Shanghai Daily news

Ancient architecture, traditional folk arts, delicious local specialties and religious worship make Qibao Town well worth a half-day's excursion.
Located about 18 kilometers from downtown, the town is linked to other parts of the city by a convenient transport network.
The earliest records about Qibao, which means "Seven treasures" in Chinese, date back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-979 AD) and the area was developed into a market town of some size during the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
The town was named after seven legendary treasures it used to be home to - the Buddha, Floating Bell, the Lotus Buddhist Scripture, Golden Cock, Divine Tree, Jade Ax, and Jade Chopsticks.
Four of them have been lost or destroyed while the Scripture, the copper bell and a 1,000-year-old catalpa tree have survived to the present day.
To help people learn more about the ancient town, the township government has taken great efforts to renovate Qibao Old Street since 2000. The newly constructed buildings were built in architectural styles from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
Each of them has bright white walls, upturned eaves, trellis windows, and columns painted dark red.
Opposite the street's gateway, people will discover the legendary Floating Bell, or Cuan Lai Bell. Legend has it that the bell flew down the river to the town after a shocking roar of thunder during the Ming Dynasty.
The 1.9-meter-tall bell went missing during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), but was returned to the town in 2000.
On New Year's Eve, local people line up to strike the huge copper bell, hoping to lure good luck in the new year.
A 700-year-old arch stone bridge divides the 368-meter-long old street into northern and southern sections. The Puhuitang River, which brought a great deal of business to the street during the Ming and Qing dynasties, runs under the bridge.
Qibao played an important role during the Ming and Qing dynasties. At the time, the town was well-known for its advanced water-transport system.
It was then that the area's booming economy flourished when various types of merchants and businesses inhabited the town.
During its most prosperous period, it was no exaggeration to say that shops could be found everywhere along the river banks.
Today, Qibao's commercial life co-exists side by side with the old simple life in the town. Wondering along the old street flanked with dim sum shops and teahouses, one will feel like they are walking through a tunnel back in history.
A great variety of local dishes attract most visitors when walking along the southern part of the street. The food specialties from the area, such as braised mutton and glutinous rice cakes, are not to be missed.
Vendors manning sidewalk tables and tiny stalls sell both modern goodies and traditional handicrafts.
Although red and yellow advertising banners hanging over the street emit a strong commercial flavor, visitors will be excited to find that the street has still preserved traditions that once boomed in older times.
Suzhou pingtan, a traditional storytelling art in Suzhou dialect, is performed daily in the 100-year-old Qibao Teahouse. Rows of local elderly people sitting on long stools enjoy sipping tea as they listen to the performance.
The optional admission fee allows entrance to selected sights highlighting the town's culture and history, including wine brewing, cricket fighting, and cloth weaving.

Venue: Qibao Old Street of Qibao Town
Traffic: No. 91, 92, 735, 803, Shenhua Line, Shangshe Line