History of Shanghai Zoo

The Shanghai Zoo was originally a golf course. According to the memories of several old workers at the farm, around the 26th year of Guangxu’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1900), British expatriates opened the Lao Yutai stable here, covering an area of ??more than 20 acres (1.33 hectares). During the Xuantong period (1909-1911) ) expanded to approximately 100 acres (6.67 hectares). In the 3rd year of the Republic of China (1914), eight British businessmen including Swire & Co., Jardine Matheson & Co., and HSBC Bank purchased this land. In the 5th year of the Republic of China, the Golf Course Club (also known as the Hongqiao Laoqiu Club Course) was established. The land was expanded to about 150 acres (10 hectares), and increased to 417 acres (27.8 hectares) in the 19th year of the Republic of China.

In June 1954, the General Office of the State Council notified the Shanghai Municipal People's Government that an elephant dedicated to Chairman Mao Zedong by the Dai people in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan would be handed over to Shanghai for breeding and display. So the idea of ??building a western suburban park into a zoo was put on the agenda. In July, the Municipal Public Works Bureau sent a group of engineering technicians and zoo managers headed by Cheng Xuke, deputy director of the Zoo Management Office, to the Beijing Zoo to study, and invited Sasnovsky, director of the Moscow Zoo in Beijing, to discuss the planning and construction of the zoo. related matters. In August, Sasnovsky and Moscow Zoo Veterinary Director Leandernova came to Shanghai to help explore Xijiao Park, Longhua Nursery, and Huajing Changqiao Town, and finally decided to expand Xijiao Park into a zoo. . The planned zoo will integrate exhibition, production, scientific research, and science popularization, with a total area of ??2,000 acres (133.33 hectares). The construction of the zoo adopts the policy of comprehensive planning and phased construction. Before the zoo is completed, the original cultural rest park will be retained, but no new mass cultural activity facilities will be built.

On March 20, 1953, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved the report of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government on the recovery of the golf course in Xinjing District. On June 12 of the same year, the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office discussed matters related to the resumption of the Hongqiao Golf Course with the Municipal Works Bureau, the Municipal Real Estate Administration Bureau, the Municipal Labor Bureau, and the Xinjing District Office of the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions. In July of the same year, the Park Management Office of the Municipal Public Works Bureau, while taking back the golf course land in accordance with the law, purchased the buildings and other facilities there for 17,000 yuan. In October of the same year, the Municipal Construction Committee decided to build a cultural rest park here. Xu Jingyou from the Gardening Section of the Park Management Office was responsible for the overall planning of the park construction project. In October 1953, the office was responsible for organizing the construction. By May of the following year, green planting, roads, water supply and sewers, lighting and other supporting projects had been completed, and the bamboo park was built. There are structural gates, five-curved corridors, octagonal ring corridors, double eaves air towers, hexagonal pavilions, small square pavilions and other buildings. An ice rink, children's garden, etc. are also built. The investment amount is 853,300 yuan. On May 25, 1954, the park with an area of ??421 acres (28.07 hectares) was opened to the public and named Xijiao Park. In the first ten days after its opening, the number of daily visitors reached 30,000 to 150,000. Traffic jams outside the park and damage to the flowers and trees in the park led to an emergency decision to suspend the park on June 5. During this period, the Municipal Works Bureau, together with relevant departments, took some corresponding measures: building a 12-meter-wide garden gate and an 8-meter-wide wooden bridge in the southeast of the park; adding an area of ??21 acres (1.4 hectares) of non-motor vehicle parking outside the park One location; make appropriate improvements to ticketing methods, traffic management, food supply, and park facilities. The park reopened on June 21.

In December 1954, after criticism of "anti-waste", the planned area of ??the park was reduced, and it was finally decided to expropriate 373 acres of land in the northern part of the western suburbs park on the basis of the original 421 acres of land, and 754 acres of land. (50.27 hectares), Wu Zhenqian of the Landscape Department is responsible for the overall planning. The main design personnel are Yu Songhua, Gu Zheng, Xu Jingyou, Hong Weilie, Yan Deqing, etc., as well as engineering and technical personnel from East China Architectural Design Institute and Shanghai Civil Architecture Design Institute. Construction started immediately. The animal cages have a construction area of ??1,857 square meters. Except for the elephant room, which is a reinforced concrete building, the rest are simple facilities. In the summer of 1955, the Municipal Park Management Office moved some animals from Zhongshan Park Zoo and Fuxing Park Zoo to Xijiao Park for display.

