Wuzhen at the Breaking of Dawn

"You should catch the sunrise here tomorrow morning from one of our bigger bridges." the restaurant owner said. "It is beautiful and much better than sunset." he added.

"What time does the sun rises nowadays?" I asked.

"Around 6 to 6:30 am." he replied.

With that information, I told my son to set the alarm at 6 am the next morning and went to bed, hoping for a spectacular sunrise over the ancient water town of Wuzhen.

It was cold when the alarm went off at 6 am. What do you expect since it is right in the middle of winter. My son rolled over after switching off the alarm. He is definitely not an early riser and no amount of sunrise is going to get him off that warm bed. I was struggling too and almost dozed off when my wife reminded me that it was already 6:30 am and I better get my ass off the bed if I ever wanted to catch the sunrise.

I picked up my gear, put on my winter jacket and ventured out into the cold misty morning. Any hope of getting that perfect sunrise was dashed when I walked onto slippery wet walking paths as it has been raining the night before apparently. The sky was gloomy and downcast and more rain was forecast for the day. I was somewhat disappointed but as I stood on one of the stone bridges looking towards the two rows of houses lining the water canal and a mist covering the rest some distance away, I realized that I was presented with a different perspective of this ancient water town in the morning. One that is cold and damn, sleepy, quiet and tranquil, and that was exactly what I was feeling right that moment, standing on the bridge.

The wind has not picked up and the water was calm. At 6:45 am, before the harsh sunlight breaks through, I could still get decent long exposure shot without using any big stoppers to cut down the light.

I did not manage to get a lot of shots during the day when we first arrived the day before with two little toddlers tagging along, although I did managed to capture what I wanted to see at night. Being alone now, with just my camera and my gear and without having to rush through every shot, I could go about checking each shot through different angles and settings.

The town was practically deserted at this hour. Most of the overnight visitors were still in their warm bed. I guessed none was as crazy as I am, braving the chill and the freezing temperatures just hoping to get some good pictures. Many, I guessed, just as I was, initially, thought that there were no opportunities to catch a good sunrise with the gloomy weather and hence gave up the idea. Whatever their reasons were, I was glad as I get to have the entire town almost to myself.

As I took shot after shot, from this bridge to the next, I began to realize that these are scenes and atmosphere that I wanted to capture of an ancient water town. Not just the bright lights and their reflections on the water, but the dreamy feel of a sleepy ancient water town, without the commercialisation, in all her serenity and tranquility, allowing your imagination to go back hundreds of years.

The "Bridge In Bridge" during the day with both bridges in view as well as their clear reflections on the calm waters.....

As day brightened, this sleepy town started to wake up with some residents getting their shops ready for the day. Workers started to arrive, bringing along their breakfast for yet another busy day, hoping that the crowd would be larger since it is a weekend.

As the day brightens, I caught this little boat starting his round to start off another day down the river .....

By 8 a.m. the rain had started to drizzle, signalling me that it is time to head back to the hotel. As I walked back, I saw more tourists now, coming out from the hotels, taking a walk among the wet walking paths, taking pictures here and there. I had my fair share and I would like to believe the better parts too.

By the time, we walked over for our breakfast around 9:30 a.m., the slight drizzle has got heavier and so has the crowd, both from those staying overnight and those arriving for the day, all decked in raincoats or umbrellas, jostling around the narrow alleys and bridges for their pictures.

I walked past them with a grin and a smile on my face, knowing deep inside, I am a contended man and having had the best moments of a misty dreamy Wuzhen, an ancient water town of over 1200 years history at the breaking of dawn.

Wuzhen at Night

Sunrise and sunset are termed as the golden hours for any landscape photographers because the light is not direct and harsh and the often times, the multi color skies added with some dramatic clouds formation, sometimes accompanied by a round red or orange sun captured made almost a postcard like picture.

I was hoping for the same, as I hurriedly walked about Wuzhen to find a right spot where I could spot the sun going down, checking the direction constantly with my iPhone compass. However, the downcast skies during the day and the clouds obscure any chance whatsoever to see a dramatic sunset for the day. I was lucky that at least, it was not raining as the day before or the day we left Wuzhen. But sunset is not all about dramatic colorful skies or bright perfect orange sun, as I found out here in Wuzhen. As dusk approached where the sun had already set, this ancient water town was cloaked in a shade of yellowish orange light and a slight mist in a distance, with almost perfect reflection of the houses on still and calm waters adds a dreamy feel to this historic town.

