Qiandeng Ancient Town 千灯古镇

About Qiandeng Ancient Town

Qiandeng Ancient Town (千灯古镇) is the historic water-town core of Qiandeng Town (千灯镇), which lies 15 km south of central Kunshan (昆山), Jiangsu, and borders Shanghai's Qingpu District (青浦区) to the east. The Kunshan city government presents it as the home town of the scholar Gu Yanwu (顾炎武) and of Gu Jian (顾坚), regarded as the founder of Kunqu opera (昆曲).

The town's older name was Qiandunpu (千墩浦), and it took its present name in 1966. Its landmark, the Qinfeng Pagoda (秦峰塔), goes back to 503 under the Liang dynasty, when monks of Yanfu Temple (延福寺) raised funds to build it. Destroyed in wars, it was rebuilt in 1008 under the Northern Song and has been through 13 major restorations, including one in 1994 that brought back its Song appearance. The town was named a National Historical and Cultural Town (中国历史文化名镇) in 2007 and is a national 4A tourist attraction.

The Kunshan city government singles out the stone-slab street, old houses and the pagoda among the sights of this water town, and calls it "Golden Qiandeng" (金千灯). The pagoda stands seven storeys and 38.7 m high, of brick and timber, with an iron finial shaped like a gourd; it became a national key cultural relic in 2013, the same year as Gu Yanwu's tomb and former residence.

Gu Yanwu was born in the town in 1613 (the 41st year of Wanli). His family house, founded by his grandfather Gu Ji (顾济), stands west of the Qiandeng Creek (千灯浦) on the south bank of the Jiangjing (蒋泾); it faces east, runs five courtyards deep, and its main hall, Yi'an Hall (贻安堂), is a Ming building. His grave and a stone horse are in the rear garden. A memorial hall to Gu Jian, a dramatist of the late Song and early Yuan, is also on the west side of the creek.

What to look for

• Qinfeng Pagoda (秦峰塔), a seven-storey, 38.7 m brick-and-timber pagoda first built in 503 and rebuilt in 1008
• Tomb and Former Residence of Gu Yanwu (顾炎武墓及故居), an east-facing house five courtyards deep with the Ming-era Yi'an Hall and his grave in the rear garden
• Gu Jian Memorial Hall (顾坚纪念馆), honouring the dramatist credited with founding Kunqu
• Qiandeng Lamp Hall (千灯馆), more than a thousand lamps gathered by the collector Yin Xiaolin (殷小林), spanning over 5,000 years
• Qiandeng stone-slab street (千灯石板街), a Kunshan municipal protected site since 1997
• Yu family pawnshop (余家当铺), a Jiangsu provincial protected site since 2006

Location & getting there

Getting to Qiandeng Ancient Town

• Search for 千灯古镇 with 苏州市 and 昆山市.