Zhujiajiao remained a market crossroads for six centuries before Shanghai eclipsed it. Canal traffic peaked during the Ming dynasty, when thirty-six stone bridges stitched sixteen kilometers of waterways into a textile and rice transshipment hub. The Fangsheng Bridge, completed in 1571 under the Longqing Emperor, still spans thirty meters in five granite arches — the longest surviving span in the Yangtze Delta's water-town network. Today the settlement preserves Qing-era shopfronts along North Street, their timber frames cantilevered over flagstone quays. The Qing Post Office, established in 1903, displays hand-stamped ledgers and wax-sealed parcels in the original sorting room. Kezhi Garden occupies two hectares behind whitewashed walls on West Lake Street, its rockeries and moon gates laid out in 1912 by a Shanghai banker seeking a literati retreat beyond the foreign concessions. Private tours typically depart central Shanghai between eight and nine in the morning, reaching the town entrance on Xinxi Road by ten. Guides navigate the labyrinth of hutong alleys that branch from the Grand Canal, pointing out carved lintels and lattice windows that predate the Opium Wars. A sampan ride along the inner canals passes beneath the Tai'an, Huilong, and Lang bridges, each named for the guild that financed its construction. The route loops past the Temple of the City God, where incense smoke drifts through open courtyards, and the Yuanjin Buddhist Temple, rebuilt in 1341 and expanded during the Qing restoration. Shops sell zongzi wrapped in bamboo leaves, fermented tofu pressed into cubes, and sesame cakes stamped with red-bean paste. Silk banners hang from eaves, advertising calligraphy brushes and rice wine in characters unchanged since the Republican era. The water town closes its main attractions at five, but private itineraries often include lunch at a canal-side teahouse before returning to Shanghai by mid-afternoon.