To the west of Shanghai, there are several beautiful laid-back river towns with historical buildings dating back hundreds of years. Zhouzhuang, a town in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, is perhaps the most well-known among them all.

It feels a little like stepping into a typical Chinese painting the moment you arrive in Zhouzhuang. There are old bridges, black roofs, white walls, windows with seashell decorations, elegant cottages, little boats criss-crossing the clear water, lots of flowers and green grass.

The most interesting thing to do is to walk along the banks or row a boat under the stone-arched bridges to view the residential houses along the waterside. The local people use the water to do their washing, and also to do their shopping by lowering a pole with a basket on the end to vendors sitting in their boats.

At night when all the streets are empty, you catch a glimpse of dim lights down the narrow lanes. Occasionally, the sweet peace is punctuated by the distant sound of laughter.

Zhouzhuang is renowned for its simple and ancient houses. It is filled with the elegance and charm typical of an ancient town in South China, and is fascinating because of its streets flanked by flat houses with a river at the back.

More than 60 percent of the residential houses were built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, consisting of nearly 100 classic courtyards and 60 carved brick archways. The houses commonly have two floors, with white walls and black roofs, various styles of windows out of which poke many bamboo poles carrying the household laundry.

Anyone who has ever been to Zhouzhuang will never forget the bridges. There are 10 stone bridges picturesquely arranged. These old bridges have grotesque trees growing out of the arches and vines hanging down them, and are covered with dark green moss. Viewed from the balustraded bridges, one can appreciate the lifestyle of the waterside dwellers as well as the scenery of farmhouses and fields. The reflection of the bridges in the clear rippling water is the best way to view the myriad of bridges.

Double Bridge, the most famous bridge in Zhouzhuagn, is unique. Combining Shide Bridge and Yong'an Bridge, Double Bridge is like a key, as one half is horizontal with a square hole and the other is vertical with a round hole. In 1984, Chen Yifei painted Memories of Hometown, and based it on this bridge. The tranquility of the bridge and his painting skills brought great fame to both the artist himself and Zhouzhuang, especially, Double Bridge.

Besides bridges, other buildings also impress visitors. Shen's Mansion is a typical mansion built in the Qing Dynasty. Zhang's Mansion has a small stream running through the courtyard. Chengxu Taoist Temple and Quanfu Temple add a religious and mysterious atmosphere to Zhouzhuang.

With its long history, Zhouzhuang has a rich culture, folk literature and art. "Si Xian Xuan Juan," a Chinese folk opera generally made up of six people, is based on four seasons and is often performed at festival celebrations. As "Si Xian Xuan Juan" is a mixture of Shanghai opera and Wuxi opera, it may be difficult for visitors to catch the meaning, but the lively melody can cheer you up. Water activities including fast boating, rowing lamp and sailing boat can best entertain visitors with the local people's cheerful and simple life.

In 1998, it was included on the World Cultural Heritage Candidates List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). If you want to enjoy the unique beauty and tranquility of Zhouzhuang at its best, you'd better not go there during the holidays, as there will be too many people.

Travel tips

Travelers from Shenzhen will first need to get to Shanghai, either by air or train and then transfer to Zhouzhuang by bus. Buses depart from Shanghai's 80,000-seat stadium or Shanghai Long-distance Bus Station. The bus trip takes one and half hours.

Visitors can also take trains to Shanghai from Guangzhou. Train K48 leaves Guangzhou Railway Station at 9:14 a.m. every day and arrives at Shanghai at 11:52 a.m. the next day. Or take train K100, which leaves Guangzhou East Railway Station at 5:11 p.m. and arrives in Shanghai at 4:38 p.m. the next day.

Local food is worth trying and includes fish, pork, dumplings and soup.

Editor: Catherine