Qibao in photos

Qibao has been on my Shanghai bucket list for some time. As I often host couchsurfers, I always tell my visitors to go there, but this advice was solely based on my students' and colleagues' recommendations.

I finally made it out to Qibao, on line 9. I say finally because my sense of direction is not one of my strong suits, and my meticulously planned route turned out to be one of my "long cuts".

I took line 2 at West Nanjing Rd, switched to line 4 at Zhongshan Park (don't do this) and then switched to line 9 at Yishan Road (don't do this either). Both of these stations are too spread out and inconveniently disorganized.

On the way home, I got it right though, since I took line 9 to Zhaojiabang Road, switched to line 7 and got off at Jing'an Temple. Easy peasy.

In regards to the actual visit to the watertown of Qibao, it was an interesting experience. It reminded me of a calmer Yuyuan Garden. For this reason, I would recommend Qibao if you are adverse to the crowds of Shanghai.

Like Yuyan, there are many vendors, if you want to get your shoppin' on.

In contrast to Yuyan, Qibao has retained its traditional charm.

A visit to Qibao is really like stepping back in time.

I liked the traditional architecture; I especially loved the pretty window panes and doors.

This lady knows how to keep it real in Qibao...

I really liked seeing Shanghai move at a slower pace.

I stopped for a yummy lunch at the restaurant closest to the entrance to the main canal area.

I also liked seeing the young children running around, side by side with the older people strolling along the canal.

This young girl posing with her bunny rabbit was especially adorable.

I think it would be a great place to practice Mandarin, since I think I was the only foreigner in the whole place.

I wish I was able to communicate with these ladies, deep in thought and conversation while the men at their side participated in a loud auction of sorts.