Streets made of water

With four days of Shanghai proper under our belt, Max and I were ready for some exploration. We headed towards the canals, to the famous water town of Zhouzhuang.

After our three hour long bus ride, we were ready to stretch our legs so we headed straight for the heart of town. Surprisingly, they had an entrance gate to get into this section - it was a sign of things to come.

Once inside, I was amazed at how schlocky and overrun with silly souvenir shops and bland restaurants it was, all selling and serving precisely the same items. In many sections it ruined the fantastic-ness of the canals and architecture completely. Which is too bad, really, because the canals and architecture, by themselves, were lovely.

Max and I felt like rats in a cage. So we endeavored to find the hidden stuff, and to find a way out.

One successfully located hidden area had the Ruyi Pagoda within. Seven stories tall, it would have afforded wonderful views of the town. Too bad it was locked.

Next up was the Quanfu Temple. Certainly not hidden nor a secret, it did still offer some respite from the crowds outside. A great place to take a rest in a gazebo in the middle of a small lake, and then to peruse the various buddhas (one quite fat) and other religious statues on offer.

After the temple, we could take no more. We busted through the gate hemming us into the tourist area (well, we simply walked out, but it felt dramatic). We cruised around town, looking for something interesting. Boy did we find it.

Apparently, there is a nightly performance by high school aged youth that tells the story of Zhouzhuang and its water culture. The setting is dramatic, on a stage floating in the middle of the canal. The performance, also dramatic, ending with a finale that includes fire dancers. We, luckily, caught the free rehearsal (or at least the last bit of it).

So, a little bit of whimsy and newness in a town seemingly designed to while these away to death. I was forced to agree with a sign we saw while exiting the town: