Zhoujiajiao (Shanghai), Beauty in Antiquity

What a difference an hour makes !!! 

We sneaked out of cosmopolitan Shanghai and journeyed back in time to its ancient water village town, Zhoujiajiao, a one-hour trip that brought us back to a thousand years. The water village has a long history (about 1,700 years) and it is just one of the ancient water villages worth visiting near Shanghai. Although a good friend of ours suggested a visit to Suzhou, another water village, we had already made plans for Zhoujiajiao having earlier read that the latter is the least commercialized, therefore, with less tourist traps, and allegedly the most well-preserved.

Had fun riding Zhoujiajiao's traditional boat as it navigated through its network of canals as well as walking on the same ancient cobbled streets where the emperor’s men during the Qing and other dynasties lorded it over.

due to its navigable canals, Zhoujiajiao easily gained

recognition as the "venice of the east"

Got to see the 18th century post office of the Qing Dynasty and the centuries-old stone bridges (the much fabled 5-arched Fang Sheng, for instance, was constructed in 1570 and still in much use up to now).

18th century post office of the Qing Dynasty

the 5-arched stone bridge in the background is called fang sheng, 

constructed in 1570 and is still very much functional even now