Double Bridge

The Double Bridge (双桥) is Zhouzhuang's most recognisable landmark — two stone arched spans joined at right angles, one semicircular and one square-shouldered, in a configuration that resembles the shape of an ancient door key. They were built during the Ming dynasty, and the combination of their silhouette against the water and the surrounding rooflines has made this the single most photographed corner of the town.

The World Bridge spans the main canal while the Eternal Peace Bridge crosses a smaller tributary; standing at their junction and looking outward, the view is much the same as it was in the painting that made the town famous. Get here before nine in the morning and you can have the spot almost entirely to yourself.

things to do sight
A story
The Double Bridge became famous after the Shanghai painter Chen Yifei depicted it in a 1984 oil painting called "Hometown Memories." When the painting was gifted to a United Nations official and reproduced widely, Zhouzhuang found itself on China's tourist map almost overnight — the bridge transformed a forgotten canal town into one of the country's most visited historic sites.