Dusk falling upon this ancient water town of Wuzhen ..

Calmness and tranquility at dusk ...

But the real beauty of Wuzhen is when the lights come on at night. That was the whole reason we ended up in Wuzhen. We were supposed to visit another ancient water town somewhere else, nearer to Suzhou but when I specifically told my guide that I wanted to take night photography, he recommended Wuzhen instead and insisted that we must stayed a night. His recommendation was spot on.

As the night approaches, the lights began to come on, one after another, and the entire place takes on a totally different feel. In fact, it comes alive ...

As the night sets in, the lights came on and the entire town takes on a different perspective, feel and atmosphere. It comes alive. The crowd began to swell, bearing in mind that it was winter with temperature in low single digit and it was a weekday. 

I just got my D610, my new Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 lens and my new tripod just before I made this trip and I was eager to try them out for the long exposure shots.

Wuzhen is a string of islands all connected with stone or wooden bridges, some small and some magnificent ones like the one below. Capturing them with their reflection on the water below was something that I was hoping to do when I first decided to visit an ancient water town.

An almost symmetrical reflection of the bridge and building on the water below ....

If you are visiting Wuzhen, I would highly recommend that you insist on staying for a night. There are many day tours who might include this into one of the places you might visit from Hangzhou but to truly appreciate the beauty of this place and to experience her tranquility and atmosphere, an overnight stay would allow you to walk among the narrow streets and alleys and admire the beauty of the reflections of these ancient structures on the water. If you an early riser, you might even catch the sunrise the following morning before the rest of the crowd wakes up. (More of that in my next post ..)

This is the famous Bridge in Bridge where at a certain angle, one could see another bridge through the arch of the first. Here, you can catch a bit of the second bridge on the left hand side of the picture. This two bridges are the Tongji and the Renji Bridge which apparently has been rebuilt 5 times over the years....

The beauty of night photography of an ancient water town lies in the mesmerizing reflections on the water such as the ones below :-

Every corner offers a different feel and look at night ....

Located near the Bridge in Bridge, is a street lined with pubs, cafes and bars where one could sit down to listen to some life music while enjoying your favorite beer or drink.

Wuzhen offers more than just reflections of the lights on water. Walking along the narrow streets and alleys, lined by old wooden souvenir shops, guest houses, cafes and shops that offered local delicacies that are delicious is an experience by itself.

The streets themselves offered delightful opportunities for night photography especially if you have a tripod set on longer exposure. Deeper into the night, when the crowd thins, you might find yourself alone along a lonely stretch of narrow alley, lined with old wooden shops that have closed. There is a eerie sense of quietness surrounding you and your ears suddenly becoming ultra sensitive to any `funny' noises as you go about taking that one picture that you hope is worth all efforts.

A view of a shop opposite the other side of the river, captured here, between two walls with creepers ....

A window in one of the dead end walls with overgrown creepers ....eerie ....

The almost abandoned streets ....

Besides the streets and the river, there are also other interesting historical sites that literally glow in the dark such as those below :-

The old post office .....

By the time I finished the above pictures, it was closed to 9pm and we have not had our dinner. Most restaurants have close by now and the only shops that remained opened are the pubs and bars. We gave the owner of the shop we had our lunch earlier a call and asked if his is still opened. 

"I was waiting for you guys to return" he said "..and I was surprised that you didn't turn up till now ..."

"Well..we are coming right now .." we told him. We have little choice as there are no restaurants that were still opened by this time.

There were no regrets. We ordered a few other dishes, and they were just too eager to serve us. The food was delicious and hot. As we attacked the food with vengeance, the owner's wife was there chatting with us and sharing about their lifestyle and how the restaurant were being run. The bill came to RMB156. 

With our stomach filled, we made our way back to our hotel and settled in for the night. Both my 5 years old boy and my 2 years old daughter was fast asleep by this time.

