Zhouzhuang, China

Welcome to Zhou Zhuang, the Venice of China ! Zhouzhuang is one of the ancient water cities in Jiangsu province. It is 30 km southeast of Suzhou, and makes a good day trip from Shanghai.

If you want to get away from the New China, and see one of the best-preserved ancient China cities, you should take one of the one-day tours to marvelous Zhou Zhuang.

Zhouzhuang halfway between Shanghai and Suzhou. If you have plans to visit either of these two cities (or both), you should spare one day for Zhouzhuang.

The city can be visited on your own, but I recommend taking one of the tours from Shanghai tourist office, next to the Shanghai Stadium. Note that some of these China tours' guides only speak Chinese You may need to ask for an interpreter.

The city of Zhouzhuang is surrounded by lakes on its four sides, but what makes this place so special are its water lanes and its stone bridges.

In the region there are other ancient water cities, but Zhouzhuang is considered number one among Chinese tourists.

Most of the buildings in Zhouzhuang belong to the Yuan, Qing and Ming dynasties. Many of the old houses are open to the public.

With more than one hundred rooms, the Hall of Shen's Residence is one of the most interesting of the private houses in Zhouzhuang.

Shen House was built in 1742 by the son of the first millionaire of the province, Shen Wansan. He made his fortune from the silk trade.

In the visit to Shen House, tourists can see the Qing's style complex, which consists of several buildings connected through arcades, aisles and courtyards.

Some of the points of interest in the Shen House are the water gate and the wharf, the gate tower, the tearoom, the main hall; and the Xiaotang Tower and Back Hall, where cultural relics are exhibited.

The origins of the ancient China city date back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC). In the 11th century its name was changed to the present Zhouzhuang after the name of Zhou Digong, a rich merchant who had donated the money to build a Buddhist temple.

The city of Zhouzhuang is traffic free. It is small enough to be visited in a few hours. Because this is one of China's top tourist destinations some parts of the town are overcrowded with Chinese tourists.

Walking along the narrow alleys of Zhouzhuang is a good way to see the ancient houses that have been torn down almost everywhere else in the region. At the same time is a good place to see how fast China is changing. I was surprised to see how the most advanced and expensive digital cameras belonged to local tourists.

Zhouzhuang has more than one thousand houses. Of them, almost one hundred have their own courtyard and arch gateways made of stone brick.

One of the households open to the public is the Ye Chucang Residence. Ye Chucang (19th-20th century), was a poet famous for his campaigns against the consumption of opium and gambling, which were popular pastimes among local people at that time.

Zhang House, with more than seventy rooms, is another of the ancient houses tourists can visit. The house was built by Xu's family in the 15th century. The property was bought by the Zhang family in the early Qing Dynasty.

Zhang house has several buildings and courtyards. The river flows under the main hall. The place is currently under the protection of the local government.

A good way to visit the town is on one of the local gondolas. You can rent one of them for a tour of the town.

You will have to look for one of the empty boats, and ask the rower for the price. You can negotiate the fare. Some of the organized tours include a gondola ride, but most of them don't.

If you are on an organized tour, your meal will be included. I recommend forgetting about the free lunch and heading to one of the local restaurants in the center. The tour meal consists mainly of rice and cheap snacks. In the local restaurants you can get an excellent lunch for a few cents.

There are four water canals that form a grid pattern. The canal streets are lined with willow and poplar trees.

The history of tourism in Zhouzhuang began in 1984, when one of the paintings on display in a New York art gallery was bought by Armand Hammer. The American businessman later presented this painting to Deng Xiaoping. This act was broadly publicized in China. Since then, Chinese visitors have flooded the town during the tourist season.

The Nanhu Garden was built by a poet, Zhang Jiying, during the Jin Dynasty (3rd-5th century).

This garden surrounds the Quanfu Temple. In this area you also find the Chengxu Taoist Temple.

The Chengxu Taoist Temple was built during the Song Dynasty (11th century), and after many expansions is now one of the biggest Taoist Temples in the region.

The temple consists of several halls and pavilions, each more beautiful than its predecessor. The temple is considered a Taoist architectural masterpiece.

If you click on the picture you will see a video I shot in this temple. In it you can see a ritual I saw. If you want a wish to come true, you have to write your desire on a band and throw it in to the tree's branches. The higher it hangs , the quicker the wish will come true. If the band falls to the floor, your desire may never be a reality.

The range of accommodation in Zhouzhuang is rather scarce. You will find some small hotels in the old town, close to the two main bridges. But you really do not need to sleep here. This is rather a daytrip China travel destination.