Suzhou River Cruise

The first phase of the Suzhou Creek water route, from Changfeng Park Wharf in Putuo District to the Bund Origin Wharf in Huangpu District, covers five districts: Huangpu, Hongkou, Jing'an, Changning, and Putuo. It is approximately 17 kilometers long and takes about two hours. The first batch of operating wharves includes Bund Origin, Sihang Warehouse, Changhua Road, and Changfeng Park.

When Shanghainese mention Suzhou Creek, there is always an inexplicable emotion, tinged with vicissitudes and nostalgia. The former prosperity and extravagance along its banks have been replaced by new buildings, and the grievances of the "Ten-Mile Foreign Concession" have long faded from the stage of history, leaving only the quiet river. As a witness to modern Shanghai, Suzhou Creek has left behind many representative historical buildings, such as Waibaidu Bridge, Shanghai General Post Office, the former British Consulate, and the former site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce, forming a special nostalgic landscape of modern Shanghai.

The rise of industry along Suzhou Creek once led to severe pollution of the river water. The black and foul-smelling river once affected people's environment and lives, and even fish and shrimp disappeared from the urban sections of the river, earning it the nickname "blooming black peony." After a series of remediation projects, the dormant Suzhou Creek finally awakened. With lush trees on both banks, not only has the water quality significantly improved, but it also, in conjunction with historical buildings and creative parks along its banks, forms a new landmark in Shanghai and has opened up a night cruise route on Suzhou Creek.

Suzhou Creek is 125 kilometers long. It originates from Taihu Lake and flows into the Huangpu River near Waibaidu Bridge, making it the second-largest river within Shanghai. Before Shanghai's opening as a port, Suzhou Creek was always called Wusong River. More precisely, the lower section of the Wusong River east of BeixinJing was called "Suzhou Creek," reportedly because foreigners discovered they could take a boat from this river to Suzhou, hence the name. Flowing for 5,000 years, Suzhou Creek records Shanghai's historical changes from ancient times to the present, and its long journey from prosperity to decline and then to remediation and restoration also represents the development footprint of Shanghai over the past century.