While the zoo was being built, the Municipal Public Works Bureau’s Park Management Office sent Chen Keli, deputy director of Xijiao Park, to lead six technical and breeding staff to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, to pick up and transport the elephants. At that time, there were not only no railways in the southwest region, but also no roads in many places. The transporters overcame various difficulties in life, language, transportation, etc., and it took more than seven months to safely transport the elephants to Shanghai on June 12, 1955. During this period, the pick-up personnel also collected more than 20 species of animals such as monkeys, tigers, bears, golden cats, red deer, red wolves, and giant salamanders from Yunnan, Guizhou and other places, and transported them back to Shanghai together with the elephants. On July 9, the elephant named "Nan Jiao" was officially put on display. This year, 46 animals of 31 species were exhibited in Xijiao Park, covering an exhibition area of ??approximately 40,000 square meters.

At the turn of the spring and summer of 1955, Beijing newspapers and periodicals focused on the Sanlihe Office Building and the Friendship Hotel, criticizing the "retroism" of architectural design and setting off an anti-waste trend. Posters and magazines in Shanghai also focused on the elephant house in the western suburbs park to criticize the design ideas of "pursuing form, regardless of practicality, and extravagance and waste". To this end, the zoo's construction plan was re-examined and the area was reduced to 279 acres (186,000 square meters), including the park to 645 acres (430,000 square meters).

In the late spring and early summer of 1956, the Chinese Academy of Sciences recommended that in addition to the existing zoos in Beijing, 10 major cities including Shanghai should also build zoos.

This suggestion was supported by some national, provincial and municipal leaders, so the planned area of ??Shanghai Zoo was changed to 990 acres (66 hectares). The original cultural rest park was no longer retained, and the entire park was reorganized as a complete zoo. According to the laws of animal evolution, the cages are arranged in order from low to high, and are consistent with the visiting route. From 1956 to 1957, most of the simple cages were demolished, and new large swimming bird ponds, wading bird ponds, songbird cages, raptor cages, canine cages, small omnivore cages, liger houses, bear mountains, and monkey mountains were built. In March 1959, an additional 319 acres (21.27 hectares) of land were acquired, and the park area was expanded to 1055.7 acres (70.38 hectares). In this year, the Swan Lake, Liger Mountain, Panda Ridge, Bison Mountain, Deer Garden and Baihua Hall were built in the park, initially forming the appearance of a large-scale comprehensive zoo.

After 1960, giraffe pavilions, sea lion pools, pheasant gardens, and small animal cages were built one after another. After 1970, zebra houses, goldfish galleries, songbird houses, penguin houses, ostrich houses, orangutan houses, hippopotamus houses, and kangaroo houses were built. In 1978, a new animal breeding farm with an area of ??37,000 square meters was opened in Zhongxinjing, Hami Road. After 1980, a rhino house, a small zoo, and a giraffe hall were built. By 1989, the building area of ??animal cages had reached more than 11,400 square meters. Since most of the cages built in the early days were old and damaged, large-scale renovations were approved by the Municipal Construction Committee in 2011. The partial reconstruction project was planned by Liang Yousong of the Shanghai Landscape Design Institute and others. Participating in the design were Zhang Ming of the Shanghai Civil Architectural Design Institute, Zhang Yiwei and Hu Hong of the Shanghai Landscape Design Institute. The Shanghai Landscape Engineering Company was responsible for the construction until 1994. The first, second and third primate halls, macaque mountain, marine animal area, amphibian and reptile hall, liger and tiger mountain, medium-sized beast cages, gorilla hall, herbivorous area, entry-level bird garden, and tropical bird hall have been newly built or renovated. As well as life service facilities such as snack bar, photography department, etc., the construction area is 12,800 square meters and the investment is 39.42 million yuan.

An eventful year

In 1900, a British expatriate stationed in Shanghai opened the "Yutai Stables" within the current zoo, covering an area of ??1.3 hectares (more than 20 acres).

In 1914, eight British businessmen including Swire & Bank and HSBC purchased the "Yutai Stables" and converted it into a "Golf Course Club" in 1916.

On March 20, 1953, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved the report of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government on the resumption of the golf course. In September, the Shanghai Municipal Government decided to plan and build a cultural park based on the original stadium.

On May 25, 1954, in order to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the liberation of Shanghai, it was named "Xijiao Park" and officially opened to the outside world as a cultural and leisure park. At that time, 853,300 yuan was invested to build a series of park facilities such as a bamboo structure gate, an ice rink, and a children's garden. The opening of Xijiao Park caused a sensation in Shanghai. It has only been open for ten days, and the number of daily visitors is as high as 30,000 to 150,000. The flowers and trees in the park have been damaged greatly, and traffic outside the park is blocked. With the approval of the city government, the park will be closed for 15 days for renovations. After the renovation and opening of the park, the number of tourists will be controlled with a daily limit of 40,000 tickets. On June 20, the General Office of the State Council notified the Shanghai Municipal Government that an elephant dedicated to Chairman Mao by the Dai people in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan would be handed over to Shanghai for breeding and display. In August, the Shanghai Municipal Government decided to expand the western suburbs park into a zoo. In December, seven technicians and breeders went to Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, and transported the elephant "Nanjiao" back to Shanghai in June 1955.

