Saturday, May 14, 2011

The canals of Zhouzhuang

Big cities Chinese , can scare the tourists. They tend to be noisy, sometimes chaotic. Although many such features found in any city with an air of cities on the planet, the Chinese cities seem to reflect the vibrant spirit of the economy booming, the constant changes in infrastructure and works that do not seem to end.

On the contrary we find in Zhouzhuang (English link). To begin with, is a charming town, not a big city. But the main difference with the cities of China , is that in Zhouzhuang are not passed over obsessed with the heritage of the past. To make matters worse, the town is famous for its canals , which have earned him fame as the " Venice "of the East.

The first surprise, will meet the boats are a great way to travel in a city where the houses tend to have a ladder to die in the channels.

The situation of the city in an area of rivers, canals and isolated, has served to preserve it intact and nothing changes too. There is no shortage of picturesque stone bridges, boats that make gondolas, and above all, the atmosphere of the China traditional seems difficult to discover. Zhouzhuang is one of the attractions of the area east of the country, both to live with the risk becoming an "urban theme park."

Still time to enjoy it, and for that, you can walk in wooden boats canal tour, visiting the lake, ancient temples, historical monuments, cross the bridges that have carried pictures of Chen Yifei , and hopefully, attend the Festival of lanterns a couple of weeks after the Chinese New Year.

Zhouzhuang is very near to Shanghai , so well worth a trip of one day (or better, with a complimentary night). Located in the province of Jiangsu , in the basin of Lake Taihu , and more than 3,000 years of history as a community is without doubt one of the traditional jewelry of China.

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