Xiaozhou Village(1)The Last Water Village Of Guangzhou

iWalk 23 November 2009 9 Comments

Last weekend, I went to XiaoZhou Village(小洲村), The last water village of Guangzhou. It’s the second time I visited there. Last time was 8 years ago. XiaoZhou Village changed a lot these years. The former national ecological village is disappearing!

Xiaozhou-Village-Guangzhou0166

Xiaozhou-Village-Guangzhou0160

Xiaozhou-Village-Guangzhou0168

Xiaozhou-Village-Guangzhou0174

Xiaozhou-Village-Guangzhou0129

Xiaozhou Village lies in Yingzhou Ecological Park(瀛洲生态园), Haizhu District of Guangzhou. It’s named as the most beautiful village in Guangzhou because it’s special water village environment and unsophisticated folkway.

XiaoZhou Village has more than 600 years history. Villagers there are the offspring of Tanka people(蜑家). Tanka people also called “the Boat people”, It’s a special group of people that has traditionally lived on boats in coastal parts of south china. They mostly worked as fishermen, But some built markets or villages on the shore and started new life on shore.

The net of Rivulets and stone bridges make the village so different compares to other villages in Guangdong, remind you the water towns of Southern Yangtze River. Those stone bridges were made in different dynasties, Every bridge has it’s own story.

But since the government decided to change this quiet village into a highlight of travel sites, Xiaozhou changed a lot. More and more people visit there, more and more traditional old houses are disappearing, some stupid look new houses are taking their place.

The water is dry and the boats are beat-up this winter afternoon. Only the bluestone road remind me the old XiaoZhou.

(To be continued)

I will travel to Sichuan tomorrow. Maybe I can’t connect Internet for some days. I will publish my XiaoZhou Village posts automatically these days, Sorry I can’t reply all the comments in time. Best wishes, My friends!

Tags: China Travel, GuangDong, Guangzhou, national ecological village, Southern Yangtze River, Travel, Xiaozhou

Related posts

Relax At GuangDong Country Restaurant (16)

XiaoZhou Village(2) The Ideal Place For Artists (1)

Warm Red (0)

9 Comments »

Heather Dugan ("Footsteps") said:

I’ll check back for the next installment. Nicely written.

# 23 November 2009 at 8:30 am

jam said:

So sad to hear that the water is drying. What’s a water village for if there is no more water? You will be in Sichuan until early next year? If only I get a cheap ticket to Chengdu, then I will ask you to become my guide. But very unlikely…
jam´s last blog ..Environment Protection, Begins from Shopping

# 23 November 2009 at 12:08 pm

景晖 said:

很可惜，一个又有历史和文化的地方，会变成跟以前不一样！希望会保留这个水镇，象我那时去江苏和上海的时侯，那些水镇都被保留！

我好想去中国拍照！太多美丽的美丽风景！

景晖
http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv
景晖´s last blog ..Bloggers Invitation to Visit S’pore Discovery Centre

# 24 November 2009 at 1:22 am

harley davidson rentals miami said:

Xiaozhou Village must be a fantastic place to see. Those pictures show how outstanding is this village. I would like to see it someday using my own eyes.

# 11 December 2009 at 9:27 pm

Infiniti of Montclair said:

I have never heard of a water village before! I’ve never even seen one… its a shame that the water is drying up but do you, or anyone, know why?

Can’t wait to see what your next post will read..

# 16 December 2009 at 4:35 am

sarah said:

Hello:

My name is Sarah, I work for RentACarNow.com, a rental car search engine.

I stumbled on http://www.iwalku2.com/ and was interested in advertising on your front-page.

We are interested in a link featuring our company.

Would you be interested in something like this? Also, would you be
willing to set up a 6 month or 1 year deal?

Please let me know. Thank you for your time.

Thanks,
Sarah

# 19 December 2009 at 5:34 pm

Metz said:

I have a xmas message for you over at my personal blog Merry Xmas http://metzsecret.blogspot.com/2009/12/merry-xmas.html
Metz´s last blog ..Travel Thursday: Elicon House Cebu

# 26 December 2009 at 12:55 am

asmaliana said:

Where the waters goes? Is it because of the new Damp? Such a beautiful places like Venice of China…
asmaliana´s last blog ..Melaka 12 Premier Event 2010

# 2 January 2010 at 12:50 pm

Goran | Web Marketing said:

It is sad to see that modern houses are replacing history. Unfortunately this is one of the prices that get paid for progress. Most people reallly are not sentimental, and only wants what suits them best, and to hell with the rest.

# 7 January 2010 at 7:56 pm