Shantang Street (; Suzhou Wu: Se daon ka, ), also known as Seven-mile Shantang (), is a street in northwestern Gusu District,

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. The street connects Changmen () in the east with Huqiu in the west, with a total length of about 3,829.6 meters (2.38 miles), or a little more than seven li or traditional "Chinese miles". Due to the great history and events involving Shantang Street it is sometimes stated as being the "First Street in Shuzou". In 2015, the Shantang Street Scenic Area was added to the list of China's "National Historic and Cultural Streets".

History

Construction of the Shantang Canal () started in 825 AD, during the Tang Dynasty by

Bai Juyi Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...

, a poet and the ''Cishi'' (modern-day equivalent of the prefectural governor) of Suzhou, to provide a link between Huqiu and the city. The sludge that was dug out from the construction formed a dam along the north bank of the canal known as Baigong Dam () in honor of Bai Juyi. A street was then built on the dam, which later became the modern-day Shantang Street. Along with

Pingjiang Road Pingjiang Road (), historically known as Shiquan Li (Chinese:十泉里), is a street and historic district in Gusu District (formerly the Pingjiang District), northeastern Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. It is a well-preserved area and is part of the so ...

, the street was declared a ''Historical and cultural block of China'' () in 2015. Today, it is a popular tourist destination with visitors being attracted by the heritage nature of the buildings and the various old stone bridges.

References

External links

苏州山塘街
- Official site
Suzhou Shantang Street
- Official English site

- Mildchina Gusu District Tourist attractions in Suzhou History of Suzhou Geography of Suzhou {{Suzhou-stub