Chunshen Park opens with statue to honor local hero
The statue of Huang Xie, or Chunshen Jun, is unveiled at the Chunshen Park. The park has started trial operation.
Chunshen Park at Lane 1508 Hongmei Road S. in Minhang District has started trial operation, with a statue of Huang Xie (314-238 BC) unveiled during the opening ceremony.
Huang is better known as Chunshen Jun, a nobleman and locally revered hero of the Chu Kingdom in the third century BC, who is remembered for his decades-long effort to dredge the city’s waterway.
The gesture is an answer to Shanghai’s general facelifts on its round-the-city ecological parks and greenbelts. In Minhang, three such parks — Meilong Econological Park, Jinmei Park and Chunshen Park — covering a total area of more than 1 million square meters are under construction.
Chunshen Park is bordered by the S20 Outer Ring Highway in the north, the Laohumin Road in the east, Hongmei Road S. in the west and Chunshen Road in the south. The park features science made accessible.
The historic figure it honors, Chunshen Jun, was one of the “Four Noble Lords of the Warring States (475-221 BC).”
According to Shanghai Geographical Names Chronicles, Shen (申), short for Shanghai, derived its name from this Warring States noble lord.
Legend has it that, before Huang was crowned lord of the fiefdom throughout Wuyue (today’s Yangtze River Delta region), the Huangpu River used to frequently cause floods due to its high riverbed and copious silt. Huang led his men to control the water and prevent floods during his reign. People later called Huang’s fiefdom Shanghai “Shen” to remember him.
Chunshen Park has been developed to cater to people of different age groups and will function fully as a community public space.
The park has been undergoing its final stage foliage trimming in recent days and already appears a stunningly beautiful autumnal and winter color collage with its changing leaves.
The park closes at 6pm currently and its opening hours will be adjusted after the trial stage ends.
