Travel China and Beyond

Side Trips from Shanghai - a visit to ZhouZhuang

I have been asked several times “what is there to do in Shanghai and in the vicinity if you do not want to go to a bar or a shopping area”…  Long story short, you can take a trip to Suzhou (everyone does that I think), or you can venture on the (slightly) less beaten path — a trip to one of the “water towns” — ZhouZhuang.  That town is still a relatively easy tourist destination and quite picturesque.  My first visit there was in 2001.  The images below are from that trip — I wanted to see how it has changed over the years….

What can you do in ZhouZhuang ?  Well, see some interesting architecture (bridges, houses) and browse through the arts shops and potentially buy some paintings, or a Yixing teapot….

In addition you can visit one of the early Taoist temples - ChengXu, (if you have not seen one of the Taoist temples in Beijing — DongYue Temple), here you can find good examples of its architecture and beliefs.

Other than that, the trip overall is relatively pleasant — you will see quite a bit of the countryside and understand some more about life in China outside of the big metro areas.