Shanghai Suzhou Creek Boat Tour: Historic Landmarks & Modern Art

Join me as I travel on a revitalized Suzhou Creek by boat from the Changhua Road Docks near the M50 art space all the way to the Bund. The weather was unbelievably good especially after the previous day had been a full day of rain.

Suzhou Creek (or Soochow Creek), also called the Wusong (Woosung) River, is a river that passes through the Shanghai city center. It is named after the neighboring city of Suzhou (Soochow), Jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area prior to the rise of Shanghai as a metropolis.

One of the principal outlets of Lake Tai in Wujiang District of Suzhou, Suzhou Creek is 125 km (78 mi) long, of which 54 km are within the administrative region of Shanghai and 24 km within the city's highly urbanized parts. It flows into the Huangpu River at the northern end of the Bund in Huangpu District.

Since 1992, the Shanghai Municipal Government has been pursuing a redevelopment of the area. In 1998, authorities launched the Suzhou Creek Rehabilitation Project, a 12-year-program to improve the water quality, mitigate flood impact, introduce wastewater and water resource management and push for urban revitalization and a higher living standard in the desolated areas along Suzhou River. In the meantime, Suzhou River is considered clean enough to host annual rowing competitions.

Due to its location in the former International Settlement, a number of landmarks from that period can be found along or close to Suzhou Creek. Following the river westward from its confluence, important or famous places include:

Huangpu Park and the northern end of the Bund

Astor House

Consulate-General of Russia

Shanghai Mansions (previously Broadway Mansions)

Shanghai General Post Office

Suzhou Creek Art District...