Zhouzhuang, originally built in 1086, is just like a shining pearl among Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou. It is surrounded by water and boats are needed even for short-distance trips.
The town is well known a for its preservation of numerous buldings from the Ming and Qing Dynasty.
Zhouzhuang, the Venice of Asia, is on the United Nations Reserve List for the World Cultural Heritage and the Dubai International Best Practice to Improve the Living Environment.
As you can see, it gets crowded. Most of these tourists were Chinese citizens from the growing middle class. Some traveled hundreds of miles.
This is where I was a photo thief. I wanted to take a closer shot of these captured birds, but the owner wouldn't let me. He pointed at a sign that said I'd have to pay. I walked a good distance and used my meager telephoto lens. The birds are tied to the boat and the owner makes money by charging the tourists.
Xu Xiao-dong
Artist
longyu8@126.com
We bought several water colors here and Xu Xiao-dong gave written permission to use his art for the cover of my next book. There's a stairway in the back that goes to another floor and more art. Also, the background on this page is from one of his paintings.
