Shanghai's cemeteries provide visitors with a blend of history, remembrance and serenity. Photos: Erick Peterson/GT

Rather than being spooky settings for Halloween stories, Shanghai's cemeteries and memorial sites are some of the most relaxing, least crowded places in the city. They are places where a person can learn about history in memorial hall displays and gravestone engravings. Or where one may simply sit under a tree and watch clouds roll past.

Cemeteries listed here are legitimate tourist sites, and in at least one instance, conveniently located near other tourist destinations. Though they do not draw crowds, they feature displays that clearly indicate their purpose as tourist destinations. Several million yuan has flowed into these sites to build them up over the years. Workers at the gates of these cemeteries are welcoming to visitors, sometimes even offering to give personal tours and explain the history of important individuals, who lie in these cemeteries.

Soong Ching Ling Memorial Park

The Soong Ching Ling Memorial Park is one of these exquisitely quiet places, though a significant part of the park is currently closed for construction. The park features a statue of Soong Ching Ling, who was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, widely recognized as the father of modern Chinese. Soong held government posts herself, including Honorary Chairman of the People's Republic of China. For a person of her great achievement, Soong's gravesite in the park is very unusual. Soong was buried in a small tomb close to the much larger tombs of her mother and father. It is surprising for such a famous individual to be buried in a site, where her grave is overshadowed by others. It is further startling to see a fourth grave at the site that matches Soong's. Her maid occupies a tomb, identical to Soong's tomb, nearby.

A memorial hall displays photos of Soong and a description of her life. The text is in Chinese, however, so a guide is recommended. Failing this, you may want to research the life of the former honorary chairman before visiting.

This park is not devoted solely to Soong and her household, however, as it also includes a cemetery for well-known foreigners and another for famous Chinese celebrities. These VIPs include individuals from the Sassoon family.

There is also a Chinese celebrity cemetery, but it is temporarily closed for the construction of a new exhibition hall, which will be completed in this November.

Address: 21 Songyuan Road 宋园路21号

Directions: The cemetery gate is near the corner of Songyuan Road and Hongqiao Road. Take Metro Line 10 to Songyuan Road Station.

Time: The cemetery is open 8:30 am to 4:30 pm every day. There is no admission fee, but visitors may be asked to show their passports at the gate. An English-speaking attendant at the gate is available for tours.

Longhua Martyrs Cemetery

The Longhua Martyrs Cemetery comes the closest of any of these cemeteries to actually being frightening. The well-manicured lawns are broken up with a large memorial hall and statues that are the stuff of nightmares. A couple of the statues are of well-built soldiers standing together, which are not frightening on their own. Next to these figures, however, are angry comrades that seem to be tearing themselves out of stone, grasping for something just beyond their fingertips. Located on the far end of the park, there is another statue, this one of an unknown soldier lying in the ground, one arm lifted to the sky. A flame burns in front of the statue, titled “Unknown Martyrs.”

If the images at this park are terrifying, it is because they call to mind horrific deeds. This beautiful park was once the Song-hu Security Headquarters of the Kuomintang Party, where people were imprisoned and executed. And now, in this same location, people visit and remember the contributions of their forefathers, keeping in mind the old saying posted on a sign near the entrance: “The shade we are now enjoying is provided by the trees planted by our predecessors.” This is a fine thing to remember as one stands near the flame at the “Unknown Martyrs” statue, burning to represent the revolutionary spirit.

Address: 180 Longhua Road West 龙华西路180号

Directions: Take Metro Line 3 to Longcao Road Station.

Time: 6 am to 5:30 pm (last admission at 5 pm) daily; memorial museum 9 am to 4:30 pm

Revolutionary Martyr Cemetery of Minhang

As with the other two cemetery sites mentioned here, the Revolutionary Martyr Cemetery of Minhang features pleasant lawns and trees, a memorial hall and construction. Men are at work now, adding to the cement walkways around the well-tended martyr gravesites. These martyrs died in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and the following liberation efforts. Their gravestones are simple markers that mention names and dates, but they also include mounted photos of the deceased, each a reminder to how wars end young life all too soon.

Visitors with an interest in history and skills in Chinese language will want to check out the 4.5-meter by 10-meter monument to the martyrs.

The emptiness of the park adds solemnity to this location, which honors the martyrs buried there. Further, the park is silent by the absence of people, as with the other parks but even more so because this particular cemetery park is in an industrial park and a bit out of the way for most Shanghai travelers.

What makes this park special, in addition to being especially vacant on a small island of Xinzhuang Industrial Park, is its great abundance of vegetation. Visitors will enjoy the rows of bamboo and the sea of lotus, which make the cemetery an excellent place to take in nature. It's a place where visitors can sit on a park bench lost in their own thoughts.

Address: 388 Linchun Road 临春路388号

Directions: Take Metro Line 1 to Xinzhuang Station.

Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday.