Live Your Best Lives
In the last month of 2021, I embarked on a journey from Shijiazhuang to Chengdu, Ganzi, Jilin, Chengdu, Ganzi, and Changchun, traveling back and forth across the country, through the ice and snow. But at the beginning of 2022, I decided to say goodbye to the ice and snow for a short time and come to the first water town in the south of the Yangtze River, Zhouzhuang, to find the New Year atmosphere that I had not seen for a year.
DAY 1: Go to Zhouzhuang and stay at Latte Playing Stone Art Inn (Carton King)
DAY 2: Shuangqiao - Shenting - Shenting Restaurant - Thoughts on Water Shield and Sea Bass - Night Cruise - Flower Lane and Rain Lane in Zhouzhuang at Night
DAY3: Zhenfeng Cultural Street - Jubin Building - Quangong Building - Xiangcun Pastry Making - Folk Window Paper-cuts - Hefengli Restaurant - Fireworks at Xiangcun Square
DAY4: Xiangcun Countryside - Bookstore - Afternoon Tea - Village History Museum
I believe that friends who want to come to Zhouzhuang or have been to Zhouzhuang are familiar with the Double Bridges in Zhouzhuang.
As the name suggests, Shuangqiao is two bridges connected together: the Shide Bridge, a stone arch bridge, and the Yong'an Bridge, a stone beam bridge. The bridge deck has one horizontal and one vertical, and the archways are square and one round, resembling the keys used in ancient times.
The scenery on and under the bridge is very beautiful. It is a very classic Jiangnan water town with an aesthetic painting of small bridges, flowing water and people's homes. Here are two angles suitable for taking pictures, so that you can enter and record this moment of comfort in a frozen way.
If you want to visit Zhouzhuang, which stop is the most not to be missed, it must be Shen Ting.
The entire Shen Hall faces east and west and consists of three parts: the water wall gate and river pier, which are unique buildings in the south of the Yangtze River, the wall gate building, tea house and main hall in the middle for welcoming guests, and the lobby building, small hall building and back hall for daily living in the back. It is a very typical front hall and back hall architectural layout.
Moreover, in this atmosphere of the approaching New Year, walking into Shen Hall can not only let you know about the legendary life of Shen Wansan, the richest man in Jiangnan, but also let you experience a series of New Year's good luck activities such as worshiping the God of Wealth, touching the treasure bowl, throwing copper coins, hanging wishing boards, etc.
Of course, friends who like to buy souvenirs can choose the gold ingots and gold abacus in the Shen Wansan Legend Museum here. The golden pot makes people feel rich just from the sensory perception!
Inside Zhenfeng Cultural Street in Zhouzhuang, you'll find many traditional handicraft workshops, allowing you to immerse yourself in the local customs and culture of Suzhou. Walking down the street feels like stepping into a bustling market in a Jiangnan water village.
The pure handicrafts in the shoe art workshop are very exquisite and have beautiful meanings, symbolizing continuous advancement.
The bamboo dragonflies and various interesting objects in the bamboo weaving workshop can always make people recall their childhood in an instant.
After strolling around Zhenfeng Cultural Street, we came to Jubinlou and happened to catch the Pingtan performance at Jubinlou. There are irregular Pingtan performances here around noon every day, and the repertoire is also random. The names of the tunes are in the picture below.
In such a leisurely and slow time, have a pot of grandma's tea, pair it with some snacks, find a seat by the window, sit down, read and listen to Pingtan, drink tea and chat, it is really comfortable.
The nightlife in Zhouzhuang is also rich and colorful, and it is even more full of the charm of the Jiangnan water town.
Holding a kerosene lamp and hanging it on the bow of the Yaolu boat, the boat sways forward, the water waves linger around the boat, the two sides of the river are brightly lit with fireworks, and the bow is sparkling, full of artistic conception.
Believe me, Zhouzhuang's night cruise not only allows us to enjoy the beautiful night view of the water town, but also allows us to take amazing portraits, especially for couples. The light on the bow of the boat should be used well when taking photos.
The tour of Zhouzhuang at night can be roughly divided into two parts. One is to walk along the river bank, weaving through the bustling crowd, watching the dancing lights and shadows, the curling smoke, and the fireworks of the world.
The other part is the fantastic light show in Huaxiang and Yuxiang. The whole alley is covered with hazy and illusory lights and shadows. Walking into Huaxiang and Yuxiang, it is difficult to distinguish between reality and virtuality. You can walk into the lights and shadows and blend into them.
