Shanghai Kilometre Zero

The Kilometre Zero marker in Shanghai is a large bronze plaque in front of the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in People's Square

Visiting Shanghai's Kilometre Zero marker in May, 2026 was supposed to be a quick diversion, but it turned into a surprisingly time-consuming hunt.

As is often the case with obscure geographical curiosities, finding the marker proved harder than expected. Readily available online coordinates led me to a nearby shopping centre rather than the monument itself. Rather than the coordinates being wrong per se, I think they simply weren't accurate enough or had been rounded up by those who had visited previously with their GPS.

After wandering around People's Park and then People's Square, checking maps and comparing descriptions from Chinese websites, I eventually tracked down the correct location.

The marker is situated in People's Square immediately in front of the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre, with a large musical fountain behind it. Shanghai is, at least, one of the few cities that not only provide Zero Kilometre details but have marked it with a significant plaque. Their version is an attractive bronze insertion decorated with Chinese motifs and prominently labelled as the "Zero Point of Highways, Shanghai".

I recorded the exact position of the Shanghai marker to be at:

• Latitude: 31° 13.9003' N
• Longitude: 121° 28.1838' E

Although insignificant to most visitors, the monument represents the starting point for Shanghai's road network. Every official highway distance from the city is measured from this location. Given Shanghai's importance as one of the world's largest cities, that simple fact gives the marker a significance far beyond the plaque's modest size.

For me, the appeal was less about the monument itself and more about the challenge of finding it. Geographical reference points rarely feature on tourist itineraries, yet they often tell an interesting story about how countries organise and measure the world around them.

After almost an hour of searching, finally standing on the correct marker was considerably more satisfying than it probably should have been. But maybe I'm easily pleased! Another Kilometre Zero location added to the collection