Zhujiajiao: The Venice of Shanghai

April 20th, 2013

Lisbon, Portugal

Song of the Day: Mo Money Mo Problems by Notorious B.I.G

Mood: Unsettled

Shanghai

After Taipei, I spent two weeks in China.

My first stop was in Shanghai.

Venice in Shanghai

My friend, DJ Busy Bee, decided to take me somewhere less touristy than downtown Shanghai. As a result, we went on a fun adventure to Zhujiajiao, the "Venice of Shanghai".

We walked along a river that snaked through the town. According to wiki, this town was established nearly 1,700 years ago. 

It's customary to do a celebratory jump at the gate. By customary, I mean
we did it, the girl in the sign did it, and everyone else should too 

A boatman paddles up the river. Unfortunately he said we were too heavy to ride. 

Every so often there are bridges that you can cross 

Near this sign you can cross the bridge to a bow and arrow stand.

Unfortunately for us, the owner of the archery stand didn't want to cross the bridge to supervise us so we couldn't use it. I found the people in China to be quite industrious so it was surprising he didn't want our business.

It's okay, we found these hats instead:

My favorite stand was the ancient China photography stand. There I was able to channel the mighty emperor-warriors of the Geoffrion dynasty.

The warrior and the scholar

I rule by the might of my blade

Expert trip: Make sure you have an exit strategy. Many of the taxis are not licensed to go into Shanghai proper. We ended up taking a taxi to a bus station to a random part of the city to another taxi to get to our next stop. If my friend didn't speak Chinese, we might have never returned. (Note: TripAdvisor reviews say it is on a subway line. We definitely never saw a station.)

In general, I thoroughly enjoy and promote learning. However, sometimes ignorance is bliss. Such as when we saw this chef wash his dishes in the river before starting dinner.

Besides the floating trash, there is an occasional film on the water

Before we started our trip back home, we went to a dumpling house. The menu was filled with… delicacies.

Everyone's favorite unit for force

Yum yum yum

I particularly liked the views when the river widened

I wouldn't say that the charm was remotely comparable to Venice, but it was a good half-day excursion for someone that has seen the main tourist sites in Shanghai. Plus, anything is more fun with a good friend.