Qiandeng Ancient Town (literally Town of Thousand Lamps) is within the administrative area of Kunshan City, Suzhou and is located 15 kilometers south of Kunshan City. Qiandeng Town, a AAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration and one of the third batch of China's Historical and Cultural Towns, has 3 Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the Provincial Level, and 7 Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the Municipal Level.
Qiandeng Town is set in the alluvial plain of Yangtze River Delta. Except Shaoqing Hill, a single hill in the area, the Town has a flat landscape and falls into the semi-high paddy field area of Southern Kunshan. Qiandeng Town abounds in waterways, crossed by Wusong River, Shangshu River, Liuyu River, Yingchun River, etc, and is an important part of the Dianmao Water System in the Taihu Lake Basin.
Most of the dwellings in Qiandeng Ancient Town are built by the riverside to offer a life living abreast with water. More than 80,000 square meters of the ancient architectural complexes, parallel to the town's major river--Shangshu River, are lined on both sides of the stone-tableted street. The Yongfu Bridge, Zhongfu Bridge and other ancient bridges that span over the Shangshu River connect the river, street, houses and lanes into one. The layout of the Town is featured by “water parallel to land, and street adjacent to river". The Town also boasts a number of cultural sites such as Qinfeng Tower, Former Residence of Gu Yanwu, Yu’s Pawnshop, Thousand Lamp Museum, and Weijing’s Tomb. These architectures embody the typical architectural styles of Suzhou and Huizhou merchant groups, which are two major merchant groups in this area.
Qiandeng is the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, the world’s intangible heritage. Kunqu Opera, formerly known as "Kunshan melody”, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. People in Qiandeng Town has kept a custom of listening to and singing the Kunqu Opera at the time of new year, festivals, wedding ceremonies and other occasions.
