Shanghai Songjiang Travel - Discovering the Roots and Modern Charm

Duration: 2 days Time: September Cost per person: 800 yuan With whom: Friends Activities: Photography, Cultural exploration, Weekend getaway Author visited these places: Songjiang Guangfulin Site, Thames Town, Sijig Town, Shanghai Film Park, Fangta Garden, Zuibaichi, Zhongshuge Bookstore, Futian Jing Temple, Fangta published on 2020-10-03 19:36 The Roots of Shanghai Shanghai is truly vast! Having visited multiple times, there’s always something new to discover. The city gives me a feeling of a fast-paced life, with traffic jams at the drop of a hat and crowded public transport, but these are also the charms of its status as an international metropolis! Having explored the downtown area many times, I wanted to delve deeper into the origins of Shanghai through its glittering facade, thus turning my attention to Songjiang District. Why Songjiang? Because archaeological discoveries at the Guangfulin Site in Songjiang revealed a 4000-year-old architectural complex in Shanghai, and for the first time, five tombs containing human bones were excavated, yielding a large number of artifacts from the Neolithic Age and the Zhou, Han, Song, Yuan dynasties, providing rich and detailed physical materials for the restoration of the ancient history of Songjiang District and even the entire city of Shanghai. Therefore, Songjiang District is referred to as ‘The Roots of Shanghai’, representing the origin of the city. This two-day trip to Shanghai Songjiang took me to eight scenic spots, including the Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park, as well as: Yunjian Granary, Thames Town, Sijig Town, Shanghai Film Park, and Laiyifen Snack Museum, Fangta Garden, Zuibaichi Scenic Area. Overall, my impression is that Songjiang, as ‘The Roots of Shanghai’, is far from old-fashioned in its scenic areas, but rather very modern and fashionable, full of ‘internet sensation’ qualities, which perfectly matches the temperament of Shanghai. If you don’t believe me, come and see for yourself! Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park Originally known as Huangfulin or Guangfulin, this area was part of the Huating Valley in ancient times, nurturing the splendid Guangfulin ancient culture, and was the cultural, political, economic, and transportation center of the eastern Wu region in ancient times… until the Tang Dynasty established Huating County, and the Ming and Qing dynasties created the splendor of Songjiang, with a profound cultural heritage. Although not all the buildings in the current ruins park are remnants from the past, the comprehensive venues are a good place to understand the history and culture of Songjiang and Shanghai. In my opinion, the modern architecture within the Guangfulin Cultural Relics Park is very much in line with design aesthetics and is very watchable in itself. In the visiting venues in the park, I also gained a lot of historical knowledge. For example, as early as the late Neolithic Age, four to five thousand years ago, rice was already widely cultivated in the area, and the long history of agriculture indicates that the region had advanced agricultural production methods, and so on.
Among the attractions, the Guangfulin Archaeological Site Exhibition Hall is certainly one of the must-visit venues. It is composed of three independent exhibition halls and a main hall, displaying 159 sets of cultural relics, among which three bronze zuns are the first bronze ritual vessels unearthed in Guangfulin. As the earliest practice of Zhou Dynasty rituals, bronze vessels also indirectly reflect the developed society of Guangfulin at that time, which is of great significance. There is a very pleasant nickname for Songjiang’s Yunjian Granary, called ‘Yunjian’. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a large granary was built next to Fangta Garden in the southern part of the old city of Songjiang, named ‘Yunjian Granary’. However, with the rapid development of Shanghai, the storage function of Yunjian Granary as a food warehouse has been abandoned, but the granary has been preserved and developed into a cultural industry park. There are many examples in China where abandoned factories like this have become ‘internet celebrity check-in places’, such as Chongqing Eling Second Factory, which became popular due to a movie, and Chengdu’s Eastern Suburb Memory, etc. Therefore, my expectations for Yunjian Granary were not low before coming. In fact, as early as the Ming Dynasty, Songjiang was the main source and storage place for the feudal court’s grain, and also one of the main grain distribution centers in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, thus forming a unique grain culture. Today’s ‘Yunjian Granary’ preserves many Soviet-style granary buildings from shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with a very distinctive style, showing traces of imitation of the former Soviet Union’s industrial and agricultural buildings, which was a common phenomenon in domestic factories at that time. Now, the old peeling walls and rusty old equipment are witnesses to the rapid development of Songjiang. The new landmark of Yunjian Granary is a series of artistic graffiti, art venues, and internet-famous bars developed by the park, making it a good place for tourism, leisure, and experiencing culture and art. I particularly like these graffiti on the walls, and I have photographed almost every one of them. Upon entering Thames Town, it is evident that this is a popular check-in spot. The town, from its overall layout to every brick and tile, reflects the authentic European style, with bright architectural appearances complemented by the beautiful weather of blue sky and white clouds, making it a perfect encounter. This is a large community with multiple functions such as living, tourism, and leisure. However, each block presents a different aspect, and there is a 400-acre lake landscape and a beautiful yacht dock, truly achieving a change of scenery with every step (whispering quietly: I really envy those who can live here). More than 200,000 square meters of Thames Town are public supporting and commercial service facilities, including a fitness club, an art gallery, and the Thames Catholic Church. The chain bookstore ‘Zhong Shu Ge’ that I most want to recommend to everyone, as the first generation of ‘internet celebrity bookstore’ brands, is even regarded as a benchmark for the transformation of Chinese physical bookstores, also providing a new idea for the transformation of the gradually declining paper books.

