page_title: People's Park (Guangzhou)
section_title: Republic of China
hierarchical_section_title: People's Park (Guangzhou) / History / Republic of China
caption_attribution_description: Sun Yat-sen (right) and his son Sun Fo in 1911
context_page_description: People's Park is an urban public park in Yuexiu District in central Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province in south China. Established in 1921, it is the first public park in the city, built on the site that had been the location of successive regional governments since the Sui dynasty. Due to its central location, it is colloquially called Central Park.
context_section_description: After the Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing, Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, proposed converting the former site of the Qing provincial government to Guangzhou's first public park. The city government commissioned Yang Xizong (杨锡宗), a graduate of Cornell University, to design the park. On 12 October 1921, Guangzhou No. 1 Park was inaugurated by Mayor Sun Fo, the son of Sun Yat-sen. As Yang designed the park in a Western model, numerous ancient trees on the site were cut down to achieve the desired geometric symmetry. The original park was twice the size as today, with features such as fountains, sculptures, an assembly building, restaurants, and a shooting range, but largely devoid of trees. As the first public park of the city, it was immediately popular with the citizens. New trees have since been planted in the park.
  Due to its location at the center of the city, the park quickly became a main spot for rallies and major public events in Guangzhou. On 24 February 1924, Sun Sat-sen presided over a memorial service for Vladimir Lenin; on 8 March the same year, China's first major celebration of the International Women's Day was held in the park. The park also saw the great celebration of the victory of Kuomintang's Northern Expedition which was launched from Guangzhou, and the inauguration ceremonies of many government officials.
  The park was a popular site for festivals. From 11 February 1923, a narcissus festival was held in the park for five days. Between 1930 and 1949, five chrysanthemum festivals were held in the park.
caption: Sun Yat-sen and his son Sun Fo in 1911
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