Wandering in Shanghai: Zhongshan Park, a century-old park with new changes

I haven't visited Zhongshan Park for a long time. After finishing two consecutive weeks of business trips in mid-April, I decided to visit Zhongshan Park, mainly to see the peony flowers in the garden. Taking the subway and transferring, I came up from Exit 7 of Zhongshan Park Station and arrived at the southwest corner of the park. The last time I was here was before the lockdown of my residential area in 2022, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years have passed, and the row of walls on the south side of the park has disappeared. The open green space in front of the park gate has now seamlessly connected with Milan Square inside the park. After looking up news reports, I found out that Zhongshan Park had completed the demolition of the walls on the side of Wanhongdu Road in September 2022, and implemented 24-hour access on November 1 of the same year, with the walls at Gate 1 of the park also being removed. In fact, this was not the first time Zhongshan Park had been open 24 hours a day. As early as July 2016, Zhongshan Park first implemented 24-hour access, which at the time sparked a debate over whether it was necessary. The main opposition was that nighttime opening increased maintenance costs, but the utilization rate was not high, thus wasting public resources. However, in recent years, as Shanghai has been creating a 'city of a thousand gardens,' more and more parks have opened their walls. In comparison, the Peony Garden located to the west of the West Lawn has maintained its original landscape design. The peonies are fenced off, with many areas separated from the paths by lawns. Although the lawns are not wide, they still create a distance, preventing visitors from admiring the flowers up close. This year I came a bit late, in late April, most of the peonies in the garden had already passed their blooming period. The few that were sporadically blooming were too far away to distinguish whether they were peonies or peonies at first glance. Another change is that the park, which used to be somewhat noisy, has become much quieter. The places in the park where people used to gather to sing and dance now mostly have signs erected, reminding visitors that from 12:00 to 7:00 the next day is a quiet period, and the use of all kinds of sound systems and musical instruments is prohibited. The renewal of the park is part of the city's renewal. Zhongshan Park, this century-old park, has not only demolished its walls, but the environment has also become more beautiful, and the FamilyMart convenience store and NINE O NINE restaurant in the park have also brought convenience to visitors. I hope Zhongshan Park continues to explore on the road to renewal.