In every drop of water, there is a story of life. Leena Arif
Shanghai is a water town. It is situated on the eastern coast of China on the Yangtze River Delta which flows into the East China Sea. The word Shanghai in Chinese literally means “Upon the Water”. You realize the importance of water here as you see the canals, rivers, and tributaries channeling their way through the city.
As part of our first established weekend in the country, we wanted to get out and begin to see the many sights of this city. It also was our 15th Wedding Anniversary so Jeff and I decided a family celebration was in order. We started the day off on a tour to one of the many “ancient” water towns that make up the surrounding areas of Shanghai. These towns are relics of a bygone era with their ancient stone walkways, bridges, and local markets. The town we visited is called Zhujiajiao (jou-jow-joe). This town is among a handful of water towns surrounding Shanghai but is recognized as one of the best-preserved and as our tour guide purported, the longest actual inhabited town in the area. As the town was established more than 1700 years ago we were excited to visit it.
After a drive out of the city that took us close to 2 hours with weekend traffic, we noticed we were getting closer to our destination when the tall buildings and apartments of Shanghai disappeared and in their place stood the trees and shrubs of the surrounding landscape. Zhujiajiao is a popular weekend retreat for locals who take to the canals and relative calm of the countryside. 
Walking into the town you are literally taken back a thousand years as the streets narrow and the vendors occupying storefronts in buildings from the Qing an Ming Dynasty eras press up on either side of you. The heat during our trip was outstandingly hot. The narrower streets brought welcome shade and the air conditioners that some vendors used were blissful modern amenities. We could see vendors selling all manner of food – from little birds on sticks, to what looked like pig feet and other meat selections from the roadside stalls. You could get food or wares such as pipes, antique tea sets, and silk while shopping. Our kids were able to practice their bargaining skills in
the many shops. One vendor was selling live crickets in bamboo cages. It was temping to have a pet for a day, but we resisted. What we couldn’t resist was a ride in the gondolas that were paddled up and down the canals by Chinese boatmen. Getting off the hot, crowded, and odorous streets to sit in a boat and feel the cool breeze of the water was wonderful. The boatmen expertly navigated us around the town and seeing the architecture from the water was a special treat.
After a few hours in the ancient town, we headed back to Shanghai to spend some more time on the water – this time the Huangpu River which divides Shanghai into two parts, Shanghai and Pudong New District. Taking a river dinner cruise even with advanced ticket purchase requires standing in line among hundreds of other weekenders. It’s worth noting that in Shanghai you are never alone and never not surrounded by people by the way. Also, it’s worth noting that the Chinese don’t have the same approach to lining up that Americans do. This essentially means that they don’t follow the rules of lines that we are accustomed to in the United States at all. It’s a free for all to the front of any space. I can’t count the times someone has simply stepped in front of me to get to where I was preparing to go. This is not done in rudeness, but is just the manner of moving about this city and country.
So, with that as context we thought it was funny when the Huangpu River cruise guards insisted on
absolute order from our group prior to entering. Everywhere else it was organized chaos around the lines. People were coming in literally left and right. But our group was told to stand in an orderly 2 x 2 line just a foot off of the curbside. We waited like that for 20 minutes contemplating what this all meant when finally, we were allowed in to board our boat. Relieved we weren’t in for something more sinister, the boat was a quaint river boat that looked like it would be more at home on the Mississippi with perhaps Mark Twain as our guide than in China. The boat ride was magical as the lights of the city skyline popped on and we got to see a dazzling display of color that is the Shanghai city night.
A good way to end a day on the water.
