Zhujiajiao is a ancient town built on water canals just 2 hours away from Shanghai, it is often called the “Venice of Shanghai”.
I will have to drop down the details of how I got to Zhujiajiao, considering the amount of changes and not spoken english local people.
The town is famous for its bridges.
The locals do things as they have for thousands of years; washing in the river.
The town is very small. While many streets have become very touristy, you can also find alleyways, which still house locals – mostly elderly people. The doors to the houses are often left open which provokes curiosity to have a look inside.
Being a rather quiet town in the past, Zhujiajiao has now become a tourist attraction. In recent years the influx of tourists who stroll along the waterways are the major source of income for the local residents. Businessmen from Shanghai are now coming and settling in Zhujiajiao. As a result, the old town now counts a number of cafes, bars, temples, that can be entered with a ticket, souvenir shops and restaurants that have made this town one of the main attractions of Shanghai’s rural areas.
Just around the corner from the tourist area, residents are doing their thing.
