Zhujiajiao Water Town

Zhujiajiao is the most accessible and most atmospheric of the ancient water towns surrounding Shanghai — a Ming and Qing Dynasty canal town where stone bridges arc over narrow waterways and traditional houses lean over the water. The 36 stone bridges spanning the town's canals are its defining feature; the Fangsheng Bridge, a 72-metre five-arch bridge built in 1571, is the most impressive. Gondola rides through the canal system offer a different perspective. The town is genuinely inhabited — not a theme park — and retains much of its original character outside of the main tourist street.