# People's Park, Shanghai > People's Park is a free walled garden with ponds in central Shanghai, just north of People's Square on the old racecourse. The big draw is the weekend marriage market, roughly noon to 5pm. It's open daily from early morning to early evening, though sources disagree on exact hours. Allow 40 minutes. Metro: People's Square. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-park - City: [Shanghai](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai), China - YesGo score: 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 40 min - Entry: Free - With kids: Fine with kids - Admission: Free — no tickets, no booking - Hours: Daily, early morning to evening; listings range from 5:00–21:00 to 6:00–18:00 - Marriage market: Saturday and Sunday, roughly noon to 4–5pm, by Gate 5 on the Nanjing Road side - Main gate: 231 West Nanjing Road - Metro: People's Square, Lines 1, 2 and 8 — take a northern exit towards Nanjing Road - MoCA Shanghai: Closed while it relocates; no reopening date announced - Lakeside lounge: Barbarossa — check it's open before planning a meal - Time needed: 30–40 minutes; up to an hour with the marriage market - Coordinates: 31.23394, 121.46781 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — entry to the park — no tickets or booking (source: Travel China Guide; bendibao.com) - **Marriage market** — weekends, run by parents looking for matches for their children (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **1952** — the park opened on the northern half of the racecourse (source: English Wikipedia; Wikidata; maigoo.com) - **Since 2004** — the marriage market has met here regularly (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **Racecourse** — the Shanghai Race Club's track stood here until 1949 (source: English Wikipedia; Shanghai government) - **3,300 m²** — the lotus pond in the western part (source: Travel China Guide; maigoo.com) - **8 gates** — the main one at 231 West Nanjing Road (source: Travel China Guide; maigoo.com) - **English Corner** — where locals practise English — one of China's first (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) - **Lines 1, 2, 8** — People's Square station, at the park's southern edge (source: English Wikipedia; Travel China Guide) > **Go at the weekend for the marriage market** The **marriage market** only really happens on Saturdays and Sundays, from around noon until 4 or 5pm — Saturday is busiest. On a weekday you'll find a quiet garden and not much else. Profiles hang from umbrellas and strings along the northern path near Gate 5. Look all you like, but don't push a camera into people's faces. ## When is the Shanghai marriage market? Every weekend, roughly from midday to late afternoon. Sources differ on the exact window — noon to 5pm in most accounts, around 11am to 4pm in others — so aim for early afternoon. Parents have been gathering here since 2004. The would-be brides and grooms themselves rarely turn up: it's mothers, fathers and sometimes grandparents doing the legwork. Each "ad" is a sheet of paper pinned to a string, clipped to an open umbrella or laid on the ground. It lists age, height, Chinese zodiac sign, education, job, income and hometown, and often what the family expects in return — a flat, a Shanghai household registration, a similar background. Hobbies and looks barely get a mention. Profiles are loosely grouped by birth decade, with separate patches for people who studied abroad and for divorcees, and there are professional matchmakers working the crowd with lists. As a foreign visitor you're a spectator, not a participant, and that's fine — nobody will shoo you away. Nearly everything is in Chinese, so a camera-translation app helps. Be respectful: for many of these parents it's years of searching, not a show. ## Is People's Park worth visiting? At the weekend, yes — the marriage market is one of the most memorable slices of everyday Shanghai you'll see, and it costs nothing. On a weekday, treat the park as a pleasant shortcut between Nanjing Road and [People's Square](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-square) rather than a destination: it's a well-kept city garden, not a classical Chinese garden like [Yu Garden](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/yu-garden). People's Park opened in 1952 on the northern half of the **Shanghai Race Club's racecourse**, closed after 1949 when the new government banned racing and betting; the southern half became People's Square. The old clubhouse with its clock tower still stands at the park's north-west edge and now houses the Shanghai History Museum. The best hours are early morning, when older locals do tai chi, dance and play cards under the plane trees, and weekend afternoons. Summer middays are muggy despite the shade. ## Things to do in People's Park - **Browse the marriage market** — weekend afternoons in the northern part of the park, near Gate 5: rows of open umbrellas covered in profiles. - **The lotus pond** — in the western section, about 3,300 m² across two linked pools, one for lotus and one for goldfish. The lotus blooms in summer. - **The central pond and Barbarossa** — a lounge-restaurant sitting right on the water; the reflections of trees and towers here are the park's classic photo. - **Man-made hills** — in the west, by the ponds: shady paths winding up and down under the trees. - **Morning life** — tai chi, ballroom dancing, cards and chess on the benches; liveliest before 9am. - **English Corner** — by the gate opposite the Park Hotel, where locals have practised English since the reform era. It's quieter than it used to be. - **Skyline over the treetops** — the towers around Nanjing Road rise above the park; frame them with the pond in front. - **Shanghai History Museum** — the former racecourse clubhouse with its clock tower, at the park's north-west corner. > **MoCA Shanghai in the park is closed** The glass pavilion of the **Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai** is shut: the museum's official site says it is relocating and upgrading its space, with no reopening date. Plenty of guides still send you there, so don't build your visit around it. The nearest open museum is the Shanghai History Museum in the old racecourse clubhouse. ## How to get to People's Park 1. From the Bund at Nanjing Road, walk west along pedestrian East Nanjing Road to the Xizang Road junction — about 1.4 km, 20–25 minutes. The pedestrian street ends right at the park. 2. Cross Xizang Road: Gate 5 of People's Park is on your left, at the corner of West Nanjing Road. The marriage market starts just inside. 