What to do in Zhouzhuang amid Duanwu Festival

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Those looking for a refreshing getaway as the Duanwu Festival arrives should consider Zhouzhuang, one of the iconic water towns in East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Those looking for a refreshing getaway as the Duanwu Festival arrives should consider Zhouzhuang, one of the iconic water towns in East China's Jiangsu province.

The festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese event, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar.

A flurry of folk custom activities such as a grand sacrificial ceremony to bless for good fortunes shall be staged in the water town to mark the festival.

Visitors to the water town can also learn to wrap rice dumplings by themselves. Take a water tour of the water town is also another wonderful choice.

They could try some yellow wine as well as seasonal delicacies served at the Shentingjiujia, a century-old restaurant in Zhouzhuang.

Yellow wine (huangjiu), is an iconic yellow millet liquor made from glutinous rice. Visitors who gulp a jug of the top tipple might forget all their worries.

Shenting Jiujia is a restaurant famous for serving the Wansan "Eight Bowls", a well-known family feast that is said to have been a favorite meal of Shen Wanshan, the famously wealthy Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) noble.

Besides, visitors could also enjoy Kunqu opera, one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera, originates from Kunshan, the city in Jiangsu that administers Zhouzhuang.

Visitors to the Pear Garden, formerly known as Zhouzhuang Ancient Opera Stage, are able to enjoy Kunqu Opera every day of the week except Thursday.

At the end of the trip, visitors can take home some souvenirs home. A group of craftsmen on the Zhenfeng Street in Zhouzhaung, are putting their masterful skills to work to prove they are a cut above the rest, in an era where it is often thought mechanization prevails. At the street, visitors could buy some delicate handicrafts such as tiger-head shoes, olive kernel carvings and so on.

Zhouzhaung, dubbed "Venice of the East", is noted for its profound history, elegant waterway views and well-preserved buildings.