We call Suzhou Creek Shanghai's mother river, just like the Seine in Paris and the Thames in London. Today there are 31 bridges on Suzhou Creek.

Suzhou Creek

Suzhou Creek is 125 kilometers long, with 53km within Shanghai and then into the Huangpu River. We called her the mother river of Shanghai, just like the Seine in Paris and the Thames in London.

More than 1,000 years ago, Suzhou Creek was called Wusong River, connecting Taihu Lake and the sea.

In 1403, when a Ming Dynasty official was assigned to control the Wusong River, a wise man gave him some advice to abandon the river and widen its tributaries to make a new river. After another 100 years, in 1569, the Wusong River was injected into the Huangpu River at today's Waibaidu Bridge.

The part of the Wusong River flowing into downtown Shanghai was first called the Soochow Creek in modern times, because it came from Taihu Lake passing through Suzhou and now we call it Suzhou Creek.

In the last century, Suzhou Creek was heavily polluted, but after more than 30 years of continuous treatment by the Shanghai government, a beautiful mother river finally returned.

There are two roads on both banks of the Suzhou Creek: North Suzhou Road and South Suzhou Road.

Waibaidu Bridge

Among the 31 bridges on Suzhou Creek, the first one is the Waibaidu Bridge, or Garden Bridge.

This all-steel riveted bridge was completed in 1907. But as early as in 1856, there was a wooden bridge here, and people had to pay to cross it. Later, the bridge was damaged and a new bridge was built so that everyone could cross it for free.

In 2008, the century-old bridge underwent a major renovation, replacing 40 percent of the steel rivets, nearly 63,000, and applying a silver-gray anti-rust paint to restore the bridge to its original glory.

Before, there was a Wusong Road Floodgate Bridge, built for flood control, which was retired when the Waibaidu Bridge was overhauled and returned to its original position.

The Waibaidu Bridge has featured in many movies and dramas including Steven Spielberg's award-winning film "Empire of the Sun" and Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution." The opening of this bridge was a symbol of modernization and industrialization.

Shanghai Mansions

Built in 1934, at a cost of 5 million silver dollars by a real estate company run by Victor Sassoon, this upscale structure has 22 floors. It originally had a foreign name: Broadway Mansions, while Daming Road there was then called Broadway Road. Many government heads met with Chinese leaders here, and the famous 18th-floor observation deck overlooks the entire Bund.

There are "four treasures of the hotel" ― the grand piano flown to Shanghai from the UK in 1932, the phonograph made by Victory Company of the United States in 1917, the century-old OTIS hand-cranked elevator, and an old British snooker table placed in the British bar.

The Origin of the Bund

On this side of Suzhou Creek, we can see a church, called Union Church (新天安堂). There are many old buildings designed by famous architects on Yuanmingyuan Road and Huqiu Road. This area is known as the Origin of the Bund and is the Bund's latest round of renovation.

Cruise on the river

There are two types of cruise boat on Suzhou River. One is called "Time and Space Shuttle," with glass windows on the top and both sides, allowing riders to have a good view of the Suzhou Creek, with old and new buildings and bridges of different styles on both sides.

Boats are only allowed to travel when the tide is low, meaning the boat doesn't operate every day.

Zhapu Road Bridge

Except for the Waibaidu Bridge, all the bridges are named after roads.

The first one is Zhapu Road Bridge, which was built in 1873; the current structure was built in 1927.

This bridge is often called a "photo master bridge," because here you can take pictures of Suzhou Creek, Waibaidu Bridge, Huangpu River and the skylines of Pudong at the same time, and the nightview is particularly charming. Many people are staying on the bridge, waiting for a suitable time to take pictures, or just enjoy the view.

On the southern bank of the bridge, you could see a very popular café where you can enjoy both sides of the river.

Sichuan Road Bridge

The bridge was built in 1878, with the current structure constructed in 1922. The two buildings on the side are particularly striking.

Shanghai Postal Museum

There are two clock towers in the Bund area. The Great Customs Clock, at Bund No.13, which rings every day, is widely known. The other clock tower is located here, the original Shanghai General Post Office.

Completed in 1924, it is located on the west bank of the bridge. The Baroque-style clock tower on the top has two sets of bronze sculpture, the south-facing one with Hermes, the god of messengers and commerce in Greek mythology, in the middle, and the goddess of love on the left and right. The north-facing one with three people each holding a model of a locomotive, a ship and a telecommunication cable. These were all recast in 2005.

It is now the Shanghai Postal Museum with a collection of many valuable stamps and postal items.

Embankment Building

Completed in 1935, it was the largest residential apartment building in Shanghai in terms of total area of a single building, and the first river-view house in Shanghai. At that time, it was known as "the First Apartment in Asia," with a capacity of more than 2,000 people and a swimming pool. The most interesting moment is when viewed from the air, it presents an "S" shape, which represents the developer's initials – Sasson.

In the early days, it was mainly rented by the British, Americans and Spaniards. Columbia, MGM, the American Film Association, and other film industry organizations all rented this apartment to establish institutions. In 1938, the Jewish Refugee Reception Station in Shanghai was established here. Up to now, this is still a favorite location for films and dramas.

Henan Road Bridge

This bridge was built in 1875, rebuilt in 1927 as a concrete bridge, and opened to traffic in 2009 after another rebuilding.

On the north bank of the bridge is a gateway to the former site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce established in 1912 and completed in 1916.

