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| People's Square | |||||||
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 The southwest corner of People's Square seen from theUrban Planning Museum | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 人民广场 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 人民廣場 | ||||||
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People's Square (Chinese:人民广场) is a largepublic square in theHuangpu District ofShanghai.[1] It is south ofNanjing Road (West) and north ofHuaihai Road (East).
People's Square is the site of Shanghai's municipal government headquarters building and the standard reference point for measurement of distance of almost all highways in the Shanghai municipality is set in the north of the square, near the fountain.[2]
Prior to 1949 and theestablishment of the People's Republic of China, what is now People's Square was a course forhorse racing owned by theShanghai Race Club. Gambling and horse racing ceased duringWorld War II and was not permitted to re-commence by theRepublic of China government after the war. After theChinese Civil War, the newCommunist government continued the ban and, when the club ran into financial difficulties, took over the grounds and a part of the race course became People's Square, which included a large avenue and spectator stands for use during parades.
In the 1990s, major changes were made to the square. The Shanghai Municipal Government was moved here from theformer HSBC Building on the Bund, also theShanghai Museum was moved here from its previous site in a former office building. More recent additions include theShanghai Grand Theatre and theShanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.
Other parts of the race course still remain. The clubhouse buildings became theShanghai Art Museum, while part of the race track became People's Park, a public park.
Well-known landmarks and tourist attractions surrounding the square include:
TheShanghai Museum is in a prominent central position in the square, with large fountains immediately to the north.
TheShanghai Metro'sPeople's Square Subway Station is an interchange among the subway'sLine 1,Line 2, andLine 8. Several bus stops also ring the north and south sides of the square.
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31°13′46″N121°28′28″E / 31.229564°N 121.47438°E /31.229564; 121.47438
