Boat Rides Boats

(yóuchuán; per boat ¥100) One-hour boat trips float along Zhōuzhuāng’s waterways. Speedboats (¥80) tour South Lake from Bàoēn Bridge (Bàoēn Qiáo).

Eating

Impregnated with the clinging smell of stinky dòufu, Zhōuzhuāng has no shortage of dining options. Breakfast can be difficult to source, unless you want a glistening hunk of pork; you can get a good cappuccino at the youth hostel, which also cooks up pizza, bacon sandwiches, seafood spaghetti, tuna salad and so forth.

Sleeping in Zhōuzhuāng

Prices peak on Fridays and Saturdays, when the water town is at bursting point, so try to visit on a weekday. There are endless kèzhàn (guesthouses) dotted around the old town, with rooms in the ¥80 to ¥100 mark.

» Zhōuzhuāng International Youth Hostel ( 5720 4566; 86 Beishi Jie; 86 weekday/weekend dm ¥45/45, s ¥100/120, d ¥120/140, tw ¥120/140; ) Just along from the old opera stage, this is a lovely place with neat rooms, an OK dorm, a tranquil courtyard setting and a fab bar area.

» Zhèngfú Caotáng ( 5721 9333; www.zfct.net; 90 Zhongshi Jie; 90 d ¥480-1080; ) For fine traditional elegance, this charmingly presented hotel has only a handful of rooms decorated with antique-style furniture.

» Guzhèn Hotel (Guzhèn Kèfáng; 135 1162 7032; 83 Beishi Jie; 83 d from ¥150) If the youth hostel is booked out, try this handy family-run place next door with clean, tile-floor rooms.

Shěshān

Explore

Easily accessed from the centre of town on the metro, Shěshān is worth a half-day or day trip to its fantastic cathedral, the surrounding views from the hills and Happy Valley amusement park.

Top Tip

At the foot of West Hill is one of several bike stations where you can hire green- coloured bikes (8am to 4.30pm) to explore the Shěshān area. You will need your passport and a deposit of ¥200; the first hour is free, then bike charges are ¥1 per hour.

Getting There & Away

Metro Take metro line 9 to Shěshān station and then hop on free bus 9 (jiuhào xiàn; every 20 minutes from 9am) to Happy Valley amusement park, which drops off at West Hill; alternatively, jump on bus 92. Both depart from the bus stop outside the metro station.

Need to Know

» Area Code 021

» Location 35km southwest of Shànghai city centre

Sights

Sights are contained within the Shěshān National Forest Park, divided into two areas: the West Hill area (Xījingqū) and the East Hill area (Dōngjing­qū). The most famous historic attractions can be found in the West Hill area. At the time of writing, access to the West Hill was free, while admission to the East Hill (with a forest park, aviary and butterfly garden) was ¥45.

Shěshān Basilica Church

(Shěshān Shèngmu Dàdiàn; 8am-4pm) A very pleasant walk up through the trees from the road and the bus drop-off to the top of the hill, this cruciform red-brick and granite church is the highlight of the West Hill area. Glorious views range out from the hill over the suburbs of Shànghai. The original Holy Mother Cathedral was built here between 1863 and 1866, and the current Basilica of Notre Dame was finished in 1935. All the stained glass was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and is being restored; the glass in the church at present is film-coated. Nonetheless, the interior is splendidly illuminated when the sun shines in. Every May sees hordes of local Catholics making a pilgrimage to the church, climbing up the hill along the Via Dolorosa from the south gate.

Shànghai Astronomical Museum Museum

(Shànghai Tiānwén Bówùguan; admission ¥12; 8.15am-5pm, last tickets 4.30pm) The Former Shěshān Observatory is right alongside the Shěshān Basilica on West Hill, founded by the Jesuits in 1900. The museum contains exhibitions on the history of observatories and astronomical research in China, as well as a collection of ancient telescopes.

Xiùdàozhě Pagoda Pagoda

(Xiùdàozhě Ta) Rising from the east flank of West Hill, this graceful 20m-high pagoda dates to the 10th century.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14