Venice of the East in Zhou Zhuang 周庄

Idyllic Scene in Zhouzhuang 周庄

Idyllic Scene in Zhouzhuang 周庄

The water towns of Jiangsu province never fail to draw comparisons with another famous water town in the West – Venice. True to its name, the water towns here at permeated with water from the nearby Yangtze River. Not surprisingly, the town prospered with this abundance of water. Fishing is a popular livelihood in these towns and the people also embraced the waters which are all around them. In this modern age, it is not easy to find such places anywhere else anymore. Thankfully, these town have managed to keep their identity intact in the age of tourism.

Tourist Boat Traveling Along the Waterways of Zhouzhuang 周庄

Tourist Boat Traveling Along the Waterways of Zhouzhuang 周庄

Soon after entering the main gate of Zhou Zhuang, this was a difference gate we entered compared to the one I used the last time. However, it still leads to the same place. We were immediately greeted by the presence of water that flows througout the town. There were also boats traveling along these waterways. This combined with the old style Chinese houses and bridges make for a very idyllic scene. One thing is definitely different though, there seem to be less people that day compared to the last time I was here. The one thing which turned me off the last time I was here was the presence of so many tourists. I was pleasantly surprised to see how nice it can really by without the half of Shanghai here in town.

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