A Stroll Through Shanghai’s Minhang Sports Park, Songjiang Fangta Park, and Zui Bai Chi Park

In the early Ming Dynasty, a City God Temple and Xingsheng Pagoda Court were built here. The square [...]

In the early Ming Dynasty, a City God Temple and Xingsheng Pagoda Court were built here. The square pagoda was renovated several times before the end of the Ming Dynasty. In the 35th year of the Qianlong period (1770 AD), most of the top three levels were rebuilt, and in the 24th year of the Daoguang period (1844 AD), the pagoda’s spire was replaced.

After the late Qing Dynasty, the square pagoda was severely damaged. On the eve of liberation, the surrounding corridor at the base of the pagoda was completely abandoned, and most of the wooden structures inside the pagoda were destroyed, leaving only one level of the ladder. After liberation, the county government took some protective measures but did not repair it.

In May 1974, a major repair was carried out in accordance with the requirement of ‘restoring the old as the old’, with a total investment of more than 200,000 yuan. It was completed at the beginning of 1977, and on December 7 of the same year, the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee once again declared the square pagoda as a municipal cultural relic protection unit. During the national cultural relics survey in 1981, experts believed that the square pagoda was one of the best restorations of ancient buildings in China since the liberation.

The grafted double-color rhododendron park is not very large. After walking and taking photos for over an hour, it was almost noon. I had lunch at a restaurant next to the east gate, with three dishes and a soup. After lunch, I continued to stroll through the park.

On the west side of the square pagoda, there is a unique long corridor built in an antique style, which coordinates with ancient buildings such as the square pagoda. It is visible with the natural colors of the mountains and woods, simple brackets, square brick pillars, and other antique styles. The long corridor naturally undulates with the high and low of the hills, and visitors can enjoy an unobstructed view of the square pagoda and the waterside pavilion lake view from the corridor.