Relaxing beside Lotus pond, Lu Xun Park, Hongqiao.

Particularly photogenic in spring and summer when the trees are in blossom, Lu Xun Park is one of the city’s most pleasant green spaces. It was originally built in 1896 by a British garden designer to be used as a shooting range. The park used to be called Hongkew Park, but was renamed because it holds Lu Xun’s Museum and tomb, which was moved here from the International Cemetery in 1956 on the 20th anniversary of his death.

You'll find elderly Chinese practising taichi or ballroom dancing and even retired opera singers testing out their pipes. It’s a shame about the fenced-in lawn, but the Plum Garden is an attractive diversion. The English Corner on Sunday mornings is one of the largest in all of Shanghai and is a good place to chat with locals. You can also take boats out onto the small lake.


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