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We Didn't Know China Looked Like This 🇨🇳
Discover Ancient Water Towns Near Shanghai with Kids
WE MADE IT TO CHINA!!!!
Hey! Welcome to day 2 of our one week in shanghai series! Today we head to an ancient water town. We had a blast and can't wait to share our day with you!
We'll see you in the next one, Love you all!
Code: ADAMANDLINDS
🎓 *OUTSCHOOL* (live online classes the girls...
We made it to China!
Hey! Welcome to day 2 of our one week in Shanghai series! Today we head to an ancient water town. We had a blast and can't wait to share our day with you!
We'll see you in the next one, love you all!
After all the waiting, Adam and Linds finally step foot in China, and they’re kicking off their Shanghai week with something magical. Day two takes them far from the skyscrapers to an ancient water town that feels frozen in time. Canals, old stone bridges, and slow boat life—it’s the China you don’t always see. The family is buzzing with excitement, and honestly, we are too. This is the kind of travel moment that reminds you why you wander. Join them as they discover a side of Shanghai few first-time visitors expect.
We made it to China!
Hey! Welcome to day 2 of our one week in Shanghai series! Today we head to an ancient water town. We had a blast and can't wait to share our day with you!
We'll see you in the next one, love you all!
Day two in Shanghai and the warnings they had heard before the trip already felt overblown. Adam and Linds packed up their three girls and swapped the city skyline for something much older: Zhujiajiao, a thousand-year-old water town where canals do the job of streets and little wooden boats replace cars. They were exploring China on a 240-hour transit visa, and this morning was all about floating, wandering, and letting a local guide untangle the maze for them.
With maps out and Peggy leading the way, they disappeared into a web of cobblestone lanes and stone bridges. The water was clear enough to see the bottom. Every turn offered another postcard view, trees leaning over the river, tiny shops, mossy rooftops. The family stepped into a private garden owned long ago by a rich businessman, and there they found jade colored rock, marble panels carved like painted mountain landscapes, and double-sided embroidery that looked different from each side. Up in a pavilion, they noticed the tiny carvings and moss on clay roof tiles, details you completely miss from the street.
Then came the snacks. The girls wanted to try bugs, but a kind auntie appeared with fresh lotus seed pods instead. The seeds tasted a little like peanut, and the green bits were bitter, but locals say they cool you down in summer. Earlier, they had tried dou jiao bao, a local bean paste bun with mango, chocolate, red bean, and a pork version with salted egg yolk inside. There was also sticky rice, a walk across the town’s oldest bridge, and a great story from Peggy about how her father used a pet cricket to remind her to do homework.
The boat ride was the highlight the girls had waited for all day. It was wobbly and wonderful, drifting past old buildings and quiet waterways while the family held on and soaked it in. After saying goodbye to Peggy and Mr. Wong, they drove the hour back to Shanghai and crashed early. Adam and Linds agreed that this ancient water town was one of the most beautiful places they had ever seen, and it was proof that the real China is even better than the warnings suggested. Next up: food tours and Disneyland, but this day belonged to the canals.
Adam and Linds had been warned about China, but day two in Shanghai proved every warning wrong. They spent a golden morning in Zhujiajiao, a thousand-year-old water town where canals replace streets and boats replace cars. With local guides Peggy and Mr. Wong, they discovered hidden gardens, jade rock, double-sided embroidery, moss-covered pavilion roofs, and a snack hunt that ended with lotus seeds from a kind auntie. A wobbly boat ride through ancient waterways sealed the day. This is China far from the headlines, and it is stunning.
Adam and Linds explore ancient Zhujiajiao water town, with canals, hidden gardens, local snacks and a boat ride.
Zhujiajiao Water Town Canals & Hidden Gardens in Shanghai
2:56 Grab a map before wandering Zhujiajiao's canals and side streets. The maze is beautiful but it is easy to get lost, so a local guide can unlock hidden houses and private gardens you would never find alone.
4:23 Don't skip the old private houses and gardens. A rich businessman's home hides jade-colored rock, marble panels carved like mountain landscapes, and double-sided embroidery, details that make the water town feel like a living museum.
9:46 Try local street snacks while exploring. The dou jiao bao is a popular bean-paste bun with fillings like mango, chocolate, red bean, or pork with salted egg yolk. Expect a dry, paste-like texture and deep local flavors.
14:01 If you see lotus seed pods on offer, take them. A kind auntie gave the kids fresh pods, and the seeds taste a bit like peanut with a bitter green part. In summer, locals say they help calm the body.
17:37 Finish your visit with a traditional wooden boat ride through the canals. It is wobbly and can feel a little seasick-inducing, but it gives a gentle, beautiful view of the thousand-year-old water town.
2:56 Grab a map before wandering Zhujiajiao's canals and side streets. The maze is beautiful but it is easy to get lost, so a local guide can unlock hidden houses and private gardens you would never find alone.
4:23 Don't skip the old private houses and gardens. A rich businessman's home hides jade-colored rock, marble panels carved like mountain landscapes, and double-sided embroidery, details that make the water town feel like a living museum.
9:46 Try local street snacks while exploring. The dou jiao bao is a popular bean-paste bun with fillings like mango, chocolate, red bean, or pork with salted egg yolk. Expect a dry, paste-like texture and deep local flavors.
14:01 If you see lotus seed pods on offer, take them. A kind auntie gave the kids fresh pods, and the seeds taste a bit like peanut with a bitter green part. In summer, locals say they help calm the body.
17:37 Finish your visit with a traditional wooden boat ride through the canals. It is wobbly and can feel a little seasick-inducing, but it gives a gentle, beautiful view of the thousand-year-old water town.
0:03 Day two begins in Shanghai
0:17 Entering Zhujiajiao ancient water town
0:32 Breakfast and family banter
2:56 Exploring canals with a map
4:23 Visiting hidden private garden
6:37 Climbing pavilion for rooftop views
9:46 Tasting local snack dou jiao bao
14:01 Lotus seeds from a kind auntie
17:37 Boat ride through ancient canals
19:14 Saying goodbye after a full day
0:03 Day two begins in Shanghai
0:17 Entering Zhujiajiao ancient water town
0:32 Breakfast and family banter
2:56 Exploring canals with a map
4:23 Visiting hidden private garden
6:37 Climbing pavilion for rooftop views
9:46 Tasting local snack dou jiao bao
14:01 Lotus seeds from a kind auntie
17:37 Boat ride through ancient canals
19:14 Saying goodbye after a full day
ChinaShangháifamily travelzhujiajiaoancient water townviajar a Chinacanal boat ridechinese snackshidden gardenslotus seedsWhat did the dou jiao bao snack taste like?
The outside is made of bean paste and the inside is a paste too. I tried the pork one with salted egg yolk, and it was fine, just really dry, not like pulled pork at all.
What do lotus seeds taste like?
They taste kind of like a peanut at first, but the green part is bitter. A local auntie said they are good in summer because they help calm your body down.
Did the girls get to eat bugs?
They wanted to, but a kind auntie gave them fresh lotus seed pods instead. They were happy with that trade, and honestly, so was I.
Would you recommend Jenny Tours?
Definitely. If you come to Shanghai, use Jenny's Shanghai Tours and ask for Peggy. She made the day feel like a secret adventure.
