Today we were treated to visit to the tourist destination of Zhouzhaung. It is “An ancient town in the south of the Yangtse” according to our brochure. Located between Suzhou and Shanghai it has tried to preserve the historical structures from 900 years ago. It “showcases the architecture of the Ming (1368-1644) & Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.” It took us an hour and half to get there. We left at 7:30 and it was 0 degrees Celsius out (figure it out, Westerners, it ain’t that hard to convert to metric!). By lunch it had jumped to 7C in the sun (but the shade still had frozen ice!) however that did not stop us from seeing this canal town that had been built on trading, including with India and Malaysia.
These are, of course, tourist ferrying boats for the tour of the canals. It is said it is easier to get around by boat than by foot, however, we did fine with our feet. Being that it was a cold Monday some of the shopkeepers and attendants amused themselves playing badminton.
We preferred this to the incessant badgering of “lookee lookee, what you want” to which our friend/colleague/guide/translator said that a German fellow she had showed around had muttered in response “I want money.” The levity was much appreciated!
The “traditional crafts are practiced here” and I believe that indeed some of them are, but some are just factory made. What is interesting to us who are always shopping in Merced because it is cheaper than that tourist trap of Yosemite is that it is cheaper in the “tourist trap” than in Jiangyin or Shanghai! But, as Cathy pointed out when I was craving a silk comforter-you don’t buy here, you buy at the place where you watch them assemble the quilt so that you know it is silk and not something else.
Mara, Cathy, & the Driver
Listening to Cathy haggling was incredible! Wish we spoke Chinese (which is what they call it here, so you folks who think what was just written is not PC-it is here!). Cathy would then turn to me and say “Oh she said we can have it for 25″ (and the written price was 35). Sure makes me wonder how we could have haggled if only we spoke Chinese!
So, being that we know an archaeologist fairly well (Hi Sonni!) we do wonder how accurate this whole place is. One thing about the Chinese-they are remarkably adaptable. We have heard several times “Where there is a will, there is a way” This is so true for the Chinese. So, one brochure says “The town is…over 900 years old, yet it remains as it were” whereas the other brochure states “The New City offers a pleasant & lively shopping area….Many of the shops of the ancient town are, or will be moved here…meanwhile the homes that housed these shops will be returned to their original purpose serving as a perfect example of Ming & Qing Dynasty architecture.”
However, in defense of the town, this was also written in one of the brochures “In the 1950s the Temple was totally destroyed but then rebuilt in a different location on the shores of Nanhu Lake in the 1990s.” So when your culture is totally destroyed, what can you do but rebuild so as to teach the more ancient history? And so where does archaeological and historical accuracy fall in this?
For those interested in further reading there are several opportunities to study Chinese history. One juvenile novel that Mara reviewed for her Masters in Education in School Library and Information Technology degree was Revolution is not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine. There are plenty of others, so go read in these cold winter months!
Tags: Zhouzhuang