The Nanjing Road Statues

As you walk along Nanjing Road, amid the bright signs and lively shop windows, you’ll come across several bronze sculptures that often catch the eye of passers-by. One of the most iconic is the figure of a mother and her child set right on the pavement between People’s Square and the Bund, a simple, touching scene of a woman holding her child’s hand while the little one raises an arm in a friendly wave as if saying hello or goodbye. Cast in bronze, this lifelike sculpture captures a fleeting moment of everyday life, with the mother’s gentle expression, the child’s joy and the spontaneous gesture all evoking tenderness, city life and the family bond at the heart of Shanghai. It’s not alone, as similar pieces are scattered all along Nanjing Road, portraying families, couples or children—some depict a mother and son carrying shopping bags, others a whole family out for a stroll—and they blend naturally into the rhythm of this busy shopping street, reminding us that behind the storefronts and the downtown bustle, Shanghai is also a city of families, small gestures and shared moments. Installed to humanise the avenue, create familiar landmarks and invite visitors to pause, smile or take a photo, these sculptures bring a warm, poetic touch to Nanjing Road’s lively energy, a quiet tribute to the everyday life of the city. As you pass them, it’s worth stopping for a moment, because each one tells a piece of Shanghai’s gentle, vibrant soul in its own way.