If you are a literary youth who enjoys the feel of paper books, you cannot be unaware of Zhongshuge Bookstore, a place where not only can you purchase books but also take stunning photos. The artistic charm of Thames Town extends far beyond this, and even the transportation to this place is unique. The trams that run here are entirely yellow, making them eye-catching as they traverse the streets, giving the impression of truly stepping onto the European continent. Sijig Town, with its deep historical roots in Shanghai, is home to many well-known ancient towns. However, the Sijig Town located in the northeastern part of Songjiang District is not as widely known. In fact, this town has a history of over a thousand years and is even referred to as ‘a century of Shanghai, a thousand years of Sijig.’ Therefore, during this visit to Songjiang, I made a special trip to see it. The first thing that catches the eye is the ancient archway below, which exudes grandeur, and the details have kept me pondering for a long time. It is said that within the ancient town area, there are 53 historical buildings, giving birth to a host of historical and cultural celebrities such as the famous historian Tao Zongyi, the Ming Dynasty calligrapher and painter Fan Yunlin, the founder of Fudan University Ma Xiangbo, and the founder of Shen Bao Shi Liangcai. There are also several visitable venues within the ancient town where one can learn about the history and culture of Songjiang and Shanghai. Within the ancient town, there is also Futian Jing Temple, whose predecessor was Dongtian Temple, which still existed in the early years of the People’s Republic of China, and it also has a history of a thousand years. According to the historical records of Songjiang ‘Water Town Ancient Town Sijig’, the formation of Sijig Town began with temple fairs. During the Xianping to Xiangxu years of the Song Dynasty under Emperor Zhenzong, Dongtian Temple and pagoda were already built, becoming a place of incense for believers. In ancient times when spiritual life was relatively scarce, temples were one of the most important social places, so this ancient temple can also be said to be a witness to the history of Songjiang. Shanghai Film and Television Park, when it comes to film cities in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, most tourists will think of Hengdian. However, I feel that Hengdian is too large and the themes are too whimsical. I prefer the ‘small but refined’ Shanghai Film and Television Park because this is Shanghai, and what you see is ‘old Shanghai.’ The Shanghai Film and Television Park was established in 1992, and the streets here feature scenery such as Nanjing Road and Shikumen alleys, which are imitations of the old Shanghai architecture from the Republic of China period, allowing visitors to instantly travel back to the 1930s… Shanghai in the last century was already deeply influenced by Western architecture, so there are also groups of European-style buildings in the film park such as the Moller Villa, churches, German-style villas, Spanish buildings, and English villas, all of which are so beautiful that many wedding photography shoots come here to capture scenes. Among them, the Moller Villa located at the north end of the film park is an antique building complex with a Norwegian cultural background. The original site is located on Shaanxi South Road in Shanghai. It is said that its origin has a warm little story, so the Moller Villa is also known as the Dream Apartment, and it is now one of the landmark buildings in the film park.
