Shanghai Xinchang Ancient Town is also a popular check-in destination for tourists. There are many young people coming here to take pictures. The antique buildings truly show the ancient charm of Jiangnan. Take a stroll along the ancient trails and experience the past and glory. Let me share with you the specific travel guide to Xinchang Ancient Town.
It is a famous salt field located in the former Nanhui area of ??Pudong New Area.
Shanghai is an ancient town that was developed relatively late. It is divided into two stone roads less than three meters north and south. South Street is lively, while North Street is relatively deserted, with many old buildings well preserved. It basically retains the characteristics of the original water town houses built along the river in Pudong. Residential houses are also characterized by large eaves and white walls in Pudong, South China. This is an ancient town worth visiting.
This is my third visit, however, this visit left me disappointed and rushed by.
The first time I came to Xinchang Ancient Town was in 2009, when the subway had not yet been built. There are few tourists and not many shops. Along the way, all the local residents are walking around inside and outside the houses, so you can take a leisurely tour when you walk into the South Street of the ancient town.
What I am more interested in is that there are many historical buildings in the ancient town (because excessive commercial development of the ancient town hates to destroy the history and humanity of the ancient town). We also visited the Xinchang Ancient Town Museum.
It is very helpful for us to understand the history of Xinchang Ancient Town. We also hope that we can visit more of such a unique ancient town and experience the culture and history of Shanghai’s aborigines. But due to various reasons, I haven’t set foot in Xinchang Ancient Town for a long time.
The second time I went to Xinchang Ancient Town was on the afternoon of the second day of the Lunar New Year in 2016. We started our tour at the end of North Street. At that time, there were almost no tourists on North Street, and the newly renovated houses were still aboriginal houses. We chatted with the indigenous people around us who were interested, looked at the courtyards, and asked about the history. It feels so good.
When I walked to South Street, my first impression was that it had changed a lot. The original house is basically open for business, but has not yet reached full capacity with tourists. You can go shopping, stay overnight and sightsee, or chat without disturbing each other. I feel that this kind of ancient town tour is still acceptable.
After six years, I accompanied my family to visit the ancient town again, the whole journey from North Street to South Street, but I was not interested in it and passed by in a hurry. Excessive commercial development, no cultural and historical heritage, and crowded commercial development.
Although it is still the same stone road, you can no longer see the quiet old streets, old buildings and original residents in the past. This is a food street. Apart from roadside stalls selling tourist snacks, there is no real delicious food!
We walked among the crowded tourists on South Street.
I didn’t know what a “raw egg” was. The young lady accompanying me told me that they are commonly known as "happy eggs". They are eggs that have not hatched chicks. It is not the eggs inside but the chicks that have hatched. It would be cruel to listen to them. Some people are still buying, some are still eating. So disgusting.
The photos below were taken when we were walking along the side streets of South Street. There are no shops featuring restaurants here, and it is relatively deserted. You can take a few photos calmly to get a glimpse of the characteristics of the ancient town.
I am not absolutely opposed to the opening of old streets in ancient towns, but I agree that with the increase in tourists, it is necessary and necessary to open some commercial facilities that are convenient for tourists to eat, live and travel. However, we cannot blindly pursue maximizing profits. We must regard some local culture, history, traditional culture, and traditional products as the biggest buying points for business development.
In this way, we can maintain the cultural traditions of the ancient town and streets, maintain the historical context of the ancient town and streets, and achieve long-term prosperity.
Otherwise, in a few years, our descendants will not come to such a place without humanistic history and traditional culture. These snacks can be tasted in the city’s food courts.