Sep 2008

When the Hangzhou Bay Bridge opened in May 08 I was keen to travel on it. I have only had one opportunity and it was dark by the time we reached the bridge last weekend. However, a spectacular lightening show enabled us to see a little bit more of the bridge. One day I must go in daylight.

It is described as one of the masterpieces of modern architecture. It is an s-shaped stayed-cable bridge with six lanes in both direction linking Ningbo’s Cixi county at the southern end of the bay, and Jiaxing to the north. It certainly reduces the travel time for those folk from the Ningbo area wanting to travel to Shanghai and the other places in the north of the province of Zhejiang.

It is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world – being 36 kilometers long. Even in the dark we were able to see some of the spectacular bridge work.

To read more and see a picture of this spectacular bridge click here.

Not far from Wuzhen is a great place if you are interested in buying leather goods in China. Busloads of travellers visit from many parts including Hangzhou and Shanghai to the famous leather "market". It sounds very casual and like it would be rows of stalls, but it is in fact a huge shopping centre (mall) with many many shops. On the first sfloor there are mainly bag shops - handbags, luggage, purses, wallets and so forth although at the rear of the girst floor you will find gloves, sandals, toys and other nick Knacks. The shops all look pretty upmarket, and sell many designer brands of bags.

On the second floor are rows of shops selling leather clothes - thousands of leather jackets, skirts, trousers, and more. Some really way out designs too.

As well there are many fancy jackets, mainly of fox fur. (OK, it may not be as popular to wear animal furs these days, but you can look!!!)

On the floor above are more expensive leather items - really for the serious spender. At these shops you can barter. It is great sport. You can come away with some great bargains.

(I bought a great leather bag for 200 RMB - a bargain? It is to me!)

Several months ago I bought my first leather coat - very nice well made outfit.

Behind the mall/complex there are more shops and this is where you will find the Shoe plaza. Sadly my big feet are a curiousity in China and I am unable to find shoes in these markets to fit me. But for standard or small size feet, there are some great buys.

Haining is pretty easy to get to. There are busses and trains from Shanghai and Hangzhou, and many tour groups go there.

Great place. Great Leather.

Wuzhen is a popular spot for tourists to visit. It is in the northern part of Zhejiang province, and is visited by tourists from Shanghai as well as those in Zhejiang and other provinces close by. Souzhou is also another popular ancient water town to visit for tourists, and that is closer to Shanghai.

It is a good idea to go to these tourist spots during the week, as on Saturdays and Sundays and public holidays the crowds are enormous. As they were when we visited. It was a very hot day too - which did not help as one walked within the crowds to see the various places of interest.

These places are often compared with Venice - as there are many canals, and little boats, with some similarities to the gondolas, ply their way through the canals. The boatman stands at the rear of the boat and with an unusual action propels the boat with a long pole which he deftly manages.

Most people though will walk around the village. There are wonderful gardens at the entrance to the park, and the first view of the ancient village is across water, with the silkworm boat in the foreground.

There are many Chinese and English explanations, though not all places have the English prominently displayed. You need to look out for the entrances of such places as the Wine Factory, Bed Museum and so forth. It is hard to read all the notes with so many people milling around with cameras flashing!

The residents of the village are older, and no doubt used to the crowds. They often leave their doors open so prying eyes can see inside and see how they live. Some are more modern, but others look as if there has been no changes for centuries.

Where is Zhejiang Province? Essentially it is south of Shanghai - adjoining Shanghai. Zhejiang is the old name of the Qiantang River on which the capital city, Hangzhou is situated.

It is a province rich in history which you can read about here.

According to Wikepedia there are 42 million people living in this huge province which stretches around Hangzhou Bay. There are many interesting places to visit, and this blog will report on the ones that I have visited.

I am an English Teacher living in Shaoxing.

It will be difficult to list all the places to see in this province - but I will report on the ones that I visit. Shaoxing has many scenic spots, and not far away is Ningbo, and Hangzhou - bot popular spots, but there are many more.