Square, the Cultural Square is the city’s largest urban square, located in the city center, covering a total area of 20.5 hectares. Historically, Geological Palace Square was planned to be the capital square of the puppet Manchukuo state.

The Cultural Square uses the central line of Xinminzhu Avenue to the center of the main building of Geological Palace Square as its north-south axis. The central axis is 429 meters long, arranged from south to north as follows: the main entrance of the Cultural Square, the north-south main road. At the center of the central plaza stands the Sun Bird sculpture; to the north is an open-air music stage. Crossing the east-west main road is the 10,000-square-meter front courtyard plaza of the main building, and at the very north end is the main building of the Geological Palace. The entire central axis is paved with natural granite, giving a natural, solemn, and majestic feel. On both sides of the central plaza to the main entrance are green spaces and garden paths, covering a total area of 40,000 square meters, along with 3,000 square pigeons that add charm to the square.

Built in August 1996, the Cultural Square is the largest urban leisure square in Changchun, situated in the city center. It is bordered by: East to Dongminzhu Avenue, South to Jiefang Avenue, West to Ximinzhu Avenue, and North adjacent to the Chaoyang Campus of Jilin University, with a total area of 20.5 hectares, making it one of the larger leisure squares among domestic cities.

The predecessor of the Cultural Square was Geological Palace Square, which historically served as the capital square of the puppet Manchukuo state. Constructed in 1933, it was originally known as “Imperial Palace Square” or “Shuntian Square.” After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Geological Palace Square played an irreplaceable role in the city’s political life as a major public square. In the early 1980s, the eastern half of the square was transformed into an urban public green space.

In early 1996, with the approval of the municipal government, Geological Palace Square was renamed and reconstructed as the Cultural Square. In May of the same year, the comprehensive renovation of the square began. The Changchun Municipal Government listed the renovation project of the Cultural Square as one of the twelve practical projects for the people in 1996. In his government work report delivered at the Fourth Session of the Tenth Changchun Municipal People’s Congress, then-Mayor Song Chunhua clearly stated: “The Geological Palace Square should be developed into a cultural square dominated by lawns, with a rational arrangement of plants and landscape design.” To ensure a high-standard and high-level planning control for the square’s renovation, renovation proposals were solicited nationwide. Many prestigious universities, planning and design institutes in China showed strong interest and great enthusiasm for the reconstruction of Geological Palace Square. After intense competition among various experts and final evaluation, it was decided to primarily adopt the design plan from Tsinghua University, supplemented by plans from the Changchun Planning Institute and the Changchun Landscape Management Office, with Tsinghua University responsible for integrating the final design.

The renovated square broke away from the previous layout of "divided governance" on the east and west sides, adopting a symmetrical central axis approach to unify the entire square. The square uses the central line of Xinminzhu Avenue to the center of the main building of Changchun University of Science and Technology as its north-south axis. The central axis is 420 meters long, arranged from south to north as follows: the square entrance, a 3,500-square-meter main gathering area; followed by a 35-meter-wide, 100-meter-long north-south main road leading to the central area. North of the main road lies a 16,000-square-meter central plaza capable of accommodating over ten thousand people. At the center of the central plaza stands the 37-meter-high main sculpture “Sun Bird” (In ancient Chinese mythology, there is a legend of a three-legged bird or a human-faced bird with a sun on its belly inside the sun. Drawing from this mythical content, the artist used modern artistic techniques to create the image of the Sun Bird, expressing humanity’s admiration for the sun and the pursuit of light and brightness).

To the north and south are male and female statues respectively (the southern statue is a young man with open arms, full of passion, welcoming the sun, embracing nature, and calling for the future. His strong physique embodies boundless creativity, representing masculine beauty. He also symbolizes daytime, complementing the Sun Bird. The female statue depicts a reclining woman, serene and tranquil, representing feminine grace and another facet of human existence. She symbolizes nighttime, echoing the moon on the water). To the north of the female statue is a semi-circular steady-form fountain, followed by a roughly 200-square-meter open-air stage. Further north, across the 10-meter-wide east-west main road, lies a 10,000-square-meter front plaza of the main building, connecting to the main building of Changchun University of Science and Technology at the northern end. The entire central axis is paved with natural granite, offering a natural, steady, and solemn feeling. On both sides of the central axis, from north to south, are: the front courtyard plaza of the main building; on the east and west sides are the basketball and volleyball courts and athletic fields of Changchun University of Science and Technology; from the central plaza to the main entrance are green lawn areas and landscaped gardens. The total area of the square consists of three main parts: first, green space covering 11.2 hectares, including 9.97 hectares of lawn and 1.23 hectares of tree belts; second, roads and paved plaza areas totaling 5.5 hectares; third, sports teaching land of Changchun University of Science and Technology covering 3.8 hectares, totaling 20.5 hectares. Excluding the sports teaching land, the green coverage rate of the square is 67.1%.

The greening design of the square adopts a modern approach popular both domestically and internationally, using expansive lawns as the main greening feature, creating a vast and open visual effect. The overall green space is designed with tall existing trees enclosing the east and west sides, while the south side remains open and transparent, fully showcasing the main building’s silhouette and the grandeur of the square. The central plaza is surrounded by four large lawns, totaling 40,000 square meters. These lawns are embraced by a U-shaped road, encircling the central plaza. Outside the U-shaped road is a green space composed of sparse woodland, grassy areas, and winding, secluded paths, providing visitors with a well-developed leisure environment. To the south of the square, near Jiefang Avenue, pure Korean pine forests are planted at both the eastern and western ends, anchoring the square’s periphery and adding solemnity and dignity. To the southwest of the square is a mountain apricot forest along with other trees and shrubs, while the southeast corner features a cherry plum forest and birch trees. The northwest corner houses an exquisitely designed garden ornament, and the northeast corner is home to 2,000 white square pigeons, creating a delightful interplay of garden spaces throughout the square. A large number of rare northern plants, such as the Northeast yew, are interspersed throughout, adding diverse shapes and enhancing the overall landscape. In accordance with ecological landscaping principles, tree planting in the square emphasizes plant communities from the Changbai Mountains with distinct seasonal changes, increasing the proportion of coniferous trees to create clear, varied seasonal scenery with distinct northern characteristics. In spring, peach, apricot, and azalea blossoms compete in bloom; in summer, lilac, weigela, and roses add fragrance and color; in autumn, maple leaves dot the grass; in winter, green pines and cypresses stand proudly against the snow. The square is home to over 50 species of trees, totaling more than 3,000, with 500 meters of hedges, nearly 3,000 square meters of flower beds for greening and color, and colorful flower stands planted along the central plaza and main roads, competing in brilliance and adding splendor to the square.