Of course, when visiting the film and television park, one important thing to note is that you might accidentally encounter celebrities walking around the scenic area. Many films and TV dramas have been filmed here, such as ‘Romance in the Rain,’ ‘Sparrow,’ and ‘Kung Fu,’ among others. So, keep an eye out for scenes you might recognize. By the way, during this visit to the film and television park, I discovered that during the National Day period (1st to 8th), the park will also host the ‘Splendid China? Beautiful Cheongsam 2020 Shanghai Cheongsam Cultural Art Festival.’ It feels fun and visually pleasing! Cheongsam is also one of the essential elements of ‘Old Shanghai.’ Whenever I mention these two words, I am reminded of Maggie Cheung wearing various cheongsams in the movie ‘In the Mood for Love,’ which is truly full of charm! Young people love snacks, but fewer and fewer people are willing to spend time in supermarkets. Thanks to the highly developed internet, it’s easier to have snacks delivered to your home with just a few clicks or to visit a snack store for a one-stop shopping experience. This has led to the rise of many fast-selling snack brands online, and ‘Laiyi Fen’ is one of them. However, this time in Songjiang, I didn’t visit a Laiyi Fen store but instead went to the Laiyi Fen Snack Museum to learn about how the snacks we consume daily are produced, selected, and about the culture of snacks. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this place exhibits snack culture. The museum has several themed areas such as the Snack Party, Snack Street, and Cultural Corridor, with bold and colorful illustrations, creating a high-value, interesting space loved by tourists of all ages. Of course, the snack museum is not just for watching the excitement but also a great place to learn. In the educational and entertaining snack culture atmosphere, you can explore the stories of the delicious food gifts from nature. There is also a high-value coffee book bar on the second floor. If you are tired after visiting, you can sit down and take photos. You can also learn about coffee and tea culture. So why did a snack seller build a snack museum? According to the museum staff, this venue is an important exploration by Laiyi Fen to help China and the world understand Chinese food culture in depth under the background of consumption upgrading and internationalization of the food industry. It includes three major themes: historical inheritance, innovation and development, and experience sharing. In simple terms, in today’s world where foodies are increasing, in order to eat with culture, spirit, mission, and taste, Laiyi Fen chose to build a museum to showcase this new experience from the demand for basic needs to refined needs. Fangta Garden Fangta Garden is a garden in Songjiang themed around viewing historical relics. Before coming, I thought this should be a relatively niche scenic spot, but there were quite a few local tourists playing here. I think this is mainly due to the thick history of Fangta Garden and the very friendly ticket price? A 12 yuan ticket may not even buy a cup of milk tea in downtown Shanghai, but you can come to Fangta Garden to feel the millennia of humanities.
Fangta Garden covers an area of approximately 182 mu, originally the bustling city center of ancient Huating during the Tang and Song dynasties. It is bordered by Amin Street to the east and Sangong Street to the west. The garden has been a gathering place for ancient literati and a miniature representation of the Songjiang heritage site. In other words, this place was the city center in ancient times and has now become a niche tourist destination. The garden’s screen wall is one of the oldest, most exquisite, and best-preserved large-scale brick carving art treasures in Shanghai and even in China. Its dimensions are 4.75 meters in height and 6.1 meters in width, featuring large brick relief carvings. The Fangta, the garden’s iconic structure, is a brick-wood structure with nine levels in a square shape, originally built in the late Song Dynasty and has been renovated several times, standing at 42.5 meters tall. It resembles a graceful Jiangnan lady, with the wooden ladder to the tower being narrow and steep, becoming increasingly smaller as one ascends, and it is impossible to go beyond the seventh level. The door hole on the seventh level is less than one meter high, requiring one to crawl to get out. Therefore, Fangta is renowned in the southeast for its ‘elegance and beauty’. The ancient poem ‘Among the thirty-six offshore pagodas, none compare to the exquisite Fangta’ best interprets its charm. Zui Bai Chi Park, similar to Fangta Garden, is a typical Jiangnan classical garden with an admission fee of 12 yuan per person. The garden has a history of over nine hundred years since its inception and has maintained its ancient architecture such as halls, pavilions, pavilions, boats, and arbors for more than three hundred years after being named Zui Bai Chi, preserving the style of Jiangnan gardens from the Ming and Qing dynasties, exuding an antique charm. When visiting Zui Bai Chi Park, there are not many tourists, allowing one to fully appreciate the garden’s landscape. The layout of the garden is centered around a pool of water, with three sides of the pool surrounded by winding corridors and pavilions. Personally, I feel that there are no bad angles here; no matter where you stand to take a picture, it is excellent. As long as you are not stingy with your shutter, you are sure to capture many great photos. The park is home to ancient ginkgo and camphor trees that are three to four hundred years old, something that newly built gardens cannot match. In fact, Zui Bai Chi has a significant status, being one of the five major classical gardens in Shanghai, along with Yu Garden, Jiading Guyi Garden, Qiuxia Garden, and Qingpu Qushui Garden. It is also the oldest among the five gardens. Perhaps it is a microcosm of Songjiang tourism, with considerable resources, but not as many tourists as in the city center. Whether it’s experiencing historical culture or taking photos as an internet sensation, the experience is excellent! Therefore, based on the announcements of various scenic spots, I have also organized the recent activity announcements for Songjiang’s scenic spots for everyone, and I recommend collecting them!

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