JUST 33 kilometers from downtown Shanghai, visitors with a penchant for history and culture can explore Jiading District's ancient Jiading Town. Fei Lai looks at a unique piece of culture

Exploring ancient towns is always a delightful experience. Time flows silently and easily back to ancient days with each change of scenery.

In Shanghai, Jiading District's Jiading Town, listed as one of China's famous historical and cultural towns, is a destination that culture enthusiasts should not miss.

Displaying a profound history, traditions and lifestyle of a Jiangnan (region south of the Yangtze River) watertown to the full, it has directly influenced the formation of the district's culture today.

Covering 4.17 square kilometers, the town is 33 kilometers from the city's downtown and 12 kilometers from the Hongqiao Airport.

The local government has emphasized the preservation of the cultural heritage of the ancient town.

In the past decade several museums and memorial halls have been built and renovated. These include the Lu Yanshao Art Museum, the Exhibition Hall of Gu Weijun's Life, the China National Museum of Imperial Examinations, the Jiading History Exhibition Hall and the Jiading Bamboo Carving Museum.

Especially during the years from 2005 to 2007, the district government has spent 287 million yuan (US$42 million) to preserve and renovate cultural heritages in the old town.

Before the Spring and Autumn Period (770-467 BC), people were living there. The area was called Lianqi City in ancient times. The name came from the local river called Lianqi (which is now found at Ximen old street) in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).

Newcomers to the town are surprised at its unique water system.

With high-quality water, the moat around the town has been well preserved. The moat connects with the Hengli River, which runs from south to east, and the Lianqi River, which runs from east to west. The three make up the unique water system and form a cross and a circle shape.

Along the rivers, there are docks, arched bridges and old homes, all of them are reflected in the water and echo the harmony and beauty of a classical watertown.

The ancient town also preserves some of the ramparts built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and extended in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The Fahua Pagoda, known as the Jinsha Pagoda by local people, is the ancient town's major landmark. It was built during the Song Dynasty.

An interesting legend says candidates in Jiading were always failing the imperial examination. So the pagoda was built on the bank of the Lianqi River. Its name "Fahua" was derived from a Buddhist sutra meaning "Buddhism is radiating the light of wisdom to every person."

From then on, the number of juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) and jinshi (a successful candidate in the national examination) increased year after year.

Inside the seven-story pagoda, there are wooden stairs. There are also precious relics of the Song, Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming dynasties found in the basement including statues of Buddha, sutras and jade.

Fahua Pagoda was renovated on a grand scale about 100 years after it was first built. By the time of the Ming Dynasty, it was in poor shape again, with only the base sound. It stayed this way until 1608, when a Ming official raised funds to renovate it.

He successfully maintained the seven-level pagoda structure which was made of bricks and wooden materials.

In 1994, the pagoda underwent a renovation organized by the local government.

Nowadays, the 40-meter structure boasts elegant eaves on each level. From the top, visitors can enjoy a view of the ancient town. The white walls and black tile roofs of two-story houses are dotted here and there in the picturesque scenery.

Looking into the distance, one can also see high-rise buildings, which tell different stories about the district's rapid economic development.

The ancient town is also known for its education and culture.

The most impressive temple is the Confucius Temple built in the Southern Song Dynasty. It was originally a place for people to pay homage to Confucius, the thinker and social philosopher who has so deeply influenced the thought and life of the nation.

His ideologies, such as the five virtues of human duty (kindness, uprightness, decorum, wisdom and faithfulness), have been passed down for generations.

Inside the temple, three stone bridges, each decorated with stone lions, lead visitors to the temple's main area, Dacheng Hall, where a statue of Confucius and some memorial tablets from his followers can be seen.

Outside, three large memorial archways inscribed with Chinese characters tower overhead to show people's respect.

Depicting the words and actions of Confucius and his disciples, "The Analects of Confucius," an ancient work also known as "Lun Yu" in Chinese, is carved in a large monument in the hall.

Next to the main hall stands the imperial examination museum. It displays records of Chinese imperial examinations from ancient times. They are considered the most complete relics of their kind in the country.

The imperial examination was the fundamental system of selecting officials in feudal China.

During the Song and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the temple alone cultivated a total of 192 jinshi who ranked first in the examination.

The cultural relics of the imperial examination include test papers and honor rolls collected from different dynasties. There are also illustrations telling the life stories of those who ranked first in the examinations.

Visitors can get a thorough understanding of the procedures through detailed introductions, precious historical objects and materials.

The ancient town has also preserved three schools which date back more than 100 years - Qiliang, Putong and Lianxi.

The ancient town is also famous for its classic gardens and former residences of famous people.

Qiuxia Garden, one of the most famous classic gardens in Shanghai, is found in the town. It used to be a private garden belonging to an official from 1506 to 1566. In the Qing Dynasty, it was rebuilt into a back garden of the Chenghuang (City God) Temple, where officials and landlords could offer sacrifices, and enjoy banquets and entertainment.

The design of the garden has a pond at its center. With a rockery to the south of the pond, winding paths, towering trees and small halls, it is a unique landscape.

The garden also displays 17 rare and precious steles from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Built in the Ming Dynasty, the Huilong Pond Garden is another interesting attraction. Once the confluence of five local rivers, it forms a picture of five dragons scrabbling for a pearl.

The area around the pond has been developed into a park by the local government. Dotted with temples, pavilions, bridges, it's a place worth lingering in for a while.

Jiading's bamboo carving is a major cultural highlight. One of the largest schools of China's bamboo-carving history, it is still a popular art form in the district.

Local artists integrate calligraphy, paintings, poems, literature and printing on bamboo with a simple knife injecting vitality into bamboo.

Carrying profound cultural connections, bamboo carving has been popular among intellectuals since ancient times.

Jiangnan sizhu, a style of traditional Chinese instrumental music, has been listed as one of Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage items.

The instruments typically used in Jiangnan sizhu include plucked, bowed and struck string instruments. Flutes, mouth organs and some small percussion instruments are also used sometimes.

The district's bamboo-weaving handicrafts are also known at home and abroad.

To maintain the cultural connections with the ancient town, residents in Jiading District have start spontaneously preserving the old to offer a genuine atmosphere for visitors.