3. By metro: from East Nanjing Road station (Lines 2 and 10), ride Line 2 westbound one stop to People's Square — 2–3 minutes, minimum fare from ¥3. Metro gates accept foreign contactless Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay cards. 4. At People's Square station, follow the signs for Nanjing Road / People's Park. Travel China Guide suggests Exit 12 from Line 2 for Gate 4, or Exit 16 from Lines 1 and 8 for Gate 1 — double-check the numbers on the station signs. 5. From Pudong Airport, take the Maglev to Longyang Road, then Line 2 westbound to People's Square. From Hongqiao (airport and railway station), Line 2 eastbound runs straight there with no change. ## People's Park vs People's Square | | People's Park | People's Square | | --- | --- | --- | | Where | Northern half of the old racecourse, on Nanjing Road | Southern half, along People's Avenue | | What it is | Fenced garden: ponds, hills, paths | Open square with lawns and a fountain | | Around it | History Museum, Park Hotel, Nanjing Road | Shanghai Museum, City Hall, Grand Theatre | | Entry | Free | Free | | Hours | Early morning to evening, gates close | Open 24 hours | | Marriage market | Yes, weekends | No | The marriage market is often described as being "in People's Square" — it's actually in the park. Park hours vary between sources, so check the sign at the gate. ## Paying for things around the park The park is free, but the metro, the lakeside lounge and nearby cafés aren't. China runs on **Alipay and WeChat Pay**, and both let you link a foreign Visa or Mastercard with your passport — set them up before you fly. QR payments need mobile data. Carry some cash in small notes as a backup: sellers must accept yuan, though they may be short of change. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Going on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for the marriage market - [ ] I know MoCA in the park is closed - [ ] Camera-translate app on my phone — the profiles are in Chinese - [ ] No close-up photos of people at the market without asking - [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay set up, plus some cash - [ ] People's Square or Nanjing Road next on the plan ## Shanghai's historic sights compared Every historic place in Shanghai rated by YesGo. - [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Oriental Pearl Tower](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/oriental-pearl-tower) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥199 — two spheres - [Shanghai Maglev](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-maglev) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ¥50, ¥40 with a same-day flight - [Nanjing Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/nanjing-road) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Yu Garden](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/yu-garden) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥30–40 by season - [Shanghai Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-museum) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥148 show; Museum East free - [People's Park](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-park) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [People's Square](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-square) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Shanghai Old City](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-old-city) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Xintiandi](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xintiandi) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Tianzifang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/tianzifang) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [City God Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-city-god-temple) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free) - [Former French Concession](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-french-concession) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free - [Wukang Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/wukang-road) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Suzhou](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/suzhou) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Train ≈ ¥30–45, garden ¥70–80 - [Jing'an Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jingan-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ≈ ¥50 - [Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-urban-planning-center) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Free, booking required - [Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-jewish-refugees-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · CNY 20; students 10, 60+ 15 - [Jade Buddha Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jade-buddha-temple) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free; Jade Buddha hall ≈ ¥10 - [Longhua Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/longhua-temple) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ≈ ¥10 (one guide says free) - [Zhujiajiao](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/zhujiajiao) — YesGo score 24/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free entry; three sights ¥60 - [Xitang](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/xitang) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ≈ ¥95 by day, free in the evening ## Jing'an Temple to the Bund via People's Park A temple in the morning, east along Nanjing Road, the park and its marriage market, the square, then the Bund at dusk. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Jing'an Temple](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/jingan-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · ≈ ¥50 2. [People's Park](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-park) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free 3. [People's Square](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/shanghai-peoples-square) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 4. [Nanjing Road](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/nanjing-road) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free 5. [The Bund](https://yesgo.io/china/shanghai/the-bund) — YesGo score 59/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free ## Don't mix them up People's Park and People's Square are two halves of the same former racecourse: the park, with its ponds and marriage market, is to the north; the square, with the museum and City Hall, is to the south. Almost every Chinese city has a People's Park — Chengdu's, famous for its teahouse, is the one most often confused with Shanghai's. ## Tips - Saturday early afternoon is peak marriage-market time; come in the morning the same day and you'll catch tai chi as well. - Visit the lotus pond in summer, when the flowers are out — the rest of the year it's simply green. - Exit south and you're on People's Square within five minutes, with the Shanghai Museum building in view. - If friendly strangers near Nanjing Road invite you to a "tea ceremony" or an art show, politely decline and keep walking. - Summer middays are sticky even in the shade — mornings and late afternoons are far more pleasant. - Don't make a weekday trip just for the park; it shines as a stop between Nanjing Road and the square. ## Questions ### Is People's Park in Shanghai free? Yes. There are no tickets or booking — just walk in through any of the gates. Only the lakeside lounge and nearby cafés cost money. ### What are People's Park opening hours? Daily from early morning to evening. Published hours disagree, ranging from 5:00–21:00 to 6:00–18:00, so don't count on a late evening visit. ### When is the marriage market in People's Park? Saturdays and Sundays, roughly noon to 4–5pm. Saturday is the busiest day; on weekdays there's very little to see. ### Where exactly is the marriage market? In the northern part of the park, along the path inside Gate 5 at the corner of West Nanjing Road and Xizang Road. Look for rows of open umbrellas covered in paper profiles. ### Is People's Park worth visiting? On a weekend afternoon, definitely, for the marriage market. On a weekday it's a pleasant 30-minute walk between Nanjing Road and People's Square rather than a sight in itself. ### How do I get to People's Park? Metro Lines 1, 2 or 8 to People's Square and take a northern exit, or walk 20–25 minutes west from the Bund along pedestrian Nanjing Road, which ends at the park. ### Is MoCA Shanghai in People's Park open? No. The museum's official site says it is relocating and temporarily closed, with no reopening date announced. ### How long do you need in People's Park? 30–40 minutes to walk through and see the ponds; up to an hour if you linger at the weekend marriage market. ### What's the difference between People's Park and People's Square? They're the two halves of the old racecourse. The park is a fenced garden with ponds and the marriage market; the square is open space with a fountain, City Hall and the Shanghai Museum. ## How we checked The English core comes from search results and related questions: hours, the marriage market (days, times, where), is it free, is it worth it, how long, how to get there and MoCA. The opening year and history are confirmed by Wikipedia, Wikidata and a Chinese directory. We couldn't confirm current park hours from an official source: the Shanghai government reported 5:00–21:00 in 2016, while Chinese directories give 6:00–18:00, 6:00–21:00 and 7:00–19:00 — hence "early morning to evening" and the checking badge. Marriage market times also vary (noon to 4pm or 5pm), so we show a range. Metro exit numbers come from Travel China Guide only; other guides give different ones. We leave out the park's area: Travel China Guide says 9.8 ha, maigoo.com quotes 18.85 ha from the 1952 plan. MoCA's closure is from the museum's own site, undated. Barbarossa's status rests on unofficial listings only. Payment details come from travel guides and the Shanghai government's note on contactless metro gates. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: People's Park (Shanghai), Shanghai Marriage Market, Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai; Wikidata Q10867684 - MoCA Shanghai official website — relocation and temporary closure notice - Travel China Guide — People's Park and marriage market pages: admission, gates, metro exits, lotus pond, market hours - maigoo.com and bendibao.com (Chinese directories) — opening year, main gate, gates, pond, admission, hours - Shanghai government (en.shio.gov.cn) — Huangpu park hours; icauto.com.cn — park hours - YesGo's People's Square page — racecourse history, metro, neighbouring sights --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.