Behind the gate is the main building, a three-story red brick structure that is now part of Bulgari Hotel Shanghai which opened in 2018. It is the sixth Bulgari hotel in the world and the second in China.

Shanxi Road Bridge

This is a small bridge, only for pedestrians and bicycles. The earliest wooden bridge was demolished in 1956 and the current bridge was built in 2007.

On the north bank, there is a new landmark of Suzhou Creek – Shanghai Suhewan MIXC World, where you could see the former site of Thean Hou Temple, as well as old shikumen (stone-gate) houses, large outdoor works by artists and modern commercial complex.

Fujian Road Bridge

This inconspicuous bridge has a long history. It is said in 1570, Ming Dynasty officials established the Wusong River Stone Gates here, and in 1735 these stone gates were moved away, that is why the bridge was called "the old gate bridge."

A wooden bridge was built here in 1885, and a concrete bridge was established in 1968 after several restorations and was rebuilt in 2004 and opened to traffic at the end of 2007.

Zhejiang Road Bridge

There was a wooden bridge here in 1880, and in 1906 it started to be converted into a steel truss bridge.

What does it look like? A fish bone.

It is a rare bridge structure, even worldwide.

It opened to traffic in 1908, almost at the same time as the Waibaidu Bridge, although it is not as famous. It was most recently restored in 2015.

On the south bank of the river, the black buildings are Yanqingli, an old-fashioned lane building built in 1920 and now it is a creative center.

Xizang Road Bridge

Like other bridges, it was built as a wooden bridge in 1853 and converted into a concrete bridge in 1922. After demolition in 2002, a new bridge was rebuilt in the original style and opened to traffic in 2004, with six lanes.

On the southeast bank of the bridge, the British Gas Company went into operation in 1865, being the first gas plant in China. There was a large black cylindrical gas storage tank on the southeast side of Xizang Road Bridge and Shanghai residents called it "gas bag." It was not until the late 1980s that it was moved away.

Sihang Warehouse

The Chinese, the name Sihang (四行) means four banks. At that time, four big banks jointly funded the construction of this five-story building to be used as a warehouse.

On the west side of the outer wall, you will find many holes. They are the bullet holes, 430 gunshot holes and eight shell holes in total.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), 452 soldiers were stationed here to resist the Japanese attack. They fought for four days and nights. These bullet holes were left 85 years ago.

In 2015, Sihang Warehouse Battle Memorial Hall opened to the public. In 2020, the popular movie "800" made people learn about this history, and many come here to honor the anti-Japanese heroes.

Wuzhen Road Bridge

It was built in 1929 as a six-hole wooden structure bridge, then destroyed in the war and rebuilt in 1948. The current bridge was built in 1999.

The south bank here is the 1908 Granary, which was originally a warehouse of the Imperial Bank of China, the first bank run by the Chinese.

Xinzha Bridge

It is said that the first floating bridge on Suzhou Creek was built here, corresponding to the old gate of Fujian Road Bridge in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the new gate built here in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In nearly 300 years, the new gate bridge evolved through multiple forms such as stone gates, floating bridges, wooden bridges, steel beams and steel arches. It was rebuilt and completed in 2001.

These brick buildings are the former site of Fuxin No. 1 Flour Factory, founded in 1922 by the Rong brothers from Wuxi, and they registered the first trademark in China. By 1922, they owned 12 flour mills, becoming the "flour king" in China.

Now it is the Suzhou Creek Art Center, while across the river is the South Suzhou Creek Creative Center, and next to it is the Jiuzi Park. The sculptures here display nine traditional children's games in Shanghai.

Hengfeng Road Bridge

First built in 1903 as a wooden bridge, the concrete bridge was later rebuilt in 1948, with the current version built in 1987 on the east side of the old one.

The Shanghai Railway Station is located not far from the bridge. The Suzhou Creek makes a bend and starts to go north from the bridge.

Changshou Road Bridge

The bridge, built in 1953, is the first bridge built over the Suzhou Creek after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and was widened in 1998 with three bridges side by side.

To the left of the bridge, the west bank of Suzhou Creek, is the famous M50 creative Park. Once a gathering place for many textile factories, M50, built in 2005, has attracted many artists from all over the world to open galleries here.

Changhua Road Bridge

It was also a wooden bridge in the 1940s and was converted into a concrete bridge in 1974. It was renewed in 2001. There are still some pedestrian seats on the bridge.

Children's Library of Jing'an District

This pretty little castle, the only castle library in Shanghai, is located in the Butterfly Bay because the green space looks like the wings of a butterfly when viewed from the air.

Changping Road Bridge

This bridge is very young, opening to traffic in 2020. Together with its reflection, it looks like a big eye, and people called it the "eye of Suzhou Creek."

Puji Road Bridge

Completed in 1997, it is the only bridge over the Suzhou Creek for non-motorized vehicles, and people can also walk on it. It has recently become a popular photo-shooting place.

Anyuan Road Bridge

This is the youngest bridge over the Suzhou Creek, which was just completed on December 1, 2022. It is catering to different needs such as walking, non-motorized vehicle.

Some fun facts about Suzhou Creek

• What is the total length of the Suzhou Creek? 125km
  
• How many bridges are there on the Suzhou Creek? 31
  
• How many bridges are not accessible to vehicle? 3
  
• How many Metro lines pass the Suzhou Creek? Lines 1, 8, 10, 12, 13