Zhouzhuang
Water Town
 Known
as a collection of beauty of China's
water town, Zhouzhuang,Jiangsu,like
a lotus on the water, is surrounded
by rivers as Nanbeichi, Houxiang, Youcheyang
and Zhongshi. There are many bridges
as well, the most famous being Yong'an
and Shide, alias Double Bridge, from
which many artists have drawn inspiration,
including the eminent painter Chen Yifei.
Sitting on a boat, you may be carried
away by the quiet and beautiful scene.
At night when all streets are empty,
you catch a glimpse of dim lights down
the narrow lanes. Occasionally, the
sweet peace is punctuated by the distant
sound of laughter, and a harmonious
environment is created----both fragrant
and tasteful.
 Although
more than 900 years have past, its
architectural style is still well
preserved, more than 60 percent of
the residential houses were built
during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing
(1644-1911) dynasties, consisting
of nearly 100 classic courtyards and
60 carved brick archways. The houses
commonly have two floors, with white
walls and black roofs, various styles
of windows out of which often poke
many bamboo poles carrying the household
laundry.
The most interesting travel
route is walking along the banks or rowing
a boat through the stone arch bridges to
view the residential houses along the waterside.
The local people use the water to do their
washing, and also do their shopping by lowering
a pole with a basket on the end to the vendors
sitting in their boats. Along the roads,
there are various forms of stone blocks
every 10 meters for the boats stop.
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