The City - The Rough Guide to Shanghai - page 45

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People's Square

I

ts perimeters defined by the city's main arteries, Xizang, Nanjing and
Yan'an roads, People's Square (Renmin Guangchang) is the modern
heart of Shanghai. Like Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, it functions both
as a transport hub and as home to the grand temples of culture, history
and government. But in contrast to the dour totalitarianism of its Beijing
counterpart, People's Square possesses a much more human feel. Instead of a
concrete plain lined with po-faced edifices, Shanghai's urban centre
comprises a rather haphazardly arranged park and a plaza dotted with a
hotchpotch of modernist and colonial buildings (with, of f course, a huge
shopping mall underneath). There's an impressive clutch of sights, all within
walking distance of each other. The pot-shaped Shanghai Museum is world
class, and one of the city's h i ghlights, while the nearby Urban Planning
Exhibition Hall looks to the future both in its design and its contents. Just
north of here, the stolid Shanghai Art Museum and charming little
Museum of Contemporary Art are two of the best places in the city to
view modern art. Add to that the unexpectedly peaceful Renmin Park , a n d
you have one of Shanghai's most rewarding destinations. There's always one
part being ripped up and improved, a n d some residents are snooty about the
place, dismissing it as too new, flashy or proletarian; ignore them. Few places
in China have such a concentration of great sights, and you'll need a full day
to do them justice.
As People's Square is at the interchange of subway lines #1 and #2, the easiest
way to get here is on the metro. A dozen exits cover a vast area, so work out
which exit you want from the wall maps in the station, then navigate your way
through the shopping mall - the low numbers bring you out in the southeast

People's Square 人民广场 rén mín gu ng ch ng

Renmin Dadao 人民大道 rén mín dà dào

Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆 shàng h i bó wù gu n

Urban Planning Exhibition 城市规划展示馆 chéng shì guī huà zh n

shì gu n

Hall

Shanghai Grand Theatre 上海大剧院 shàng h i dà jù yuàn

Shanghai Art Museum 上海美术馆 shàng h i m ! i shù gu n

Renmin Park 人民公园 rén mín gōng yuán

Museum of Contemporary Art 上海当代艺术馆 shàng h i dāng dài yì

shù gu n

To morrow Square 明天广场 míng tiān gu ng ch ng

57

Jiangyin Lu 江阴路 jiāng yīn lù