Century-old Suhe Creek · Tracing the Mint — One-day Suzhou Creek Walk from the Central Mint

🏅 This is an in-depth cultural journey from century-old minting to a riverside walk, and from industrial heritage to Shanghai-style elegance. The itinerary begins at the Shanghai Mint Museum, an important witness to the history of modern Chinese minting and the birthplace of the medals for the 48th WorldSkills Competition.

🏛️ The building housing the Shanghai Mint Museum was completed in 1922. It was jointly designed by the British firm Tonghe & Co. and the American architect Hewitt. Its Ionic columns and triangular pediment reflect the neoclassical architectural beauty of a century ago. The museum displays coins, moulds and minting equipment from different periods since the Central Mint began production in 1933. From silver and copper coins to the Beijing Olympic Games “gold-inlaid jade” medals, each exhibit carries the history of changes in China’s modern financial system and the development of minting techniques.

🔨 During the visit, you can also try hand-striking a commemorative medal. Place a blank planchet into the mould, swing the metal hammer and strike firmly. With a crisp sound, a medal made by your own hands takes shape, letting you feel a century of minting skill and craftsmanship in the moment of “one hammer to set the form”.

🏭 In the afternoon, take a City Walk along Suzhou Creek, from Bridge 8 Art Space to Guang’er Warehouse, from JK1933 to Suhe Haus. Along the way, pass the Shenyuli shikumen building complex and Sihang Warehouse, with its bullet-marked wall preserved, before finally reaching the former site of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce. Old factories, historic warehouses, art spaces and landmarks appear one after another. Feel the pulse of finance among the bricks and tiles of the mint, and understand along Suzhou Creek how Shanghai has moved from an “industrial rust belt” to a “cultural showcase belt” through a century of change and renewal.