Sheshan, formerly known as Zose, is a pair of
hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...
s in
Songjiang District
Songjiang is a suburban district (formerly a county) of Shanghai. It has a land area of and a population of 1,582,398 (2010). Owing to a long history, Songjiang is known as the cultural root of Shanghai.
Songjiang Town, the urban center of the ...
in western
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, China. The two hills are distinguished as East and , although the more important western hill is also called Sheshan on its own. East Sheshan has an elevation of and
West Sheshan has an elevation of , it is the highest point in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, there is a small valley between them. The area around the two hills is a forest park.
Basilica
It is surmounted by the ''Our Lady of China'' Catholic church,
Sheshan Basilica, which was built there between 1922 and 1936 following the establishment of a chapel in 1867, soon replaced by a first church in 1871-1873 by French missionaries. Services in the church are held in Latin. The road to the top of Sheshan hill represents the stations of the cross
Via Dolorosa
The ''Via Dolorosa'' (Latin, 'Sorrowful Way', often translated 'Way of Suffering'; ar, طريق الآلام; Hebrew: ויה דולורוזה) is a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. It represents the path that Jesus would have t ...
(The Way of Suffering) that Christ took to his crucifixion. Every May pilgrims flock to the chapel and the holy road by the hundreds.
Observatory
The hill also houses an observatory founded in 1900 by Jesuits, the
Sheshan Observatory. In addition to scientific equipment of the modern era, it displays a replica of a
Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
earthquake
monitoring device, consisting of a jar with dragon heads mounted around the outside and a pendulum inside. Each dragon has a steel ball in its mouth. When an earthquake occurred, the pendulum would swing, knock a dragon causing its mouth to open and a ball to drop out thereby indicating the quake's direction.
Transportation
Sheshan is in the vicinity of
Sheshan Station on
Line 9 of the
Shanghai Metro.
See also
*
Sheshan Golf Club
Sheshan Golf Club () is the first premier private golf club in Shanghai, China. Founded in 2004, the 18 hole golf course plays to a par of 72 and is designed by Nelson and Haworth Design, and spans over 7,266 yards (6,531 meters). Every year, th ...
References
Landforms of Shanghai
Hills of China
{{Shanghai-geo-stub