Shanghai Ancient Town Tour | One Day Trip to Zhujiajiao

One Day Trip to Zhujiajiao. Ancient towns are always a handful of sentimentality in people's hearts. Small bridges over flowing water, boats passing through the arches; people coming and going, the houses on both sides bearing the marks of history, where time seems to slow down in the ancient town. 🚩Address: Qingpu District, Shanghai 🚗Parking: Navigate to Zhujiajiao Ancient Town Parking Lot 🚇Transportation: Line 17 to Zhujiajiao Station 🏘️Suggested Time for Visiting: Half a day 💯Highlights: 1️⃣ Fangsheng Bridge: The number one bridge in Shanghai, named for the Buddhist practice of releasing live fish here by monks during the Qing Dynasty. At dusk, with people coming and going, it's quite picturesque like 'a long bridge over a rainbow, with the setting sun casting scattered shadows'. 2️⃣ Small Bridges, Flowing Water, and Households: The best way to appreciate the ancient town is to drift slowly in a small boat. As the boatman rows, you can see the lifestyle of the residents on both sides of the river; passing through the bridge tunnels, you can look up at the pedestrians on the bridge; feel the clarity of the water, the gentleness of the wind. Unknowingly, the boat has reached the shore, making you exclaim how short the slow times always seem. 🍽️Cuisine: 1️⃣ Zha Rou: A local specialty of Qingpu, where pork belly is cleaned, boiled until the blood runs clear, then rice husks are placed at the bottom of the pot, the meat is wrapped in green zong leaves, tied with green rice straw, and simmered with soy sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine for an hour and a half. The dish has a greenish color, the meat is rosy, and the aroma of the zong is rich. 2️⃣ Zha Ti: Made with pig's trotters, the method is similar to Zha Rou, wrapped in green zong leaves, and the feature is that it's really big. 3️⃣ Grandma's Zongzi: The grandmothers of Zhujiajiao are very busy. They get up early in the morning to wash rice, cut meat, scald zong leaves, and tie up firewood. Grandma's Zongzi is named after this busy routine. 4️⃣ Food Collection: Zhujiajiao has a dedicated area that hosts many chain restaurants: Starbucks, Nayuki, etc., sitting on a chair by the river with a cup of coffee and a piece of dessert is quite pleasant. ‼️Little tips: 1️⃣ The ubiquitous bamboo tube tea has taken over Zhujiajiao, with at least one such milk tea shop on almost every street, suitable for checking in and taking photos, the taste... 2️⃣ The goods in the ancient town are basically homogenized, not much different from other ancient towns Walking around the ancient town, experiencing the small bridges, flowing water, and households, might be the best way to discover Zhujiajiao. Ignore those homogenized shops, measure the old bluestone slabs with your feet step by step, and experience the slow weekend time!