Crusing On the West Lake 西湖

The Mingtown Hangzhou International Youth Hostel had a very convenient location at the West Lake area, I stepped out of the hostel and onto the main road to access the numerous parks that border the lake. The West Lake is probably the most famous lake in the whole of China. So famous it is that I know a number of Chinese restaurants were named after the lake. Exploring the lake will take some time as it is actually quite large. Fortunately, the lazy can take the tourist bus that zip visitors around the West Lake area. I, being in the relaxing mood, decided to take it slowly, preferring to walk.

Relaxing On the Shores of the West Lake 西湖

The West Lake actually didn’t used to be a lake as recently as two thousand years ago. It used to be part of the nearby Qiantang River which happens to be famous for having the world largest tidal bore. Over the years accumulation of sediment has turned it into what we now know as the West Lake. It was quite interesting to know that all of this happened within human history and everything was all documented. The fact that this is all documented also means that there was a lot of activity around the lake at that time. It is time I find out what.

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Morning Walk Along the West Lake 西湖

Walking Along the West Lake 西湖

Just How Relaxing is Hangzhou?

Elegant Peace Hotel at the Bund 外滩

This was a wonderful end to my visit to Shanghai, I loved the lights here along the Bund as it makes me forget that I was still in China. It was a great time to be walking along the promenade since there weren’t too many tourists around, not to mention that the promenade was large enough to accomodate everybody. Looking at this night scene I could not help but say that Shanghai deserves the nickname Paris of the East.

One of the Many Colors of the Bridge at the End of the Bund 外滩

The bridge at the end of the promenade are was also lit up, this time the bridge changes colors. This doesn’t seem to be designed by the ones who planned the Bund light up as it makes use of different colors. At least they didn’t use it all at the same time. I didn’t want to walk any further and I started to make my way back to Nanjing Road. Hopefully, I would find more fascinating places there. My only regret here was not bringing a tripod I was hand holding most of the time and I’m sure that the photos weren’t sharp at all. Anyway, this was a place I don’t mind returning to.

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Spectacular Cityscape at the Bund 外滩 in Shanghai 上海

End of the Bund 外滩

Peace Hotel 和平饭店

Small Waterfalls Along the Promenade Area at the Bund 外滩

Shanghai at night seemed like a stroll along a European City, the lights were very well done and they were very tasteful. This is definitely a must do activity when in Shanghai, fortunately, there weren’t a lot of tourists at the time. It was probably because it was a weeknight. To me, it seems like walking around a nicely designed theme park except this was very real. The light show was not only along the row of colonial buildings was also along the promenade. I didn’t notice this until I looked back from where I came from.

Beautiful Clock Tower at the Bund 外滩 in Shanghai 上海

Looking back at the promenade area, you can see that the entire length of the promenade was outfitted with small hoses which will generate small waterfalls. This was a welcome sight, the “falls” themselves are lit up and go nice with the rest of the Bund. It doesn’t seem that the water gushes all night as it would stop every once in a while, probably to refill the water, anyway, there is a lot more water where that came from. The night scene at the Bund is definitely my favorite here in Shanghai, you’d be mad to miss it.

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Other Bund Night Scenes

Heading Out to the Bund 外滩

The Bund 外滩 at Night

Splendid Night Scenery at the Bund 外滩

When it comes to Shanghai, I saved the best for last. It took them a while to turn all the lights on and they made sure the sun was completely down. When it was down, I was rewarded with an amazing light show. All the colonial buildings along the Bund were lit. One could see that the light show was planned since practically all of the buildings were lit up the same way. From the HSBC building to the Bank of China buildings, all of them were tastefully lit up.

Most Beautiful Strip of Land in Shanghai 上海

I have seen numerous light ups by the Chinese and most of them were lit up in a rather bizarre way. Apparently, this is not rare since I have also seen Chinese caves given a multi-color treatment. It would seem that, the more colors the “better looking” it is. The closest example I can think of is just across the river, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower has that bizarre lighting going on. Even though I was quite cold from the constant blowing of the wind along the river, I was delighted by what I was seeing. For a while, you can really think that you are in Europe. For me, this is the number one sight of Shanghai.

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Spectacular Cityscape at the Bund 外滩 in Shanghai 上海

Heading Out to the Bund 外滩

HSBC Building in the Bund 外滩

Wave-Like Roof of the Passenger Terminal

It was my last day in Shanghai and yet I still have something I haven’t done. I needed hang around the Bund area until nightfall to get some shots if I can. There was still some time before dark so I was just walking about waiting for that. The Gucheng Park conveniently leads back to the Bund promenade area, so I was pleasantly surprised since I needed to go there in the first place. I guess following buildings really does work. Fortunately, Shanghai has a lot of tall buildings so it was easy to get my bearings.

Huangpu River Cruise Passenger Terminal

The Huangpu River Cruise Passenger Terminal was where I decided to wait. I don’t really know the official name for this place but it is a place where tourists get on the tourist boat to admire the nightscape of Shanghai. It was a bit early for that though it was still plenty bright outside. I don’t know how good the photos will be from the boat I can’t imagine taking nightshots on an unsteady boat. Anyway, the passenger terminal is a pleasant place to wait since it has a modern design, it doesn’t however really protect passengers from the elements except probably for rain. The temperature was dropping fast and there was nowhere to hide.

