We’re in Minghe Town (鸣鹤古镇), near Cixi (慈溪). It’s been raining the whole three-day holiday, and I figured this would provide a great photography opportunity on an otherwise crowded location, with people opting to stay home or in their hotel. But I was only half right. The alleys are indeed empty — we also had […]

This series is called ‘Secret Listening’, from the Chinese word 偷听Tōutīng. I know this can be — and should probably be — translated as ‘eavesdropping’, but secret listening captures it better and adds a bit of jest. These little stories or remarks stood out to me, and show a more personal side of China away […]

Our cleaning lady: “I also clean in another office, they make socks. I always ask them for some socks. I have so many of them at home, I also gave some to the neighbours. I also got some for you, large size, you have big feet. Take them!” Me: “But so many, I don’t need […]

Today we’re in Dushi Village (独市村), part of Huzhou (湖州) but far away from it. Dushi is a village built around a 600-year-old ginkgo tree, a temple for women, and three key waterways connected by a few historic bridges. Nearly all houses are vacant as this town will be demolished soon, and the few residents […]

We’re in Zhuchuan (株川村), a small yet one of the most intact old villages we’ve ever visited in Zhejiang. The village is three hundred years old, and is really not much more than six ever-expanding rows of houses, set like an auditorium.  But everything fits so perfectly together. Many houses can be entered from the […]

We’re in Heqiao (河桥镇), a village in Eastern Zhejiang. Technically, it’s still part of Hangzhou, but it’s so far out it’s much nearer to Anhui. It’s a stunning old village. There are some newly built attractions aimed at attracing new crowds, but they are rusty and closed. Everyone here is coming for the old buildings. […]

Where does the name Shanghai (上海) come from? The simple answer is that it means “Above the sea”, but a better theory points to this place. There used to be two rivers, both tributaries of the Wusong River: Shanghai Pu (上海浦) and Xiahai Pu (下海浦), basically meaning Up the Sea River and Down the Sea […]

We’re visiting Zhouzhuang (周庄) near Suzhou. It’s a 5A attraction so I know I’m warned about the crowds, but on photos, it does look like a very nice Watertown, with original old buildings rather than cheap recreations. The historical village center is a gated off area, with hotels and restaurants build around it. The entrance […]

We’re visiting Dahong Village (大洪村), on the outskirts of Shanghai. The village belongs to Chuansha (川沙) in Pudong, but it’s its own entity — although soon to be swallowed up by new constructions. On Xiaohongshu, we found some photos of the Wu Family’s Old House (吴家老宅), and usually, that means there are more old buildings […]

As we start our little walk in Xiasha (下沙镇), a shushu standing in a doorway warns us it’s not as interesting here as it looks on Douyin: “Maybe in the 70s or 80s it was pretty here. But not anymore.” He uses the word 蹩脚, which means rubbish in Shanghai-hua: “Now, only the residential area […]