Zhujiajiao is the best-preserved ancient water town among the four ancient towns in Shanghai with a history of 1700 years. In the period of the Three Kingdoms there were already country fairs in Zhujiajiao and the business prospered in the Ming Dynasty.
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 tranquillity.
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.
Till today, old historical buildings such as rice shops, banks, spice stores and even a Qing dynasty post office can still be found.The streets of Zhujiajiao have retained their original structure. The granite-laid roads seem to be polished. The narrow streets are sandwiched in between brick and wooden two-story buildings. The roofs seem to be connected to one another. Shops are lined next to one another. Bridges in the town are distinctive and old, built during Ming and Qing Dynasties.
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.
