Travel Notes | Shanghai Hanxiang Water Expo Park can be called an ancient bridge museum. You can feast your eyes on more than 30 ancient bridges from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Before going to Shanghai Hanxiang Water Expo, I had a question about the Water Expo. Water Expo, a water expo park, what is it for? Looking at the water? Clear water? Colorful water? Or water conservancy facilities?

After going there, I suddenly realized that this is a Jiangnan classical garden, and its feature and highlight is that it is also an ancient bridge museum.

Hanxiang Water Expo Park is located in Maqiao Town, Minhang District, Shanghai, covering an area of ​​400 acres, adjacent to the Huangpu River. There are nearly 30 ancient bridges from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the park, nearly a hundred vigorous ancient trees, and many towering strange and boulders. In classical gardens, its characteristics are very distinctive.

The Hanxiang Water Expo is not too small to visit. We basically walked around counterclockwise according to the guide map.

After entering the gate, go up the first bridge. On the left side of the bridge is Pujiang Academy. However, the indoor visiting places are now closed, and the popular science and life museum in another part of the park is also closed.

Pujiang Academy

Continuing to walk inside, you will see a thousand-year-old camphor tree. It's smaller than I thought. If it weren't for the sign that stood there explaining that this is an ancient tree that's nearly a thousand years old, I wouldn't have realized it.

After entering a courtyard gate, the first thing that catches the eye is an antique bridge-Xingshi Bridge. A display board was erected next to each ancient bridge, telling us the story of the bridge in detail, such as: its age, the reason why it was originally built, the reason for moving it to another place for protection, etc. An ancient bridge , like a witness who has witnessed the passage of time and vicissitudes of life, with the traces given by time and the sighs brought about by changes in his body.

For example, the Xingshi Bridge, a single-hole round arch bridge, was built in the late Ming Dynasty and was destroyed during the Anti-Japanese War. It is an ancient bridge that was born in the late Liang Dynasty and was finally destroyed by war. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the local people rebuilt the bridge and changed the original name of the bridge from "Taiping Bridge" to the current "Lion Awakening Bridge", which was intended to express that the Chinese nation has awakened and is no longer the sleeping lion. Got it! We should strengthen ourselves!

If this bridge really had life, he would sigh with emotion now, for today's peace, prosperity, and strength.

On the Xingshi Bridge, we saw a huge stone standing not far away, with three golden characters "Pujiang Soul" engraved on it. This huge stone weighs about 80 tons and is a "water flush stone" produced in Guangxi.

Continuing to look at the bridge, this small area of ​​water spans several ancient bridges, which are really connected by bridges. Each bridge has its own story, which is quite interesting to read.

Qing Dynasty Hanbi Bridge

Hanbi Bridge, Xiangjing Bridge

Qing Dynasty Xiangjing Bridge

Xingshi Bridge, Hanbi Bridge

Xiangjing Bridge

Ming Dynasty Fengze Bridge

Guizhou Garden, this stilted building was moved here from a large family in the mountainous area of ​​Guizhou. It is an all-wood structure and has a history of nearly a hundred years.

There are many bonsais to enjoy in Guizhou Garden.

Ming Dynasty Yuantong Bridge

Ming Dynasty Wanjin Bridge

Ming and Qing Dynasty Huanxiu Bridge

On this lawn, there were many elderly people singing together. They looked energetic and smiling. Hu Xiansen and I said with emotion that it would be great if we could be like them when we grow old. Hu Xiansen laughed.

The children also discovered the messengers of spring, small mushrooms, and wild vegetables on the grass. They observed carefully and integrated into nature.

After crossing another bridge, we came to Dayu Square, where a stone statue of Dayu stood.

Yingchun Bridge

Ming and Qing Dynasty Yuji Bridge

Ming and Qing Dynasties Phoenix Bridge

Turning around from Dayu Square, you will see a long corridor.

This is the Dianshan Lake Bridge.

Dianshan Lake Bridge, Sanjiang Red Pavilion

There is a Sanjiang Red boulder in the Sanjiang Red Pavilion, which was donated by the famous Chinese football coach Xu Genbao.

Opposite is Sanjiang Hongting

thatched pavilion

Taigong Pavilion

Yangshupu Bridge

Shao Muting

Next, I thought I came to the most beautiful corner of Hanxiang Water Expo.

After passing the Ancient Rhyme Corridor Bridge, you will reach Hanxiang Bridge.

Hanxiang Bridge is the five-hole ancient stone bridge in Shanghai second only to Zhujiajiao Fangsheng Bridge. Standing on the bridge, you can see the adjacent Huangpu River.

After getting off the Hanxiang Bridge, we arrived at the boulder of "Smooth Sailing"!

This area of ​​water is densely packed with pavilions, pavilions and bridges, and the scenery is dazzling.

We took a cruise here, drifted in the water, shuttled under the bridge, and felt more intimate with the ancient bridge. The cost of the cruise here is: manual boat 40-50 minutes/50 yuan, automatic boat 40-50 minutes/80 yuan. Because there are not many people, time is not so tight.

We wanted to go ashore later, but the staff went out to rescue other boats. They probably ran aground and asked us to wait for him to come back. We wanted to go for a ride again, but my brother refused, so we waited there for a long time. My brother couldn't wait. Living there, we were clamoring to go ashore, so we had to rely on our own efforts to land! It’s an impressive thing that happened suddenly!

It feels like there are many unexpected things about traveling and playing that leave a deep impression on us, and we can’t stop laughing when we think about it. At that time, Hu Xiansen was pedaling hard, and I was getting ashore. After getting up, I tied the cable rope tightly to the wooden stake, and then they went ashore one by one. If he didn't push, I would probably push the boat away with my strong kick, and maybe it would fall into the water. It's quite brave to think about it! But in fact we are still very sure.

Is the scenery you see in the water very different from what you see on the shore?

This time my brother came in handy. He was basically pedaling, Hu Xiansen controlled the direction, my brother leisurely enjoyed the scenery, and I took photos and videos, each performing his or her duties in an orderly manner!

After landing, walk through Taishun Bridge, Double Bridge, Ancient Theater Corridor Bridge, and you will reach Wanjin Bridge.

ancient stage

The next step is to return. The entrance and exit are at the same place, but you don't have to go back the same way and go back by another way.

Grandma Bridge

There is a cherry blossom garden to the north of Hanxiang Water Expo. If you come in March, don’t miss the romantic cherry blossoms. The navigation map is very clear. I didn’t know what I was thinking at the time and ignored this area. There are also several ancient bridges in this water area, don’t miss them.

Hanxiang Water Expo Garden is a very distinctive classical garden. Although there is a high-voltage iron tower next to it, which makes people feel a bit out of place. Photos are often unavoidable, but overall the scenery is quite good, and you can see it all at once. Tako Bridge is quite surprising.

If these bridges are alive, maybe they are thinking that there is finally a place where I can be safe, free from pain, free from wandering around, free from having no branches to rely on, where I can be carefully collected, properly placed, and carefully protected. .

Tips:

Address: No. 3805, Jiangchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai

Tickets: 30 yuan/person

Cruise fee: manual boat 40-50 minutes/50 yuan, automatic boat 40-50 minutes/80 yuan

Parking: There is a parking lot across the road opposite the gate. There is no sign on the parking fee. We parked for less than three hours and it was 7.5 yuan.