Gubei Water Town - A hidden gem of Jiangnan scenery in the north

If you've never been to Jiangnan, Gubei Water Town is also a good choice. The place is super photogenic, and the scenery inside is quite nice. There are also some Jiangnan snacks like tofu corners, plum cakes, dried vegetable buns, wontons... (But the prices inside are extremely high, a bottle of water costs 8 yuan Climbing the Great Wall at night is one of the unique features of Gubei Water Town. You can take a ride up and down, and you only need to climb a short section. From the top of the mountain, you can see the entire water town scenery. There is a drone show at seven o'clock in the evening, which might be just an ordinary drone show and not very spectacular. But Gubei Water Town has a good location, backed by the Great Wall. Two phoenixes fly up from the side of the Great Wall, and with the mountain scenery, it is quite magnificent. Then there are sky lanterns rising from the square, with ancient buildings in the background, complementing each other. Then the drones form many patterns, with 'Happy May Day', '2024', 'Gubei Water Town', 'Simatai Great Wall'... a myriad of changes Gubei Water Town has already very much restored the feeling of the small bridges and flowing water of Jiangnan. But after all, it is different. Because I am originally from Shaoxing, I could tell from the first glance at the water town that most of the houses in the water town are made of stone bricks, while the houses in the Jiangnan water towns are mostly wooden structures. Moreover, Gubei Water Town has a heavier commercial atmosphere, while the real Jiangnan water towns are full of the breath of life. So if you have the time and energy, you should still visit Jiangnan. People's attachment to Jiangnan is not only for the architecture but also for the culture, history, and most importantly, the bustling scene of 'smoky willows and painted bridges, wind curtains and green screens, interspersed with a hundred thousand households'. Because I have always studied in the north, going to Gubei Water Town is also a way of forcibly feeling homesick, haha