How to enjoy a trip to Qingpu Jinze
To buy delicious caotou (water dropwort), yesterday I accompanied my sick mother and drove to Qingpu Jinze. Jinze is geographically close to Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and the local accent here is somewhat different from that of native Shanghainese. When I said I was there to buy caotou, the old ladies couldn't understand me, and it was only later that I found out they call it 'jinhua tou' (golden flower head).
Going so far to buy caotou was because the general manager of Xingguo Hotel, Huang Xin, mentioned to the chefs that the fragrance of caotou is in the stems, which should not be discarded. I asked at that time, as the stems seemed too tough. Manager Huang pointed me in the right direction, which was the variety here in Jinze is quite good.
I arrived at the vegetable market around 4 p.m. Not many local farmers were out, and there weren't many types of vegetables available. I bought some vegetable mustard, pickled vegetables, small carrots, and green onions. The onions were expensive, 2 yuan for a small bunch. The most interesting part was that transactions with them required cash. The grandmothers said their 'jinhua tou' was not available yet. However, there was caotou at the vendors', and I picked two stalls to buy half a jin from each. I stir-fried a small plate today, and it was indeed tender.
Behind the vegetable market is a river with several fishing boats docked, and several women on the shore were repairing fishing nets. Chatting with one of them, I learned that the fishing boats can't go out now; they have to wait until the fishing ban is over in May before they can fish in the lake. So, it's currently not possible to get wild-caught fish.
After buying the vegetables, I took a stroll around the ancient town. It's not a big place, and you can basically finish touring it in about an hour. Since it's after the New Year and a workday, the town was extremely quiet, with various ancient bridges connecting the communication between the residents of Shangtang Street and Xiatang Street. The ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River are all similar at their core. It's a pity that the water here is not clear enough.
On Shangtang Street, there's an old man who makes decent youdunzi (fried dough dumplings with radish filling). They are crispy on the outside, with plenty of radish filling, not too much batter, and I told him I would come back for his youdunzi.
Dongdong Kitchen is run by a friend I know. I've always seen her post on social media. Her shepherd's purse wontons are made from wild shepherd's purse collected directly from the farmers. I had to try them when I went there. The filling was fragrant, although the skin was a bit mushy, probably from being frozen. But what's special is that the wontons had a spoonful of meat sauce and celery leaves added, turning the soup into a soy sauce base, fragrant with a hint of umami. Before leaving, I also bought her brown sugar buns and eight-treasure rice.
I also went to Kanazawa Ancient Town in November 2022. Because of the epidemic, there are not many people on the street. It is a veritable Qiaoxiang. I made a strategy before I went: in fact, there are nine famous bridges (including those built now), and I should go and see them. Moreover, there is a public transportation bus from the city center to Kanazawa Ancient Town, two stops.
Kanazawa's bridges are extraordinary, not only in large numbers, but also mostly historical bridges. Each bridge is not only unique, but also related to the temple and temple, which has been retained so far. The lake ponds in the territory are scattered, and the river ports are crisscrossed, not only simple.
There are many ancient towns in Shanghai. Kanazawa is in the west of Shanghai. The famous Qiaoxiang and Water Township are full of ancient bridges of various dynasties. The scenery is very good and there are not many tourists. It is a good choice for surrounding tours.
During the festival, I went to Jinze, Qiaoxiang, to visit the ancient town. In the intangible cultural heritage exposition park, I found this Jiangnan wood carving hall. There are many exquisite wood carvings, various patterns and styles in the museum. It is a very good place.
Finally, at the edge of the devil's capital, we found an old town with original flavor. The old town is hidden on the banks of the river in Jinze Town. If we can't find it easily, we can park our car on the road in front of the town government and enter from Yihao Zen Temple. I like Jinze ancient town not because of its scenery and monuments (although there are many monuments here, including the Puji Bridge built nearly 800 years ago), but because it still maintains its original ecology. Apart from the smoke and fire of ordinary people, there is hardly any noise of ancient town scenic spots here, and it has not been commercialized at all. When it is true, a black canopy sways and sways in the smoke, and a small river bends and builds a stone bridge along the Qingshi Road. Coming to Jinze Ancient Town, one person alone or two people together is enough, many people will break the tranquility here.
The first time I spent New Year's Eve outside, I came to the ancient town of Kanazawa, which is a half-hour drive from the hotel on the first day of the New Year's Day. I basically couldn't leave Shanghai in the past few years. I turned Shanghai upside down and often fried cold rice. I said that Kanazawa Ancient Town is the only undeveloped and uncommercialized ancient town in Shanghai. The place is not big. There are not many characteristics. When we were ready to leave the ancient town on the afternoon of the first day of the new year, we saw a lot of people pouring in. It seems that we can't leave the local New Year. I hope that the epidemic will end soon and miss the days when you can travel far!