Visited Luodian Town (罗店镇) today, after a tip from Ash. It’s super deep in Baoshan, beyond the Outer Ring Road, beyond some green patches, close to Taicang (太仓). It’s so far out that it doesn’t feel like Shanghai at all.

The village is spacious and has lots of trees around the roads, apart from the small alley where the market is held. It’s crowded, people are screaming, sweating, chopping animals to pieces. Scooters honk. It feels like I’ve entered a pirate nest, or some cowboy movie.

The main site to visit today is an old bridge (丰德桥), originally built in wood in 1710 and then rebuilt a few times, the last time over 100 years ago. Its river (老练祁河) no longer exists, but the bridge still stands among the old houses. Nobody really seems to use the bridge anymore — people walk around and underneath it — except perhaps for shelter.

Bridges are built on borders — they help you go from one side of town to the other side. As a student, I cycled across the IJssel, crossing the province border twice a day for 8 years. The bridge in Luodian Town no longer signals such a border. It’s a mere reminder of a time, long ago.