Fuxing Park: The only French classical style garden in Shanghai

Fuxing Park, located at No. 105 Yandang Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, is adjacent to Chongqing South Road to the east, Fuxing Middle Road to the south, Sinan Road to the west, and the boundary with the Science Hall to the north. Fuxing Park is the only garden in Shanghai that retains the French classical style, and it is also a masterpiece of the blend of Chinese and Western garden culture in modern Shanghai. In the 1880s, the original site of Fuxing Park was a fertile field with a small village named Gujiazha. At that time, a family named Gu built a private small garden here, which people called "Gujiazha Garden", which was the initial form of Fuxing Park. In October 1844, after the Qing government signed the "Huangpu Treaty" with France, this place was included in the scope of the French concession. In 1908, the French Concession Public Directors decided to rebuild the Gujiazha Garden into a park, designed by French horticulturist Papot according to French garden features. On July 14, 1909, the French National Day, the park was opened to the public, known as Gujiazha Park, commonly known as French Park. The overall style and many layouts of the park have a European flavor. The most prominent feature is that the park layout is symmetrical, grid-like, patterned, and excels in flowers, trees, pavilions, and mountain ponds. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War (New Year's Day in 1946), the park was renamed Fuxing Park, meaning "national rejuvenation". The gardening style of Fuxing Park is a combination of regular and natural layouts. The north and middle parts are mainly regular layouts, with felt flower beds, central fountains, rose flower beds, and main roads in the north-south and east-west directions. The southwest part is mainly natural layout, with rockery area, lotus pond, stream, winding path, and large lawn. It integrates Chinese and Western styles, highlighting the French regular gardening style. The flower beds here use a sunken style, which is now affectionately called the sunken bed garden. Using the height difference of the ground to raise people's viewpoint, you can better overlook the overall effect of the flower bed, which is a major feature of the park. Fuxing Park