The Quiet Life

　　One of the more pleasurable aspects of living in China isthe choice of travel options in a country with topographiesthat range from desert to mountains and snow drifts to watertowns. One of the less tourist populated water towns is thesleepy hollow of Nanxun， a few hours bus ride from Shanghai.On the southern shore of Taihu Lake and nudging the borderof Jiangsu Province， this ancient town seems to have beenthankfully bypassed by 21st century life.

　　The lazy， hazy lanes that line the water canals run past theback doors of endless rows of wooden houses and the obligatoryred lanterns. The outside of each house is decorated withclothing hung up to dry that reflects in broken color in the deepgreen water. Alongside the clothing hang home-made sausagesand salted pig heads - creating both artistic and bizarre streetscenes. It evokes that slow， almost historical feeling that makesevery visual frame worthy of a photograph.

　　Traditional architecture - wooden stilt-styled buildings anda quintessential image of the memorized China along theYangtze River Delta is what Nanxun offers. Black tiled roofs capwhite-washed walls， looking decidedly pedestrian from theoutside but enclosing roomy paved courtyard gardens within.

　　Teahouses - often just a table and chair on thepavement - and small family run restaurantsdot every nook and cranny on either sideof the canal， making ideal lookout spots forpeople watching. Locals washing their clothesin the river， dogs yapping at passersby， old menplaying cards in the sun and grey haired ladiesgossiping - simple activities， uninterrupted， unhurried.

　　Even the occasional motor scooter thatputters its way along the alleys is not an irritant.

　　Floating past， wooden tour boats propelledby the pole power of energetic female operatorscomplete the picture. The boats’ bright orangelifebuoys sway from side to side， pushingthe water into gentle backwash while visitorshang on grinning widely.

　　The whole town was originally built aroundcanals that intersected and connected it withwaterways leading to Taihu Lake and on to theGrand Canal. In the newer part of the townmany of the canals have been paved over toallow for modern traffic， but in the old sectionthe main canals are still operational and connectNanxun to a branch canal which eventuallyflows into part of the Grand Canal system- sometimes known as the Oriental Rhine. ThisGrand Canal winds its way between Hangzhouand Beijing and brought massive wealth to Nanxun in theQing Dynasty (1644-1911).

　　The water town has tried in vain to hang on to a touristthread by opening up the former homes of the wealthy silkbarons of the 18th and 19th centuries. The vast， ornately designedhomesteads with what must have once been opulentprivate gardens have run into disrepair， but are still marveledat by visitors.

　　So lucrative was the silk trade in old Nanxun that the combinedannual revenue of four of the town’s wealthiest familiesis said to have equaled that of the entire annual tax revenuecollected by the Qing emperor’s tax authorities throughoutChina.

　　Today， far removed from the silk bonanza， the quietstreets stubbornly refuse to become redundant - and thankfullyso.

　　To survive living in China long-term requires regular timeout from the frenetic energy and moving masses of citylife. The almost unnoticed stress of the daily grind wearsyou down incrementally and a regular hiatus in a place likeNanxun is a welcome respite from mainland madness.