I visited Zhouzhuang last Saturday. I have to say, it was incredibly hot that day—so hot that I had absolutely no desire to be outside and kept longing for air conditioning…
We set off from home at 10:00 AM, took the G50 expressway all the way to the Jinze exit. The entire route was within the Shanghai section, costing 30 yuan, and took about an hour. Another option is to take the S26 and exit at Zhouzhuang/Qiandeng (West). If you take this route, the Shanghai section costs 25 yuan and the Jiangsu section costs 15 yuan, totaling 40 yuan. That’s 10 yuan more, without saving any time or reducing the distance, so I don’t recommend this route.
Following the map on my phone and the road signs, we were directed to this parking lot. After parking, we found the ticket center right next to it. Tickets were 100 yuan each—what a rip-off!~~~~~~
Then we discovered that the scenic area entrance was actually quite far from the ticket center, about 1.2 km away as shown in the picture. If it were a pleasant spring or autumn day with nice weather, the walk wouldn’t be a problem. But with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius, it was unbearable. Along the way, tricycles kept approaching us, asking if we wanted a ride. Building the ticket center so far away probably helps their business. In fact, you can drive directly into the scenic area; there are plenty of parking spots inside, and tickets are also sold near the entrance. So basically, they’re just taking advantage of first-time visitors.

Halfway through the walk, we stopped for lunch at Yunhai Restaurant in the Yunhai Resort. The environment was much better than the shops inside the scenic area, and the food tasted quite good.
Here is a panoramic view of Yunhai Resort, featuring a rather tall tower:
The signature Wansan Pork Knuckle. This is half a knuckle, just the right amount for two people. It tasted very good; the skin was a bit too greasy, so we barely ate it, but the meat was very tender.

Stir-fried Beef Fillet with Green Peppers. The portion size makes it perfect as a side dish.

Vegetable dish: Stir-fried Chives with Tofu Skin. Not bad at all—light and refreshing, helping to cut the grease.

Overall, the food at this restaurant was quite good. There were enough staff members, and aside from a few new servers who seemed a bit stiff, the service was fine. Although the menu and decor were somewhat simple, it was still much better than your average street-side shop. Most importantly, the air conditioning was blasting, making it a great spot to rest halfway through the journey… Phew…
Recharged and well-rested, we headed out to continue our walk. We finally made it to the entrance, only to get lost immediately upon entering—the heat made me lose all sense of direction.
Let’s look at the map first. Our route is marked with a green line. The entrance is at the Ancient Town Screen Wall below the Visitor Center. From there, we visited the Former Residence of Ye Chucang, passed Quanfu Temple, crossed Bao’en Bridge, went by Nanhu Qiuyue Garden, wandered around Shen Hall and Zhang Hall, crossed the Twin Bridges, passed Yifei House, and then hurriedly exited.
We basically only saw half of the attractions. Whether it was the former residences or the gardens, even the indoor areas lacked cooling facilities. It was so hot I nearly fainted, leaving me with no desire to linger at all. We’d walk into a grand mansion, do a quick lap, and walk right back out—it felt like we hadn’t visited at all…
There were many rowing boats, one after another, almost touching each other. For an extra fee, the boatmen will even sing for you~~~
Halfway through, we passed a café called Espresso Holiday and immediately rushed in to sit for half an hour. The coffee was actually quite good.
The stone pavement baking under the scorching sun. Because of the intense heat, there weren’t many tourists despite it being a weekend.
Cormorants waiting on the boat. For 50 yuan paid to the owner, they perform for tourists. They stood obediently on the boat.
Zhouzhuang is an ancient town with a strong focus on humanities. In other words, compared to other ancient towns, it has a richer cultural atmosphere and historical heritage, which somewhat justifies its title as “China’s No. 1 Water Town.” Personally, I feel that such history and culture cannot be fully understood simply by following a tour guide through a few grand mansions. Preserving just a handful of houses hardly seems sufficient to represent its history. Excessive commercialization makes it feel a bit strange. After paying a 100-yuan entrance fee, the main activities inside involve spending money on shopping, dining, and tea, along with various extra-fee attractions. It didn’t feel like visiting a scenic spot at all; rather, it felt like buying a ticket to enter a shopping mall—an un-air-conditioned one at that.
All in all, thinking back on this trip to Zhouzhuang, the only impression left is the heat. Oh, right, and the ubiquitous Wansan Pork Knuckle headquarters.
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