Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
into developing the stately stone bridges and tree-lined canals that now
provide the city's main attractions.
The biggest mansion is the
Shen House
in the east of town, built in 1742. Over
a hundred rooms (not all of them open) are connected by covered colonnades,
with grand public halls at the front and the more intimate family chambers at the
back. Pe r i of d furnishings help evoke a lost age of opulence, though it is all rather
dark; the neat gardens offer a pleasant contrast. An exhibition of folk instruments
in the Xiaotong Tower at the rear is worth seeking out, as is the nearby statue of
the mansion's founder, Shen, looking rather pleased with himself.
Zhouzhuang's most highly rated views are of the pretty sixteenth-century
twin
stone bridges
in the northeast of town. Also firmly on the itinerary are
a
boat ride
round the canals (¥80) and lunch - there are no shortage of restau-
rants, all offering the local specialities of pig's thigh, meatballs and clams as a set
meal (around ¥60 per head).
Xitang
XIT
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NG
T
(¥60), sixty kilometres southwest of Shanghai, was popularized by its
appearance in
Mission Impossible III
, and you won't forget the fact; bizarrely, there
I
are posters of Tom Cruise all over the place. Though short on specific sights, the
lanes, canals and bridges are undeniably picturesque. And if it rains, at least you'll
be dry: the locals, tired of the wet climate, built roofs over the main alleyways,
the biggest of which is over a kilometre long. It runs alongside the central canal,
and is lined with restaurants and stalls housed in half-timbered buildings.
To get to Xitang, take a sightseeing bus from Shanghai Stadium, which leaves at
8.45am and returns at 4pm; the journey takes two hours. If you want to stay the
night, head for the
Xitang Youth Hostel
at 6 Tangjia Lane, off Xi Xia Jie on the west
l
side of town, which offers simple rooms and dorms (
0512/65218885;
1
).
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152
Punting on the canal, Zhouzhuang
