A memorable 'Suzhou Creek' tour for French students and teachers
Shot by Yang Yang. Edited by Yang Yang, Cen Tianxu. Subtitles by Cen Tianxu, Tracie Barrett, Chu Junyi.
From left: Delphine Willocq, a professor of physics; Aurélien Klak, a professor of math, and Simon Le Cam, an exchange student, from France with the SPEIT, in front of the Chamber of Commerce Shanghai clubhouse.
SJTU's French students and teachers were given a tour along Suzhou Creek on Sunday.
On Sunday, a group of 24 French students and lecturers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Ecole d'Ingénieurs Paris were taken on a city tour of Shanghai's Suzhou Creek.
SPEIT and City News Service, Shanghai's one-stop information and service portal, co-organized the tour to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations and the Année Franco-Chinoise Du Tourisme Culturel 2024.
The tour began at the Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial, or the former Joint Savings Bank warehouse, and continued through relics of the former National Commercial Bank warehouse, the former Ewo Press Packing Co warehouse, Zhejiang Road Bridge, Shenyuli shikumen-style architecture, Shanghai's Temple of the Queen of Heaven, or Mazu Temple, and finally to the former Chamber of Commerce Shanghai clubhouse, along Suzhou Creek, one of Shanghai's two mother rivers.
The Zhejiang Road Bridge across Suzhou Creek.
Standing in front of Sihang, they listened to the accounts of Chinese forces battling Japanese invaders from August to November 1937, in what has come to be known as the Battle of Shanghai. The old warehouse's façade has the traces of 430 bullets and eight cannon holes.
A group photo in front of the Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial
The former National Commercial Bank warehouse buildings are now only recognizable by their decrepit façade. Members of the group gazed up at a blurred impression of the bank's signboard on top of the wall and inspected two envelopes from roughly a century ago that bore the bank's name and address.
The tour is seen in front of the former National Commercial Bank warehouse.
The former Ewo Press Packing Co warehouse
The shikumen (stone-gate) neighborhood of Shenyuli near Shanghai Suhewan MIXC World has become a fashionable waterfront location along Suzhou Creek. The area also features the Mazu Temple, Tian Hou Gong, also known as the Queen of Heaven temple. The fabled character of Mazu was considered to be able to protect and bless fishermen and merchants at sea. Before its refurbishment, Shanghai's Mazu Temple accommodated tenants.
The group listens to explanations along Suzhou Creek.
The inner ceiling of the Temple of the Queen of Heaven.
The tour concluded in the former Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, the first chamber of commerce in China.
The excursion included a bird's-eye view from a Suhewan skyscraper at the juncture where the Suzhou Creek converges with the Huangpu River.
Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River had varied roles during different stages of Shanghai's history. After Shanghai was opened up and swiftly became a Chinese metropolis, the Huangpu River connected it to other countries, while Suzhou Creek connected it to the hinterland and was also responsible for the industrial development of both foreign and national firms.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It talked about Shanghai's history. It was quite instructive because the guide was excellent and discussed a lot of topics that we couldn't have learned by strolling there," said Simon Le Cam, an exchange student from France with the SPEIT.
"The activity was quite interesting. Because Shanghai is relatively modern, this truly depicts Shanghai's history," said Delphine Willocq, a physics professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
"I've been in Shanghai for many years. Shanghai is a fantastic place for people with creative minds. Every district has changed and I like the changes," said Ziad Moumni, a SPEIT professor of mechanics, engineering, and material sciences.
"I enjoyed the clear explanations and beautiful photos for each place we visited today. I was particularly drawn to the Joint Savings Bank Warehouse because of its historical architecture. It is better to have such a historical topic tour with explanations than to travel alone."
Ziad Moumni, a SPEIT professor of mechanics, engineering, and material sciences, at the Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial.
