Jinze Town　金泽古镇

Jinze Town is located on the southwest of the well-known Dingshan Lake, and was once named Baizhu Li, meaning white ramie village. According to some historical record, the name Jinze first appeared in the Song Dynasty. As is said in legend, this place is a land of fish and rice, and the water here resembles gold in luster, thus acquiring the name Jinze, meaning the luster of gold.

Jinze Town had six views, one pagoda, thirteen mills, and forty-two bridges. Among all the temples, Yihao Temple receives prior attention. This temple was originally called a thatched hut, which was quite small in size. Once Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the South Song Dynasty, stayed here during his imperial tour in South China; moreover, he inscribed Yong An Si, meaning Eternal Peace Temple. In the 1st year (1260) of the Jingding Period, the former residence of Prime Minister Lu Yihao was expanded to the temple. And the imperial court bestowed a large amount of wealth on the temple. By then, the temple had undergone great changes: the grand halls were brilliant, the houses and pavilions were neatly and symmetrically constructed, and the number of monks exceeded one thousand. Obviously superior to Lingyin Temple of Hangzhou and Chengtian Temple of Suzhou, Yihao Temple ranked top in the region south of the Changjiang River. On the occasion of holidays, Spring Festivals and Buddhist ceremonies, lots and lots of people flocked here to burn incense and worshipped the Buddha. The temple and its vicinity were crowded with people.

Yihao Temple was destroyed during the Anti-Japanese War. Most of the buildings and scenic spots became almost a mass of debris, and the rockeries and precious stones vanished. Nowadays, the town government has reconstructed the temple and the garden with the intention to promote tourism. Certainly, the present-day scale is incomparable with the original one. Nevertheless, some cultural relics still maintain high value for appreciation.

Jinze Town is the hometown of bridges in Shanghai. The so-called 42 bridges refer only to the relatively large bridges in the town, and the small wooden, bamboo bridges are not included.

The most famous bridge in Jinze Town is Puji Bridge, located in front of the old gate of Yihao Temple. The bridge was constructed in the 3rd year (1267) of the Xianchun Period of the South Song Dynasty, and was rebuilt in the 6th year (1723) during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. As the oldest in the town, this bridge is 26.7 m in length, 2.75 m in width, and 10.5 m in the arch span. It has a single arch built with purple stones, and with a gradual slope. On the wall of the arch there are carvings of the lotus flowers and the date of construction. It is of the architectural style of the Song Dynasty.

In the south of the town is Yingxiang Bridge, which was built in the Zhiyuan Period (1335-40) of the Yuan Dynasty and renovated in the 6th year (1462) of the Tianshun Period of the Ming Dynasty. It is a brick-wood-stone five-arch bridge, 34.25 m long and 2.41 m wide, beautiful in shape and stylish in structure. In terms of the history of bridge-building technology, the techniques used in this bridge were 900 years senior to those used in the western world.

Several other ancient bridges in Jinze Town also enjoy good reputation. For instance, Wan' an Bridge, spanning the Shibei River, was first built in the Jingding Period of the South Song Dynasty, added with a pavilion around 1342, and renovated in the Ming Dynasty.

To the east is Fugeting Bridge, which also has a pavilion on it, and there is another bridge, Liren Bridge, also with a pavilion. It is said that these three bridges were built up with the leftover materials after the completion of Yihao Temple. A bridge with a pavilion is a special feature of Jinze Town. And the large number of bridges is an eye-catching sign for sightseeing in Jinze Town.

In addition to the numerous bridges, Jinze Town is rich in local products. It boasts a variety of quality rice. The four-gill perch in the nearby rivers, the water shields that are by no means inferior to those of the West Lake, and the Zhuangyuan Cake are also loved by tourists.

Address: Jinze Town, Qingpu District

Accessible to visitors by Shanghai Sightseeing Special Bus No.4, Qinghu Bus, Huzhu Bus