Life in Suzhou

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Real life in Suzhou alongside the canals is quite a hard life from what I have seen. Water is drawn from stone wells and people wash up their dishes and clothes beside them. The canals are also used for washing up, washing clothes and mops in, and don’t ask where they do toilet tasks.

People live in the boats moored around the canals and day-to-day life is conducted along the sides of it.

At night the women form groups and do some sort of line dance activity to music out in some of the large spaces. Couples are out walking and talking.

Small children play near the water playing with nothing much than a few pebbles and sticks and some illegal firecrackers.

People are working in little craft shops making wooden buckets by hand and one couple were painstakingly making the woven seat tops set into timber.

The little houses have stone or slate floors, huge high ceilings with no insulation and seem to not have much or little electricity and no running water. Cold and draughty was the impression I got with people wearing all their coats and hats all day and night.

Three blocks from this living area is a huge commercial shopping area complete with all the shops such as Jeans West, Pizza Hut, KFC and the designer label stores. In the midst of all this chaos is a Taoist temple, the Temple of Mystery.

Like the small part of China that I have seen, there is such a contrast in one small area, from what seems decadence and Westernization to the old world of China and indeed of many countries where people eek out a living in basic conditions.

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Photos

Real life
Walking alongside Pingjiang Lu which is a residential and tourist area

Real life
Small boys doing what they do best throwing things in the water

Real life
sitting outside your house is common i suspect it is warmer and gives you a chance to chat

Real life
The bridges criss cross the canals and have a ramp for bikes and scooter to cross easily

Real life
Getting well water to wash up

Real life
Washing clothes and dishes beside the well

Real life
Motor bikes and scooters are a common and cheap means of transport

Real life
Each strand of this seat top was inserted and woven by hand

Real life
Canal living, not quite what we see in Australia

Real life
the local seamstress at her shop on the street corner

Suzhou
Three boats moored together with smoke coming out of it means someone must live here too

Real life
snack food in the shopping area, meat and seafood on sticks with a spicy sauce

Real life
shopping area bedecked with red lanterns to cedlebrate the upcoming Chinese Spring Festival

Real life
Busy shops with huge sales at this time of year

Real life
Amongst it all a Taoist temple

Comments

[violet88]

difference
Their life style is different, but I guess they got used to that. If someday I have the chance, I will give it a shot. i love water towns.