Accolades
Tourists like to go to this part of Shanghai to see some old buildings, shop and eat in the restaurant. There are some canals and some restaurants and bars managed by foreigners.
History
Zhujiajiao is a township in the Qingpu District of Shanghai. The Qingpu District has a lake and is being developed as a tourist resort area. The Zhujianjiao Ancient Town has a population of about 70,000 people. In the centuries past, because of many canals, it was a trading area. People would ferry products and themselves around in little boats and barges. So there are some buildings that date to the Qing Dynasty era (1644-1912) or the early 1900s. Nowadays, younger people and people with some money who want to relax from work are going there to live. It is an official tourist area, so some attractions and buildings require a ticket that you can buy at the gate to the area. However, just to walk around, you don’t need a ticket. Many old people live there.
Overview
About 70,000 people live in this area. The Zhujianjiao Ancient Town is about 3 square kilometers or about 700 acres in area. So there are plenty of places you can wander around in to shop and eat. It is a place people like to go after work or just to relax, so you can find bars or coffee shops. It was said that there are 36 stone bridges in the town, some of which are only one yard wide. The main streets are touristy, however, on most streets are lined with new apartments, old residences and some attractions.
Zhujiajiao has touristy streets with artsy bars, cafes and shops, some attractions, and streets that are mainly residential. At the northern edge of the old district on Xijing Street, there is a garden called Kezhi (kèzhí) Yuan. This word “kezhi” means to learn to plant or lesson on plants or class of plants. So it is a place to see and learn about plants. There is a main hall, a garden and an artificial hill as well as a 5-story building in the town. The garden area dates from 1912. In 1956, there was a school there, but that was torn down after the area became a protected park area.
There are some old buildings in the area. On Xihu Street, there is a post office built in the Qing dynasty，which was well preserved with many exhibits inside, including old letters.
Of the 36 bridges, one of the main attractions is the Fangsheng Bridge that is about 70-meters long. It rests on 5 arches and is 5.8 meters tall. It was built in 1812. It is said to be the largest stone arch bridge in Shanghai. One way to see the bridges is to go on boat rides. There are small boats that seat about 5 adults or 6 children. The fare for this is about 80 RMB or 13 USD.
If you want to go to restaurants, bars or teahouses, there are many, and some of them are managed by foreigners. There is a Viking Bar on Donghu Street. There is a teahouse called Book Room with thousands of books and magazines you can read while sipping.
Zhujiajiao Cruise
Small boats are ubiquitous here, functioning as a nice way to get a view of the town and experience the local life, as the boats serve as important transportation methods for local people.
Nearby Attractions
If you want to take a trip out on the Dianshan Lake, boats are available at No. 60 Dongjing Street. The tickets for a boat trip costs about 50 RMB or 8 USD. Lake Dianshan is the only freshwater lake in the Shanghai area.
There is another area nearby called Jinze Bridge Township of Qingpu District .The highlights are 7 bridges that have histories from the last four Chinese empires from the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) eras. The bridges are not big, but they are preserved as an old bridge display.
The area around Dianshan Lake is a resort and park area. There are Eastern Oasis and the Sun Island Holiday Village you can visit in the town.
