Zhou Zhuang Water Village
Zhou Zhuang is a 900 year old water village in China located only 30 km away from Suzhou and 1-1/2 hour by bus from Shanghai. Marco Polo also visited this place in his travels and called it the “Venice of the East”.
During my visit, I bought some snacks which I took to the office today for our staff meeting. So,. To my delight, everyone enjoyed the snacks (a different treat from the usual timbits).
These savoury snacks (a little sweet and salty) one made with sunflower and pumpkin seeds mixed with seaweeds; another made with peanuts, some with red beans, sesame seeds… a real variety. Most of them, made by hand using the ancient method. In fact, I tried kneading the dough at a food stall, and boy, was the mallet every heavy. I could hardly move it!
Zhou Zhuang is also famous for its pork knuckles. The tourist guide on the bus told us that there are more concentration of pork knuckles in Zhou Zhuang than anywhere else. Several food stalls sell pork knuckles and there are vacuum packed cooked pork knuckles for sale at only 38 yuen (approx. US$5).
What is really significant about this place is not the candy or the pork knuckles but the history. Zhouzhuang, known as the Venice of the Orient is part of the criss-cross of canals and irrigation ditches that link with the 1800 km Grand Canal going from Beijing to Hangzhou.
The Grand Canal of China is the world’s oldest and longest canal, far surpassing the next two grand canals of the world: Suez and Panama Canal. The building of the canal began in 486 B.C. during the Wu Dynasty. It was extended during the Qi Dynasty, and later by Emperor Yangdi of Sui Dynasty during six years of furious construction from 605-610 AD. The canal is 1,795 Km (1,114 miles) long with 24 locks and some 60 bridges. Main purpose of the canal was to facilitate the transport of food supplies from the south to the north.
Here is a miniature of a portion of the water village which was displayed at a museum in one of the buildings.
Here is a videoclip of the water village.
Filed under: My Travels
I heard from someone that Zhou Zhuang is one of UNESCO protected heritage site. Can someone confirm that? I don’t see Zhou Zhuang listed on the UNESCO protected list, perhaps this is something new and their website has not been updated yet.
Zhouzhuang has been included in the UNESCO Tentative List for World Cultural Heritage Sites. In addition, it’s been awarded a lot of distinctions like Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation, American Government Award and the title of “the world’s most charming water town” etc.
Here is a site about Zhou Zhuang that might interest you.