Fuxing Park

　　Fuxing Park is situated 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 other buildings to the north. It is a four-star park. The park has three entrances: the south gate is at the intersection 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 employees, and welcomed 4.8658 million visitors annually.

　　Fuxing Park is one of the earliest parks established in Shanghai. Over eighty years ago, this area was a 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 the "Gu Family Villa Garden"—the earliest form of what would become Fuxing Park.

　　In 1900, the French Municipal Council purchased 152 acres of land here for 76,000 taels of sycee, leasing 112 acres of it to the French military to build a barracks, hence the area became known as the Gu Family Villa Barracks. After the 30th year of the Guangxu reign, the French troops gradually reduced in number, and parts of the land were rented out to the French Club and others for constructing tennis courts, parking lots, and so on. On July 1, 1908, a full meeting of the Municipal Council decided to turn the Gu Family Villa Barracks into a public park and tasked the 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 Villa Park, commonly referred to as the "French Park." In 1925, 22-year-old Chinese landscape designer Yu Xiqi redesigned the park, incorporating elements of classical Chinese garden design. Most of his designed features remain to this day. Initially, 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, the Wang puppet government in Shanghai renamed the park Daxing Park. From 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 added and expanded various recreational and service facilities within the park, bringing the total area to 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 toward 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. The park has the highest proportion of towering plane trees among Shanghai’s parks, along with other valuable species such as horse chestnut, linden, and sweet gum. Located in the central part of the park, the felted flower bed—also known as the sunken garden—is adorned year-round with various floral or foliage patterns resembling a carpet, hence also called the carpet-style flower bed. Coupled with a colorful fountain nearby, it forms a signature attraction of Fuxing Park. In the northern part of the park stands a bronze statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, unveiled on August 5, 1985, the 90th anniversary of Engels’ death. The statue is 6.4 meters tall and weighs over 70 tons.

　　In recent years, Fuxing Park has added a large number of flowers and trees, with a total of 140 species and over 10,000 trees and shrubs. The park has the highest proportion of towering plane trees among Shanghai’s parks, along with other valuable species such as horse chestnut, linden, and sweet gum. Located in the central part of the park, the felted flower bed—also known as the sunken garden—is adorned year-round with various floral or foliage patterns resembling a carpet, hence also called the carpet-style flower bed. Coupled with a colorful fountain nearby, it forms a signature attraction of Fuxing Park. In the northern part of the park stands a bronze statue of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, unveiled on August 5, 1985, the 90th anniversary of Engels’ death. The statue is 6.4 meters tall and weighs over 70 tons.

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

　　Type: Urban Park

　　Recommended Visit Duration: About 1 hour

　　Phone: 021-53860187

　　Opening Hours:

　　6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

　　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 shuttle), 920, Huaihai Road Sightseeing Bus, 167, Tunnel Route 8, Bridge Route 1, 974, Metro Line 1 (Huangpi South Road Station), among others.