I have always wanted to go to Shanghai to see the customs of the metropolis, and also want to visit the surrounding water towns and ancient towns. We are a family of three. Our son Xiaobao is already in fourth grade of primary school. He also needs to broaden his horizons. In the future, he can also have materials from personal experience when writing compositions. Considering that the Spring Festival in 2020 would come early and I didn't want to join in the fun on New Year's Day and Christmas, I thought twice and picked a weekend to take the high-speed train from Hefei to Shanghai on Saturday morning.

Early in the morning of December 7, our party boarded the G7434 high-speed railway in Shanghai on time, quickly passed Wuxi and Suzhou, and arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao Station at around 9:50. Originally, I planned to go to Zhouzhuang Water Town on the first day to eat Wansantiao, and stroll around the center of Shanghai City on the next day to have afternoon tea. In this way, one day in the countryside and one day in the city can avoid aesthetic fatigue.

After leaving Hongqiao Station, I contacted Master Wu, the driver of the chartered car, and prepared to drive directly to Zhouzhuang. After getting on the bus, Master Wu shook his head straight when he heard that we were going to Zhouzhuang. He said that Zhouzhuang is currently too commercial and does not have the flavor of a water town as before. Including the tickets, it costs 100 yuan for each person, and 300 yuan for three people is not a good deal. It's a little expensive. Why not go to the other two ancient towns, Jinze in Qingpu and Luzhi in Kunshan. We can choose anything, and no tickets are charged. Moreover, there are not many tourists at present. There are some small bridges and flowing water in Zhouzhuang, but you can actually see them in Jinze and Luzhi.

It's right to think about it. I can save 300 yuan at once. I told you to go to the nearby one first.

Master Wu said that Jinze is closer, so let's go there first. The car directly got onto the highway and drove along the G50 National Highway for about 45 minutes before arriving at Jinze Ancient Town, just on the edge of the Huqingping Highway.

When you enter the town and walk along Jinxi Road, there is no sign of collecting tickets at the entrance of the town. After crossing a Jinxi Bridge and turning right, you will see the appearance of the water town. The gentle river, the quiet stone arch bridge, and the people who are resting on the water along the river., blue bricks and black tiles, neatly arranged, just like what is on TV. The paths along the river are all stone roads, which are extremely clean, and there are very few people on the road. I feel like I can calm down at once. Even on Saturday morning, it is sparsely visited and has not been commercialized at all.

It is said that Kanazawa is a famous bridge township, known as the "First Bridge Township in Jiangnan". The town has seven ancient bridges built across the four dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Each bridge is a period of history. They lay quietly on the clear water and tell their stories. The town is simple, natural, clean and quiet. We walked across small bridges of different styles along the small river in the ancient town. It was very comfortable and relaxed.

When we walked across the second bridge, we saw that there were cruise ships on the bridge. Each boat charged 60 yuan. The three of us rented a wooden boat. In fact, each person was 20 yuan, which felt okay.

Xiaobao was so happy that he went to the stern after getting on the boat. Seeing how the boat boss used a bamboo pole to steer the boat, the first time he was riding this black-shed boat felt like he was in Lu Xun's novels.

The boat glided slowly, and the buildings along the river on both sides slowly receded. Time seemed to have stopped, and the sun was slightly tipsy. I felt a peaceful atmosphere. Looking at the satisfied expressions of Xiaobao and his wife, I felt like I had been flying from Hefei in the morning. It took 4 hours to appear in the ancient town of the water town. It's so enjoyable!

After a while, I landed on the shore and walked back along the path. There were many old people basking in the sun on the road, and young people were rarely seen. Upon inquiry, it turned out that the young people in the town thought the ancient town was too quiet and had no entertainment activities, so they all went to work in Qingpu or Shanghai, leaving behind the older generation who loved the old. Later, the old man said that there was an ancient ginkgo tree in the town. It was more than 700 years old and should be visited.

It turns out that there is an ancient temple "Yihao Zen Temple" not far from the dock. This season, the ginkgo leaves in the temple have all turned golden, and the whole tree is transparent and yellow, shining with gold, just like a rich tree. I remember that there is a thousand-year-old ancient ginkgo tree in Xi'an. In fact, this ancient ginkgo tree from Kanze is also eye-catching and is not inferior to Xi'an's at all.

The ground of this ginkgo tree is covered with a thick layer of ginkgo leaves. It feels like a layer of golden carpet. It is so beautiful! It can completely become a check-in place for Internet celebrities. What's rare is that not many tourists have come, otherwise you would have to queue up for photos.

The doorman at the temple said that he would bring a few fallen ginkgo leaves back for Xiaobao. They could be used as a bookmark and have the function of preventing children from evil spirits. It was really good and felt quite lucky. This gift was really lucky!

As I walked around, I realized that it was already noon, and there seemed to be few restaurants in the town. I called Master Wu and asked if he had any recommendations. He said that there is a good local restaurant in the alley on the auxiliary road. He has been there before. The owner is a woman named Sister Zhouer, who also serves as a chef, and the dishes are all local water town dishes. We entered the restaurant with a very small facade and there was no menu. We just looked at the food order and ate whatever there was, but the vegetables and fish looked quite fresh. The three of us ordered a few home-cooked dishes, such as chopped chicken, sweet and sour ribs, Tangli fish and tofu soup, garlic cabbage, and bamboo shoots roasted meat. They were not bad and served quickly. The three of us also made a small private room and had a comfortable lunch. The last time I checked out, it was only 128 yuan, with an average of more than 40 talents. It was really not expensive, and I felt like I had earned it back. Usually, if you are in tourist attractions, it is either terrible or extremely expensive. There are too few cheap and delicious food.

After eating, it was already 2 o'clock. It felt early, so I asked Master Wu how far Luzhi was. He said it was about 50 kilometers. It didn't feel too far, so I drove all the way.

There was no traffic jam on the road, and we would arrive before three o'clock. The ancient town of Luzhi feels a bit large.

At the entrance, there is a statue of a monster, as well as stone tablets and photo walls of Luzhi Ancient Town, a large parking lot on the side, and on the left is a tourist reception center.

Passing through the tourist reception center is the scenic spot of the ancient town.

In the visitor center, there are tickets for cruise ships. I went over and took a look. A boat costs 150 yuan and half an hour, which is also seats for less than 8 people. This is a full 90 yuan more expensive than Kanazawa's. Fortunately, I went to Kanazawa first and felt like I had earned it back! I felt a little relieved.

Enter directly through the entrance of the scenic area. The ancient town is very clean. As soon as you enter, you will see the monster end. There is an open small square, which is the main entrance of Luzhi Town.

You don't need to buy tickets to enter the gate. After entering the scenic spots, only those so-called scenic spots, such as Shen Zhai, Baosheng Temple, Ye Shengtao Memorial Hall, and Jiangnan Cultural Park need to buy tickets. We also walked around casually, and we took care of wherever we went.

Entering the scenic spot, it is like unfolding a historical scroll. The Wansheng Rice Row in Old Ye's "Harvesting Three to Five Buckets More" resurfaces in his mind the crowded open wooden boats selling rice, as well as tenants wearing felt hats and the strange rice bank accounts. I deeply feel that it was difficult for farmers in the past to survive. Sitting on the riverside promenade and taking a nap, watching the boatwomen sway past in the river, and a rut appeared on the river.

The ancient town of Luzhi merges into a street along the river, Hexi and Hebei are Shangtang Street, and Henan and Hedong are Xiatang Street. The general street width is 2.5-5 meters. Vertical to the river is an alley, generally about 1-3 meters wide. The farthest alley is 150 meters long. The houses in the lane have 3, 5, 6, and the deepest one has 7. Streets and alleys are paved with stone slabs or spring stones, so that the flowing water is smooth and the roads are dry when the rain stops. There are many shops on both sides of the street, local snacks and restaurants everywhere, as if seeing the prosperity of the past.

Luzhi is obviously much more lively than Kanazawa, with a lot more people, but the atmosphere of the ancient town of the water town is still there, and it is good for children to experience it. The water towns in the south of the Yangtze River still have a humanistic atmosphere, with rivers, small bridges, docks, wooden boats, and passing wooden boats are all scenery that cannot be seen in inland cities. Looking at these scenes, I feel that they are traditional and have humanistic connotations. They are gentle and not impatient at all. It is better for children to experience it more than staying at home and playing video games fiercely. Chinese-style aesthetics is so plain and indifferent that you can slowly feel. This is not easy to describe. Anyway, standing by the river, you can feel the aura is different.

Xiaobao was tired from walking, so he bought a bottle of oolong tea and drank it. He rested for a while on a stone bench along the river. His wife bought a bag of dried luzhi radishes from the sauce garden nearby for 6 yuan. It is said to be a specialty of luzhi. You can fry edamame when you go back.

