Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 654

June 17th

1) Today was an excursion of epic proportions, as we visited yet another part of Suzhou's ancient heritage - Zhouzhuang Water Village (周庄). Nicknamed the "Venice of the East" (or is Venice nicknamed the "Zhouzhuang of the West" hmmm...), one can easily envision the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views, and profound cultural background. Initially, this was going to be a trip for just myself and Niamh, but fortunately, two of my lab mates - Zhou Jujun and Kong Jiao - decided to tag along (and ultimately help us navigate our way :)

2) We began our journey early in the morning, and Zhou helped us book a taxi (called "Didi" over here) from our apartment to Zhouzhuang. Today was a holiday - the Dragon Boat Festival or 端午节 as it is known in Chinese - so we could expect loads of tourists. Luckily we went early, so we managed to uncover a lot of the area before the tourists starting pouring in. Also, by using an app called "Meituan" (美团) to book our entrance tickets, we managed to save 12 yuan! Anyway, printed on our tickets were the various places of interest, including Chengxu Taoist Temple, The Museum of Zhouzhuang, The Ancient Platform, Qiuyue Garden of Nanhu Lake, House of the God of Wealth, amongst others. While we did not have the time to explore each and everyone, it was all about embracing the atmosphere and soaking up the rich culture and heritage in this well preserved water village.

3) At around noon, it was time for lunch. So my Chinese friends helped us find a cheap and nearby restaurant to try out. We ordered six dishes which came to around 240 yuan, which I think is reasonable - considering this is a tourist area. After the authentic Chinese meal, we made our way back to Pinjiang Rd (via Didi) - an 800-year old historical street where Niamh bought a souvenir umbrella, and where we got to try chicken feet (鳯爪) or the much more appealing "phoenix claws" as it is known in Chinese. As evening approached, Kong suggested we try a hotpot restaurant which she found on Meituan. As we walked and walked, it became clear that the shop had either relocated or shut down permanently, as we couldn't find it!

4) Instead, we went to another Chinese restaurant for dinner. It was a very cheap dinner, but with quite unique dishes - including glutinous balls made with lotus root flour, deep fried lotus root, boiled dumplings with Chinese chives (韭菜), noodles, and beef fried rice. The entire fiasco cost us only 58 yuan - practically a steal! And our last visit of the day was to Suzhou Centre, to embrace the night life and view of the cityscape. Instead of spending much time in the shopping area, we went outside, and were very fortunate to see their water light show. Whether this was a one time event (due to the Dragon Boat Festival) or a daily occurrence, I am not sure myself. But we enjoyed the entire trip from start to finish, and had a nice walk back home afterwards. That is the end of today's amazing adventure, and thanks for visiting as always. Have a nice weekend, and do scroll down for a tonne of pics. Cheers! :D

At Zhouzhuang Water Village - admiring the photos depicting everyday life ^^

Waiting at the apartment for our friends :)

In preparation for the Dragon Boat Festival

I find the costumes to be very vibrant and contrast-y

Myself, Zhou, Kong, and Niamh

(all smiles :)

A giant sticky rice dumpling (粽子)

(eaten specifically during the Dragon Boat Festival)

Entrance to the Zhouzhuang Water Village ^^

Our ticket (which has all the places of interest on it)

Thanks Zhou for helping us take the pic :)

Too many tourists prevented us from getting a nice photo of the entrance sign

Just one of the many boat rides along the canals of the village

Yifei Museum

The life of Chen Yifei - a renowned Chinese classic-style painter, art director and film director

Double Bridges (Shuang Qiao) (Shide Bridge and Yongan Bridge) are considered

the symbol of Zhouzhuang

(This art piece by Yi Fei, depicting the Double Bridges, is called "Memory of Hometown" - and was chosen to be the first-day cover of the United Nations' postage stamp of 1985)

Zhang's House - Zhang's was a wealthy family in Zhouzhuang

(the mansion has gone for over 500 years, since the Ming Dynasty!)

A big rockwork (behind us) is made from stone from Taihu Lake

(the backyard of the mansion)

The scenery of Zhouzhuang at its finest!

Apparently the Zhang family had their own set of musicians to entertain them

This is the long, narrow pathway used to access the mansion on regular days

(only on special occasions would the main gate be opened)

Beautiful scenery everywhere

That is the name of the taxi company (Didi) that brought us here XD

Group photo in front of a "wishing tree"

(Wishes are written on red auspicious paper before being tied on the branches of the tree)

Time for lunch!

(Kung pao chicken) (宫保鸡丁)

Kung Pao Chicken, Sliced Potato Strips, Deep Fried Shrimps, Veggies

Much better lighting from this angle haha

(Thanks again Zhou for taking the pic)

Niamh can't wait to dig in

(and neither can I, to be honest :)

One of the many beautiful (and large!) gymnasiums in Suzhou

Pinjiang Road - our next stop hehe :)

Watching a master Chinese fan craftsman at work

Trying chicken feet for the first time (not me but someone else, obviously haha)

I actually like chicken feet, and it is used very often in soups for that extra flavour :)

Just above the red section is an entire MOUNTAIN-LOAD of durians!! Yum-yum :))

Our stop for dinner was unexpected yet delicioso :)

Fried lotus root - "tastes like onion bhaji", says food critic and culinary expert Niamh

That's glutinous balls made of lotus root flour, with black sesame filling :)

Nothing like a nice warm dinner to fill us up ^^

Beef fried rice. Absolutely delightful :D

Beautiful lighting on a nearby shopping complex

Marks & Spencer (Kuhan if you are reading this, which I highly doubt you would haha - here is your next go-to place after you finish trying out everything at M & S Ireland)