Archive for the ‘Shanghai Travel’ Category
Wuzhen Pictures – Wuzhen Photo Gallery
Monday, April 1st, 2013Wuzhen is a historic water town which lies in the center of a triangle formed by Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. Wuzhen Water Town is located in the city of Tongxian in the northen Zhejiang Province, 80km to the northeast of Hangzhou, 80km to the south of Suzhou and 140km to the southwest of Shanghai. There are daily long-distance buses going directly to Wuzhen from Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai and Jiaxing.
If you are planning your Hangzhou tour, Suzhou tour or Shanghai tour, a side trip to Wuzhen is highly recommended. Wuzhen is the typical water town in the Yangtze river delta region. It has well preserved the layout and the style of a water town in Ming and Qing dynasties.
The waterways crisscross Wuzhen Town, mainly dividing the town into 4 areas Dongzha (east), Xizha (west), Nanzha (south), and Beizha (north). The water paths are incorporated into the ancient grand canal. Wuzhen ancient town dislays its charm and history through its ancient stone bridges, stone pathways, ornate wood carvings.
Beside its waterways, stone bridges and ancient buildings, Wuzhen also gives you the opportunity to appreciate the ordinary life in the Ming and Qing dynasties through its well preserved old house-turned theme museums, shops and organizations such as Ancient Bed Museum, Folk Custom Museum, Wine Distillery Workshop, Indigo Fabric Workshop, Woodcarving Museum, Coin Museum, The Former Residence of Mao Dun, Shadow Play, Fanglu Teahouse, Huiyuan Pawnshop, Wedding Museum, Zhaoming Academy, Chinese Footbinding Culture Museum, Wuzhen Post Office, Wuzhen Grand Theater, Heal town Pharmacy, and Yida Silk Workshop.
Follow me to have a photo tour of Wuzhen Water Town.
Wuzhen Water Town is dubbed as “Venice of the East”. The waterways form the water streets or lanes connect bridges and street buildings and houses.
A humpback stone bridge over the canal linking two blocks of the traditional houses.
The slab paved lanes flanked by the old wooden houses in Wuzhen.
A stone beam bridge spans the waterway.
The old wood houses built by the water pathway.
Many building protrude above the water for more spaces with stone pillars supporting in the water.
The narrow street with long chairs goes along the canal
Wuzhen Water Town is not a artificial replica of the historic town, and it is a natural town still inhabitated by the local residents.
Washing clothes by making the water of the canal.
Local residents still keep the original water town life.
A traditional shop for local wine and liquor
Stroll on the narrow lane paved with stone slabs with the hanging laundry that sways overhead
A traditional kitchen
A local souvenir shop
A traditional Wine Distillery Workshop
An indigo Fabric Workshop
What’s in his mind? Can the historic town survive the internet age?
Wuzhen Water Town is akin to a scroll of Chinese painting.
Painting a beautiful life! We need a slow life, we need clean water and fresh air more than the growth of GDP.
Any questions, just drop a line.
Zhouzhuang Pictures – Zhouzhuang Photo Gallery
Thursday, March 28th, 2013
If you are in the process of planning your Suzhou tour or Shanghai tour, a glimpse of Zhouzhuang Water Town is worth your time. Zhouzhuang is reputed as the No.01 Water Town in China and “Venice in the East”. Under the jurisdiction of Kunshan City, it is located 45km to the southest of Suzhou and 80km to the west of Shanghai. Zhouzhuang stands out from the numerous water towns dotted around the Yangtze River Delta mainly due to its complete and well preserved old houses, bridges and canals coupled with unique culture annd history. Now Zhouzhuang has been included in the UNESCO Tentative List for World Cultural Heritage Sites.
How to visit Zhouzhuang Water Town? There are plentiful buses running either from Suzhou or Shanghai to Zhouzhuang. Many local travel agencies operate daily bus tours visiting Zhouzhuang from Shanghai and Suzhou. So you can join in the coach tours starting from your hotel or go to your nearest long-distance bus station and jump onto a bus for Zhouzhuang.
Shanghai Suzhou Zhouzhuang One Day Bus Tour is available daily with complimentary pick up from your hotel in Shanghai. For more information on the public transport from Suzhou to Zhouzhuang, please refer to my post “How to visit Zhouzhuang Water Town“.
Follow me to have a photo tour of Zhouzhuang.
Passing through the center of Zhouzhuang Town, then walk to the entrance to the old water town of Zhouzhuang.
A traditional white-washed house
Zhouzhuang is surrounded and divided by lakes and rivers with over a dozen of stone bridges crossing the rivers. Boating on the rivers and canals are an interesting trip allowing you to have a close look at the houses and bridges on the both sides.
Zhouzhuang is quite famous for its stone bridges with different shapes. The beam bridge is across the river.
Zhouzhuang abounds in waterways. The old white-washed wooden houses are lined along the rivers and lakes with slab bases.
Rows of traditional houses stand by the rivers and bridges far away from the hustle and bustle
Some houses have been turned into tea houses and restaurants
A few waterways are quite narrow
This is the famous twin-bridge – round and beam bridges indicating the sky and earth.
Walking on the stone paths and slab bridges gives you a kind of spiritual comfort and quietness
Tired of the noisy world and get lost in Zhouzhuang
Overlooking the river sandwiched by the traditional houses from a bridge
Boats are docking on the narrow canal
Enter Shen House, the most wealthy family in Zhouzhuang in Qing Dynasty
Shen Family’s kitchen
Upturned roof or eaves along with white walls and black tiles reflected on th river.
A close look at the boats, the houses and the canal.
Any questions, just drop a line.
Some similarities and differences between Paris and Shanghai
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
Plan your Shanghai tour? Cruising on Huangpu River is a must-do activity on your first trip to Shanghai. A great city tends to have a great river. Like Seine River in Paris, Shanghai has a river known as Huangpu River winding from south to north entering Yangtze River.
While Paris is bisected into Right Bank and Left Bank by Seine River, Shanghai is divided into East Area (Pudong) and West Area (Puxi). The East Area in Shanghai is also known as “Pudong” in Chinese, referring to the area east of Huangpu River while the West Area is known as “Puxi” in Chinese, the area west of Huangpu River.
Pudong (East Area) is the new economic developement zone materialised by highrises and commercial centers with many iconic landmarks in Shanghai. Puxi(West Area) is the traditional city core where its old city is located.
Major attractions in Paris are scattered along Seine River, including Louvre Museum, Nortre Dame, Orsay Museum, Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The traditional attractions in Shanghai are spread along or near the west bank of Huangpu River highlighted as the Bund, Nanjing Pedestrian Road, People’s Square, Shanghai Museums, former French Conccession and Yuyuan Garden (also the old city bazaar).
There are four best places to have a panoramic view of the city of Paris, namely Arc de Triomphe, Basilique du Sacre Coeur, Montpartnasse Building and Eiffel Tower. Though not ideal for accommodations for leisure travelers visiting Shanghai, the east area (Pudong) is the best destination for city panoramas. Pudong Area is teamed with high-rise iconic landmarks in Shanghai including Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jinmao Tower and Global Trade Center Tower, where you can have a bird-eye view of Shanghai.
Visiting Paris is not perfect without cruising on Seiner River. Similarly, your first trip to Shanghai should inlude a boat trip along Huangpu River. Cruising along Huangpu River gets you familiar with the remarkable change occuring in the past 30 years with old colonial buildings intact on the west bank and skyscrapers on the east bank as if you are passing a time passage.
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