Monument to Sun Yat-sen and Bronze Statue of Sun Y...
Building monuments and bronze statues to express the worship of Sun Yat-sen was quite popular in the period of the Republic of China.But compared with other important cities in China，there are few Sun Yatsen memorials in Shanghai.The first monument built for Sun Yat-sen in Shanghai is the Premier Monument located in Jiangwan Town.It is to commemorate the Grand Funeral.In 1929，according to the requirements of the Nanjing National Government，monuments should be built in regions where Sun Yat-sen ’s coffin passed by，hoping to preserve the short-term funeral service in the eternal space.Although Sun ’s coffin did not pass by Shanghai，some proposed to build a funeral monument in Shanghai.People in Jiangwan Town spontaneously organized the Preparatory Committee for Funeral of the Premier，and at the second meeting on May 11，1929，the design plan of the monument was passed.[44] On the National Day of the Republic of China in that year，the monument was inaugurated.The monument is more than 3 zhang tall and covers about 1/3 mu of ground around it.On the front of the monument are inscriptions by Yi Peiji entitled Integrity for Generations （Jing Xing Bai Dai），Tan Yankai entitled Unique Forever （Du You Qian Qiu），and Cai Yuanpei entitled An Undertaking for Centuries （Si Sheng Bu Huo）.On the back of it is the special inscription written by Shen Zuru，Executive Director of the KMT Headquarters of No.7 District in Shanghai Special Municipality.In order to commemorate the establishment of the monument，the Shanghai Special Municipal Government also renamed the Tiyuhui Road into Jinian Road.[45]
The Greater Shanghai Plan includes the construction of a memorial hall for public gatherings.However，due to the lack of funds，it was not put on the agenda，and only a bronze statue has been casted.
The bronze statue was originally planned to be built at Shanghaibei Railway Station，but after discussion，it was rebuilt in the downtown，and later in front of the Shanghai Municipal Building.[46] The portrait of Sun Yat-sen is an image with the status of national symbol，whose sanctity should naturally be shown through spatial positioning.[47] In 1930，Shanghai set up the Committee of Construction of Sun Yat-sen Bronze Statue from All Walks of Life to replace the former Committee of Construction of Sun Yat-sen Bronze Statue at Shanghaibei Railway Station.On February 6，1933，at the 8th Meeting，the Committee decided to set up a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen in front of the planned Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall behind the Shanghai Municipal Government Building；on March 12，the groundbreaking ceremony was held；on November 12，the opening ceremony was held.The Committee member Wang Xiaolai also proposed that “the surrounding environment of the downtown area is rather different from that of Shanghaibei Railway Station，so the bronze statue must be heightened”.The Committee published in the newspaper to solicit drawings of the bronze statue.Upon examination and approval of the KMT Central Headquarters，the drawing created by the sculptor Jiang Xiaojian，specifically，the Portrait of Sun Yat-sen Photographed in Tianjin.In order to design a suitable height，the bronze statue ’s foundation project was designed by the architect Dong Dayou and built by Shanghai Chuluji Construction Plant.[48]Finally，at 10 o ’clock in the morning of November 12，the Commemorative Ceremony of Celebrating the Birthday and Unveiling the Bronze Statue and the 5th Grand Scout jamboree，with more than 60，000 spectators.The ceremony was grand，and flags were hung throughout Shanghai”.The final “dark green bronze statue is well-dressed Sun Yatsen，about 8 feet high，with a long jacket，a woolen hat in the right hand and a walking stick in the left hand，facing the south，with a stone base under it，carved with patterns，weighing about one ton，and engraved with the “Built by All Walks of Life in Shanghai in November of the 22nd Year of the Republic of China”.[49]