Abstract: The image of the city square is a direct or indirect experience and subjective impression of the square space environment created by the two-way interaction between the square space environment and the public. It is an effective means to measure the spatial quality of the city square. With the advent of the mass leisure era, the public put forward higher requirements on the city's main public activity space ——the city square, research on square imagery provide targeted reference and guidance for the construction and use of the city square from the user point of view. On the basis of summarizing the theory of image and related research, This paper tries to define the concept and construct the research system of city square image. this paper uses cognitive map method, questionnaire survey method and makes a detailed and comprehensive study both in terms of image structure perception and image evaluation perception of Guangzhou Huacheng plaza, and providing guidance and reference to layout of the city square space, environmental planning for the future and promoting the harmonious coexistence of people and space. The study found that: (1) In terms of image structure perception, The public perception of the Huacheng plaza is to the south of Jinsui Road which is south of the square, the spindle-like plane in the public image of the deformation of a long strip. Strong image perception concentrated in the four major cultural venues (libraries, museums, children's palace, theaters), the trend of the image is decrease progressively from the south to the north. The cognitive map of Huacheng plaza image structure is composed of the simple type of scatter type, fragment type and monomer type. The image structure of Huacheng plaza is not strong, especially the road elements; (2) In terms of image evaluation perception, the image factors of Huacheng plaza is composed of environmental, facility, cultural resource, leisure atmosphere, a sense of place. Huacheng Plaza should strengthen the road signs, enhance the perceived image, with particular attention to the image of the northern region in the future.