Sheshan is a low hill in the Songjiang district, in the southwestern corner of Shanghai, rising only about a hundred metres above the flat plain around it. Because there is nothing else of any height nearby, it was the obvious site for two very different institutions that both needed clear skies and open views: a Catholic pilgrimage church and an astronomical observatory.
The basilica
The first church was built on the summit in the 1870s, enlarged in the 1920s, and rebuilt in the 1930s in a Romanesque style with a red brick and stone facade and a large central dome. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Sheshan and is the most important Catholic pilgrimage site in this part of China, with a major feast in May that draws crowds from across the region. The interior is high and plain, with stained glass and a marble altar, and the steps up to the entrance are steep enough that many pilgrims climb them on their knees.
The observatory
A French Jesuit observatory was established on the hill in 1900 and became one of the leading astronomical research stations in Asia, working on solar observation, timekeeping, star catalogues and, later, satellite tracking. The historic domes and instruments survive, including a large telescope in its original building, and there is a small museum covering the history of the site and of astronomy in China. Newer research facilities were moved elsewhere, leaving the old buildings in place on the ridge.
The park and the climb
The hill is a park, with bamboo groves, paths, stone steps and pavilions, and the walk up from the entrance takes about twenty to thirty minutes at an easy pace. There are two summits: the basilica on the west and the observatory on the east, connected by paths along the ridge. Because it is one of the only hills in Shanghai, the tops give a wide view over the surrounding towns and countryside - a rare thing in a city this flat.
Getting there
Sheshan is in Songjiang, about an hour from central Shanghai by metro on Line 9 to Sheshan, followed by a short taxi ride or walk to the park entrance. Allow half a day including travel. The site is busy on pilgrimage days and on public holidays; on ordinary weekdays it is quiet. Comfortable shoes are essential, and there are stalls selling drinks and snacks near the entrances.
