the canals of zhujiajiao, china

I first stumbled upon this little town of Zhujiajiao almost by accident. I was in Shanghai for a few days, and while Shanghai is one of my favorite cities in the world, after a few days I wanted to escape the concrete, steel and neon and see if I could find something new outside of the city. I did a few cursory google searches to see where I could easily do a quick half-day trip after work that day. I found that there were a couple of canal towns outside of town, so I set out trying to figure out how to get there. That’s when it became slightly more difficult. I had become used to using Shanghai public transport, but figuring out how to get from Shanghai to Zhujiajiao was a bit more daunting. It was something like, train to train to bus, to bus, to bus, to bus to bus with a very confusing itinerary. Anyway, I decided to just take a taxi. I had no idea if I would be able to find a taxi back to the city, but the more I looked at photos of Zhujiajiao I had to check it out myself.

It’s an interesting transformation as you leave the city center of Shanghai and venture outwards. The insane pace of development doesn’t stop when you are out of the city, it just looks different. There are massive blocks of new uniform apartment buildings. Sometimes a couple dozen buildings, all 20+ floors. There are giant brand new universities, business centers and golf courses. It’s only when you are 30 miles or so out of the city you start to see a hint of rural China. You first notice farmers working in the field and the dilapidated vehicles on the road instead of Shanghai’s sports cars and Range Rovers.

Zhujiajiao is an absolute hidden gem. It’s historic alleys and scenic canals are off the beaten bath enough that it’s difficult for western tourists to get there, but you see a lot of Chinese tourists from other regions. The canals almost seem like an Asian version of Venice. There are hundreds of old wooden boats being piloted by older oarsmen that have memorized every twist and turn of these waterways. It also has a southeast Asian feel to me since all of the boatmen had conical hats that you see in the rice fields of Vietnam or Cambodia. I found it interesting that every boatman on the canals was wearing slippers while driving the boat, but all of them had wingtip dress shoes an arms reach away for the walk to and from the boat. All of them also had a giant tea container, and most had a pack of smokes. I’m interested in the shoes, and I notice that the oarsmen even have customized the area on the back of the boat where their feet are planted as they row for extra grip and leverage. As a skateboarder, I get it. I’m thinking I could probably interest them in this amazing invention we have called grip tape. It was interesting to see the back of nearly every boat, there was a life raft, a pair of wingtips, cigarettes and tea. I’m sure the Chinese would think Zhujiajiao is a total tourist trap, you even have to pay an entrance fee to access the historic part of town. But if you are a Westerner, it’s a tourist trap that is well worth it, and totally different than anything else you will see in the Shanghai metro area.

Zhujiajiao is a dream for any street photographer. The subjects are never ending. The boats and the amazing characters rowing them are obvious, but there are also so many amazing things to see in the alleys and streets around the canals. One of the things that makes the Zhujiajiao boatmen so photogenic is because a lot of the canals are super narrow, so you can stand on the edge of the canal and as the boats wind their way through they are practically within arms reach. At one of the areas where tourists board the boats you will see little old ladies selling goldfish in clear plastic bags, that superstitious tourists release into the river to bring good luck. Also, there are amazing stone and wooden bridges all around the city, some of which date to the 1500’s, which is enough to remind you that you aren’t in new modern Shanghai anymore. I saw kids fishing in the canals with small nets on a pole. Maybe they are catching the goldfish that the little old ladies will sell in a bag for good luck for the 100th time??? That is the circle of consumerism, Zhujiajiao style.