Jinze Ancient Town

Located in Qingpu district the Jinze Ancient Town is a nice place to visit. Compared to other water towns this is a more non touristic area. Unique for China seems to be the building at the main entrance with over 5000 rooms as it is the only one which was a palace before and transformed to a temple later. Enjoy some local food served along the water path and watch out for the old bridges.

📍Detailed address: Jinze Ancient Town is located in Jinze Town, Qingpu District, Shanghai, situated by the picturesque Dianshan Lake, and is a typical Jiangnan region rich in fish and rice. The town is said to have 'prospered in the Song Dynasty and thrived in the Yuan Dynasty', with a history of over 1300 years, accumulating a profound historical and cultural heritage. Its core area is home to ancient bridges from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, hence it is known as the 'Ancient Bridge Museum' and 'the number one bridge township in Jiangnan'. 🕙Opening hours: Jinze Ancient Town is open all day and free to visit. However, the Yi Hao Zen Temple and the General Temple have specific opening hours, which are 08:30-16:00 and 07:30-16:30, respectively. 🌟Highlights: Bridge and temple culture, architectural style, water system features 👍Most recommended: Very peaceful, without too much commercialization

Jinze is located in the southwestern part of Qingpu District, and it is the most southwestern town of Qingpu District. Jinze Town is 22 kilometers away from Qingpu city center and 66 kilometers away from the center of Shanghai. To the north, it is adjacent to Dianshan Lake, to the east it borders Xicen Town, to the west it is next to Shangta Town, and to the south, it is bordered by the Taipu River and Da Shun Town of Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province. To the west, it follows National Highway 318 and borders Lüxu Town of Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province. A north-south flowing river, the Shihe, runs through the town, with many tributaries converging. The total area is 26.44 square kilometers, with lakes and ponds scattered throughout, and a network of rivers and ports crisscrossing, making it a typical Jiangnan region known for its fish and rice. Jinze Town has a long history, established before the year 960 AD (early Song Dynasty), with a saying that it flourished in the Song and Yuan dynasties. Legend has it that in ancient times, a farmer found a stone as precious as gold, hence the name 'Gold Stone' was once used. It is also said that this place, being a water town and producing fish and rice comparable to gold, was thus named 'Jinze'. A road named Jinxi Road divides the old street into a southern and a northern district. After visiting the southern district, we crossed the road to the northern district. Most people head straight to the southern district when they visit the ancient town, so here you meet more of the original residents of the town. Xu's Hall and Wang's Residence are century-old houses in the ancient town and are cultural preservation units. Visitors can enter and visit for free. The buildings are increasingly dilapidated, and the interiors are filled with old items in disarray. Only from the stone door frames and the brick and tile of the eaves can one still discern some of the former grandeur. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the city center, this place is particularly tranquil. Every house and tile, every bridge and waterway, every flower and tree, all embody a rich and simple ancient charm, as if they are part of a leisurely and pleasant ancient town landscape painting.

It's not as noisy as Zhujiajiao, nor as crowded as Tongli. The old trees are lush, and the Zen temple is full of incense. The small river flows quietly, time is engraved, the town's beauty understands nature... The stir-fried eel slices at the Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant (Jinxi Road branch) are an unforgettable local flavor, and it's also a deep-rooted Shanghai sentiment that's hard to let go. Searching for the taste of the ancient town, you will gain a lot unexpectedly.

To buy delicious caotou (water dropwort), yesterday I accompanied my sick mother and drove to Qingpu Jinze. Jinze is geographically close to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the local accent here is somewhat different from that of native Shanghainese. When I said I was there to buy caotou, the old ladies couldn't understand me, and it was only later that I found out they call it 'jinhua tou' (golden flower head). Going so far to buy caotou was because the general manager of Xingguo Hotel, Huang Xin, mentioned to the chefs that the fragrance of caotou is in the stems, which should not be discarded. I asked at that time, as the stems seemed too tough. Manager Huang pointed me in the right direction, which was the variety here in Jinze is quite good. I arrived at the vegetable market around 4 p.m. Not many local farmers were out, and there weren't many types of vegetables available. I bought some vegetable mustard, pickled vegetables, small carrots, and green onions. The onions were expensive, 2 yuan for a small bunch. The most interesting part was that transactions with them required cash. The grandmothers said their 'jinhua tou' was not available yet. However, there was caotou at the vendors', and I picked two stalls to buy half a jin from each. I stir-fried a small plate today, and it was indeed tender. Behind the vegetable market is a river with several fishing boats docked, and several women on the shore were repairing fishing nets. Chatting with one of them, I learned that the fishing boats can't go out now; they have to wait until the fishing ban is over in May before they can fish in the lake. So, it's currently not possible to get wild-caught fish. After buying the vegetables, I took a stroll around the ancient town. It's not a big place, and you can basically finish touring it in about an hour. Since it's after the New Year and a workday, the town was extremely quiet, with various ancient bridges connecting the communication between the residents of Shangtang Street and Xiatang Street. The ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River are all similar at their core. It's a pity that the water here is not clear enough. On Shangtang Street, there's an old man who makes decent youdunzi (fried dough dumplings with radish filling). They are crispy on the outside, with plenty of radish filling, not too much batter, and I told him I would come back for his youdunzi. Dongdong Kitchen is run by a friend I know. I've always seen her post on social media. Her shepherd's purse wontons are made from wild shepherd's purse collected directly from the farmers. I had to try them when I went there. The filling was fragrant, although the skin was a bit mushy, probably from being frozen. But what's special is that the wontons had a spoonful of meat sauce and celery leaves added, turning the soup into a soy sauce base, fragrant with a hint of umami. Before leaving, I also bought her brown sugar buns and eight-treasure rice.

Jinze Ancient Town is located in Jinze Town, Qingpu District, Shanghai, not far from Dianshan Lake. After checking in at Shanghai Grand View Garden during the day, I arrived at Jinze Ancient Town around four in the afternoon. The town is not big, very original, no tickets, no commercial atmosphere. Here, you can truly feel the comfortable life of the ancient town residents, without the rush of internet celebrity spots, without the shouting of snacks from all over the country. Don't go to the same commercial ancient towns anymore! This is the real Jiangnan water town 💯Recommend to visit this simple and low-key ancient town on weekends, take a walk, take a look, wander around Jinze water town, appreciate the four ancient bridges, and have a chat with the millennium time! . 👉Attraction: Jinze Ancient Town 📍Address: No. 235, Jinxi Road, Qingpu District, Shanghai

❄️ Jinze Ancient Town, a less-known ancient town in Shanghai, located in the southwest of Qingpu, at the junction of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, many people have never heard of it, let alone know where it is. 🏚️ Jinze Ancient Town is different from other refurbished water town scenic spots, it retains more original old houses, ancient bridges, and temples. The old streets of the ancient town are very quiet, with few tourists, and full of the atmosphere of the marketplace. The aunt who fetches water by the river, the old man sunbathing at the door, are all about their own business, without the mercenary atmosphere of the scenic area. 🎫 The ancient town does not charge admission fees, enter from an inconspicuous alley in front of the Yihao Zen Temple, turn around and it's the old street with small bridges and flowing water. Ancient bridges span across the small river, usually with a temple at the end of the bridge, either the God of Wealth or Guan Gong, there are plenty. Jinze, the town of bridges.