Around 5:30, I was almost done shopping. The sky was slowly getting dark, and I was ready to go back to the hotel.

On the bus, I chatted with Master Wu about Luzhi and asked him what recommendations he had for dinner. He said that Luzhi belongs to Kunshan, where the Olympic stove noodles are the most famous and cannot be eaten anywhere else. That's good. Since you're here, I'll go and try it.

Master Wu drove to a noodle restaurant in the town. The facade was relatively clean. He ordered three bowls of Aozao Duck Noodles and added a large piece of braised pork for each person, totaling 90 yuan. Red soup and white flour, a hot meal, is quite affordable.

After eating, call me back home and go straight to the hotel. I booked the Mercure Hotel on Fuquan Road, which is very close to the subway entrance and has a good environment. There are all commercial facilities nearby, which is a good value for money. Mainly on the second day, travel by subway can save a lot of time and energy.

After calculating the first day, the basic expenses were: charter bus fare, boat fare in Kanazawa, four dishes and one soup at noon and noodles in the evening. Not much was spent on tickets to attractions, but I also went to two ancient towns in water towns and took a cruise. It was a good value for money.

Now that I think about it, it might be right not to go to Zhouzhuang. There are no differences between ancient towns and villages, but the ticket for Zhouzhuang is indeed a bit high.

There is also the advantage of chartering a car yourself. You can go over which bridge you want to take photos and stop and take pictures. This is relatively casual.

The driver, Master Wu, is an old driver who is familiar with the route and is relatively easy-going. The recommended place is really good, which is quite lucky.

The next day, I had breakfast in the hotel and was ready to go around the city.

Check-out at 8:30 in the morning, store my luggage, and go out. I take the bus on Metro Line 2 opposite the hotel. I soon reach People's Square Station. After coming out, I reach the entrance of Shibaidian. There is a small train that can go to the Bund. It is 6 yuan per person. Children prefer it. The small train shuttles through the pedestrian street with shops on both sides. It feels like it is Window Shopping.

The terminal station is at the Henan intersection of Nanjing East Road, and the Bund is 10 minutes further east.

The Bund is a landmark attraction in Shanghai. She is featured in countless movies and TV series. It is one of the most symbolic attractions in Shanghai. On its east side is the Huangpu River and the new embankment of the Bund. On the west side of the Bund stand various Chinese and Western buildings with different styles. For more than a hundred years, the Bund has been presented to the world as a symbol of Shanghai. It is a microcosm of modern Shanghai's history. The Bund is really beautiful, very beautiful, and can satisfy all Shanghai's fantasies. It's just like it's photographed on TV, without exaggeration at all. People who come to Shanghai will go to the Bund. In addition to slowly admiring Shanghai's landmark buildings along the long embankment of the Bund, such as the Oriental Pearl, Jinmao Tower, and Shanghai Center, the most important thing is to admire the various countries along the Bund. The architectural complex of countries with unique characteristics. This is a good place to check in. Opposite the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Center, river views, breeze, tourists, everything seems so harmonious.

Walking along the river bank line, you will find many young or old couples (of course, tourists from all over the world). Some are smiling, some are holding each other's hands and taking photos in front of the railing. The background is the symbol of the Magic City. Lujiazui is a bright and prosperous place with high-rise buildings. Anyone who comes here will stay here. In addition to the beautiful scenery behind, there are also couples who show love. The river breeze is blowing and leaning on the railing is facing the wind. This is the best window to understand Shanghai. Behind it is the century-old Bund. In front of you is a microcosm of Shanghai's rapid development in the past 30 years. Time and space seem to meet here again. Looking at the river flowing eastward, I can't help but sigh that time changes and the sun and the moon travel.

Xiaobao came to the Bund for the first time and was extremely excited! Especially when he saw several white seagulls gliding across the river, he widened his eyes and looked at it for a long time. The child liked this place very much and stayed on the railing of the river embankment for a long time.

A tour group just happened to come next to me. A tour guide introduced it like this: Standing on the river embankment on the Bund, facing Pudong and backing Puxi, behind it is Shanghai's past, Shiliyangchang, and the Anglo-American Concession; in front of it is Shanghai's future, Pudong Lujiazui, the international financial center. The past, present, and future meet here, and you are in the process of history!

It was such a good speech that I wrote down every word and saved it in the notebook on my mobile phone.

If Xiaobao could write this passage into his composition, it would really be a golden sentence! Isn't it said that art comes from life? You really need to go out and walk more, broaden your horizons, and see more and listen more to enrich your horizons!

