Zhujiajiao Water Town
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 or 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. Zhujiajiao (朱家角; Zhūjiājiǎo Zhèn) is a township in the Qingpu District of Shanghai. The Zhujianjiao Ancient Town 朱家角古镇 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 but 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 朱家角古镇 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 coffeeshops. There are said to be 36 stone bridges. Some are short and only a yard wide. The main streets are touristy, but most streets have the apartments and dwellings of old residents and younger artsy people 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 课植 (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. There is also a 5-story building. 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 Qing Dynasty Post Office. It is said to be well preserved, and there are exhibits inside. These exhibits include 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 large people or 6 smaller people. 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.
China Highlights can help you customize a tour to visit this ancient town, or just see our Shanghai tours.
Zhujiajiao Cruise
Small boats are ubiqutous there, and are a nice way to get a view of the town. There are also a nice way to experience local life, as the boats serve as important transportation methods for local people. See our cruise guide on Zhujiajiao.
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 that is the only freshwater lake in the Shanghai area.
There is another area nearby called Jinze Bridge Township 金泽镇 of Qingpu District (青浦区).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. Eastern Oasis 东方绿洲 and the Sun Island Holiday Village 太阳岛度假村 are other places you can go.
Transportation
Address: Zhujiajiao Ancient District, Kezhi Garden Road, Qingpu District. 上海市青浦区课植园路朱家角古镇. You can show the address to a driver. A trip costs about 200 RMB.
Bus: There is a tourist bus that leaves from Shanghai Stadium (Gate 5) in the morning. There is also an inexpensive small pink bus that leaves from the Puanlu 普安路Bus Station or the Shanghai Ti Yu Guan Station (上海体育馆站) in Shanghai. Take the bus line called Hùzhū Gāosù Kuàixiàn (沪朱高速快线). The trip takes an hour and costs 12 RMB.
How to Get there?
Metro Line 2 at East Tujing Road Station
Hi Jerry, this is Vanessa, I have sent you the email about your China tour, please check your email box, and feel free to let me know your opinions. I'm waiting for it.
Dear Yuliya,
Thank you very much for visiting our Web site and your interest in our services. My name is Robert Hui. I am a travel advisor at China Highlights. It is my pleasure to assist you in planning your trip to China.
I am sorry to inform you that the last public bus to Shanghai leaves at 21:00, if you need to back to Shanghai late on that day, perhaps you need to take a taxi, the distance is about 50kM, it takes about 1 hour by car (in good traffic condition).
About hotels in Shanghai, please visit: http://www.chinahighlights.com/hotel/shanghai-hotels/
for more information.
Dear Salman,
You can take Line 2 subway to East Xujing station. Go to the bus station which is near the subway station. Take a bus to Zhujiajiao directly. It takes about 1.5 hours by bus and it costs about ￥15/US$2 per person.
We also can arrange an English speaking guide and a private van for you. It costs about ￥530/$82 for half day, based on a group including 2 persons.
Hi Alice,
There is no train from Shanghai to Zhujiajiao and it is complicate for foreigners take bus there, I would like to suggest you take a taxi to Zhujiajiao, it takes about CNY200 (US$30).
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