Suzhou Creek

Suzhou Creek

Suzhou Creek is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Flowing for 5,000 years, Suzhou Creek gave rise to nearly half of ancient Shanghai. It then spent another 100 years “building” the initial framework of the modern international metropolis.

Originally named Wusong River, Suzhou Creek spans over 100 kilometers in total and is the second-largest river in Shanghai after the Huangpu River. Suzhou Creek originates from Taihu Lake and meets the Huangpu River downstream. The section of the Wusong River that flows from east to west through downtown Shanghai is now called “Suzhou Creek,” a name that follows the one given by foreigners: Soozhow Creek. British merchants referred to the Wusong River as “Suzhou Creek” because they only knew that this river could lead all the way to Suzhou via Qingpu County. In 1848, when the British Consulate and the Shanghai Daotai signed an agreement to expand the concession, the Shanghai section of the Wusong River was officially renamed Suzhou Creek.