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Pro
This is a good getaway from Shanghai city
Con
2 many ppl =(
In a nutshell
Try to squeeze it in as a day trip!
Must-do: Wandering the Historical Center
gdilieto Says: Zhouzhuang's historical center is compact and easy to walk around. There are few remarkable buildings and temples marked as tourist attractions but you will get the best just enjoying the picturesque views of houses, bridges and canals ... Thing that indeed might be hard to...
Must-do: Sailing the canals in a gondola
gdilieto Says: Not sure they can be called "gondolas" but they certainly resemble Venice's gondolas for the long shape and for fact they are piloted with a single oar. There is no way you can escape a canals tour in a gondola if coming into town and no reason why you want to do it since...
mstinawu Says: The great part about the "preserved" part of Zhouzhuang is that it's gated off to cars. I only went there to visit for a day but I could have easily stayed one or two nights here just walking around and taking in the sites. Most buildings here are easily hundreds of years...
Drink in a traditional Chinese bar
enzhu Says: The best experience I had in Zhouzhuang is to be able to drink some tranditional Chinese wines, rice wine and yellow wine, in a very old style Chinese bar. It matches all my imagines about the acient style bar I have read in those old Chinese novels.
victorwkf Says: At the south of the Zhouzhuang water town near to the temple area, you can witness a huge bridge across the lake which surrounds the entire town of Zhouzhuang. There is a pavillion where you can take a rest and admire the scenery here.
Temple, Pavillions, Lake and Gardens
victorwkf Says: At the southern end of the water town of Zhouzhuang lies a very beautiful temple with pavillions, lake and huge colourful gardens. You have to visit this place to truely experience the beauty, which is typical of the classical scenery of this part of China which the Chinese...
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victorwkf Says: My hotel in Zhouzhuang, which is a traditional house owned by local people (see my Zhouzhuang hotel tips section for more details) provide home cooked meals for RMB$25. It consists of rice, two vegetable dishes, one soup and one fish from the river or lake. The food is nice...
victorwkf Says: You cannot miss the many Wan Shan pig legs on sale at Zhouzhuang, and this bulky local food is apparently very famous in this region of China. I did not try it in Zhouzhuang, but managed to try it when I was in Shanghai.
Helpfulness
Zhouzhuang at night is very peaceful, colourful with all its lights and lanterns as well as cooling. It is ideal to hang around outside the open places next to the waterways to chit-chat, drink tea or have dinner. A very good way to spend your night.
Written Oct 11, 2004
enzhu Says: Zhouzhuang is in Jiangsu Province, it's not far from Shanghai or Suzhou.To start from Shanghai, there is bus service with travel guide to Zhouzhuang inside Shanghai Stadium. The price is 145 yuan including round trip bus and ticket to Zhouzhuang, it's less than $20, but the...
Public buses (Shanghai-Zhouzhuang)
victorwkf Says: There are air-conditioned public buses from Shanghai (near to railway station) leaving at about 7:00, 9:00, 12:00, 14:00 and returning from Zhouzhuang at 9:00, 12:50, 14:30, 16:30 daily. The fare for a single way is RMB$22 and it takes about 2-3 hours, unless during peak...
victorwkf Says: Besides the many shops at Zhouzhuang, you can witness the more traditional street vendors of Zhouzhuang selling stuff like food, vegetables, drinks etc. They give the town an added spice of life and vibrant.
gdilieto Says: Like arteries in human body, canals in Zhouzhuang fuel life in the town ... Still today water of the canals is used for domestic use and you will see people washing clothes, pots and dishes and even washing food such as rice and vegetables in the (murky) water of the canals.
mstinawu Says: I'm not sure if this is true of all the locals (most of they very old) that still live in this water village, but I believe most of them there survive off of the tourists that go visit these villages and buy their handiwork.
Warning: Crowded beyond capacity
gdilieto Says: Before departing from Shanghai to Zhouzhuang, in a summer weekend day, I checked the page on Wikitravel, which reads "On holidays and weekends the old town will be so packed that it is difficult to move around". I shall say I had been warned but still I could not figure out...
Watertown Entrance Fee & Limits
kerropiday Says: Anyone who visits Zhouzhuang Watertown requires to pay a fee to enter in. This is a single entry fee and if you're part of a tour group then your guide will take care of the arrangements. If you're given free time while in the ancient watertown be carefully not to walk...
victorwkf Says: There is a school at Zhouzhuang near to the entrance to the ancient town. Instead of turning left when you see the first canal, turn right instead and you can see the school. You can sit outside the school by the canal and observe the students and teachers.
victorwkf Says: One of the main reasons why Zhouzhuang was so isolated until recently is because it is protected by a huge lake. Unfotunately, I cannot remember the name of this lake, but it is impressive under the shimmering datlight, and you can see some boats and fishermen on the lake.
Small statues & Chinese architecture
victorwkf Says: Like in other parts of China, the architecture of the ancient town of Zhouzhuang is very nice, especially if you observe the delicate details of the small statues e.g. lions as well as pavillions, temples etc.
victorwkf Says: Because Zhouzhuang is such an interesting and beautiful place, it attracts a lot of artists and photographers especially during the mornings. When you are walking around, you will sure to come across them busy putting this place into their art.
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To the West of Shanghai city, there are several beautiful and laid-back water towns with historical buildings dated back hundreds of years. The town of Zhouzhuang is perhaps and most well-known of all...
Zhouzhuang - Venice of the Orient
Zhouzhuang is located 87 kilometres west of Shanghai, and only 38 kilometres east of Suzhou and is well-known for its beautiful environment and simple architecture. A very old town for more than 900...
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