Post by bellasunshine on Jan 8, 2014 3:36:29 GMT -5
Xitang
What’s it like? Xitang is one of the more attractive China tours water towns in the region, presumably the reason Tom Cruise and co chose to film the roof-hopping scene toward the end of Mission Impossible III here, but that also means tourists flock to it. Other than photos of Cruise with smiling locals dotted in various restaurants, and a big picture of him looking all action hero-like beside a stone bridge, there are thankfully few references to the film. Nine rivers criss-cross the town, with regular stone arch bridges and narrow lanes either side of the waterways, which are prettier than most.
Crowds Busy on weekdays, Xitang is overrun at weekends – megaphones and matching caps abound. Commercialism Entry is 100RMB, though if you speak to a pedicab driver outside the bus station they’ll take you in round the back for half that Yangtze River cruises price. Inside, there’s the standard mix of crap souvenirs and over-priced mediocre Chinese food, and few signs of normal residents, particularly on the town’s main streets.Travel time 100 minutes.
Wuzhen
What’s it like? Split into two sections – east and west – Wuzhen is undeniably pretty, but it’s also one of the most commercial and tourist-filled towns on this list. The west area is supposedly best at night when the lights come on, though in the day time it’s just as picturesque. The east part, meanwhile, features a smallish park and regular kung fu performances from several retired gentlemen atop a boat. Both Shanghai tours areas are based around one long stretch of canal, each with narrow lanes either side. The town is most famous for being the former home of Chinese literary great Mao Dun.
Crowds Manageable on weekdays, Wuzhen is incredibly claustrophobic at peak times. Limited to the two sections, tourists are funneled down into the same main streets with few chances of escape. A free open air cinema screening Shanghai tour old black-and-white Chinese films on a wall in the west area (9-11pm, daily) provides some rare respite, but generally it’s hellish at weekends.
What’s it like? Xitang is one of the more attractive China tours water towns in the region, presumably the reason Tom Cruise and co chose to film the roof-hopping scene toward the end of Mission Impossible III here, but that also means tourists flock to it. Other than photos of Cruise with smiling locals dotted in various restaurants, and a big picture of him looking all action hero-like beside a stone bridge, there are thankfully few references to the film. Nine rivers criss-cross the town, with regular stone arch bridges and narrow lanes either side of the waterways, which are prettier than most.
Crowds Busy on weekdays, Xitang is overrun at weekends – megaphones and matching caps abound. Commercialism Entry is 100RMB, though if you speak to a pedicab driver outside the bus station they’ll take you in round the back for half that Yangtze River cruises price. Inside, there’s the standard mix of crap souvenirs and over-priced mediocre Chinese food, and few signs of normal residents, particularly on the town’s main streets.Travel time 100 minutes.
Wuzhen
What’s it like? Split into two sections – east and west – Wuzhen is undeniably pretty, but it’s also one of the most commercial and tourist-filled towns on this list. The west area is supposedly best at night when the lights come on, though in the day time it’s just as picturesque. The east part, meanwhile, features a smallish park and regular kung fu performances from several retired gentlemen atop a boat. Both Shanghai tours areas are based around one long stretch of canal, each with narrow lanes either side. The town is most famous for being the former home of Chinese literary great Mao Dun.
Crowds Manageable on weekdays, Wuzhen is incredibly claustrophobic at peak times. Limited to the two sections, tourists are funneled down into the same main streets with few chances of escape. A free open air cinema screening Shanghai tour old black-and-white Chinese films on a wall in the west area (9-11pm, daily) provides some rare respite, but generally it’s hellish at weekends.