Nanhui Zui Sea View Park

Nanhui Zui Sea View Park

Covering an area of 1.82 hectares, Nanhui Zui Sea View Park is located southeast of the main urban area of Lingang New City and is also the southeasternmost point of Shanghai's land territory. Nestled along the Yangtze River to the north and facing the Pacific Ocean to the south, it stands majestically on the shores of the East China Sea, adjacent to Hangzhou Bay—serving as an important landmark of Lingang New City.

Historical records show that over 2,000 years ago, the waters of the Yangtze River, upon exiting into the sea and encountering tidal resistance, turned southward and converged here with the Qiantang River, gradually forming land—hence the name Nanhui Zui (Southern Convergence Point). Over millennia, the geographic location of "Nanhui Zui" has continuously extended southeastward. In 1386, the Ming government built a fortress here to defend against Japanese pirates, which later became today’s Huinan Town. The current "Nanhui Zui" was newly constructed on reclaimed land from silt dredging and sand filling—just a few years ago, this area was still open sea.

Since most of Lingang New City was formed through land reclamation from the sea, the relief wall sculptures in Nanhui Zui Sea View Park deliberately preserve this “memory”: dark mud pipes, rugged reclamation stones, and seabed sediments collected in glass pyramids authentically document the arduousness of the engineering efforts. Stainless steel panels display historical photos of the land reclamation process, while vivid sculptures depicting the construction workers’ scenes showcase the intensity and drama of the building efforts at the time.

The park’s iconic sculpture is a double-layered steel grid structure known as the “Si Nan” (ancient Chinese south-pointing compass), made of approximately 120 tons of steel. As the world’s earliest form of compass, the Si Nan symbolizes discovery, exchange, and openness.

To the south of the Si Nan sculpture lies the “World Coordinates and Meridians Memorial Plaza,” centered around the “Nanhui Zui Coordinate Marker,” which echoes the main Si Nan sculpture. The plaza is surrounded by plaques marking the coordinates of the world’s top ten port cities. Leading to the memorial plaza is a landscaped “Pioneering Spirit” ground installation arranged in geometric plant patterns, reflecting a spirit of order, rationality, and science.

Resembling a giant whale, the Si Nan sculpture’s front facade looks like a silver mountain, symbolizing solemnity and wealth. Its side view resembles a massive whale, symbolizing not only the grandeur of Lingang New City and the tremendous cargo throughput of Shanghai as an international shipping hub but also commemorating a true story: in August 2003, during the early stages of Lingang New City’s construction, a young whale over four meters long was stranded on the beach. Dozens of workers rescued it and brought it to the nearby Dishui Lake, which was under construction at the time. As experts deemed conditions unsuitable for “adopting” the whale, it was safely returned to the sea. When the young whale returned to the ocean, it surfaced three times near Nanhui Zui Park, as if to thank its rescuers.

Address: Seaside east of Dishui Lake, Pudong New Area, Shanghai

Type: Urban park / Seaside / Beach

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour

Opening hours:

Open all day

Ticket information:

Free admission.