Zhujiajiao water town: a Venice of the East
You cannot visit Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces without experiencing a water town.
Water towns are little ancient villages or towns, built over canals and little rivers and resemble a little Venice.
There are several of them, from famous Suzhou to Tongli to Wuzhen, some more touristic than others but they are all beautiful and special in their own unique way.
We chose Zhujiajiao for its vicinity to Shanghai, our last stop, only a short metro ride away.
But a world apart.
Zhujiajiao was established 1700 years ago and is famous for its 36 bridges, built of wood, marble and stone, during Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Qing post office, founded in the late 1800s under the reign of Emperor Tongzhi and was one of the 13 official post offices of the Shanghai region.
Wander the little alleyways, sample local food, admire the view from the many bridges, visit the Taoist temple, take a boat ride and let your senses transport you in times gone by.
There are many souvenirs shops, lovely tea houses and cafes with view on the canals, restaurants and many cat cafes!
The Qing period post office is today a souvenir shop and it’s worth checking out as the souvenirs are quite original and inexpensive.
Choose a bridge and gift yourself a sunset to remember!
We decided to stop for two nights and we booked a lovely apartment on the canal: it was absolutely magical.
A 15 mins walk to Zhujiajiao station and Metro Line 17 will get you to Shanghai, the cheapest and fastest way.
Alternatively, you can call a DIDI, it is more expensive and it takes quite some time due to the horrendous traffic in Shanghai.
For more China travel blog posts: https://blog.worldswithout.net/china
