Zhujiajiao Town　朱家角镇

Zhujiajiao is a large town in the river-and-lake region in the suburb of Shanghai. Located in Qingpu District, about 46 km away from the center of Shanghai.

As early as the Ming Dynasty, Zhujiajiao was already a gathering place for merchants, with the business of grains and cotton especially prosperous. Local men of letters named the town Zhujie Ge, meaning Pearl Street, or Zhuli, meaning Pearl Community. Anyway, Zhujiajiao is refered to as the hometown of bright pearls.

Today's Zhujiajiao is part of the Dianshan Lake area, relatively well-preserved scenery of a river-and-lake town. Meandering lanes, stone-slab roads, houses between the river and the street, residences with white walls and black tiles, deep and quiet streets, all these leave a good memory for the visitors.

With a total area of about 1.5 km², Zhujiajiao Town is famous for many celebrities, many old houses, and many old bridges.

In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this small town produced 16 Jinshi and over 40 Juren.

At present, there still exist a variety of about 500 old residences of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as the former residence of Wang Chang, the Ma's Garden, the Xi's Hall, and Liu Yazi's Villa. The architecture of these noble families is respectively unique. And rows of houses of ordinary people stand by the side of the Dingshan Lake, thus reputed as No.1 Ming-Qing Street of Shanghai.

Even to date, Zhujiajiao still boasts 36 old bridges, which were all built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, each with its own special characteristics.

Moreover, Zhujiajiao is also a fertile land of fish and rice, whose quality rice and aquatic products enjoy high reputations. In recent years, with the development of tourism, a wide variety of local products have won very favorable comments and purchases by tourists.

At the main entrance of Zhujiajiao Town, there is a gateway arch, an imitation in the antique style. Going through the arch, there is the largest stone arch bridge in Shanghai, which is 72 m long, 5.8 m wide, and over 10 m above the water. Anyone who crosses the bridge has to go up and down more than 60 staircases. It is also named Fangsheng Qiao, meaning Setting-fish-free Bridge.

If taking a boat ride, tourists will have the opportunity to appreciate three bridges of different styles: Taian Bridge, Huimin Bridge, and Ping'an Bridge.

Taian Bridge, built in the 12th year (1584) of the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty and about 4.2 m high, is a single arch bridge of gray stones. It bears the architectural features of the Yuan Dynasty and is the steepest bridge in the town.

Huimin Bridge is the only veranda bridge in the town. It is called a veranda bridge because it has got a roof over the bridge. Chen Shuchang, a native of the town, donated 100 thousand silver dollars for the construction of the bridge. The pedestrians have found it quite convenient to go up and down the bridge and free from rain or sunshine.

Ping'an Bridge was also named the Qi's Bridge, for it is said that the army under the leadership of General Qi Jiguang, an anti-Japanese hero, of the Ming Dynasty once marched on the bridge. The body and foundation of the bridge was made up of granite, the railing pillars were made up of gray bricks, and the hand rails were of cypress logs. Among all the logs, there are still three original ones on the bridge. Because of the unevenness of the bridge surface, the bridge creaks when people are walking on it.

Address: Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu District