The Canals of Suzhou
Shantang Street has been here for 1200 years, but was restored recently in 2002 as part of a program to bring in more tourists.
The canals of Suzhou are a window into the past of what this southern Chinese city was 1500 years ago. The two most famous streets are the 2500-year-old Pingjiang Road and the 1200-year-old Shantang Street. Both of these places have been heavily renewed and adapted for tourism, although there is still one bit of Shantang that is still not tourist-ready, as I showed in my previous post. Rush to see it if you can, as I have heard there are plans for remodeling.
Suzhou is the home of the Wu culture and language, today known as Shanghainese, 60 Km away from its better known neighbor. Shanghai is what it is now because of the fall of Suzhou in a battle in the early 20th century.
A boat used for cleaning the water passes through a canal close to the Lingering Garden.
Remarkably similar to Venice, a Chinese version of the gondolier steers a boat full of tourists on Shantang Street. I have been told that some even sing, although I didn't witness this myself.
This point of Shantang Street is Suzhou's postcard image. To the sides are restaurants, which I found overpriced and not very good on any standard. It was a rainy day, the only one I had in the city, so I chose not to ride the boat.
Somewhere along Shantang Street I found this structure, which I wasn't able to find out what it was. Notice the pointy edges of the roof, very characteristic of the Wu architecture.
The back of the houses face another smaller canal. I was told that in the morning, the locals gather water for drinking and washing, because as the days go, the water gets dirtier with things people throw in it.
This is the part of Shantang Street that is still untouched by the "restoration". Here many families still live and use the canals in their daily life.
A lot of people asked me if there was a strong smell coming from the water. I have to say that I did not feel any strong smell. So that's one point over Venice.