Ancient water towns Xitang, Tongli, Nanxun, Wuzhen: which?

Replies: 11 - Last Post: 26-Feb-2007 08:01 Last Post By: ellyse

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net11

24-Feb-2007 09:57
Posts: 2

Ancient water towns Xitang, Tongli, Nanxun, Wuzhen: which?

My wife and I will be in Shanghai at the end of our (self-organized) China tour in early April 2007.
During that time we would like to make a daytrip to one of the (smaller) water towns west of Shanghai.

The towns of Xitang, Tongli, Nanxun, and Wuzhen all look promising. However, on photos they
all look pretty much the same, and there isn't much information about them in the guidebooks.

Has anyone been in one or more of these towns and can recommend one as the destination of a daytrip?
Are there any significant differences with respect to infrastructure and accessibility? Will it be possible
to book a boat trip in the towns without being part of a pre-organized tour or group?

Thanks for your help!

Regards, --OL

besi

24-Feb-2007 10:20
Posts: 303

I used to teach the mayor of tonglis daughter English. Tongli is a fabulous little water town that is not as touristy as some of the others.. Xitang was obnoxious the last time I went there thropngs of people. Nanxun is not very far from Tongli or Shanghai, mostly Chinese tourists.. regarding boat trips you can do this in Tongli.. Nanxun I am not sure..

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ellyse

24-Feb-2007 10:24
Posts: 8,932

I've been to all and more (look in my profile). My favourites so far among these 4 would be Xitang and Tongli. Tongli is slightly more touristy than Xitang, and also bigger. If I'm looking for the "quiet" feel I would pick Xitang over Tongli. However Tongli has a unique Museum of Sex Culture, so if you're interested in that...
Not very impressed with Nanxun. Wuzhen pales in comparison to Xitang and is more commercialised.
If going to Xitang I would advise staying overnight as it's at its most beautiful in the early morning and sunset/evening. So if you're only going strictly for a daytrip then I think Tongli might be better.
Boat rides possible in any of these.
Cheers!

zgtong

24-Feb-2007 18:02
Posts: 87

Given that you are going in April I would avoid Tongli. April is when many foreign tour operators take their customers there. It'll likely be packed.

Xitang has seen a rise in tourism after featuring in Mission Impossible III. I agree with ellyse that Wuzhen is not as impressive as Xitang or Tongli, but is likely to be less crowded. Nanxun didn't impress me either.

woolf135

24-Feb-2007 18:13
Posts: 1,610

I put Nanxun last on the list
I have not been to Tongli
I thought Wuzhen and Xitang were good, but put Xitang first

I think the tourist levels are about the same in Wuzhen, Xitang, and Tongli, just depends on what day/time of year you visit.

Compared to the tourist numbers of Zhouzhuang, these places look like ghost towns anyway

ellyse

24-Feb-2007 21:24
Posts: 8,932

#3, Wuzhen was definitely more crowded (on the 1 day I went) than Xitang (which I've visited at least 3 times now). I think all my visits to either were on weekdays.
OP, the biggest tip you'll need: Go on a WEEKDAY.
Cheers!

michellelooi

24-Feb-2007 22:45
Posts: 18

a site on the canal towns... in brief
http://www.shanghaihighlights.com/neighbours/

on Xitang
http://www.shanghaihighlights.com/neighbours/xitang.html
http://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/58676.htm
http://www.xitang.com.cn/echi.asp (not much info on the sights in English)

eilaw

26-Feb-2007 01:25
Posts: 14

In my experience, all of these places are equally crowded and developed as tourist destinations. Zhouzhuang appears to remain the busiest as it's probably the most well-known one.

Gene

ellyse

26-Feb-2007 07:33
Posts: 8,932

#7, it's actually quite a lot better when you don't go on weekends. That one time I went to Zhouzhuang (because it was a school trip, it was free and we didn't have any choice) was on a weekend and it was even more crowded than hell.
Cheers!

craigt3365

26-Feb-2007 07:52
Posts: 480

I have the LP China book, but Xitang and Tongli are not listed...unless I am missing something. I understand Tongli is near Suzhou, but can somebody point me to a map that shows Xitang? I went to a few maps, but can not find it...nor Jiashan. I would sure appreciate the help!

P.S. Ellyse, great info on your VirtualTourist web pages...thanks!

Life without socks, time without a watch. 68 countries and counting!

craigt3365

26-Feb-2007 07:57
Posts: 480

oops...found it. On the www.shanghaihighlights.com page referrenced by michellelooi.

Life without socks, time without a watch. 68 countries and counting!

ellyse

26-Feb-2007 08:01
Posts: 8,932

Thanks for the compliments, I'm actually pretty behind updating my travel pages there. I think you should've noticed the amount of location pages which are actually all blank!
Just let me know if you've any other questions that you need answered.
Cheers!

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