Zhujiajiao Watertown Tour
A side trip from your Shanghai Expo tour
Located in a suburb of Shanghai City, Zhujiajiao is an ancient
water town well known throughout the country, with a history of more
than 1700 years. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, the
little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape
of lakes and mountains.
Endowed with another elegant name - 'Pearl Stream' - the little town
is the best preserved among the four ancient towns in Shanghai.
Unique old bridges across bubbling streams, small rivers shaded by
willow trees, and houses with courtyards attached all transport
people who have been living amidst the bustle and hustle of the
modern big city to a brand-new world full of antiquity, leisure and
tranquility.
Bridges in the Town:
It is said that to visit Zhujiajaio without seeing the bridges means
that you have not really been to Zhujiajiao at all! Bridges in the
town are distinctive and old, built during Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The old town is thoroughly connected by 36 delicate spans in
different shapes and styles, from wooden to stone to marble.
Small bridges are seen very easily there. Fangsheng Bridge
(Setting-fish-free Bridge) is the longest, largest and tallest stone
bridge, with five openings both in Zhujiajiao and in the Shanghai
region. This bridge was built in 1571. On the bridge stands a stone
tablet named Dragon Gate Stone, which is engraved with 8 coiling
dragons encircling a shining pearl. On top of the bridge are 4
lifelike stone lions.
Lang Bridge (Veranda Bridge), also named Huimin Bridge, is the only
wooden bridge and the most featured span in this town. It has wooden
bars on the two sides and upturned eaves above, just like a narrow
corridor.
North Street - Ancient Street:
In the town, there is an ancient street filled with representative
ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, attracting great
numbers of domestic and foreign tourists. That is North Street,
which is the best-preserved ancient street in this suburb of
Shanghai. Only one kilometer long, the whole street is at once
primitively simple, yet very elegant. Strolling on this ancient
thoroughfare and appreciating the historic buildings,
long-established stores, and old bridges as well as the many narrow
lanes is another enjoyment.
Zhujiajiao boasts imposing gardens as well as ancient dwellings
built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among the ancient
architecture, Ke Zhi Yuan is the largest manorial garden in the
town. The garden is commonly named 'Ma Family Garden' after a former
host named Ma Wenqin.
Located in Xijin Street in the northern part of town, Ke Zhi Yuan
features beautiful sightseeing and quiet and secluded surroundings.
It consists mainly of three parts, including a hall area, an
artificial hill area and a garden area. In the artificial hill area,
there is magnificent symbolic architecture - a foursquare five-story
building, on the top of which stands a diametric pavilion named
'Moon View Pavilion.' This building is considered the tallest
architecture in the town.
The scenic spots outlined here are just a sampling of the pretty
attractions of Zhujiajiao. Old narrow lanes, peculiar stone hawsers
on the riverside and old residences also make you enjoy yourself so
much as to forget to go home.
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tour packages that includes Zhujiajiao.
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