Zhabei Park

　　    Zhabei Park is bordered by Gonghexin Road to the west, Luochuan East Road to the south, Pingxingguan Road to the east, and Yanchang Road to the north. On March 20, 1913, Song Jiaoren was assassinated in Shanghai and died on March 22. On March 23, his coffin was moved to the Hunan Guild Hall, and he was buried in Xiangyi Lane, Zhabei on June 26. — Over 100 acres of land were allocated here, with 43 acres used for the cemetery. The tomb of Song was located in the center of the park, built with red bricks in a rectangular shape, about 2 meters high, surrounded by trees, commonly known as Song Park. On September 18, 1929, the 132nd municipal government meeting of the Shanghai Special Municipality resolved to allocate funds to renovate Song Park and open it as a public park. On June 5, 1946, it was renamed Jiaoren Park, and after comprehensive renovation, it reopened on November 18. On May 28, 1950, it was renamed Zhabei Park.

　　    Over the decades, the park’s area has continued to expand. During the 1959 expansion, new gates, pavilions, corridors, tea houses, and an exhibition hall were built, with a total investment of 1.21 billion yuan. Between 1962 and 1964, a skating rink, boat dock, and reading room were added successively. From 1979 to 1981, with an investment of 960,000 yuan, another expansion took place. It was planned and landscaped by Xie Jiafen from the Shanghai Municipal Gardening Administration's Design Office, and constructed by the Shanghai Municipal Gardening Engineering Company. The main gate was rebuilt, and new structures such as a sales pavilion, stone bridge, waterside pavilion, twin pavilions, hexagonal pavilion, garden corridor, and revetment were added. The tomb of Song Jiaoren was also restored to its original appearance. From 1985 to 1990, a long corridor, propaganda corridor, "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon," and flower stands at the main entrance were built.     The park is roughly rectangular from east to west and adopts a natural layout. The western part of the park centers around Song’s tomb, behind which there is an earthen hill and a lotus pond. The central part of the park is the main scenic area, featuring a lake covering over 10,000 square meters with varying water widths and a winding shoreline. There are two large islands and one peninsula in the lake, with rockeries of different heights. The main building, Chunhui Hall, is located at the eastern end of the lake, while other pavilions and waterside structures are mostly built on the islands or along the lakeshore. The eastern part of the park consists of wooded areas, lawns, a lotus pond, and a children’s playground.

　　    The park is lined with tall trees such as poplar, elm, willow, camphor, paulownia, hackberry, maple, magnolia, and zelkova along its perimeter to form a sparse woodland, interspersed with shrubs like ligustrum, oleander, crabapple, and redbud to reduce road noise and industrial dust. Main pathways are shaded by fast-growing, broad-canopy trees such as plane trees and firmiana. Waterfront areas are planted with weeping willows, cherry blossoms, roses, and winter jasmine, while bridges are adorned with albizia and azaleas to enhance seasonal scenery. Pavilions and corridors are accented with crabapples, pines, and firs. The park is especially known for its crabapple trees, featuring about 1,000 plants of five varieties: weeping crabapple, quince crabapple, flowering quince, Begonia crabapple, and dwarf crabapple.