At the end of Nanjing Road, you will find a statue of an old man: one hand akimbo and the other hand carrying the frock on the arm, is paying an inspection visit. This image impressed generations with a deep recall. Who is he? His name is Chen Yi(1901-1972), who was born in Lezhi near to Chengdu, one of ten supreme commanders in China.

He was the first Mayor of Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. He also served as vice premier from 1954 to 1972 and president of the China Foreign Affairs University from 1961 to 1969. From 1958, he succeeded Zhou Enlai as foreign minister until 1972.

In his 9 years' incumbency in Shanghai, he made a big contribution to the development of Shanghai and gained unprecedented public approval at that time. In order to memorize this outstanding man, at the bottom of Shanghai citizens' hearts, the voices of molding a statue of him came out without hesitation. And of course, this task went to municipal government who prepared to pay great attention to. In 1993, the design proposal which belongs to famous sculptor Zhang Yonghao stood out from thousands of manuscripts. That design made the Statue of Mayor Chen Yi come true. And the small square facing to Huangpu River also named after Chen Yi without doubts.

Many Shanghainese prefer to do morning exercise here: singing, dancing, playing Taiji and Taiji sword, so many activities colored people's life. While, in the night, there is an impassioned concert every other Saturday in front of the statue. To the south of the statue, a modern music fountain shaped in oval inside and square outside will catch your eyes.

Tickets Free