Tired but satisfied, the alarm was set at 6 the next morning as I was eager to go out early in the morning, hoping to catch the sunrise over the ancient stone bridges, reflected on the clear calm waters....

....but that was not to be .......more in my next post ...

Zhujiajiao Ancient Water Town

When one visits Shanghai, several top tourist attractions are a must. A walk down the Bund, taking a river cruise down Huangpu River in the evening to enjoy the glittering Bund on one side and the Shanghai Financial district with a good view of the Pearl Tower on the other, not forgetting having a picture taken with the Pearl Tower and shopping at the famous Nanjing Street.

Not many itineraries would include a visit to this 1700 years old ancient water town located approximately an hour ride from Shanghai and reportedly one of the four best preserved ancient water town in Shanghai.

Zhujiajiao (朱家角) or simply known as the Zhu Family Settlement with a population of approximately 60,000 dates back all the way to the Yuan Dynasty. She is also known as the `Pearl Stream’ because this little town will glimmer at night among the landscapes of lakes, rivers and mountains.

When I did some research before my trip to Shanghai, I was not particularly impressed with all the common places that most tour agencies will take me and I was looking for something more Chinese. The pictures of Zhujiajiao caught my attention with her canals, rivers, sleepy willow trees and old ancient cottages. Hence, I gave specific instructions and made specific request that I wanted to visit Zhujiajiao and slot that into our itinerary somehow. Fortunately, our driver was accommodating enough and willingly slot in a full day visit to this place on the last day at Shanghai before we made our way to the airport.

On arrival, my first impression of this place was rather disappointing. It was a Sunday and just like any other tourist attractions in China, especially this particular one which are rather popular with local tourists, this place was absolutely packed to the brim. There were so many people pushing along the narrow streets and jostling to get their pictures taken. 

My first thoughts were to turn back and go home. But having travelled more than an hour from Shanghai, there is no turning back. Braving the crowd, we made our way carefully and rather `forcefully’ pushing back the crowd who constantly walk right into your face, which happens so often in China with the local tourist, to the nearest restaurant to have our lunch, to gather our composure, to take a breather, to get over the initial shock and to plan the next course of action.

The lunch break did help. We ordered some local dishes which turned up rather delicious though a little pricey (which is expected of a place this crowded and popular). With our stomach filled and I had my local beer, we were ready to do battle on the narrow streets and alleys, crowded with tourist and locals peddling their souvenirs.

Most of the cottages have been turned into either cafes, restaurants, tea houses, snack shops or souvenir shops, managed by the locals. I must say that this place is overly commercialised and very touristy. If we had not stay longer till the evening when most of the crowd left, I would not rank this place as a place that I would enjoy but enjoy I did as the day drew to a close.

One of the best way to avoid the crowd and to get an introduction of the place and some of orientation as to where to go for a walk would be to take a boat ride. They offered several routes with different prices. We took the cheapest which amounted to RMB30 per person covering 4 destinations, since there were 6 of us and the journey lasted approximately 20 minutes. It was short but was also the most enjoyable 20 minutes as our boat went into narrow canals, lined by sleepy willow trees with their leaves hanging over the water and ancient old cottages lining both side of the canal. I began to enjoy and appreciate the true beauty of this quaint ancient water town.

Towards the evening, as the sun sets and her rays dimmed, and as the lights of the many cottages came on and the crowd leaves, as the temperature cooled down, the smell of spring was refreshing.

This is the best moment to savour the true beauty and charm of this 1700 years old water town. Walking down the now almost deserted alleys, a sense of serenity and tranquillity descended upon place, which hours ago was bustling with hundreds if not thousands of people, squeezing among themselves through these same streets and alleys.

Soon, it was time for us to leave this place to catch our flight back to Beijing but I leave with a sense of satisfaction that Zhujiajiao has not disappointed me. Although this place, like some many other places in China, has been overly commercialised, I still had that opportunity, for a short moment in time, to experience and to see her in her natural serenity and charm.

Hence, a word of advice if you are planning a visit, it might make good sense to either stay longer and wait for the crowd to leave or simply visit her later in the day, to truly enjoy what Zhujiajiao has to offer.