If you are Chinese or happen to be in China and Venice in Italy seems to be a far away destination, don't be sad, just pay a visit the various water villages around Shanghai. They are not as picturesque and historical as the original, but they are definitely worth a visit.
I have visited two of them. Here is the one and unlike the information Lonely Planet is giving, we didn't have to pay to enter. We were told that you need a ticket if you want to enter certain buildings, like museums, etc.
Beware of the stinky tofu smell. It's everywhere.
Thirty kilometres west of Shànghǎi, the pleasant canal town of Zhūjiājiǎo (朱家 角) is an easy day trip from Shànghǎi. Although the settlement is far older, the town prospered during the Ming dynasty, when a commercial centre developed on its network of waterways. What survives today is a charming tableau of Ming- and Qing- dynasty alleys, bridges and old town (古镇; gǔzhèn) architecture.
The riverside settlement is small enough to wander completely in three hours. You’ll be tripping over souvenir shops and vocal vendors, and you can buy anything from a pair of children’s tiger shoes to ‘antique’ Chinese eyeglasses. Admission to town, including entry to four/nine of the main sights, costs ¥30/90.
Source: Lonely Planet, Shanghai.
Inside
If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.
I have visited two of them. Here is the one and unlike the information Lonely Planet is giving, we didn't have to pay to enter. We were told that you need a ticket if you want to enter certain buildings, like museums, etc.
Beware of the stinky tofu smell. It's everywhere.
Thirty kilometres west of Shànghǎi, the pleasant canal town of Zhūjiājiǎo (朱家 角) is an easy day trip from Shànghǎi. Although the settlement is far older, the town prospered during the Ming dynasty, when a commercial centre developed on its network of waterways. What survives today is a charming tableau of Ming- and Qing- dynasty alleys, bridges and old town (古镇; gǔzhèn) architecture.
The riverside settlement is small enough to wander completely in three hours. You’ll be tripping over souvenir shops and vocal vendors, and you can buy anything from a pair of children’s tiger shoes to ‘antique’ Chinese eyeglasses. Admission to town, including entry to four/nine of the main sights, costs ¥30/90.
Source: Lonely Planet, Shanghai.
These are just before the entrance to the settlement.
Look inside the settlement
The latest fashion
Chinese style gondolas.
The water is as dirty as in the canals of Venice.
Fancy some ice cream?
Having fun
Some backstreets where no tourists go.
This is where the locals live
More backstreets
Chinese flag on a roof
Bus ride back to Shanghai
If you would like to read more by me, here are my novel and my diary from Ar'ar, in the northern Saudi desert. Both available on Amazon as soft and hard copy.
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