Free day in Shanghai - want to see village life
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Free day in Shanghai - want to see village life
We (my husband and 2 teenagers) are visiting Shanghai in April. We will have a guide to visit the Jade Buddha Temple, Yu Garden, Old town and Zhujiajiao Water Village. We will be visiting Xian for 2 days and Beijing for 5 nights. Almost all of this is city sightseeing. Is there anywhere we could travel to outside of Shanghai on our own by train that might give us a better understanding what village life is? My guide recommended Hanghzou but thought we would really struggle with the language getting around. Ideas? Thoughts?
#2
Hangzhou is not a village.
I speak zero Mandarin and managed fine with a guidebook with place names in characters and a good phrase book (characters, not just pinyin) and pattern matching skills. And that was before the Olympics, I gather that the east coast cities are much more English-friendly these days.
I'm sure peter will have better input on the village question but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I don't think you'd find an actual rural village very interesting, in any case.
I speak zero Mandarin and managed fine with a guidebook with place names in characters and a good phrase book (characters, not just pinyin) and pattern matching skills. And that was before the Olympics, I gather that the east coast cities are much more English-friendly these days.
I'm sure peter will have better input on the village question but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I don't think you'd find an actual rural village very interesting, in any case.
#3
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Guides always think you'll struggle to get around. Then you'll need to pay them for assistance. Yet tens of thousands of people without two words of Mandarin to rub together get themselves all over China independently every year (and a great deal more cheaply, too).
Hangzhou is about as much a village as Shanghai is, and very busy and crowded, so you'd need to be proceeding further still from there, and the surrounding area is occupied with a lot of industry and heavily touristed areas. Further out around Shaoxing might suit you, but that could make for a long day.
Hangzhou is about as much a village as Shanghai is, and very busy and crowded, so you'd need to be proceeding further still from there, and the surrounding area is occupied with a lot of industry and heavily touristed areas. Further out around Shaoxing might suit you, but that could make for a long day.
#5
I am not a big fan of Shanghai. Great for shoppers and fans of modern architecture, one very good (for China) museum. I enjoyed Hangzhou (even though I was there at THE most crowded time of year), and also Suzhou. Hangzhou has a good, big temple and the lake and islands; Suzhou has fascinating gardens - I am not a gardener and I still enjoyed them - and silk embroidery.
Trending Topics
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yikes. No didn't look at a map. Was on the phone with someone who was telling me to look at it when I typed that to you....
This day trip idea just came up today to get out of Shanghai.
This day trip idea just came up today to get out of Shanghai.
#12
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,854
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Suggest you move Zhujiajiao to your free day, the watertown is touristy but at least you get a peek of country life on the bus there. Then add some other activities to the first day such as a museum, the Bund and Pudong area.
Frankly, from your several topics, I'm not impressed with your guide(s), whoever they are, their recommendations, and the fees they charge. You can easily do Shanghai by yourself without a word of English.
Frankly, from your several topics, I'm not impressed with your guide(s), whoever they are, their recommendations, and the fees they charge. You can easily do Shanghai by yourself without a word of English.
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ok - decided to go to Suzhou. Anyone know of a local tour guide that can show/tell us the sites? I inquired at www.synotrip.com bu I haven't received too many responses. Or maybe we just need a car/driver? We always like to hear about the local history though.
#15
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,854
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Get an early start, you can easily get to Suzhou by train, pre-select a few gardens/sites to visit, then take a bus or taxi to watertown Tongli for lunch and a boat ride along the canals. It can be done in a day.
#16
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i recommand guangxi.
btw,shanghai is close with suzhou and hangzhou and wuzhen.if you would go to shanghai,you can also go to suzhou,hangzhou or wuzhen. it takes 20 to 30 minutes to go suzhou from shanghai by train,and about 1 hour from shanghai to hangzhou.t ickets cost little,too.
suzhou-Zhuo Zheng Yuan,Liu Yuan,Shi Zi Lin,etc.
hangzhou-Xi Hu(west lake)
wuzhen-exactly, is a small village of water
btw,shanghai is close with suzhou and hangzhou and wuzhen.if you would go to shanghai,you can also go to suzhou,hangzhou or wuzhen. it takes 20 to 30 minutes to go suzhou from shanghai by train,and about 1 hour from shanghai to hangzhou.t ickets cost little,too.
suzhou-Zhuo Zheng Yuan,Liu Yuan,Shi Zi Lin,etc.
hangzhou-Xi Hu(west lake)
wuzhen-exactly, is a small village of water
#17
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Try some of the water towns just outside Shanghai and between Suzhou. JinXi is my favorite but there are many others like Zhouzhang and Tongli but both are a bit touristy. JinXi is the best I have found besides Qibaozhen and Luzhi You will get a real sense of Old China. These water towns were small villages at one time where Officials from Shanghai went during the hot summers.
#18
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Is there any authentic villages around Shanghai? If you do want to visit the anthentic village, it should be the remote areas such as Guizhou, Guangxi, etc. You will experience different daily life of the local people such as the Miao, the Dong, etc.