Qībǎo

Lonely Planet review

The gǔzhèn (ancient town) of Qībǎo - literally 'Seven Treasures' dates back to the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960-1127). Easily reached from town, the ancient settlement prospered during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now, it's run by the quaintly named Shanghai Qibao Ancient Town Tourism Exploitation Co. It's overrun with visitors, but is also littered with traditional, historic architecture.

Worth ferreting out is the excellent Catholic Church adjacent to a convent off Nanjie, south of the canal. The single-spire edifice dates back to 1867 - pop inside and admire the bright, whitewashed interior, cooled by overhead fans and containing a confessional, small shuttered windows and an attractively painted ceiling. The church isn't on the official map, but it's down an alley off Yu'tang Jie. Watch out for the dogs that sit in the courtyard; they don't always take to foreigners.

A ticket office officially exists at the entrance to the town, but is sometimes shut, so just wander in. There are plenty of places to eat. In the heat of summer, don't pass on the chǎobīng (炒冰; literally 'stir-fried ice'), platefuls of flavoured ground-up ice (around Y2 ) ideal for slaking a thirst and bringing the mercury shooting down.