One day in Zhouzhuang, Suzhou

Government has apparently take all the control over the development of tourism, every entry to main attractions is guarded with staff, we are obliged to buy ticket of 100 RMB. Or, one can get through after 20:00 when they get off work, which was the way of entry that I chose.

Some said travelers who choose to come here either have certain age, either are literature, art lovers, who have a romantic complex about ancient towns. The water of river appears to be a kind of dark jade green. While walking along the river we can hear from time to time some local ladies singing folk songs in dialect on the boat, which is a dialect much softer and tender compare to Shanghainese, remind me of grandmother’s voice. Even almost every one of the houses has been transformed into shops or hotels, the charm remains.

A student who study in Suzhou university, which is located nearby, said that back in 2010 and earlier, Zhou Zhuang was a popular destination for western tourists, both individual traveler and tourists in groups. Now young people prefer Xi Tang, where we can find more bars, pubs, although some would criticize that it became more and more touristy. Shops and restaurants here close early at night, a nanny of our neighbor knocked on the window and asked us to keep the volume of music down at about 9 o’clock.

Most of the businessmen are from other provinces, local people move to big cities like shanghai, Suzhou. A normal phenomenon that could apply in many tourist areas in China. I stayed in a guesthouse whose owner is from Guangzhou, personally feel that very few Cantonese work or live in Shanghai and JiangSu province, which is true according to the owner, he said that they couldn’t adapt to the weather here where a year is clearly divided into four seasons, while in Guangzhou, winter and summer are much more comfortable. Cantonese cuisine is another important thing that they miss a lot.