Zhouzhuang 周庄

About Zhouzhuang

Canals divide the historic settlement, while bridges and waterside houses create a closely connected built landscape.

The Twin Bridges combine Shide Bridge’s round arch with Yong’an Bridge’s square opening. Fu’an Bridge and the nearby Shen residence add different examples of bridge and domestic architecture. The useful theme is how each building or crossing works with the water, rather than a general search for an “ancient-town” atmosphere.

The name Zhouzhuang derives from Zhou Digong (周迪功郎), a devout Buddhist who in 1086, during the Northern Song dynasty, donated his estate to found Quanfu Temple (全福寺); the settlement subsequently took his surname. In 1330 Shen You (沈祐), father of Shen Wansan (沈万三), moved to the town's eastern quarter and reclaimed land there, and the settlement grew into a market town. In 1373 Shen Wansan helped fund construction of a third of the Nanjing city walls and offered to reward the imperial troops, arousing the suspicion of the Ming founder, who exiled him to Yunnan. In 1742 Shen Benren (沈本仁) built Jingye Hall (敬业堂), the predecessor of the Shen family residence (沈厅).

During the Yuan dynasty, households clustered along the east bank of the market river, in what is now North Market Street; from the mid-Ming the settlement extended west, and the building of Taiping, Shide and Fuhong bridges (福洪桥) opened new routes. By the early Qing period the town had grown into a market centred on Fu'an Bridge (富安桥), with two T-shaped streets forming its commercial core. The town came under the administration of Kunshan in 1952.

What to look for

• The Twin Bridges combine round and square openings over intersecting waterways.
• Fu’an Bridge and the Shen residence show the connection between crossings and waterside domestic space.

The surrounding area

A provincial city base for classical gardens, canals and soup-noodle breakfasts; do not confuse its old city with the distant North railway station.

Location & getting there

Getting to Zhouzhuang

Travel to Zhouzhuang’s historic visitor area within Kunshan and choose an entrance serving the Twin Bridges or Fu’an Bridge sector.