Suzhou Fengqiao Ancient Town

Suzhou Fengqiao Ancient Town

Suzhou Fengqiao Ancient Town is located at the confluence of the Grand Canal (this section is now called Shangtang River), an ancient post road, and the Feng River. Two market streets—Fengqiao Street and Hanshan Temple Lane—have formed along the river bend, emerging with the river and thriving by the water and temple, giving the town a unique charm of the water towns.

The formation and prosperity of the town benefited from the ancient post road and the Grand Canal. The ancient road passing through Fengqiao connected to Changmen in the east and extended westward to Wangting and Wuxi. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, it had been a major transportation route linking Suzhou to the inland areas. In the sixth year of the Daye era during the Sui Dynasty (610 AD), the Jiangnan Canal was dredged and opened. From Hangzhou, one could sail directly upstream, pass through Suzhou, cross the Yangtze River, and reach the Central Plains. This established the Grand Canal water system centered on the ancient capital Luoyang, connecting the north and south, which directly promoted the economic and cultural development of the regions along the canal. Fengqiao, situated at this crucial land and water junction, became a key transportation hub for travelers going north and south. Merchants gathered here, and travelers rested, making the local markets increasingly bustling. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the monk Ying wrote in his poem “Returning to Fengqiao”: “Moored late at Fengqiao market, I search my memories of past travels.” By then, Fengqiao was already widely renowned for its markets.

By the Qing Dynasty, a national hub for the trade and distribution of rice and beans had formed around Fengqiao, surpassing even the “Four Great Towns of China” at the time—Zhuxian in Henan, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, Foshan in Guangdong, and Hankou in Hubei. The area around Fengqiao saw the rise of mansions, gardens, and pavilions belonging to notable figures, such as the Songhe Hall of Yin Peizhong, the Guangju residence of Ge Zai and Ge Zhouxiang, the Lengxiang Bieguan of Hui Panqing, the Yizhiyuan where Duan Yucai resided, and the Sishizhai study of Gu Guangzhe. Among them, Yuan Tingyao’s Yuyin Xiaopu was especially famous for its beautiful pavilions, springs, and rocks. In the tenth year of the Xianfeng era (1860 AD), when the Taiping Army advanced toward Suzhou City, the Qing army set fire to the area, reducing the ten-li official causeway to ashes. From then on, Fengqiao declined from being a commercial center along the canal in Jinxiang to a rural town in the suburbs.

Since the 1980s, with the development of tourism, the ancient town has undergone planned construction and environmental improvement. At the eastern entrance of the town, a classic Chinese-style Fengqiao Historical Exhibition Hall (now called Fengqiao Garden), Hanshan Annex Garden, as well as a boat dock and parking lot have been built. Along the tidy stone-paved streets, shops stand in great numbers, displaying a variety of handicrafts that compete in beauty, while domestic and foreign tourists come in droves. At the entrance of Hanshan Temple Lane, the Fengqiao Storytelling House is always packed, with performances of Tanci ballads accompanied by the tinkling sounds of string instruments, immersing the entire ancient town in a rich ambiance of water town culture.

Fengqiao Bridge, located just a hundred steps north of Hanshan Temple, spans the Feng River like a crescent moon. The Feng River, also known as Fengqiao Pond or Fengli Xinghe, connects to the Xu River and the Yuelai Creek in the south, serving as another waterway from Suzhou Ancient City to Taihu Lake heading north. Fan Chengda of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in his “Records of Wu Commandery”: “Fengqiao Bridge, located beside the nine-li road outside Changmen, has been famous since ancient times. No traveler passing north or south fails to rest at this bridge and compose a poem about it.” The Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji’s “Night Mooring at Fengqiao” is one of the most beloved masterpieces among them. The ancient Tang Dynasty bridge that Zhang Ji saw during his night mooring no longer exists. The current semi-circular single-arch stone bridge was rebuilt in the sixth year of the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1867 AD). The bridge is 39.6 meters long, 5.27 meters wide, with a span of 10 meters, and its eastern end connects to Tie ling Pass. Visitors can take a painted pleasure boat through the arch of the bridge to enjoy the serene views of the ancient bridge, pass, town, and temple from the water, and immerse themselves in the atmosphere depicted in “Night Mooring at Fengqiao.”