NanXiang Ancient Town - Photos by AliceLiu, China, Shanghai

Nanxiang was named Cha Creek in ancient times. When Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty founded the People's Republic of China, Nanxiang was just a desolate village. One day, when a local farmer was ploughing the land, he dug up a piece of rock more than ten feet long. As soon as the rock was exposed to the ground, a pair of red-crowned cranes hovered above it and landed on it to rest their feet. A monk named Deqi thought this was a Buddhist land and decided to build a Buddhist temple here. Oddly enough, donations came every day, day after day, in every direction the crane flew. Soon a large sum of money was raised and ground was broken for the building of the temple. In 505 (Liang Tianjian four years) built the White Crane Nanxiang Temple, because the temple into the town, then named Nanxiang. Nanxiang Town is one of the four historic towns in Shanghai, and once had the reputation of "Little Nanxiang Saisu City" in history. It has a long history, abundant cultural relics and historic sites, and abundant tourism resources. Town existing domestic rare five generations of brick pagoda, there is still the ancient Yi Garden for Nanxiang scenic spots. One mile north of the town, there is a hill named Crane Cha Mountain, according to legend for the Song Dynasty anti-Jin Han Shizhong built by the Beacon Tower. About a mile south of the town, there is the only golf course with night lighting in Shanghai -- Paris golf and country club of the east, covering an area of about 400 mu, which is the ideal stronghold for leisure and business. All these have laid a good foundation for Nanxiang's tourism industry. The Liuyun Zen Temple (formerly Yunxiang Temple) under construction will add a new element to Nanxiang's tourism industry