Cultural preservation seems to be the norm in China these days perhaps to serve as a reminder for how much of a terrible idea the Cultural Revolution really was (way to go, Mao). It seriously feels like every street corner in every Chinese city is adorned with either a temple, museum, or cultural center, just to ballyhoo to unknowing passersby the complete and utter badassery that is Chinese history.
But just when you think you've exceeded your fair share of culture for one day, you suddenly find yourself in a town that is in and of itself an entire cultural exhibit. Welcome to Zhouzhuang.
This sleepy water town-turned tourist trap is located a mere one hour drive east from Suzhou in the county-level city of Kunshan. Standing as the finest example of a well-preserved ancient Chinese township, it is self-dubbed "Venice of the East" for a pretty good reason.
Since it's such a precious vestige of China's imperial past, the community is gated and you have to pay to get in. But once inside, you'll be treated with a spectacular view of antique houses from the Ming and Qing era that are surrounded by canals and connected by quite a number of bridges. In addition, there are a handful of attractions that pay tribute to how life was like back in the day. My favorite was the Chinese opera.
According to Peace, SEU student and local Chinese friend with a cool name, the many residents of Zhouzhuang live very peaceful and easygoing lives—lives that are completely impractical outside of the township walls.
"I would love to live here... just selling tourist items for a living. Wow, that's a good life."
I totally agree.
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