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Heading Out to the Bund 外滩

End of the Bund 外滩

Admiring the Pudong 浦东 Skyline

Busy Zhongshan Road Along the Bund

The People’s Heroes Monument marks the end of the Bund promenade area. I would have liked to walk further along the Huangpu River but there were still other places to see here. There is a bridge at one of the tributaries of the Huangpu River and it looks quite old. It seems like it used to be possible lift the bridge to allow river traffic to pass through, although it seems this is no longer the case. The mouth of the river was blocked to river traffic so there was no point to allow the bridge to this anymore. Anyway, with the huge amount of traffic that passed over the bridge, I don’t think it is a good idea either.

Shanghai Local Painting at the Bund

Interestingly, the local Shanghai folk, take time out to relax themselves at this park. I remember seeing a man painting picture of the bridge. The last time I saw someone painting in China were some students at Xidi and Hongcun. It is nice to see that they can spend some time to do things like this. You hardly see this kind of thing in major cities around the world. I guess this is what I think Shanghai is one of the most charming cities I have ever been to.

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Heading Out to the Bund 外滩

Other Bund Night Scenes

Misty Morning at the Bund 外滩

Morning Sun Tries to Penetrate the Mist at the Bund 外滩

It was about time I relaxed in my China trip. Most of the time, I was rushing from one place to another. This is almost the end of my trip and it was about time I went on a real vacation. I finally got a bottom bunk at the Shanghai Captain International Youth Hostel and it was a very comfortable night’s sleep. It was quite surreal to hear the regular chiming of the clock just around the corner. No wonder, it was already morning. A quick bath at the basic shared bathroom and I was out again. This time I don’t have a real plan in mind and I just want to walk around.

Morning Mist Obscures the Bund 外滩

The best place to walk around Shanghai would be the Bund. It was early morning but there were already quite a few people here walking about. Most of them were joggers and just people doing their stretching. It won’t get busy here at the Bund for a while and it was interesting to watch how the people go about their lives. The morning mist was quite thick and I made it difficult to see what was on the opposite side of the Huangpu River. Even some buildings along the Bund itself were difficult to see. I just hope the mist lifts as the day progresses.

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HSBC Building in the Bund 外滩

Heading Out to the Bund 外滩

Walking Down the Promenade

The Waterways of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

So well known Zhou Zhuang is to the Chinese that it was called the China’s Number One Water Village 中国第一水乡. This is not the only moniker it had. Westerners who have come here will most likely name it after another famous “water village” found in Europe – Venice. It has been named the Venice of the East, no doubt because of the similarities between the two towns.

Narrow Alleys of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

I wasn’t sure how much better Zhou Zhuang is compared to the other water villages but this is the most famous one. It could have been tourism hype but it is not to say that it is any less deserving. Unfortunately, the tourism hype worked too well as it is constantly beseiged by thousands of tourists every single day. I guess, we can thank the tourist industry for keeping Zhou Zhuang as well preserved as it is.

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Idyllic Charm of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Twin Bridges 双桥 in Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Trying to Get Away from the Crowd at Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Riverside View of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

This area of Jiangsu province is well known for its water villages 水乡, there were numerous villages like this in the area, of them Zhou Zhuang should be the most well known of them all. Such is the fame of Zhou Zhuang that is was called China’s Number One Water Village 中国第一水乡. It is not difficult to agree with them the small village has streams instead of roads, and it is a part of the daily lives of the residents here. Although Zhou Zhuang has gone through a huge tourism boom, at lot of the residents still go about their daily lives.

Cleaning the Dishes at Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Despite the influx of tourists here, there are still pockets of peace and quiet that can be had here in Zhou Zhuang. It seems that the town is large enough to accomodate all these people. Probably the best way to experience Zhou Zhuang would be to spend the night here. There were a few hostels here and I’m sure it would be a rewarding experience to stay in a charming village such as this.

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Exploring Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Zhou Zhuang Water Village 周庄水乡

Twin Bridges 双桥 in Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Waterways of Zhou Zhuang 周庄

The night before, when I met a friend of mine for dinner in Shanghai, I was asking him where I should be going here when in Shanghai. He knows my penchant for going to ancient places so he suggested this place to me – Zhou Zhuang. I never heard of the place. My research material was long lost somewhere in China and I didn’t know how to go there. Actually, not really, I knew how to go to the Shanghai stadium where there is bus terminal which can bring me there.

Boats By the River in Zhou Zhuang 周庄

The bus ride costs CNY 150, very expensive for a short 1 1/2 hour ride. It is actually in the province of Jiangsu in the outskirts of Shanghai. These are one of the few water villages in the area and I was interested to see them. I would picture something like ancient village like Xidi permeated by numerous waterways. I was quite excited to see them. The bus doesn’t really drop me off at the entrance but at the parking lot. This is not a tour group though as everyone was free to go around. Meeting time is at three in the afternoon at the parking lot.

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Zhou Zhuang Water Village 周庄水乡

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Idyllic Charm of Zhou Zhuang 周庄