At the Xiangcun Pastry Shop in Xiangcun Qizhuang outside Zhouzhuang, we followed the old lady to learn how to make dumplings.
Experience pastry making like never before. Watch as different ingredients are skillfully processed and finally baked into delicious dumplings. The entire process, from mixing the dough to shaping the pastry, is filled with the flavor of the New Year.
In fact, those of us living in big cities will get tired of the hustle and bustle of the steel forest after a long time. In this case, we yearn for the tranquility in the countryside.
At Xiangcun Qizhuang in Zhouzhuang, we can go to the study, order afternoon tea, sip tea and read. We can also make handicrafts, stroll through the countryside, and enjoy the tranquility without the hustle and bustle of the city.
Next to the bookstore, I accidentally discovered a village history museum, which records the cultural history of Zhouzhuang Xiangcun and Qizhuang, as well as its transformation and development process in recent years.
When night fell, we brought fireworks to the square of Xiangcun. In the light of the fireworks, we seemed to be transported back to our childhood, that prosperous time full of the flavor of the New Year.
Latte Stone Art Inn is located at the entrance of the scenic area's big archway, and on the second floor of Cardboard King. If you stay here, you can go downstairs to visit Cardboard King, where you can see various cultural and creative handicrafts made of cough syrups. What's even more surprising is that there is also a small train made of cardboard boxes.
The Fantasy Homestay is also inside the scenic area. It is a typical Jiangnan courtyard building with a simple and transparent environment, making it very suitable for staying when visiting Zhouzhuang.
The Tuanluzhisi Resort Hotel is different from the accommodation in the scenic area. The supporting facilities of the Tuanluzhisi Resort Hotel are more like those of a modern hotel.
It is full of literary and artistic style, and the large spiral staircase leading to the second floor is really suitable for taking photos and checking in, and you can definitely take different abstract blockbusters.
The rooms on the second floor of the hotel all have terraces, and you can see the lake view by opening the window. During the day, you can enjoy the inky blue water town, and when night falls, it is bustling with bright lights.
This courtyard looks quite old and has the characteristics of a homestay. At first glance, you can tell that this is the style of my parents' generation.
Walking into the courtyard feels like stepping back in time. Traces of that era can be found in the courtyard and rooms: porcelain cups, old-fashioned table lamps, old wooden beds, homespun cloth, stoves, and vintage suitcases.
The homestay creates a rural living atmosphere from the heyday of the Red Age. Coupled with the Jiangnan garden-style courtyard and waterfront leisure design, the entire homestay is full of comfort.
With 2 bedrooms, 1 living room and 1 courtyard, it is very suitable for staying with parents. With the extra-large open kitchen, the whole family can happily cook a big meal and enjoy the reunion time while tasting and making delicious food.
The entire No. 9 Courtyard, built in the 1980s, is a very Shanghainese and petty-bourgeois traditional Republican-style villa B&B. The furnishings of the entire courtyard are full of marks of the times.
It is really suitable for friends born in the 1980s. Come here and experience it. From the moment you walk into the yard, time seems to go back. Everything is the same as when you were a child, so tasteful and so consistent with the pictures in your memory.
The entire homestay is luxuriously appointed, boasting three floors, four bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen, four bathrooms, a terrace, a mahjong room, and a small courtyard. It can accommodate 8-10 people, so bring your friends or family to visit Zhouzhuang, stay at the homestay, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and enjoy a relaxing time. What could be more pleasurable than this?
Courtyard No. 12, Future House, is very large, with many rooms and quite complete supporting facilities. It is recommended that you choose this place for team building, playing chess and cards, drinking tea and dining, or small meetings, all of which can meet your needs in all aspects.
Moreover, the entire future house is equipped with many very smart supporting facilities, such as this dressing mirror, which is inlaid with a high-tech multimedia screen inside, allowing students to enjoy entertainment without feeling bored while washing and taking care of their skin.
Shenting Restaurant is the restaurant with the most water town characteristics in Zhouzhuang. It has a very long history, and the delicious dishes cooked here are of the quality that can be served at the family banquets of the richest people.
The most famous of them is Wansan Pig's Trotters. This dish originated from the family of Shen Wansan in the Ming Dynasty. It is tender and delicious, salty with a hint of sweetness, fat but not greasy. When mixed with rice, it is truly a delicacy on earth!
