Fangsheng Bridge
Five arches.
lwtt93 — CC BY 2.0 · Bjoertvedt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anna Frodesiak — Public domain · Lloyd Tudor — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 钉钉 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bjoertvedt — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Luca Casartelli — CC BY-SA 2.0 · BrokenSphere — CC BY-SA 3.0
An ancient water town in Qingpu District on the edge of Shanghai, founded about 1,700 years ago, with archaeological finds going back 5,000 years, and one of the loveliest traditional water towns in the Yangtze Delta. Canals run through the town, crossed by 36 stone bridges, the best known being the five-arched Fangsheng Bridge, and old houses with grey roofs and wooden windows line the banks, many now shops, restaurants and cafés. The best experience is a ride in a traditional wooden boat rowed by a boatman along the canals, wandering the narrow stone-paved lanes, tasting local snacks and seeing traditional crafts. Wandering the town is free, while boat rides are about CNY 200–300 per boat for up to six, or around CNY 30 each on shared boats, per visitor guides. The metro gets there from the city centre, and weekdays are calmer.
Five arches.
On the canals.
And old houses.
Qingpu District, about 50 km west of central Shanghai
By metro from the city centre to Zhujiajiao station; wandering the town is free, and weekdays are calmer than weekends.