From commerce to craft, Hongqiao Town has rich heritage

Spanning the Puhuitang River, a tributary of the Huangpu River that gracefully winds through Songjiang, Minhang and Xuhui districts in Shanghai, stands the Wangyun Bridge.

According to legend, after rainfall, rainbows would vividly arch across the sky above this bridge. This enchanting phenomenon led to the bridge being named "Hongqiao," which translates to "rainbow bridge" in Chinese.

Over time, the surrounding area developed into what is now known as Hongqiao Town.

Commerce first gathered around the town in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In June 1950 the village of Hongqiao was firstly established as an administrative zone.

In 1993 the town of Hongqiao under the administration of Minhang was formed.

It was Shanghai's crop and vegetable sourcing area, as well as a place noted for its husbandry sector.

"Now we are building our 'building economy' in the town's 11.08 square kilometers' administrative zone," said Han Xiaoxiao, a town official.

"We make use of our limited land and gather the upper, middle, lower reaches of our industrial sectors in one building. Now we have 11 buildings that each yield 100-million-yuan (US$13.72 million) or above tax revenue," Han added.

Its "building economy" also include shopping venues such as Ala Town, The Mixc and Aegean Place.

"Hongqiao is a prosperous town and its people treasure its history," said Han.

Wang Mingshun, a retired town official, collected objects of everyday use. As the collection expanded and his family faced a relocation, his daughter-in-law suggested donating part of it to the Hongqiao History and Culture Museum.

An upward-tilting fish-style vase with red back and white belly is a typical Shanghai object.

"There used to be a pair of such vases yet only one of them remains," said Han. "And the old man donated the one left."

Among the collection there are a compass, welfare lottery tickets, glass marbles, a quilt bat, tailor's book, desk clock and porcelain artworks.

"The old objects in a public venue allow both local people and new residents to understand the past of the place and therefore to have a sense of belonging in the area. That is important," Han said.

"Especially for the new residents, it's like making a new friend. You are not only satisfied with knowing their current condition. You also wish to know stories of their past in order to approach them nearer psychologically," the young official, who hails from Changzhou City of neighboring Jiangsu Province, said.

Hongqiao also honors its past cultural relics including Anguo Temple and Jingting Temple.

Anguo Temple used to be as famous as the Longhua and Ningguo temples in Shanghai. Formerly at the site of now Lane 388 Wuzhong Road, the temple had withstood several fires and was finally dismantled in the 1970s.

Its temple bell is now preserved inside the Shanghai Museum.

At the crossing between Hongjing and Wuzhong roads, there once stood Jingting Temple. Its name originated from a well (井,jing) and a pavilion (亭,ting) in the vicinity. Two ginkgo trees, each about 500 years old and 1 meter in diameter, stood in front of the temple.

The well and pavilion were dismantled for traffic flow in the 1970s and the gingko trees withered thereafter.

In 1997 a new well and pavilion were restored as a new regional cultural icon together with newly planting of gingko trees.

Hongqiao is also home to many retirees-turned craftsperson.

"Its residents pursued hobbies devotedly in their spare time," said Shen Yunyun, chief of Hongqiao's Hong art and culture center.

Yao Guanlin has been interested in and practising seal engraving for more than three decades.

In 2023, his 520 seal engraving works bearing the dialect of Hongqiao Town were exhibited at the Hong center.

He had acknowledged two seal engraving artists as his masters. In 2007 when he participated in a village illustration and seal cutting exhibition in Hongqiao, it suddenly occurred to him the town's local dialect has tremendous value and if he applied it in seal carving this might yield meaningful artworks.

"For example, the Hongqiao dialect '困夢頭里笑出聲' literally means one giggles in his dream," said Yao. "The expression really describes a blissful moment in our human experience."

Wang Feng was 89 when her woolen works were displayed at the Hong center craftsperson works exhibition in 2024.

She loves knitting, and after retirement she was a teacher for years at the knitting class of the senior's college in Fudan University.

Knitting keeps her mind sharp and she is able to knit neatly while still chatting with others. In a blink of an eye, half of a sleeve can be well accomplished.

Her unique "one-thread-to-the-end" knitting technique enables a craftsperson to knit a work without showing any thread end. She designs patterns, illustrates maps and publishes six knitting textbooks.

She used to knit sweaters for free for lone senior residents in her community.

Her good Samaritan deeds reached Hengyuanxiang Yarn, a Shanghai yarn and costume brand. And the latter donated yarns for free for Wang to knit clothes for people in need.

"We have about 20-30 matured retiree-turned craftsperson in our town," said Shen. "And the Hong center serves as a platform to make good use of their skills."

The craftspersons in the trades of sachet making, clay sculpting, calligraphy, leaf painting, cloth collage and others can not only hold exhibitions in the Hong center, but also teach their students from different age groups such as elementary school students, as well as seniors and white-collar workers, according to Shen.

About Hongqiao Town 虹橋鎮

Located in the northeast of Minhang District, Hongqiao Town borders Xuhui and Changning districts. Once known as Shanghai's "vegetable basket," it has since transformed into a thriving center for the "building economy." This evolution reflects not only its remarkable success in economic development but also its unwavering commitment to fostering culture and the arts.