Long-term residents will remember Suzhou Creek, not for its beauty, but for it's smell... which... wasn't something to be bottled and sold as fragrance. The Shanghai government embarked on 12-year clean-up projects in 2000 which added embankments, cleared out the sludge, and dredged up whatever mysteries lay at the bottom. Then in 2019, the district governments started a plan to upgrade the creek to add urban gardens, greenery, and paths for cyclists and runners.

If there's one thing we can say about Suzhou Creek, it is that it is one example of the city's ability to rapidly transform. It's really turning into something, and especially the area around the newly opened Fotografiska gallery has all the potential of turning into a creative center of that part of the city.

Suzhou Creek has had boat tours for a couple of years, but recently the city has extended their route all the way up to the Bund and added nicer open-air boats. It's operated by Juss Event, the city government's company that also all the big sports events like the Tennis Masters Cup or the F1. They have a lot of experience with sports events, but apparently not so much experience with boat cruises - the whole thing is a bit of work in progress. Very Shanghai.