Fuxing Park

Fuxing Park

Fuxing Park is located at No. 105 Yandang Road, adjacent to Chongqing South Road to the east, Fuxing Middle Road to the south, Sinan Road to the west, and bordered by the Science Hall and others to the north. It is a 4-star park. The park has three entrances: the south gate is at the corner of Fuxing Middle Road and Chongqing South Road; the north gate is on Yandang Road; and the west gate exits onto Gaolan Road. In 1995, the park covered an area of 88,900 square meters, had 163 staff members, and received 4.8658 million visitors annually.

Fuxing Park is one of the earliest parks established in Shanghai. Over eighty years ago, this area was fertile farmland inhabited by hardworking, impoverished farmers. At that time, a family surnamed Gu owned more than ten acres of land and built a small private garden here, which people called “Gu Family Garden.” This marked the initial form of Fuxing Park.

In 1900, the French Municipal Council purchased 152 acres of land here for 76,000 taels of silver, renting 112 acres of it to the French military to build a barracks, hence the place was called Gu Family Barracks. After the 30th year of the Guangxu reign, the French military gradually reduced its presence, and some of the land was leased to the French Club and others to build tennis courts, parking lots, etc. On July 1, 1908, the full council of the French Municipal Council decided to convert the Gu Family Barracks into a park and tasked the Public Works Department with proposing a construction plan. Construction began that same year, hiring French horticulturist Paul Brunat as assistant supervisor. The park was completed in April of the first year of the Xuantong reign and opened to the public on May 27 of the same year, named Gu Family Garden, commonly known as “French Garden.” In 1925, 22-year-old Chinese landscape designer Yu Xiqi redesigned the park, incorporating elements of classical Chinese garden design. Most of the scenic spots he designed remain to this day. In the early days, the park restricted entry to Chinese people, limiting visitor numbers. Starting July 1, 1928, it was opened to all Chinese, and visitor numbers gradually increased, reaching 139,600 in the 25th year of the Republic of China. In the 33rd year of the Republic of China, the Wang Jingwei puppet government of Shanghai renamed the park Daxing Park, and on January 1 of the 35th year, it was renamed Fuxing Park. During the “Cultural Revolution” in 1967, it was briefly renamed Hongwei Park but soon reverted to its original name.

After the liberation, the government built and expanded various recreational and service facilities in the park. It now covers a total area of 138 acres. Fuxing Park is the only French-style park in Shanghai, primarily laid out in a formal garden style, transitioning into a more natural layout in the southwest. In recent years, a large number of flowers and trees have been added, with a total of 140 species and over 10,000 trees and shrubs, including the highest proportion of towering plane trees in any Shanghai park, as well as valuable species such as horse chestnut, linden, and sweet gum. Located in the central part of the park is the felted flower stand, also known as the sunken garden, which presents carpet-like patterns of various flower and foliage colors throughout the seasons, hence also called the carpet-style flower bed. Coupled with a colorful fountain nearby, it forms a signature scenic area of Fuxing Park. The bronze statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the northern part of the park was unveiled on August 5, 1985, the 90th anniversary of Engels’ death. The statue stands 6.4 meters tall and weighs over 70 tons.

In recent years, Fuxing Park has added a large number of flowerings and trees, with a total of 140 species and over 10,000 trees and shrubs, including the highest proportion of towering plane trees in any Shanghai park, as well as valuable species such as horse chestnut, linden, and sweet gum. Located in the central part of the park is the felted flower stand, also known as the sunken garden, which presents carpet-like patterns of various flower and foliage colors throughout the seasons, hence also called the carpet-style flower bed. Coupled with a colorful fountain nearby, it forms a signature scenic area of Fuxing Park. The bronze statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the northern part of the park was unveiled on August 5, 1985, the 90th anniversary of Engels’ death. The statue stands 6.4 meters tall and weighs over 70 tons.

Address: No. 105 Yandang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Type: Urban Park

Recommended visiting time: 1 hour

Phone: 021-53860187

Opening Hours:

6:00-18:00

Ticket Information:

Free admission.

Transportation

Metro: Line 1 South Shaanxi Road Station, Huangpi South Road Station; Line 10 Xintiandi Station

Bus: Routes 17, 24, 36, 42, 146, 986, 780, 781, 955, 864, 869, 932, 933, 911 (including 911 interval), 920, Huaihai Road Free Sightseeing Bus, 167, Tunnel Route 8, Bridge Route 1, 974, Metro Line 1 (Huangpi South Road Station), etc.