What to see
Are the water towns near Shanghai worth visiting?
Yes, for some travellers, and only once you know whether you are going to a preserved town or one rebuilt to look like one. A preserved town is a place that grew; a rebuilt one was constructed to resemble it, and photographs rarely tell them apart. Pick the right kind and stay until the crowds leave, and the day holds up.
Last updated3 min read
A water town is a category, not a ranking. What decides whether the trip is worth it is which kind it is.
The answer: worth it for some people, and it turns on preserved against rebuilt
Worth it, but only for some travellers, and after one distinction: preserved against rebuilt. A preserved town is a place that grew: canal, bridges, embankments, houses and the people in them, layer on layer. A rebuilt town was constructed to resemble one, on a site that may be real, in this round’s buildings. Both give white walls, dark tiles, stone bridges and a walk by the water, but what you get differs in kind: one is the residue of other people’s lives, the other designed scenery. That matters more than fame or photographs.
What a water town is, and why there are so many
A water town is a Jiangnan settlement: a canal through it, stone bridges, white walls and dark tiles on both banks, lanes following the water. Water was once both road and freight route, and towns grew on it. This is the Yangtze Delta’s water network, town after town, Shanghai at its eastern edge, so a town lies in every direction out of the city.
Three kinds. The kind that keeps its fabric has residents, with laundry and vegetables in the lanes. The kind rebuilt or heavily restored has a real site and this round’s buildings, with a blurry line between repair and reconstruction. The new commercial development in the old style has period eaves on glass and light boxes, chain brands in the best positions, nobody living there.
How to tell: whether anyone lives there; whether material and wear are even; how old wall meets new; whether old houses survive in runs or pieces. A photograph rarely shows it: all three compose the same frame, and in good light with few people the new work looks better.
Who should go, who should not, and the night
It suits anyone who has seen the city and wants a different day; anyone who will stay the night; a photographer, for early morning and evening light; anyone who wants a slow day rather than a sight.
It does not suit anyone with two days in Shanghai, where the city is better value; anyone here on a public holiday or weekend, when the main lane is a flow of people; anyone expecting an unspoiled old town unless they pick the first kind; or anyone who dislikes tour groups, flags and loudspeakers.
The overnight is the most valuable point: a day trip and a night differ not in distance but in crowd. By day you see a town open for business; overnight, the street after the stalls close, and the early morning after.
The practical side, and what disappoints
Trains and roads both reach them, some with a station, others needing a change or a taxi; check the route, last service and station distance before setting out. Admission rules vary: one ticket may cover the whole town, or only some halls, courtyards and temples. For Suzhou, Hangzhou or the outer districts, see day trips from Shanghai.
Four things disappoint: the commercialised main lane, selling what any scenic area sells; the admission system, one ticket for a few courtyards, or a ticket bought before finding what you wanted shut; food priced for visitors; the most photographed angle, also the most crowded.
One condition: you picked the kind that keeps its fabric, and stayed until the crowd left. With both, it is worth the day; with one missing, the day belongs to the city.