"Venice of the East"

On what was probably the hottest day of the entire summer we took Miriam to the water village Zhou Zhuang. (Pronounced Joe Jwang) Some people call it the "Venice of the East". Ok so they give that title to a few places around here... but this is definitely one of them. :o)

It's probably the most famous water village around Shanghai(some say most famous in China) but it's also the most touristy one. It's very pretty though and even though it is officially sanctioned by the government as a Preserved historical site it is also still an operating fishing village. (though mostly the residents rely on tourist for their income) The village has an active history of over 900 years!



You can take a boat ride through the village canals (for 80yuan a boat, up to 8 people can ride in a boat) and it's very beautiful and peaceful... even with all the people and the heat.
Also for another 20Yuan the person "driving" your boat (more like pushing it along with a big stick) will sing you 3 fishing songs.







One of my favorite reasons to visit this water village, even though it is the most touristy one, is because of how OLD the bridges are. There are bridges here that were built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. (1300 to 1600's) and you can still walk on them. I like to see how the stones have warn out over time and think about the millions of feet that have climbed the old stairs on the bridges.
If you go here you should definitely plan on eating. Make sure to order what ever fish the waitress tells you is good. It's probably a local catch. Also it looks gross but totally try the Pork Knuckle. It's actually really very good and it's a specialty in the area.
Also plan on doing some shopping here. They have unique things and you can get clothes or bags or shoes in the traditional water village blue and white fabric. Also I LOVE the water village candy! I would suggest trying all the food in the little street stands that you can. Don't worry... it's pretty safe .. especially in such a touristy spot it's going to be clean.
The prices here are cheaper than you can get in Shanghai but because there is so much tourism it's really hard to bargain here. I went about a year ago and was able to bargain OK towards the end of the day .... but this time they were just not willing to bargain and even didn't fall for my "walk away" tactic. Still. it was fun and I always enjoy this place. Some day I want to stay over night in one of the cute water village hotels with the traditional Chinese 4 poster bed. :o)
Also try the home brewed rice wine. It's very yeasty tasting and very yummy.