Shantang Street

Shantang Canal
Native name	山塘街 (Chinese)
Length	3,830 m (12,570 ft)
Location	Northwestern Gusu District, Suzhou
Construction
Inauguration	825 AD
Other
Status	Complete

Shantang Street (Chinese: 山塘街; pinyin: Shāntáng Jiē; Suzhou Wu: Se daon ka, Wu Chinese pronunciation: [se̞ dɑ̃ kɑ]), also known as Seven-li Shantang (Chinese: 七里山塘), is a street in northwestern Gusu District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. The street connects Changmen (Chinese: 阊门) in the east with Huqiu in the west, with a total length of about 3,829.6 meters (2.38 miles),^[1] or a little more than seven li or traditional "Chinese miles".^[2] Due to the great history and events involving Shantang Street it is sometimes stated as being the "First Street in Shuzou".^[3]

In 2015, the Shantang Street Scenic Area was added to the list of China's "National Historic and Cultural Streets".^[4]

History

Construction of the Shantang Canal (Chinese: 山塘河) started in 825 AD, during the Tang Dynasty by Bai Juyi, 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 (Chinese: 白公堤) in honor of Bai Juyi. A street was then built on the dam, which later became the modern-day Shantang Street.^[2][5][6][7]

Along with Pingjiang Road, the street was declared a Historical and cultural block of China (Chinese: 中国历史文化街区) in 2015.^[8]

Today, it is a popular tourist destination with visitors being attracted by the heritage nature of the buildings and the various old stone bridges.^[9]