Wednesday was our big trip outside of Shanghai to one of the nearby water towns. There are a set of them, and since the towns are the attractions themselves, to get in you must pay a small cover charge (and even walk through attended turnstiles). Since Gurie had been to the most well-known (i.e. most commercialized) of the towns with each family member as they visited in turn, we thought about trying a new one. The one we decided on was closer (only 45 minute bus ride away), and happened to be the least commercialized: Zhu Jia Jiao.
Which isn't to say it isn't a tourist attraction; it still is, with a shopping street (North Street), tea houses, and restaurants a little too fancy for the townies. Thank god it had been raining in the morning, because we actually had the town all to ourselves for several hours. By the time we got there, the rain had faded to a light drizzle; it cleared the humidity, cooled the air, and laid a fine dewy mist over the gardens we visited.
It was nothing short of magical, really. We were the only tourists in sight as we walked over the Cao Gang river on their famous bridges. One of the larger ones, the Fang Sheng bridge (aka the bridge of giving life), has five arches and was built in the 16th century. At the base of the bridge are old women with small plastic bags containing one fish each, which they will try to sell to you so that you can "give back life" to the captives. Those poor fish. A nice sentiment, but it's better to bypass these women since they will go out and catch more fish to repeat the cycle.
We spent most of our time at the Ma Family Garden, also called Kezhi, which means to practice agriculture as well as study. The house was serpentine, and the gardens expansive. We fed coy fish, sat thoughtfully in one of the gazebos, and strolled through created rock-caves and bamboo forests. We walked through music rooms filled with ancient and foreign instruments, flag rooms complete with varying warrior garb, and the house bell tower. Yup. They had their own bell tower.
There is an outdoor cafe in the gardens were you can sit in the evenings and admire the moon -- a popular pasttime for the Chinese. Here is where I saw the Chinese character for my last name, which means language and literature. Seems there is a history of it in our family; no wonder we're all writers and editors.
After a gondola ride down the canals, we headed back home to meet up with Gurie's roommate for Singaporean food. It was delicious, of course, and a nice way to end a long day.