There is another story about the Wansan hoof, but I will keep it a secret here. You can check it out yourself. It is quite interesting to see how Mr. Shen Wansan cleverly and wittily responded to the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.
In addition to Wansan Pig's Trotters, Shenting Restaurant has several other very good dishes that I have tasted, including the sweet and sour squirrel fish, the dry, sweet and spicy fried gold bricks, and the salty and fragrant braised river prawns.
These are part of the main dishes for the New Year’s Eve dinner at Zhouzhuang Shenting Restaurant.
At the Water Shield and Sea Bass Restaurant near the scenic area, the main dish is naturally Wansan Trotter's Hoof, but in addition to Wansan Trotter's Hoof, the Eight Treasures Glutinous Rice Crab also deeply impressed my taste buds.
The stewed marbled beef is really a hot pot in winter. Not only does it warm your body after eating it, but the delicious aroma of beef will also linger in your mind unconsciously.
If I were to say that the most exquisite meal I had in Zhouzhuang, I would definitely give it to the Quan Gong Lou Fashion Restaurant, which combines the food and beverage culture of Hong Kong-style fashionable tea restaurants and is more suitable for young and fashionable people.
Moreover, every dish here, no matter its color, shape or taste, is mouth-watering and appetite-stimulating.
What impressed me the most was the surf bass. The fish soup was so delicious that I couldn’t stop drinking it.
There is also vegetable salad pumpkin, which looks very similar to a cut Wellington steak, but tastes salty, crisp, full of chewiness and satiety, and has a very unique taste.
The moment this special beef cube was served, my previous impression told me that it must be hard and difficult to chew, but after I ate a piece, my usual impression was completely refreshed.
In addition, dishes such as Hua Kai Fu Gui, homemade health-preserving black tofu, etc. are also very much in line with the tastes of modern young people.
The final dessert after the meal is the Swan Pastry with Little White Rabbit. The Swan Pastry under the durian is full of sweetness, and the Little White Rabbit jelly is full of coconut fragrance. It is delicious and exquisite, and is also a main part of Zhouzhuang New Year's Eve dishes.
Hefengli Restaurant is located in Zhouzhuang Xiangcun Qizhuang. The vegetables here are mainly green and healthy, and all are grown by the farmers themselves.
Coupled with the very down-to-earth farm atmosphere, the dishes are delicious and very tasty.
The trip before going to Zhouzhuang was in Changchun, so the departure point for this trip was Changchun. From Changchun Longjia to Shanghai Pudong, after checking various transportation methods, the shortest way to get from Pudong Airport to Zhouzhuang was by public transportation. Take the subway directly to the bus, and you must take the last bus No. 8 in the demonstration area. Because Shanghai to Suzhou Kunshan Zhouzhuang is a cross-city to city, due to the current epidemic prevention and control, taxis are not allowed to operate across provinces, so you can only take the bus.
The following are the public transportation options provided by the scenic area for your reference only:
1. Shanghai Hongqiao Airport - Zhouzhuang Ancient Town
Driving: It takes about 45 minutes to reach Zhouzhuang Ancient Town.
2. Shanghai Pudong International Airport - Zhouzhuang Ancient Town
From Pudong International Airport Station, take the Maglev to Longyang Road Station. From there, take Metro Line 2 and transfer to Line 11 to Huaqiao Station. From there, transfer to Zhouzhuang. It's about a 90-minute drive to Zhouzhuang Ancient Town.
3. Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport - Zhouzhuang Ancient Town
From Xiaoshan Airport, take the airport shuttle bus to Hangzhou North Bus Station (Jiubao Passenger Transport Center). From there, take a bus to Zhouzhuang. It's about a 100-minute drive to Zhouzhuang Ancient Town.
4. Wuxi Shuofang Airport - Zhouzhuang Ancient Town
Take the high-speed train from Wuxi Station to Suzhou Station. From there, take a bus from North Square Bus Station to Zhouzhuang. It's a 90-minute drive to Zhouzhuang Ancient Town. Take the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway or the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway to Kunshan South Station, then take bus No. 133 to Zhouzhuang Bus Station, transfer to bus No. 261 to Xinpailou, and walk to Zhouzhuang Ancient Town.
Take the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway, Shanghai-Hangzhou Expressway, Sujiahang Expressway, etc., and get off at Zhouzhuang Exit to quickly reach Zhouzhuang Ancient Town.
Zhouzhuang Ancient Town is still worth a visit, pick a weekend to go!
