In the gentle breeze his elegant curly hair seems to flutter slightly, as do his remarkable thick whiskers.

The bronze statue of this 19th century Russian author, widely regarded as his country's greatest poet and the founder of modern Russian literature, was first erected in 1937 by the then Sino-Soviet Association in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his death in a duel.

The inauguration ceremony took place on February 11. The statue was among the first monuments to a foreigner erected in Shanghai and the profound esteem in which he was held by locals was clearly evident.

Pushkin's name started buzzing around Chinese literary circles after his epic novel, "The Captain's Daughter" was published in 1903 by the Shanghai Daxuan Book Bureau - the first Chinese edition of a Russian literary work.

With their perfect combination of romanticism and realism, his works were filled with a hatred of despotism and tyranny and a reciprocal craving for freedom and liberty, all inflected by his distinctive style and artistic talent.

This imperishable writer's works resonated among the Chinese populace, living in an abyss of suffering at that time, winning him great popularity.

In December 1941, shortly after the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japanese troops plundered all the bronze statues of Westerners in the former international and French concessions with the aim of eliminating all Western influence.

The Pushkin monument shared the fate of demolition, leaving only the beige trihedral granite pedestal standing. But literature is immortal and the Japanese vandalism was rectified in February 1947, when a new statue was mounted in the original place.

History seems sometimes to restage past events. During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), the statue, together with plinth, once again experienced thorough destruction.

The ghost of the great poet haunted the site for 10 years until the second restoration in August 1987. Alongside Pushkin's name and inscription were added describing the history of the monument in both Chinese and Russian.

Secluded in a quiet tree-lined block, the statue shares its location with a maple tree, whose autumn scarlet echoes the everlasting passion of Pushkin's writing.

Occasionally this great author's admirers can be seen saluting him in the street. Participants in last year's Bloomsday celebrations on June 16 - the annual tribute to Irish writer James Joyce - stopped at the monument for a reading of one of his poems.

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