Qibao is a lovely ancient water town 18 km south of Shanghai. Untouched by modern commercialism, it’s full of small traditional Chinese houses and neatly built temples, instead of towering skyscrapers. For those looking for a getaway from congested, hectic city life, Qibao is the place to visit.

Though today it stands meek in the shadow of Shanghai, Qibao was once an important city. Established during the Song Dynasty, it rose to prominence as a trade hub during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

One of the most important sites of this ancient water town is Qibao Temple, said to bring the town luck and prosperity. It’s difficult to say if it was the town that inspired the name of the temple or vice versa. The temple was built to house seven treasures – the iron Buddha, the bronze bell, the golden lotus sutra, a 1000 year-old catalpa tree, a jade axe, a gold cockerel, and a pair of jade chopsticks. Sadly, the original temple is no longer standing – the current building was built in 2002 – and only two of these treasures remain. Still, the new Qibao Temple covers 155 acres and is a lovely collection of halls and gardens.

The town also boasts a lovely pavilion at its center. Visitors can buy coins to use in the shops inside, where they can buy everything from books to food to souvenirs.

There’s also a cricket museum, which is quite unique. There are sometimes fights between two of the small green insects, on which people can bet. Cricket fighting was a very popular sport during ancient times and it still is.

Authentic Chinese food is easy to come by in Qibao, and even if you don’t want to pay the entrance fees for the attractions it’s a great place to walk around and enjoy a beautiful day in an authentic old Chinese water town.

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