Canals of Shaoxing

The city of Shaoxing is large with a population of over 4 million. It is a very modern city - but many parts of the city are quite old as well. With a long history it is not surprising that a lot of the old buildings are kept and are still in use.

There are canals everywhere. The canal above is in a little village which is opposite the college. We can go there to purchase food from the many street vendors there, and a variety of other things. There are hairdressers in tiny shops, cake shops, shoe shops, clothing shops, kitchen/household items, and at the end of the laneway just past the bridge over the canal are the fresh food markets. Some lovely fruit and vegetables can be purchased here. Some of the vegetables I have never seen before.

I've also added a photo of the village lane. Cars, motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians all use this laneway and one just has to keep one's eyes open, and ears, as the cars and motorcycles toot loudly so that you jump out of the way in a hurry. It is a noisy busy place.

Everyone is friendly to us Westerners. They wave - and try and sell us items, but negotiating with them is difficult. The language barrier again. But they all seem to have calculators and can understand numbers!