As we left the Temple of Hanshan, we discussed how we’d get to Zhouzhuang and decided to return to the bus station to ask for advice or get a map. Once there, we decided after a little discussion to buy two link-tickets that provided not only bus tickets but one for sightseeing. They were very inexpensive.
Two hours later, we arrived in Zhouzhuang, a peaceful little town where we’d be spending our first night. The houses are two-story white-washed buildings with crimson doors and windows and black tile roofs. We knew that we’d be learning all about the town, but were very tired after a whole day of traveling, and as soon as we got a room in a local hotel we fell asleep.
The sun had already risen by the time we got up.
“I thought it would rain today.” I said.
“A sunny day is much better, isn’t it?” my brother asked.
“Well, I actually prefer rain because this is an aquatic town. It would be nice if it rained softly.”
“Sounds good, but we have no way of controlling it.”
“Yeah. Let’s go and have breakfast.”
It’s original name was Zhen Feng Li, but a man named Zhen Di Gong Lang donated his garden of 13 hectares to a temple there, and the local people appreciated his kindness so much that they named the garden Zhou Zhuang. Gradually, that little garden developed into a town and when the two were put together, it was decided to call the combined unit Zhouzhuang. The town didn’t really flourish, however, until a merchant named Shen Wan San settled there. He was very rich and brought business to the town.
People had just awakened and were just beginning to open their doors as we walked about the town. It was a very tranquil scene, and as we walked along the river, we decided to take a ride on a boat, and a local woman directed us to the dock.
We had arrived too early and while we were waiting for the office to be opened a couple sitting next to us asked if they could share a boat with us. They said that if the boat wasn’t full, it wouldn’t set out so we agreed to split the bill for the tickets. When we finally boarded the boat, another couple joined us for our ride on the river.
Our punter was a young woman, and she steered us around the village. We passed under several bridges, and I stood at the head of the boat as if I was the captain leading our trip. It was amazing how well she could control the boat, and eventually we came to a lake in which many cargo boats were berthed. Zhou Zhuang seemed to be an oriental Venice.
We didn’t count the bridges we passed under, but someone told us there were 14. Everywhere we looked, there were people taking photos.
Artists also come to the town to paint the scenes. In the photo above, they were painting the famous Double Bridge.
After disembarking, we wandered along paths that seemed to get all mixed up like a spider’s web and we finally came to a Taoist temple. It wasn’t large, but like the town, it was a very peaceful place. There were many statues of various gods and some of them were dressed as pilgrims. As we looked at them, a Taoist approached and began telling us of his missionary work. It was obvious that he had enjoyed himself, but I was amazed when he asked us to pay 50 Yuan for the information he’d given us. The two of us rushed out of the temple to avoid further contact.
We visited Zhang Ting next. It was a home built in the typical style used by a Chinese official in years gone by. We were told there were more than 70 rooms and 6 courtyards. In the section we saw, there was a central hall that one entered with an intersecting back hall. To the left and right of the main hall, there were courtyards with living rooms settled on both sides. Behind the back hall, there was another yard and a big room that was probably used as a study.
Here's a photo of the large kitchen that was still in use. We enjoyed walking around in the home for a while, but then left and spent the rest of the morning walking around the town and over its many bridges.
Though there seemed to be water everywhere we looked in Zhouzhuang, we also found quiet lanes like the one above.
We plan to visit Shanghai next. That will end our trip.