Two old Chinese water towns
Zhujiajiao
Foreign visitors to China will most likely land in Shanghai first as its airport has the most international flights. Shanghai and its neighboring provinces Jiangsu and Zhejiang are situated on the Changjiang (Yangzi) River delta. Collectively known by their abbreviations as 江浙沪 (Jiang-Zhe-Hu), the region is also sometimes referred to as the Jiang-Zhe-Hu Free Shipping Region as in the early days of online shopping, most vendors would provide free shipping in this region but not others. The nickname signals the region's powerhouse status in the country's economy—it contributes about 20% of China's overall GDP and 30% of its exports.
The region’s mild climate and extensive waterways have supported agriculture and commerce since ancient times. The area’s other sobriquet, 江南 (Jiangnan, South of the River) evokes images of little bridges, flowing water, and brick houses on the riverbank. Quite a few old riparian towns have been developed into tourist attractions. In June, our family went to visit one such town.
朱家角 （Zhujiajiao, the Corner of the Zhu Family), reachable by the metro, was an easy day trip. Tourist spots in China like to compare themselves to Europe. Zhujiajiao, with its meandering canals and relatively clear water, is said to be the Venice of Shanghai. Some differences: the gondoliers didn’t don striped shirts but pointy hats. Instead of gelato, the food stalls sold 粽子（zongzi), a kind of Chinese tamales with sticky rice and fillings, wrapped in fragrant reed leaves then steamed. (My favorite was the pork, with soy sauce-infused sticky rice soaked in glistening fat.) Rather than the Bridge of Sighs leading to the prison, 放生桥 （Fangsheng Bridge）was where Buddhists could accumulate merit by releasing fish and turtles and other critters from captivity. Above all, the town wasn’t overrun by crowds, and the locals seemed to be going about their daily lives with ease.
An old post office dating from the Qing dynasty was still open. Although functionally it was mostly a souvenir shop, one could buy postcards and stamps here and send them through an ornate old mailbox.
We walked through alleyways lined with cafes and restaurants. We saw a glassmaker where the owner was working with an open flame, and a salon specializing in ear-picking.
After a visit to Kezhi Garden and a walk along the canal, we decided it was time to return as we had an early flight to catch the next day. Our next destination: the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Readers of If You Don’t Go will recall this mountainous region and its native Yi people from the later chapters.
Xichang
To get there, we first took one of only two weekly flights from Shanghai to Xichang. There were big billboards at the airport advertising a major local tourist attraction, a Saturday torch show recreating the fire festival that takes place here every August. Unfortunately it was unavailable on the day we arrived. In fact, most noisy activities in the country’s residential areas had been shut down because it was the week of 高考 (gaokao), the annual national college entrance exam. During gaokao week, cities and towns cancel their outdoor festivities, some even require construction and piano practice to stop, so the high school seniors can have some peace and quiet during this stressful rite of passage.
In Xichang, we had lunch at a restaurant specializing in local dishes. The tree-lined street, with its unhurried pace, reminded me of Nanjing in the 90s.
Many storefronts, including a KFC, had signs in both Han Chinese and Yi. The modernized version of the Yi language is sound based, with 1,165 symbols for different sounds. In case you think that’s complicated, the traditional Yi language, with its regional variations, has up to 90,000 distinct glyphs representing meaning plus sound.
In the afternoon, we visited the historic town of Jianchang (the old name for Xichang). Dinner was grilled skewers at the back patio of a restaurant. It was easy to relax under the enormous canopy of a banyan tree. Besides us, there was a man who seemed to have been stood up by his date, and a couple of girls on an outing. A little puppy ran back and forth under the table.
We returned to Jianchang the next evening, because after dark was when the streets came alive—the shops and alleys were very atmospheric with lit lanterns, and locals and tourists alike turned out here to while away the evening.
Unable to resist the lure of the costume-and-photo shops, we booked a session. The traditional Yi costumes and jewelry were handmade by locals and looked fabulous. The girl who did my makeup was Yi and grew up in the hills nearby. After high school, she came to town to find work. Local businesses were all controlled by certain groups, she told me. Hmm. I would later learn that Wenzhou groups owned a lot of businesses in tourist locations, causing ire of the locals. I only wished I had asked her if that was the case in Xichang.
Xichang, with its gorgeous Qiong Lake and annual torch festival, is fast becoming a tourist area. A high speed rail station was constructed in 2022, making the city an easy jaunt from major population centers like Chengdu or Chongqing.
The second morning, we did one of my favorite things to do on vacation: going on a bike ride. There were several rental places by the lake and the path was well maintained. Lotus patches and wildflowers lined the path. Some called this area “little Switzerland” (the European comparison again!) If you squinted hard enough, the water did bear a passing resemblance to the Zürichsee, until you realized the white patches in the hills across the lake were not snow but mysterious reflective strips. Any guesses what they were?
We had lunch at the Qionghai Hotel, in an empty dining room with a gorgeous lake view. Note to self and readers: be careful when ordering “drunken shrimp” in China, as they might arrive insufficiently inebriated and still jumping. The spicy sauce intensified the cruelty. The texture? Less sashimi than insect, probably. And definitely not something you’d find in a Swiss chalet restaurant.
As much as we had enjoyed Xichang, we had to move on to our destination, the reason we were here—to visit an elementary school in Liangshan. I’ll write about that in my next newsletter.
The practical details — flights, jet lag, getting online, paying for things, and getting around — now live on a China travel tips page, which I'll keep updating as things change.
Lastly, two gift articles from the Wall Street Journal:
One on tourism in China with some interesting statistics: “international tourists to China spent about $2,200 each, less than two-thirds of what foreign tourists spent in the U.S.” If you look at it another way, a China vacation costs less than two-thirds of a U.S. vacation.
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/the-trillion-dollar-bright-spot-in-chinas-economy-tourism-3fadc6a7
One on Xi’s upcoming visit to the U.S. in September, the Thucydides Trap (oh no not that again), and the difference between authoritarianism and totalitarianim.
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/why-seeing-china-as-a-normal-rising-power-misses-the-point-8a6d764a
Do you have other questions and tips about China travel? Stories of your own? Email me at dianahongcha@gmail.com.
Until next time, Diana