Yangshupu Water Plant, Historical waterworks in Yangpu District, China
Yangshupu Water Plant is a working waterworks in Yangpu District, Shanghai, built in a style that resembles an English castle with brick towers and crenellated walls along Yangshupu Road. The facility runs several production lines that supply drinking water to multiple districts across the city.
The Yangshupu Water Plant was founded in 1883 as China's first modern waterworks, built to bring running water to the foreign concession areas of Shanghai. Over the 20th century it expanded steadily, and it continues to operate today as both a working facility and a protected heritage site.
The plant houses a museum where visitors can explore the history of water supply in Shanghai through exhibitions and old equipment on display. The brick buildings, with their castle-like towers and battlements, show how British architectural styles were brought to China in the late 19th century.
The site sits along Yangshupu Road in Yangpu District and can be reached by bus or metro, with several stops nearby. Since part of the facility is still an active waterworks, access to certain areas may be limited, so it is worth checking in advance which sections are open to visitors.
The outer walls of Yangshupu Water Plant, visible from Yangshupu Road, look more like a medieval fortress than an industrial site, with brick battlements running along the street front. This contrast between the appearance of an English castle and its actual role as a water treatment facility makes it one of the more unusual buildings in Shanghai.
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