A stroll through 800 years of Jiading heritage
Named after Southern Song Dynasty Emperor Jiading, northern Shanghai’s Jiading District is long steeped in the scholarly influence of jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River). It has many sites of historical and cultural interest, such as the Fahua Tower and Zhouqiao Old Street.
To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the birth of Jiading, Shanghai Library has teamed up Jiading Library to offer a free tour. With specialist guide, visitors get to see Jiading’s two most popular spots.
Qiuxia Garden
Qiuxia Garden, meaning “autumn’s sunset glow,” is one of five classic ancient gardens in Shanghai. Established in 1502, the garden was once the private residence of Gong Hong, minister of public works in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Later, local scholar Jin Zhaodeng built his own garden alongside Gong’s. It featured a lotus pond and a bamboo forest.
In 1654, with the decline of both families, the two gardens were merged and sold to a salt trader surnamed Wang. In 1726, Wang’s descendants bestowed the garden to Jiading’s Chenghuang (City God) Temple as a shrine for locals to hold religious events.
After centuries of warfare and political upheaval, today’s Qiuxia Garden features both a classic garden and the Taoist Chenghuang Temple, where locals worship on the first and fifth days of each lunar month.
Opening in 2013, Jiading Museum’s key function is to collect, preserve, display and serve as an educational base for locals. Permanent exhibitions at the museum highlight not only the local history, but also historical documents and cultural relics unearthed in Jiading.
The Hall of Fame includes Jiading-native Wellington Koo and Hu Juewen. Koo was a prominent Chinese diplomat in the Republic of China, and Hu a patriotic entrepreneur who sat on the rostrum of the fourth, fifth and sixth meetings of the country’s highest legislative body between 1975 and 1983.
Jiading Museum
Event details
Date: October 22, 2-4pm
Meeting point: Front gate of Qiuxia Garden, 314 East Avenue
Call 6445-5555 ext 4311 to book the tour in English.
