Having a tour to ancient water towns and villages in China would be a very special experience for who wanna escaping from the over-noising city and long for a vacation that can free oneself in peace. The natural beauty of the towns is indescribable. Old stone bridges, limpid water, old trees and old-style dwellings, as well as the local costumes and local food, create an ideal civilized, rich, pastoral and harmonious environment. A walk in the ancient town is said to be a walk into history frozen in time, tranquil and serene. 

6 Most Famous Water Towns in the Yangtze River Deltas near Shanghai

Wuzhen, Tongli, Zhouzhuang, Nanxun, Luzhi, Xitang. 

Some other Water Towns in this area: 

Zhujiajiao, Jinxi, Mudu, Luxiang, Huishan. 

In 2003,the protecting project of the Yangtze River Water Towns (including Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi, Nanxun, Wuzhen and Xitang) was granted the Award of Distinction by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation. It has helped make the project a model for repairing and conserving other cultural relics. By car, you can easily take one day tour to any one of these towns from Shanghai. 

These small towns, with their black tiled, oil-painted timber framework houses, that contrast sharply with its white walls and gray flagging, brings to mind a Chinese ink and wash painting. The rivers running through the town were once the main means of transportation for local people, but these days is little used, other than for festive celebrations, when bulk cargo is shipped in. The window sills of the houses on the banks of the river are further extended with boards, on which flowers, plants and bonsai bloom in the warm sunshine, adding a touch of life and color to the tranquil, old style towns. 

There are many well-preserved Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) buildings in these towns, formerly the homes of those rich enough to escape the social turbulence of centuries past. They chose these towns as the place to build their homes for its out-of-the-way location and convenient transportation, the same reasons these towns retains such an authentic feeling today.

Go to Water Towns near Shanghai, looking for peace in your heart...