The Dajing Pavilion of Shanghai Ancient City Wall

The Dajing Pavilion of Shanghai Ancient City Wall

The Dajing Pavilion of Shanghai Ancient City Wall is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai Municipality.

• Climb up the only remaining Ming Dynasty city wall and watchtower to experience the rare historical atmosphere in the city.

Attraction Introduction

There are few historical sites left within Shanghai’s urban area, and the Dajing Pavilion of the ancient city wall at the intersection of Renmin Road and Dajing Road in Huangpu District is one of them. This attraction consists of a section of over 30 meters of ancient city wall and the Dajing Pavilion built on top of it, which is the only remaining part of the ancient city wall from the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. Although this attraction is small enough to be fully explored in just a few dozen minutes, walking onto the ancient city wall may allow you to feel the sense of history exuded by this classic structure.

This section of the city wall is shaped like a “convex” character, originally serving as an archery platform. The Dajing Pavilion built atop the platform is a uniquely designed three-story pavilion. Additionally, the Xichun Platform used for archery in those days and the 21 granite steps leading up to the platform are all relics from the Ming Dynasty. Some bricks still bear the seal mark reading “Shanghai City Brick.” You can visit in sequence the watchtower, the Guan Di Hall, and the Xichun Platform.

The Xichun Platform was built during the Qing Dynasty. Today, it houses the “Exhibition of Historical Sites in Old Shanghai,” featuring exhibits such as photographs, physical objects, and model dioramas. These showcase the political, economic, military, educational, and cultural changes in Old Shanghai over the past seven hundred years, as well as the present and future of Nanshi (now divided between Huangpu and Luwan districts).

During the Ming Dynasty, Shanghai was frequently invaded by Japanese pirates. Therefore, in the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign (1553), a city wall with a perimeter of 4.5 kilometers was hastily built in just three months to defend against the invaders. The wall was demolished after the Xinhai Revolution, but this particular section was fortunately preserved because a Guan Di Temple was built upon it. The Guan Di Temple features a plaque inscribed with the words “Great Thousand Victorious Realm,” written by Chenluan, Governor-General of the Two Jiangs during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, hence it is also called the “Dajing Pavilion.” The stone plaque on the city wall in front of the Dajing Pavilion, praising Guan Di with the words “Trust and Righteousness for a Thousand Autumns,” is still the original from that time.

Address: No. 239, Dajing Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Type: Historical Site

Recommended Visit Duration: 0.5 hours

Opening Hours:

9:00-16:00

Ticket Information:

Gate Price: 5.0 RMB

Adult ticket: 5 RMB.