Many domestic visitors touring Zhujiajiao Ancient Town in Qingpu District joked they felt like foreigners themselves, as the centuries-old water town sees an unprecedented surge in international travelers.

Walking across iconic Fangsheng Bridge or waiting for canal boat rides on weekdays, visitors encounter crowds of overseas tourists everywhere. Shop owners routinely greet guests in English, creating a cross-cultural atmosphere rarely seen in traditional Chinese scenic spots.

Official tourism data underscores the trend. As of August 2026, Zhujiajiao has received over 5 million visitors in total, a 26.25 percent year-on-year increase. International tourist arrivals reached 1.49 million, rising 23.11 percent from last year. Foreign travelers are increasingly shifting their attention from Shanghai's classic landmarks — the Bund and Yuyuan Garden — to this authentic water town in Qingpu.

A viral sensation on TikTok and Xiaohongshu, Zhujiajiao captivates global tourists with its poetic scenery, featuring sunset over Fangsheng Bridge, leisurely canal rowing boats and local street delicacies including zongzi (a wrapped steamed glutinous rice dumpling with different fillings) and braised pork.

Enhanced visa-free entry policies and direct Metro Line 17 access have turned the ancient town into an easy, spontaneous travel destination. Travelers from Portugal, Russia and Japan have flocked here following social media recommendations and travel guides. Many first-time visitors say they are amazed by the "living ancient town" vibe, where historic architecture blends naturally with everyday local life, rather than staged tourism scenery.

Unlike commercialized tourist sites, Zhujiajiao retains genuine community vitality. More than 2,500 permanent residents still live within the ancient core area. Daily scenes of hanging laundry on riverside bamboo poles, stone benches worn smooth by decades of use and locals shelling beans in alleyways preserve an authentic lifestyle rarely captured in short online clips.

This immersive encounter with ordinary neighborhood life defines Zhujiajiao's unique charm. Tourists experience not only antique architecture and water views but also the real rhythm of local residents, creating layered, unforgettable travel experiences.

To accommodate booming global visits, local businesses have embraced international service upgrades. Shop owners have learned basic English phrases and downloaded real-time translation tools. Multilingual menus and four-language intelligent tour guides in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean are now available across the scenic area. Some vendors even greet departing guests in Russian, reflecting grassroots-level international openness.

Zhujiajiao's growing global popularity stems from organic adaptation rather than artificial packaging. Instead of remodeling itself to cater to foreign stereotypes of China, the ancient town has upgraded services based on real tourist demand.

By preserving authentic local culture while improving multilingual, traveler-friendly facilities, Zhujiajiao stands out as a model of balanced cultural inheritance and open tourism development. It showcases Shanghai's inclusive urban temperament and introduces genuine, living Chinese traditional culture to the world.