Catshanghai

We spent yesterday at Zhujiajiao water village, which is an hour’s bus ride west of Shanghai.

I last went there in the Autumn of 2004 soon after I arrived in Shanghai. At that time cheap kitsch and temples had not yet become a cliche, but we were disappointed to see this yesterday. We have been spoiled by our travels to Beijing, Xiamen, Yunnan, Hangzhou and Nanjing. Zhujiajiao is nothing special. It feels like a cheap facsimile of YuYuan. It’s like a cheap tourist market in Shanghai without tall buildings.

We liked Zhujiajiao better at night when it lit up and the beggars stopped hassling us. At least we went on the day before the May Day celebrations so we were spared the headache of teaming holiday crowds.