Qiandeng Stone Slab Street

Qiandeng Stone Slab Street

Qiandeng Stone Slab Street is a cultural relics protection unit of Suzhou City.

The Stone Slab Street was first built during the Southern Song Dynasty, and further extended and renovated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the early years of the Republic of China, initiated by Fang Yuanqing and designed by Wang Shichang, a renowned master from Zhujiajiao, a total of 2,072 stone slabs were laid, stretching 1,500 meters in length. It came to be known as the "Three-Mile Stone Slab Street" and is the longest, best-preserved, and most intact stone slab street in the ancient towns of the Jiangnan region. The stone slabs used on the street are called "Yanzhi Red."

Qiandeng Town: Qiandeng was formerly known as Qiandun. According to the *Songnan Zhi* (*Records of South of the Song River*) by Chen Yuanmo of the Qing Dynasty, located 36 li southeast of Kunshan County in Chuan Township, there is a waterway called Qiandun Pu. The name originated because the Songjiang River, flowing eastward from Wumen, reached this point where there were nearly a thousand islets both north and south of the river—hence the name Qiandun (Thousand Islets). In the second year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1910), it was renamed Qiantun, with two prevailing legends about the origin of the name: one suggests it was a refined literary appellation, while the other claims it was due to the abundant growth of madder plants on the islets. In April 1966, with approval from the Jiangsu Provincial People's Committee, the name was changed to Qiandeng, which has been retained to this day.

Qiandeng is located in the Yangtze River Delta and falls under the jurisdiction of Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. It covers an area of 84 square kilometers and has a population of 130,000, including… Detailed information about Qiandeng Town++