A Boat Going Under a Bridge in Zhouzhuang 周庄
Needless to say, my friends were absolutely delighted with Zhouzhuang, it was a like a Chinese movie come to life. I did warn her that she might fall in love with the town. True enough, the houses here in Zhouzhuang were carefully preserved and in some cases reconstructed to keep with the style of the town, it still exudes that air of traditional village life. Although much of the town now relies on tourism as their primary means of livelihood, they still haven’t descended into the tourism trap that has befallen some Chinese cities. Surprisingly enough, there weren’t any touts at all, maybe these are rules set by the town to keep the place pleasant.
Touring Zhouzhuang 周庄 by Boat
I love wandering around the alleys of Zhou Zhuang as you might find something interesting to see. Some handicraft being made here, food being dried there, there are lots of surprises in store here. Yes, it is a bit touristy, but considering the amount of traffic they absorb from the nearby cities of Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou, they still managed to keep the unique character. I’m lucky that there weren’t a lot of visitors that day, probably because it was a weekday, at least I get to enjoy Zhouzhuang the way it should be enjoyed. Although I would love the opportunity to spend the night here, the fllowing morning would be absolutely idyllic since the tourist crowd hasn’t come in yet.
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