Shanghai's Water-town: ZhuJiaoJiao 朱家角

Today we went to Zhujiajiao, a water town in Shanghai’s suburbs with a rich historic background and it is even known by some as the Venice of Shanghai. One of the first activities we participated in was the scavenger hunt, in which five teams competed to see who could find the eight assigned items the quickest. 

We were first split into teams made up of students from each of the three Chinese classes, and then we were set loose to find our way around the water town. There were three qualities which made the scavenger hunt especially difficult to complete. One, the teachers and program leaders were not allowed to help us the items in any way, and they could also not help us ask for instructions. We had to ask the shop owners and police men, around the water town, how to get to each of the items.

Two, getting through Zhujiajiao is complicated since it had many bridges, unexpected turns, and alleys. These properties make getting through the water town strikingly similar to making it through a labyrinth. Three, many of the people who work in Zhujiajiao do not know how to get around. This means that at times when we asked for directions the police men would send us the wrong way, making it more difficult for us to navigate through the maze that is Zhujiajiao effectively. 

In the end everyone made it through to the end of the scavenger hunt, and everyone was awarded a prize for their hard work. 

Written By: Diana Milk-Batista, Austin Texas (Liberal Arts and Science Academy)