Zhujiajiao Has Long History, Zhujiajiao has formed village 1700 years ago, and has become town in Wanli Period of Ming Dynasty. Zhujiajiao Ancient Town is found within the suburbs of Shanghai City and this is a very interesting place to visit.The main reason why this town is surrounded by water is because it sits right in between lakes and mountains. The town features beautiful waterways, arched stone bridges, ancient streets paved with stone, and more than 10,000 houses dating back to Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
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.
“With a natural scenery of little bridges spanning bubbling streams and there are the original Ming Qing Dynasty streets”, Zhujiajiao, where market had already formed during the Song and Yuan Dynasty, was officially set up as a town during Emperor Wanli`s reign of the Ming Dynasty, Another name for Zhujiajio is Pearl Streets Pavilion and has also been given a nice name, the Peal Stream, The town occupies an area of 47 sq.km. It is crisscrossed by rivers and canals, with 9 long streets running along the rivers and thousand of buildings of Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture flanking both sides. There are 36 ancient stone bridges, among these there`s a first 5stone-arched brige in shanghai called “Fangsheng Brige” or “Setting-free Bridge”. There are prosperous long streets and zigzagging lanes. Among these , Great North Street boasts “a mile-long road with a thousand shops”, KeZhi Garden is representative of the architecture of rich families in south of Yangtze River,the Memorial Hall of Wang Chang one of the “Seven Scholars” of the Qing Dynasty, No 1 Tea House is very famous in south of the Yangtze River. The ancient streets paved with stone slabs, deep and quiet alleyways, arched stone bridges, little creaking boats all express the beauty of water in the ancient town of Zhujiajiao The antiquity of the bridges, the rareness of the streets and the seclusion of the alleyways all present you a scene of “boats sailing on the water and people touring in painting”.
Visitors can take a walk to explore the town what it looks like or board canvas-canopied boats for the canal-side Granny Tea house for a short tea break. It is the most famous teahouse in the community. The five-arch Fangsheng Bridge built in 1571 in the Ming Dynasty is still standing there. Inscriptions on the weather-beaten steles by the side of the river tell people to do good things and accumulate merits for the after lift. There are altogether 36 bridges in the town and each has a name and possibly a story, which will speak itself when the tourist sits on the bridge, staring at the mosses growing out of the gaps in the stones or the river on which boats pass by.