Mudu Ancient Water Town

Being reputed to be the paradise on earth, Suzhou is one of the greatest residences for human. But I believe that Mudu Ancient Water Town, which located in the west of Suzhou City, is actually the highlight of Suzhou. It has a history of more than 2500 years, and it has been served as a witness of the War between Wu State and Yue State (this two states are both located around the area of Suzhou during the years around BC 221).

There is a legend for this water town. Xi Shi, the most beautiful lady in the Yue State, was presented as a spy by the King of Yue to the King of Wu in the purpose of winning the war. Captivated by the beauty of Xi Shi, the King of Wu overused the labor and prosperity of his state to build lots of palaces. A great amount of wood was delivered into Wu State, making the river blocked by wood, and the place where the river was blocked is Mudu Watertown, and that's why Mudu got its name, meaning "blocked by wood".

You can now easily plan a Suzhou tours from Shanghai. After a busy trip in Shanghai, you may now have a rest in this Chinese classic garden city, Suzhou. It is called the paradise of China in Chinese saying. Suzhou is famous for its classical gardens. Beautiful shape in different cultures of the gardens will give you a highlights of the Shanghai and Suzhou trip.

My Trip to Shanghai

With great expectation, I package all the daily things that will be used in my trips. Because it was my first time to Shanghai, I felt so happy that I had arrived our first destination, Shanghai China. Everything went smoothly for the excellent preparation and arrangement of our trip advisor and tour guides.

Like most visitors to Shanghai, we visit the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, City Gold Temple, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Nanjing Road, and the cruise on Huangpu River and so on. Because it is my first time to Shanghai, there are too many things and places that I want to visit. But for the time reason, I can only follow our team and tour guide to enjoy the two days trip in Shanghai. I try my best to discover the local culture and local specialties in Shanghai.

In the Bund, I was surprised at the great development of Shanghai. The scenery of the bund give me a vivid picture that I seen in TV before. From the river band, I can see clearly the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the highest Shanghai World Financial Center and other skyscrapers in bright color and harmonious environment. Each building is a shining star in both bank of the Huangpu River. With the busy whistling of ships and oil tanks on the river, I can feel the rhythm the developing Shanghai.

Different with the Bund, Yuyuan Garden and City Gold Temple gave me a familiar feeling of Chinese ancient culture and the special features of Shanghai culture. Shanghai is not only rich in its economic resources and financial resources, but also rich in its culture and history. Yuyuan is an ancient garden. There visitor can see many Chinese traditional style buildings and dragons on the ceilings and walls. You can feel the ancient China through its beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes, bridges and rock formations. Sitting in the pavilions, you can even listen to the singing of the birds. Every corners of the garden can be mini shows of Chinese traditional culture and ancient Chinese life. 

Another must see attraction is the city gold temple. If you want to feel the religious life of Shanghai people, you must visit the temple. It is a Taoist temple that was built several hundreds years ago. Here one can see and smell the burning incense and feel the religious worship of Chinese people. People come here to worship the Buddha or the God to protect family and relatives and keep safe when they are out.

You can easily find the styles of Chinese building here. Each building here can be a representative of temple in Shanghai. Although there are thousands of shops that selling traveling goods or souvenirs, rich religious culture can be learned in the temple.

Besides the temple and garden, we also visit the modern building, Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Not to mention the height of the tower, its style can give you a good memory of it. When you see it anywhere, you will know it is the symbol of Shanghai. It is also my first impression of Shanghai when I am just a little school boy.

It is difficult to learn the whole city in only two days. Maybe two month can not be enough to understand the history and nowadays of Shanghai. With a feeling of unwilling to leave, I have to move to our next destination. I told myself to revisit Shanghai again five years later. And I know it will be a different scene at that time.