Fengjing Ancient Town

Fengjing Ancient Town is located in the southwest corner of Shanghai and is a great example of the areas famous water towns. The ancient town of Fengjing has a history dating back over 2000 years.

There are 52 bridges in the ancient town, including the Zhihe Bridge built in the Yuan Dynasty. It has a history of nearly 700 years. Compared to other popular Jiangnan style water towns, Fengjing does not have so many tourists, you can enjoy the scenery of the bridges at a more leisurely pace.

The Fengjing Third Bridge is the center of the ancient town. At the intersection of the two rivers, you can see the Qingfeng Bridge, Zhuxing Bridge, and Beifeng Bridge.

Fengjing is the birthplace of Jinshan peasant paintings. You can enjoy painting with a rustic touch at the Jinshan Peasant Painting Exhibition Center in Shengtang, South Street. There are many painting houses and famous painters in the ancient town. The Ding Cong comic exhibition hall in North Street houses the furniture used by Mr. Ding, and the second floor can see the satirical cartoons, which portray the characters vividly. In the Lu Jiren painting hall in Heping Street you can see the paintings of Chen Yifei’s classmate Lu Jiren. Cheng Shifa’s ancestral home has many Chinese watercolor paintings by Mr. Cheng.

Visitors generally enter from the main entrance to the south of the ancient town then walk to the South Street, and slowly walk around the ancient town along the river. From the South Street to the northeast, through the Zhihe Bridge to the Middle Street. On the streets of Zhongda, you can see the Wu Yuejie, standing on the boundary pillar, and a small river in front of it is the dividing line of Wu Yue. Continue to the northeast, passing the Fengjing Third Bridge is the North Street. On the North Street, you can visit Shiwang Temple and Dingcong Manga Exhibition Hall, which were built in the Ming Dynasty with red walls.

Walk along the bluestone road, return to the place of the Fengqiao Third Bridge, and then visit another street, Peace Street. First visit the Sanbai Garden (Hundred Baskets, Baideng Hall, Baixing Pavilion), and the Luji People’s Art Gallery on the side.

Going southeast, the former site of the People’s Commune is worth a visit, leaving the old-fashioned thermos and telephones of that era, and the red sun on the wall. Going forward is a Fengxi ancient stage facing the street and facing the river. During the tourist season and holidays, there are free traditional drama performances on the stage. In the teahouse opposite the stage, pick a window seat and sit down. Tea, while listening to the drama, is very comfortable.

Walking along the street to visit the ten-year-old ancestral home, and finally, crossing the bridge to the production street across the river, and the site of a modern fire-fighting agency – the Eastern District Fire Council.

There is a water ferry dock on the head of Fengjing Old Town South Street. You can also experience the water town style by boat. The reference price is 80 RMB.

There are lots of snacks to try out here including Zhuang Yuan Cake, yellow wine, and Fengjing Braised Pig Feet.

The food in the ancient town is the first to promote Ding Ho, and there is a Ding Hofang workshop on the side of the South Street and the bridge to introduce the development and production process of Ding Ho in the ancient town. The restaurant on the production street near the Fengqiao Third Bridge (Fengjing dialect, meaning in your own home) is a good restaurant in the ancient town. There is a long patio that makes the bridge look like water. Wu Yue tofu is his signature dish. On the promenade of the production street, there are many shops in the promenade, selling maple squid and selling, simmering cakes, etc. Among them, smoked and brushed is very characteristic. The meaning of “smoked simmering” in the suburbs of Shanghai is very good, but you must have the guts to taste.

There is also a Chinese peasant painting village. It is also very characteristic and can be visited together with the ancient town of Fengjing.

Fengjing Ancient City Map (click for larger image)

Map