Qibao Water Village

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Visit Qibao Water Village if you are :-

1) Hard-pressed for time like me
2) Dying to know how a typical Chinese Water Village looked like
3) Trying to remind yourself that you are still in modern China

Shanghai’s modern development meant that many areas of historical importance had given way to modern skyscrapers. A visit to the Water Village could probably help to regain some sanity and probably shed a light or two of a traditional Chinese neighbourhood unique in the Jiang Nan region.

Thanks to the ever expanding Metro network, the Qibao Water Village Station is now reachable via subway line number 9 from Central Shanghai. The Water Village is another 7 minutes walk from the subway station exit. En-route, I was greeted by the sprawling Hui Bao Shopping Mall which provided an ideal toilet break if you are not comfortable with the traditional washroom facilities within the Water Village.

Without a doubt, the Water Village was quite touristy but the buildings and bridges were well preserved to their former glory. A visit is recommended if you are tired of seeing the modern skyscrapers in Shanghai all the time.

With the visit of Qibao Water Village, I concluded my Shanghai / Nanjing Express episode. The list of places visited was limited yet comprehensive enough to have a good flavour of modern and traditional China. Nanjing striked me hard with the elaborate Massacre Memorial Hall and Peace Memorial Park. Equally, I was impressed with the modernity of Shanghai and the good service rendered by the service staffs. Even though at times there were pushy experiences at the train stations, these were relatively minor that did not made the trip less enjoyable.

Overall, my 4 Days and 2 Nights experience was fruitful as I welcomed 2010 with greater travel opportunities.

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