One short day trip to 1700-year-old Chinese town
As we had to cancel our trip to Hainan during the Chinese New year 2020/2021, we decided to make a short trip to close the old Zhujiajiao Ancient Town. It was an “easy” choice in the surroundings of Shanghai. Take Metro Line 17 and get off at Zhujiajiao Station; after arrival, walk north for about 15mins to the town.
This is 1700 years old and has a long history Archaeological findings dating back 5,000 years have also been found. 36 stone bridges and numerous rivers line Zhujiajiao, and many ancient buildings still line the riverbanks today.
Zhujiajiao (Chinese: 朱家角; pinyin: Zhūjiājiǎo; lit. ‘Zhu Family Corner’; Shanghainese: Chukakoq) is an ancient town located in the Qingpu District of Shanghai. The population of Zhujiajiao is 60,000.
Zhujiajiao is a water town on the outskirts of Shanghai and was established about 1,700 years ago. Archaeological findings dating back 5,000 years have also been found. 36 stone bridges and numerous rivers line Zhujiajiao, and many ancient buildings still line the riverbanks today.
The traffic was not as bad as the norm during the Chinese New year. The ticket line moved fast, and we were inside within half hour. That is fast during festivities or holiday time. Safety is still considered very high, and everybody wearing masks and green codes from the health app is needed to enter the town. Distancing was an issue as everybody needed to queue to get inside.
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Eating and tasting the whole day
Hand-made sugar candies. yam. Many of the foods here are made locally, and it is always a new experience to taste everything. I’m not so picky regarding food, and also, the girls can eat almost all if it is not spicy. Seafood, all types of meat, local style BBQ, and there is one old flavor of ice cream which is just mouth melting, Dong Be Da Ba. We did not plan any lunch as the whole day was a tasting tour, and we picked whatever looked good. In the early phase, it was clear no lunch was needed, just to pick from all the small shops for different kinds of delicious foods. My favorites are the rice triangles, Zongzi (粽子) with pork meat inside, and the old fashion ice cream named Dong Bei Da Ban (popular in China from the 1960 to 1980s) is yummy. Sorry for the many pictures of food, but I needed to share all the delicacies by picture.
The Zhujiajiao Ancient Town has kept its historical houses and alleys, and wandering in the narrow streets feels like going back in time. Many small shops with “antiques” and handicrafts, mostly made recently but nice to have them as a memory.
Petri 大P
- Shanghai
- Zhujiajiao Ancient Town
Positive
- An overall historical place with a feeling, with many small shops and narrow alleys.
- You will not step out of this place hungry with plenty of traditional foods and snacks.
- Easy accessible by car or metro from Shanghai
- If you don't fancy traditional foods, McDonald's, Starbucks, and other western-style coffee/fast food are available just outside of the historical center
Negative
- It will be crowded when the tourist season or holidays when people are escaping Shanghai
- Parking space as usual if driving by yourself
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