People's Square which located adjacent to Nanjing Road in the Huangpu District of Shanghai is a large square that used as the standard reference point for measurement of distance in Shanghai municipality.
The People's Square used to be a horse racing course of Shanghai prior to year 1949 before the establishment of People's Republic of China. In fact, the name of People's Square is referred to the open space plaza, People's Park as well as some cultural, tourism and business buildings which located adjacent to the plaza. People's Plaza is currently the economical, political and cultural center of Shanghai. At the same time, it also plays important roles as the transportation hub, tourism center as well as one of the most significant landmarks of Shanghai.
The whole area of People's Square reaches 140000 square meters and was served as the venue for people's gathering in previous years. The plaza can accommodate over 200000 people gathering at the same time. After the foundation of People's Republic of China, many development projects have been taken place here. Moreover, there are subways that link to the plaza as well. In the 1990s, major changes were made to the square. The Shanghai Municipal Government building was moved from the former HSBC Building, and the Shanghai Museum was also moved away from its previous site in a former office building. More recent additions include the Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.