Jiading Nanxiang Ancient Town

Jiading Nanxiang Ancient Town

Jiading Nanxiang Ancient Town is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Nanxiang is located in the northwest of Shanghai and serves as the gateway connecting Jiading to Shanghai. It is a millennium-old ancient town. As early as the fourth year of the Tianjian era during the Liang Dynasty (505 AD), the Baihe Nanxiang Temple was built here, and the town was named after the temple. Later, a brick pagoda from the Five Dynasties—the Twin Pagodas—was constructed, as well as the Hecia Mountain, a beacon mound left by the Southern Song anti-Jin general Han Shizhong, and a garden built during the Ming Dynasty—the Guyi Garden. With a history of over 1,500 years, it is one of the four famous historical and cultural towns in Shanghai.

Nanxiang was formerly known as Chaxi. At the time of Emperor Wu of Liang’s founding of the dynasty, Nanxiang was just a desolate village. One day, local farmers digging the fields unearthed a large stone slab over ten feet long. As soon as the stone emerged from the ground, a pair of red-crowned cranes circled above it and landed on the slab to rest. A monk named Deqi believed this to be a sacred Buddhist site and decided to build a temple there. Strangely enough, whichever direction the cranes flew off to, people from that direction would come to donate money, and this happened every day without fail. Soon, a large sum of money was raised, and construction of the temple began. In 505 AD (the fourth year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty), the Baihe Nanxiang Temple was completed. The town was then named Nanxiang, after the temple.

Nanxiang has many historic sites, including a pair of brick pagodas from the Nanxiang Temple, located at the north end of Xianghua Bridge in the town center. These are the only remaining relics of the Baihe Nanxiang Temple built during the Liang Tianjian era. Restoration began in 1985, and by 1987, their former appearance had been largely revived. The Nanxiang Temple's Sumeru Pagoda, commonly known as the Scripture Pillar Stone, consists of two pillars currently situated in front of the South Hall and Weiyin Pavilion in the Guyi Garden. Originally, they stood facing each other in front of the Great Buddha’s Hall of the Nanxiang Temple. One was erected in the eighth year of the Tang Xiantong era (867), and the other in the second year of the Tang Qianfu era (875), forming one of the Eight Scenic Spots of the temple in its heyday. In 1959, they were collected, restored, and relocated to their current positions during the expansion of the Guyi Garden. Hecia Mountain was built in 1130, the fourth year of the Jianyan era of the Southern Song Dynasty, when General Han Shizhong relocated his troops from Pingjiang to the coast to resist the Jin army. He stationed forces in Nanxiang and constructed this beacon mound as a signal communication post.

Admission Fee

Combined Ticket (includes Tanzhou Garden, Yunxiang Temple, and Nanxiang Historical and Cultural Exhibition Hall): 40.00 RMB

Opening Hours

08:00~16:30

Location

No. 218, Huyi Road, Jiading District, Shanghai