Zhouzhuang Travel Guide (Shanghai to Zhouzhuang)

Self-driving Shanghai-Zhouzhuang route

Starting from Shanghai, take the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway to the Kunshan exit and get off the expressway, then go north to the county road and pass 6 kilometers to Zhangpu , then continue driving north for about 2 kilometers and you will encounter an intersection. Drive west to reach Luzhi. Continue driving for 5 kilometers to reach Luzhi, with a total distance of 58 kilometers. Attraction introduction:

Zhouzhuang is located in the southeast of Suzhou City and southwest of Kunshan. It was called Zhenfengli in ancient times. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Zhouzhuang was the fiefdom of King Wu Shaozi Yao, and was called Yao City. In the first year of Yuanyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (1086), more than 200 acres of Zhou Digong's house was donated to the local Quanfu Temple as a temple, which was first called Zhouzhuang. In the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, Shen Wansan took advantage of the water transportation of the Baijiang River in the north of Zhouzhuang Town to carry out trade, and Zhouzhuang Therefore, it became a distribution center for grain, silk, ceramics, and handicrafts, and became a giant town in the south of the Yangtze River. In the early years of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty, it was officially named Zhouzhuang Town.

Zhouzhuang Town is a Zeguo, with rivers forming streets, presenting a simple, bright and quiet atmosphere. It is a typical "small bridge, flowing water, and people's house" in the south of the Yangtze River. Although it has gone through more than 900 years of vicissitudes, it is still completely preserved. With the original style and layout of the ancient water town, it is like a pearl inlaid on the shore of Dianshan Lake.

The most famous scenic spots in Zhouzhuang are Fu'an Bridge, Shuangqiao and Shen Hall. Fu'an Bridge is the only remaining three-dimensional bridge building in the south of the Yangtze River; the twin bridges are connected by two bridges and have a unique shape; the stone bridge is strong and simple, built in the Ming Dynasty, and consists of a stone arch bridge and a stone beam bridge. It spans two small rivers, the North and South Shihe and Yinzibang. The bridge deck is horizontal and vertical, and the bridge holes are round and square. They are well-proportioned, just like a big lock locking the two rivers tightly. Shen Hall is a Qing-style courtyard house with a strict overall structure and different local styles. In addition, there are religious places such as Chengxu Taoist Temple and Quanfu Temple. The whole town is connected by bridges and streets, houses are built along the river, boats are swaying gently, and green shadows are whirling. Tourists returning to simplicity can't help but recite: "Wu trees rely on Wu water flow, and Wuzhong boats compile good travels."

The river in the ancient town is in the shape of a well. Residential houses are built along the river and streets are formed along the water. The river spans 14 ancient bridges built in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Wu Guanzhong wrote in an article that "Huangshan embodies the beauty of China's mountains and rivers, Zhouzhuang "Collecting the beauty of China's water towns", overseas newspapers and magazines called Zhouzhuang "China's No. 1 water town". Zhouzhuang Food:

In the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, Shen Wansan became the richest man in the south of the Yangtze River. He hired famous chefs to cook various delicacies and dubbed it "Wansan Family Banquet". The banquet pays attention to the freshness of the season, exquisite selection of ingredients, and excellent color, aroma, taste and shape. Special dishes include: Wansan hoof, three-flavor glutinous rice balls, steamed mandarin fish, steamed braised eel tubes, water shield and seabass soup, snails in ginger sauce, stuffed meat and oil buns, louver-wrapped meat, stewed dried tofu, cooked lotus root, etc. To taste "Wansan Family Banquet", you can go to Shen Hall Restaurant. It is located next to Fu'an Bridge and Shen Hall. It still retains the style of Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is elegant and unique. It is close to the river and is a restaurant with a very local style. In the water town of Zhouzhuang, delicacies aquatic products are available all year round, the most famous of which are the "three delicacies of the Clam River": sea bass, white clams, and whitebait. Zhouzhuang also produces eels, and everyone knows the local proverb "Eels cooked with rice are as good as ginseng." In addition, there are soft-shell turtles, river shrimps, etc. Zhouzhuang's delicacies don't stop there. Jiangnan specialties such as pickled amaranth and green dumplings are also popular among tourists. Countless pastries and cooked foods are like a flower market that lasts all year round: sesame cake, peanut cake, walnut cake, salt and pepper cake, green cake, etc. Pickled vegetable tip: a sour, fresh and mouth-watering tea dish. Shopping in Zhouzhuang:

The people of Zhouzhuang are ingenious and have developed many high-level traditional crafts over the past nine hundred years. "Zhouzhuang Bamboo Weaving" and "Zhuang Furnace" are representative works. Zhouzhuang's teapots are also unique. In other places, teapots are mostly made of pottery or porcelain, while Zhouzhuang's teapots are made of stone. On the wall of the teapot, the reliefs are lifelike and rich in images, which is a must-see for tea lovers. As a representative of the Jiangnan water town, Jiangnan specialties such as Su embroidery and pearls are also found here. If you buy a few decorative paintings depicting the beautiful scenery of the four seasons in the water town, and match them with small and exquisite frames, you can "bring" the water town home.