Zhujiajiao's 36 stone bridges span canals that were cutting trade routes through Qingpu marshland when the Song dynasty still ruled from Kaifeng. The town grew wealthy on rice and textiles ferried along the Dianshan Lake waterways, and by the Ming era its merchant families were commissioning the arched bridges and whitewashed guild halls that define the townscape today. The Fangsheng Bridge, completed in 1571, remains the longest and tallest stone span in Shanghai's water towns — five arches, 70 metres end to end, its balustrades worn smooth by five centuries of hands. What distinguishes Zhujiajiao from the dozen other canal settlements ringing Shanghai is the integrity of its Qing-era commercial quarter. North Street runs 650 metres without interruption, its shopfronts and teahouses occupying structures that date to the 1700s. The Kezhi Garden, a scholar's retreat built in 1912, sits behind a moon gate on Xijing Street; its rockeries and pavilions occupy less than a hectare but demonstrate the spatial compression techniques that Jiangnan garden designers refined over centuries. The Post Office Museum, housed in a 1903 Qing postal station, displays hand-stamped letters and wooden sorting cabinets that predate the Republican reforms. Zhujiajiao water town tickets tours now integrate the settlement into half-day itineraries departing central Shanghai. Private canal boat rides navigate the narrowest channels, where balconies overhang the water and laundry lines stretch between eaves. The Chenghuang Temple, rebuilt in 1723 after a fire destroyed the Yuan original, anchors the southern end of the old quarter; its main hall houses woodcarvings of the town's patron deities and a bronze incense burner cast during the Qianlong reign. Tea ceremonies in Ming-style pavilions and Pingtan performances — the Suzhou storytelling tradition sung in the local Wu dialect — round out the cultural programming. The town opens daily from 08:30 to 17:00, and entry to the pedestrian lanes costs nothing. Individual attractions charge separate admission: the Kezhi Garden, the Post Office Museum, and the Chenghuang Temple each levy small fees. Most visitors allocate three to four hours for a walking circuit, though the private tour packages extend the visit with boat transfers, garden access, and meal stops at canal-side restaurants. The address is No. 555, Kezhiyuan Road, Zhujiajiao Town, Qingpu District — a 40-kilometre drive west from People's Square, reachable by metro Line 17 to Zhujiajiao station.