In May 1955, some of the earliest animal cages such as the Elephant Palace were built, covering an area of ??1,857 square meters. On July 9, the animal exhibition area was officially opened to the public. There are 46 animals of 31 species on display, including elephants, tigers, bears, monkeys, deers, etc. The exhibition area is 4 hectares. The total area of ??the park is 43 hectares (645 acres), and the entrance fee is 5 cents per person.

From 1956 to 1958, the simple cages were dismantled. A new liger room, canine cage, bear mountain, monkey mountain, songbird and raptor cages were built, and the animal exhibition area was expanded to the entire park.

In 1959, in order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 5th anniversary of the founding of the park, the Swan Lake was excavated and the Shihu Mountain, Panda Ridge, Luyuan and Baihua Hall were built. The park area has been expanded to 70 hectares (1055 acres), initially forming the appearance of a large comprehensive zoo. Siberian tigers breed for the first time.

The country suffered three years of difficulty from 1960 to 1963, with extreme material shortages. In order to ensure the supply of animal feed, all employees of the park actively implement the three-character policy of "poverty, diligence, and skill" and make use of all available resources from society and the park to ensure the normal growth of 1,807 animals of 193 species.

In May 1964, Fuxing Park and Zhongshan Park Zoo were merged into Xijiao Park. The animal hospital was officially established. South China tigers, golden monkeys, and black langurs have reproduced successfully.

Giant pandas were bred for the first time in 1965.

From 1966 to 1970, we organized scientific and technological and breeding personnel to go to Yunnan, Sichuan and other places to conduct field inspections and species collection.

In October 1971, a young (7-year-old) wild female elephant "Banna" was obtained from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province.

From 1972 to 1976, the park gate was renovated, new giraffe houses, zebra houses, kangaroo houses, songbird houses and orangutan houses were built, and independent animal breeding grounds were built.

From July to August 1974, animals were donated to the Yokohama Zoo in Japan (one pair each of gray cranes and Tibetan emirates in exchange for one pair each of Japanese spotted deer and penguins).

This is the first international animal exchange event held by Shanghai Zoo.

In 1977, clouded leopards, California sea lions, white-lipped deer and other animals reproduced.

In 1978, Asian elephants and kangaroos were successfully bred for the first time.

On January 1, 1980, Shanghai Xijiao Park was officially renamed Shanghai Zoo. There are 308 species of animals (including subspecies) and 4,005 animals on display. In November, chimpanzees successfully reproduced for the first time.

In January and November 1982, two groups of breeding technicians went to Tibet for field inspections. Takin, red goral, red-bellied pheasant and other animals were collected. On July 15, "Research on Alligator Reproduction" won the third prize for Shanghai's major scientific and technological achievements. On August 23, giant panda "Bai Mei" gave birth to a cub. Giant pandas breed successfully for the first time.

On May 24, 1984, a large-scale symposium and garden history exhibition were held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the garden. In May, Oriental white storks were successfully artificially bred for the first time in the world.

In 1985, South American tapirs, red gorals, and white ibises were successfully bred in China for the first time.

In 1986, the British Royal Deer Park donated two elk (four different species) to our park; "Research on Investigation and Prevention of Parasites of Rare Wild Animals" won the second prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award.

On June 4, 1987, 25 species of animals went to the China Welfare Institute to be exhibited for disabled children.

In October 1988, South American bison successfully reproduced for the first time.

In November 1989, the Animal Archives Computer Information Appraisal Meeting was held.

In April 1990, leaders from the municipal government, municipal construction committee and bureau came to the park to study the "Shanghai Zoo Three-Year Development Plan." In May, squirrel monkeys successfully reproduced for the first time.

In September 1991, the "Shanghai Zoo Reconstruction Plan Task Statement" was approved.

A new marine animal pavilion was built in April 1992, and the second primate pavilion was completed and opened in June. In July, the Shanghai Zoo launched its social adoption event for wild animals and started a series of "Friends of the Zoo" activities.

On April 25, 1993, the first "Friends of the Zoo" gathering was held, with more than 40 media and related units participating. From September 30 to October 2, the "First Wildlife Protection Social Party and Tiger Roaring Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Night Garden Party" were held. In December, a gorilla donated by Rotterdam Zoo was put on display in Shanghai.

