Page 8 - 23 Day China Sample

DAY 05 SHANGHA/ZHUJIAJIAO/SHANGHAI Meals included: Breakfast/Lunch / Dinner At approximately 9:00 AM depart the Peninsula. Explore Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town with a history of more than 1700 years. Quaint and serene, Zhujiajiao is laced with flowing water. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, the little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains. Endowed with another elegant name – ‘Pearl Stream’, Zhujiajiao is the best- preserved among the four ancient towns in Shanghai. You will see unique old bridges spanning bubbling streams, small rivers shaded by willow trees, and houses with picturesque courtyards. In this water village, locals live on waterways, still doing everyday activities from washing clothes to shopping from vendors in boats. Zhujiajiao has numerous old and distinctive bridges built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The town is connected by 36 delicate spans in different shapes and styles, from wooden to stone to marble. Fangsheng Bridge (Setting-fish-free Bridge) is the longest, largest and tallest stone bridge, with five openings both in Zhujiajiao and in the Shanghai region. This bridge was built in 1571. On the bridge stands a stone tablet named Dragon Gate Stone, which is engraved with 8 coiling dragons encircling a shining pearl. On top of the bridge are 4 lifelike stone lions. Lang Bridge (Veranda Bridge), also named Huimin Bridge, is the only wooden bridge and the most featured span in this town. It has wooden bars on the two sides and upturned eaves about, just like a narrow corridor. Explore Ancient Streets filled with ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.