Real experience of taking a child for a walk in Shaoxing
📖 Recently, the picture books that the child has been reading contain many elements of the Jiangnan region, and it is said that to see the spirit of Jiangnan, one must experience Shaoxing.
🥓 The first stop is Anchang Ancient Town, a 1.5-hour drive from Shanghai, followed by another half-hour drive to stay in the Yuecheng District, which is dense with attractions. Anchang is known as the hometown of the 'Shiye', and it is the most lively and authentic ancient town. The biggest difference from other ancient towns is the streets full of cured meats, adding a lot of festive atmosphere to the Chinese New Year. However, the streets here are narrow, the floor tiles are uneven, and it is difficult to push a stroller, and the sanitation is not very good.
🏫 The second stop is the Shaoxing Museum, to learn about the ancient capital of the Yue Kingdom before officially starting the tour. The museum is small but exquisite, following a timeline, it displays Shaoxing's history and culture from the Stone Age to modern times. There are two free guided tours every day. Although the child cannot read, she is happy looking at the various exhibits, as if treasure hunting.
👀 The must-visit attractions on the loop are not far from each other, with short distances walkable and longer distances just a starting taxi fare away.
✔️ Cangqiao Straight Street: A snack street, not difficult to push a stroller, with various snack stalls and popular restaurants such as Xunbaoji, Kong Yiji, and Lantingji, etc. These stores also have branches on other streets. We ate Shaoxing's 'Shao San Xian', yellow wine pudding, and stinky tofu at Xunbaoji, which tasted good. We had the old goose soup at Lantingji, which was quite fresh. Xunbaoji is very crowded, so it's better to scan the code in advance and wait in line.
✔️ The Former Residence of the Sage of Calligraphy: A cultural street, quieter than Cangqiao Straight Street, not difficult to push a stroller, with many shops selling small books and paintings, and young ladies wearing horse-face skirts and hairpins. Followed the trend and checked in at the old grandfather's bookstore.
✔️ Bazi Bridge: A street for daily life, truly a scene of small bridges, flowing water, and riverside homes, suitable for leisurely strolls and sitting quietly. Taking a black-awning boat here is a good experience, 90 yuan per boat, just right for two adults and one child, back and forth in 15 minutes. The downside is that there are too few boats; even though there were only a few people in front of us, we still had to wait quite a while.
✔️ Lu Xun's Hometown: Super crowded even on weekdays! There are interesting things to see, such as the Sanwei Study and the Hundred Grass Garden, which instantly remind me of the books I memorized in the past, but it's really not suitable for walking with a small child. There are thresholds and steps everywhere, making it particularly difficult to push a stroller. Moreover, the child is not interested; she just wants to go out and buy a Green Dragon Sword. When coming out of the former residence, we passed by Huijingxuan, where the yellow wine popsicles are delicious, and the yellow wine milk tea is also good, with Yue opera performances on the stage behind the store. We originally planned to go to the nearby Shen Garden, but after checking, we found that Shen Garden is also not stroller-friendly, so we didn't go. If you have older children, you could consider arranging a night at Shen Garden.
⭐️ The child's favorite place was the 30 Degrees North Latitude Exhibition Hall. It displays scenes from various places along the 30 degrees north latitude from ancient times to the present, and there are multimedia interactions, which are very exciting to play with. At night, the city square is lit up with beautiful lanterns.
💗 Three days of travel time was just right, and the experience might have been better if I hadn't caught a cold. If I come again next time, I will wait until the child is older, after she has learned about Lu Xun's writings, Wang Xizhi's running script, Wang Yangming's philosophy of the mind, etc. Then, when we come to this place of celebrities, perhaps we will have some profound experiences, but it's also fine if we don't.
The structure of the eight-character bridge is a stone beam bridge, built at the confluence of three rivers, composed of the main bridge and the auxiliary bridge, with a total of 4 sets of steps.[1] It is designed for the four-way slope of the three-street three-he river crossing. The east of the bridge is the south and the north slope, which is the eight-character shape. The west of the bridge is the west and the south slope. The south-facing two-drop slope at the two ends of the bridge is also in an eight-character shape.[5] The eight-character bridge is one of the symbols of Shaoxing's history and culture. [6] The structure of the eight-character bridge is simple and the building is stable, reflecting the maturity of bridge construction technology in Shaoxing area of the Southern Song Dynasty, and is an important physical example of the study of bridge construction technology and the history of Chinese bridges in the Song Dynasty.
Shaoxing Bazi Bridge is a shorthand for the Bazi Bridge Block, which was built in the Southern Song Dynasty. The two bridges are opposite and inclined, like the Bazi Bridge, so they are named. Not only that, but also, it is particularly worth mentioning that Shaoxing Bazi Bridge is also part of the United Nations World Heritage Site "Grand Canal".
Shaoxing eight-character bridge, built in the Southern Song Dynasty. The two bridges are opposite and inclined, like eight-character, so they are named. It is currently part of the United Nations World Heritage "Grand Canal". The eight-character bridge is a stone beam structure built at the confluence of three rivers, consisting of the main bridge and the auxiliary bridge. Its design conforms to the existing street, housing and other layouts in Shaoxing City, making good use of terrain, not demolishing houses, not changing streets, which can solve traffic problems and will not build civil buildings in the city. Because the eight-character bridge is built at the confluence of three waters and is like eight-character, it is also called "ancient overpass". The real value of the bridge lies in its own structure and the clever conception of the creator, which is the peak production of bridge design and construction in the two Song Dynasty.
Eight-way Bridge: Shaoxing is really a small bridge with flowing families and beautiful scenery step by step. Look at the two protagonists in the picture. You wash the pot, brush the spittoon, and drink the same river. Why do you divide me from him? It's a pity that we can't go up and shoot.
Walk around and there are local residents. There are clear signs on the trails. I really can't find anyone to ask the residents. Oh, a little more is Longhua Temple. We can take a look along the road together
Bazi Bridge is actually an old living area in Shaoxing. There is no development, it is the most traditional Shaoxing residential area. But it is named because of the stone bridge in the eight characters. There are few tourists here, very quiet, or very lifelike. In the afternoon, through the alleys of the Baziqiao block, you can see only the old women with their heads down and the old men sitting around playing cards. Occasionally, there will be puppies passing by, and the cats will look at you lazily in the shade of trees. This is Shaoxing City, without the strong smell of dried plum vegetables and stinky tofu in the scenic area, and some are the most rustic taste of life.