In March 1994, the "Shanghai Zoo Renovation Plan" with a total investment of 30 million yuan was basically completed, and the primate hall, gorilla hall, amphibian and reptile hall, science and education hall, etc. were opened to the public. On April 12, Mr. George Bopsett from Montreal, Canada presented 1,000 butterfly specimens to our garden. On April 18, a commemorative clock to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of sister cities between Shanghai and Osaka was inaugurated in our park. Huang Ju, the former mayor of Shanghai, and Masaru Nishio, the former mayor of Osaka, unveiled the clock tower. On May 25, the "40th Anniversary of Shanghai Zoo" celebration meeting was held.

On February 28, 1995, the first cub belonging to Shanghai, born from the cooperative breeding of giant pandas between Shanghai and Chongqing Zoos, arrived in Shanghai. On May 6, the calf "Er Na" gave birth to a female elephant, which is the first second-generation Asian elephant in a Chinese zoo. The Shanghai Zoo won the honor of "Top Ten Zoos in the Country", and the Breeding Department won the title of Shanghai Model Worker Collective. On September 22, former Shanghai Mayor Xu Kuangdi inscribed the name of the Shanghai Zoo. In October, a pair of golden monkeys went to Yokohama Zoo in Japan for a ten-year loan exhibition and cooperative research. Shanghai Zoo became a member of the European Endangered Species Conservation Program (EEP).

In December 1996, 11 tigers fell ill within one week. It was diagnosed as canine distemper (the first time in China). After efforts from all parties, the sick tiger recovered after two weeks.

On April 1, 1997, the new gate of "Lucky Elephant Welcomes Guests" was completed. Shanghai Zoo's first Animal Art Festival opens. In June, spotted-billed ringed penguins successfully reproduced for the first time.

From April to June 1998, koalas (koalas) from Kanazawa Zoo in Yokohama, Japan were exhibited in Shanghai for the first time.

The butterfly garden was completed in April 1999, and live insects began to be officially raised and exhibited. In June, there was a heavy rain that had never happened in a century. 95% of the zoo's area was flooded and it was closed for three days. This attracted the attention of domestic and foreign media. The entire zoo staff prevented floods and waterlogging and rescued animals, but no major losses were caused. In October, a pair of Brazilian wolves given to Mayor Xu Kuangdi by the Brazilian company CBMM settled in the Shanghai Zoo. This is the first time that Brazilian wolves have been raised and exhibited in China. In December, the Shanghai Zoo was approved by the National Science and Education Commission to be named the "National Science Education Popularization Base", making it the first zoo in China to be a national science education base.

In May 2000, the jaguar successfully reproduced for the first time (three cubs in one litter). In October, the "31 million" project to improve the rainwater and sewage in the park was launched. In November, Dr. Jane Goodall visited the park. The animal hospital was rated as a model collective in Shanghai.

In March 2001, 20 chimpanzees arrived at the park as a gift from Japan's Sanwa Chemical Research Institute. In April, the renovation plan for the natural ecological park and animal sight-barrier-free displays was fully launched. In December, the park’s archives management work passed the national second-level acceptance.

In May 2002, the "2002 Shanghai Popular Science Education Joint Exhibition" was held in the park. In October, it was established as a national 4A-level attraction.

On April 7, 2003, giant panda "Lele" (male) and Beijing Zoo's "Yaya" (female) went to the Memphis Zoo in the United States for a ten-year cooperative research. From April to June, the country encountered SARS, and the number of tourists dropped to a record low. The whole park is actively engaged in animal epidemic prevention and economic adjustment. From July to December, "separation of management and maintenance" and restructuring reforms were implemented.

In February 2004, "bird flu" broke out in many places in the country, and the park responded seriously to ensure the safety of birds. From February to October, a series of activities were held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the park. There are more than 7,000 animals of 620 species on display.

On February 17, 2008, the gorilla "Dandan" (named "Haibei") was born.

On November 2, 2009, the "Ceremony of the Seychelles Government Donating Aldabra Giant Tortoises to the Shanghai World Expo" was held at the Amphibian and Reptile Hall of the Shanghai Zoo.

On January 8, 2010, ten adorable giant panda cubs from Ya’an, Sichuan, arrived in Shanghai for the World Expo.

In the early morning of May 17, 2012, the gorilla "Astra" gave birth for the second time.

On November 14, 2012, the two-toed sloth imported from Guyana was officially put on display.

In the middle of the night on December 6, 2012, the giraffe "Shanshan" successfully gave birth to a male cub with a height of 165cm.