HOW DO YOU SAY VENICE IN CHINESE?
Forget Shenzhen, and it’s Hong-Kong-like facades. Pay no attention to Shanghai, with its tall glass towers and “eat-your-heart-out-Manhattan!” aspirations. They are all too busy with being an in-your-face, soulless showcases of a new and sumptuous China, to notice you.
Zhouzhuang, on the other hand, is a whole different story.
Just take an hour ride east of Shanghai, and you’re immediately transported to a different country. One would say even say, a different century. The locals call it “Venice of the East” – which you have to admit, is kinda corny. Lot’s of places these days present themselves as would be incarnations of the famous North Italian city-state. This small town’s claim to fame, on the other hand, is quite justified.
A setup worthy of its reputation
To start with, Zhouzhuang setup couldn’t have been more Venetian. The little places itself in an area which is more water than land. This could be somewhat confusing because when you look at the map, the land east of Shanghai, seems at first quite solid. Zooming in, however, reveals it is mostly blue.
It is also very old (not that any map will tell you that).
I got to visit Zhouzhuang some years ago when a good friend of mine was setting up his trendy coffee-shop franchise in Shanghai. After a hectic week of meetings and some long nights of partying, it was time to relax and look for something different. A place less hectic and contemporary. With only an hour ride away from the bustling metropolis the choice of this Chinese “Venice”, seemed perfect.
In hindsight, it really was.
To begin with, like its more famous Italian keen, Zhouzhuang isn’t new. It was founded some 1,500 years ago, smack in the middle of a vast inland lagoon. Not surprisingly, it is full of picturesque canals and connected by many colorful bridges.
A Chinese tourist trap, but not to “white devils”
Having that said the above, I was still surprised to find it full of Chinese “Gondoliers”. Yes, the place was full of them. Vocal boatmen shouting Chinese songs while paddling their trodden wooden boats. It all sounded and looked like one big traffic jam, and it was glorious!
Many Chinese tourist destinations orient themselves to cater domestic tourism. They are – so to speak – Chinese tourist traps, for Chinese. On the other hand, to “white devils”, like yours truly, a Chinese tourist trap, aimed at Chinese, is no tourist trap at all.
I apologize for the convoluted logic. The simple truth is that Zhouzhuang, full of domestic tourists, is a true Chinese experience. One of the best I had.
Now Go figure.