Shendang Town is located in the northwest of Haiyan, adjacent to the urban areas of Jiaxing on the north. In recent years, it has been honored as a demonstration unit for the construction of rural happy communities and a demonstration town of barrier-free environment at the national level, and a leading education town, a science popularization town, a town rich in East China Sea Culture, an ecologically friendly town, a culturally advanced town, a literary town, a forest town, a model town of beautiful villages, a beautiful model town, a 4A scenic town and a model town for garbage sorting at the provincial level. It has been a harmonious and safe town for 18 years, where residents enjoy a happy, safe and comfortable life.

Shendang is an ancient town with a history of more than 1,000 years. In the ancient times it was a marshland with lots of puddles. Literally, “Shendang” means a pond. The earliest prehistoric cultural site- Majiabang Culture Site is located in Pengcheng of the town. The history of the town dates back to 222 B.C. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it belonged to Yongtai Town (later named Yongning Town). In the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) it was part of Wudu of Yongning Town, and at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1644) it was part of Shendang District. In 1932, Shendang Town was established. “Shendang is a big town with many rivers, such as Xiashi River, running towards different directions. The town is 13 kilometers away from the urban areas of Haiyan and the residents of the northwest of Haiyan like to visit it. In the town there are oil mills, pawnshops and 500 to 600 markets selling grain, silk, bamboo and wood,” according to Atlas of Haiyan County.

Shendang is a town with splendid culture. The long history and profound culture create a characteristic cultural and natural environment where you can appreciate cute bridges, clear rivers, peaceful fishing villages, old streets, old houses, old ancestral halls, time-honored wine, old lanes, old ponds and old temples. Ancestral Hall of the Qian Family, which was built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt from 1704 to 1710, is located in Zhongqian Village and is the only well-preserved ancestral hall in Jiaxing. Constructed in 1705, Shendang Bridge is a three-hole arched granite bridge, and was moved to Chenjiagang in 1998. With a history of 136 years, Shendang Shaoxing Wine Co., Ltd. has inherited old traditional making techniques, and now is the oldest enterprise in Haiyan. In recent years, this town has constructed and improved many culture projects such as the cultural exhibition hall for those “old things” mentioned above, Zhu Jusheng Memorial Hall, Culture and Art Center, Shendang Granary Culture Industry Park and the shops along Gangnanxi Road, Small West Street and Benhu Road Culture, making the town more vigorous and attractive and indicating the town has achieved new progress in the integrated development of culture and tourism.

Shendang is a town enjoying a developed transport network. With a superior location and a developed water and land transportation network, Shendang borders Nanhu District on the north, and connects Hangzhou-Pudong Expressway on the south and Jiaxing-Shaoxing Expressway on the west. It is one-hour drives away from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Ningbo and is not far from such international airports as Pudong, Hongqiao and Xiaoshan. The town boasts a main and two secondary land transportation hubs, namely Jiaxing-Nanbeihu Highway, Haiyan-Wangdian Highway and Haiyan-Baibu Highway. In addition, it boasts a Grade 4 Haiyan-Jiaxing Waterway. As the north gate of Haiyan, it is only 15 minutes’ drives from Jiaxingnan Railway Station.

Shendang is planning to build a new city integrating into Jiaxing. Based on the target of constructing “A Beautiful Ancient Water Town, a New City Integrating into Jiaxing”, it will continue to make organic renewal of the ancient town and construct the new city integrating into Jiaxing in 2024. To this end, it will take the following measures: The first is to accelerate efforts to construct top-end residential complexes and provide quality public services and intelligent life facilities to build a new type of life zones characterized by “future communities”; the second is to promote the organic renewal in an orderly manner to construct a charming and distinctive ancient block rich in culture, “old things” mentioned above and comfortable life; the third is to upgrade Shendang Shaoxing Wine Block and Old Benhu Granary to a “bridgehead” integrating into Jiaxing based on the target of building a provincial-level modern beautiful town, a traditional model landscape zone, a pilot urban organic renewal zone and municipal-level characteristic landscape town.