One Day trip to Xinchang Ancient Town

Hi guys,

You are welcome to join us to visit Nanhui District where you can explore Xinchang Ancient Town (新场古镇）which has rich culture heritage.It is a national AAA level scenic spot.In December 2008, the town was named as "Famous Historic Culture Town of China" by the State Construction Administration and State Cultural Relic Bureau.

Xinchang Ancient town(新场古镇)

Since the famous film Lust,Caution《色·戒》 directed by Ang Lee(李安） was shot in Xinchang,this small ancient town in Shanghai become much more famous. Many scenes were shot in Xinchang, For example,the scene in which Kuang Yu Min was bothered by prostitutes (妓女）at a hostel（招待所） in Malaysia, when Wong Chia Chi waits for Mr Yee at a cafe and when a group of Wong Chia Chi's drama club members take the tram （有轨电车）on a rainy day. Ang Lee rented the whole town of Xinchang for a month to shoot the scenes.

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The Xinchang ancient town located at Nanhui district of Shanghai, Called Stalagmite （石笋）Town in acient time. Famous for its unique characters clearly display the style and features of the ancient town,Xinchang Ancient town is noted for being "small, but more beautilful than Suzhou city”.

The old town maintains the good style of Old Water Town, but has never appealed much to tourists until recently. In its 200,000 square meters of residential area - one of the largest-scale examples of a Chinese ancient town today - local people still lead a quiet and peaceful life in the same houses where their ancestors once lived hundreds of years ago. There aren't as many waterways in Xinchang ancient town compared to other water towns. However, it is much more authentic (真正的）since it is not as exploited touristically.

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Details of XinChang Ancient Town

Xinchang traditionally belonged to the south part of Xiasha salt works where salt producers solarized the salt with seawater. The beaches gradually stretched further out, making the salt works a suitable place for the salt producers to live and exchange their goods. In the early period of Yuan dynasty, due to sea eastward, Xiasha salt work was moved here, so called "New Salt Work", located in the south of Xiasha, so called South Xiasha, they said there were stone stalagmites in bay sand of Shou’en bridge, deeply under the water that can't be seen its bottom, so had the name of "stalagmite town”.

As the salt industry developed, merchants and salt traders assembled there, thus, the population of Xinchang increased rapidly. During the settlement of the New Town, at the period of Xiasha salt work’s peak, salt production was much plentiful, the number of households of the public kitchen, were much more than the Western Zhejiang’s various salt works at that time.

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In those days, courtesan（名妓） pavilions and drinking houses were in great abundance, and numerous businessmen swarmed into the town. The degree of growth in Xinchang at the time had already surpassed Old Shanghai counties; it was definitely the largest town in the Pudong Plain. Though, Xinchang town experienced its ups and downs due to the changes of salt works and the outbreak of war, it is still a water town full of charm, integrated with rich culture.

Ancient Town has a history dating back more than 1,100 years. All the old streets, bridges, temples and trees give a delicate （精致的）, archaistic fragrance. According to historical records, "10 views of the stalagmite knap", "13 monumental archways and nine stone bridges" and the "saddle（马鞍）-shaped water bridge and stone revetment" （石驳岸）were the most famous scenic spots and places of historical interest.

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There are more than 100 different sizes of ancient Ming and Qing Dynasty houses, white walls, Daiwa, carved doors and windows have been saved. Existing stone revetments are more than 6000 meters, of which about 1500 meters was built before the Republic, its oldest can be dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, has 800 years of history. The saddle-shaped waters bridge (more than 20), which Called as the "home of the heritage" by heritage experts, has the classical architectural style, for example, the Hidden Eight Imortals carving, the Wishful Graphics carving and so on, very beautiful and delicated, rich of typical Jiangnan water town flavor.

There is a great variety of snacks that will catch your eye and tempt your palette when you are walking along the streets of the ancient town. Here you can also taste of delicious local specialities. There's a one-hundred-year-old teahouse in the town as well as several antique or modern cafes and teahouses. Unlike Shanghai,you can feel the typical Jiangnan lifestyle from the Xinchang Ancient Town’s architecture and landscape.

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Meeting Time: Febrauy 25 (Saturday morning), 10:30 a.m.

Meeting Location: outside exit 2 of Xinchang station (新场站) of metro line 16.

The Schedule:
10:30 Meeting at the exit 2 of Xinchang station (新场站) of metro line 16, then take a short bus or a taxi (there is only a starting fare)to Xinchang Ancient Town
11:00 walking along the Xinchang Ancient town including Lunch
16:00 Return

Things to note:
1.Ticket Price: Free of charge
2.This event is free. But food, drink and other stuff are extra, depending on you. You can eat lunch at the old street or go to the restaurant with others(we will split the lunch bill )
3.If we have enough time,we could go for a cafe or teahouse and enjoy the rest of time.
4.If it's a rainy day, we will be postponed the time . Please pay attention to our notice on our website.
If you are interested, please scan the QR code as below to join us in advance:

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