Passing through Chen Yi Square, the Memorial Tower of the People's Heroes of Shanghai, the Waibaidu Bridge, and then turning right across the road, there is a five-story hotel with a mixed structure of stone, concrete, brick and wood. This is the Pujiang Hotel, which was also previously called the "Licha Hotel". This hotel is not simple. It was founded by the British Richard in 1846, and then changed ownership in 1860 and was taken over by the British businessman Smith. After the change of ownership, the hotel's hardware facilities were greatly improved. Many Western technologies were first presented in China at that time. They were all in this hotel, such as telephones, lights, movies, tap water, etc.

Many celebrities have visited here, such as former U.S. President Grant, philosopher Russell, scientist Einstein, comedy master Chaplin, etc. In 1922, Einstein lived in Room 304 and received an overseas telegram from the waiter informing him that he had won the Nobel Prize of the Year. In 1931, Chaplin traveled various places. When he passed through Shanghai, he stayed at the Richter Hotel.

Walking through the decorated and magnificent lobby, you can visit the upstairs. The interior decoration is consistent with the 80-year-old style. The dark wooden floors and corners are restored as old, giving people a feeling of old Shanghai in the past. I suddenly remembered a popular Hong Kong-produced TV series "Shanghai Beach" many years ago. I felt that this was the stage where Xu Wenqiang and Ding Li once showed their talents.

Xiaobao still can't understand anything in this hotel, but Shanghai is such a place full of historical legends. He will understand it when he grows up. It's good to come and feel it now, and he can slowly recall it in the future.

In the blink of an eye, it was lunchtime. There was a Seagull Restaurant opposite the river. We had lunch here and ordered several Shanghai specialties: smoked fish, eight-treasure hot sauce, steamed bass, shredded eel in ring-oil, dried Yangzhou silk, and some drinks, which cost a total of nearly 360 yuan.

After lunch, walk west along the green space along the Suzhou River, just for digestion. Along the river are old factories, but now they have been converted into hotels and design centers, which are relatively modern. Not far away, you will find the station of Metro Line 10. It takes 2 stops to Hailun Road Station.

After coming out, I followed Harbin Road, looked at my mobile navigation, and arrived at an interesting place: 1933 Laochang Square.

Shanghai 1933 Old Factory Square was a converted from the original Slaughterhouse of the Shanghai Ministry of Industry Bureau. It was the largest slaughterhouse in the Far East in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1933, it was funded by the Ministry of Industry and designed by the famous British designer Balvers. The overall building is in the ancient Roman Basilica-style style, and the overall structure of the outside is also in line with the traditional Chinese concept of "a round sky and a square earth".

This is also one of the locations where classic film and television dramas in Shanghai are filmed. Many film and television dramas and variety shows have been filmed here.

Today, it has become a well-known center for fashion performances, drama performances, new product launches, displays, transactions, design, services, consumption and leisure in Shanghai.

In the Laochang Square, there are crisscrossed corridors, and there are small channels in each corner, extending in all directions and crisscrossing, like a big maze. Xiaobao runs up and down inside and has a good time.

After shopping for a while, I went to a cafe on the third floor and bought a cup of Australian white coffee to try it. The owner here came from Australia and knew better about making coffee by hand. They were all freshly ground coffee beans. The young lady at the front desk was very enthusiastic. When she saw Xiaobao's sweating face, she immediately poured him a cup of boiled water, feeling very human.

There is an open space outside the coffee room where you can sit and stare blankly for a while. I feel that this place can calm down and there are not many tourists. It's good.

In the blink of an eye, it was 4:30, when I came out of Laochang Square, I saw a small bridge on the right hand side and a snack shop beside the bridge. I bought some Shanghai small steaks. This shop is not famous and should be doing business for surrounding residents. However, the steaks made are also good. The soup is full and the meat is filled with a lot of meat. It is very delicious with some rice vinegar!

After filling my stomach, I was ready to go home. I still took Metro Line 10 on Hailun Road and ended at the high-speed rail station. At 20:13, I got on the G7596 high-speed rail on time and set off back to Hefei.

To summarize: The itinerary for this 2-day weekend trip is relatively reasonable. It has both the style of a water town and a classic check-in place in a metropolis. It is not too tired or troublesome. It is relatively relaxed and comfortable. It is suitable for a family of three or a young couple to travel., the schedule is just right, making full use of Saturday and Sunday.