Shanghai Qibao Ancient Street(228 views)

Release date:2011-10-25 01:02:17

Qibao Laojie in Shanghai is made up of a few blocks of ancient buildings – and is not just a street, as its name in Chinese suggests. Easily accessible by Metro Line 9, and less than an hour from downtown, it’s a good alternative for those who are interested in seeing an ancient water town but have neither the time nor inclination to trek out further to Zhujiajiao or even Zhouzhuang.

Nestled amongst a rather normal looking residential neighborhood, just a stone’s throw from a number of large malls along the main road, the ancient town in Minhang district is more than a thousand years old. Its roots can be traced back to the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126) – according to some accounts it was named after a temple (which no longer exists) in the quarter. The town reached the heights of prosperity during the Ming and Qing dynasties more than a hundred years ago. We visited during the national holidays and the narrow clobber stone streets were heaving with crowds of visitors – perhaps reminiscent of the bustling commercial streets of that epoch.

Qibao is small compared the other better-known ancient water towns further out of Shanghai. But all the elements that make the others so alluring are also found here: dainty stone bridges (three of them), quaint buildings with curled eaves, canal, boats, and water front tea houses. There are also scores and scores of shops hawking tourist knick knacks such as traditional suits, fans, canvas shoes, and the like; as well as other more interesting ones selling traditional snacks and sweets. While we were not partial to the sweet treats, there seemed to be a dizzying array on offer. Curiously, there also seemed to be a high number of tattoo parlors.

The town square features a number of restaurants serving up the local specialty, fish head soup. There is also a miniature rock waterfall feature that appeared to be very popular for those seeking a souvenir shot.

Given its small size and proximity to a modern residential community, it’s easy to know when you’ve wandered out of the boundaries of the ancient town – by the juxtaposition of architecture styles. The town’s proximity to Hongqiao Airport also means periodic sightings of low-flying aircraft approaching for landing. It is rather incongruent standing on an ancient stone bridge watching planes flying overhead, but we found the experience rather quaint, and hung around to catch a few fly-passes.


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