The Chinese National Holiday, celebrating the creation of the modern Chinese state, runs from Oct 1 to Oct 6. It's a week-long holiday, and the next few posts detail how I took advantage of the down time.
I arrived in Jiaxing on the first night and stayed at a very quaint hotel right on a lake. The morning brought a still, calmness that can't be found in crowded metropolises, and I was reminiscent of my many walks around the pond in my parents suburb.
The draw of this destination is a place called WuZhen, which is a sleepy riverside community that has maintained the traditional style of old China. The town has a history of 1300 years.
The tourist sites of particular interest were a 100 year old pharmacy, a fabric workshop where they make and dye indigo, a traditional fire department with old tools, and an ancient bed museum that displayed beds that had been preserved from past Chinese dynasties.
There was also a bamboo pole gymnast performance, which was staged on a boat in the water, and was incredible! The gymnast performed different feats of balance and strength on the pole, thirty feet above water, with no safety harness!
It was definitely worthwhile to "wander off the beaten path" and to see this place. The last picture below is a representation of a traditional Chinese wedding, which I took to give some inspiration to my family members who will be wed next year!
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