A few days ago, I traveled to Zhaojialou Ancient Town on the outskirts of the city. Zhaojialou Town has a history of more than 800 years, but there is no ancient charm at all when you walk into the ancient town.
The archway in Zhaojialou is luxurious, but it is newly built. There is a "Beer Square" in the center of the town, and the "Ruihuifang" on the square is also newly built. The stage, stone square, black tiles, and wood carvings are all new, and there is no trace of the 800-year-old ancient town. Especially the name "Beer Square" is a bit incredible. Did people drink beer here in ancient times, hence the name?
Zhaojialou Baonan Street, Renshan Street, and Zhaojialou Pingxi Street are three crisscrossing streets. They are all newly paved stone roads. On both sides are shops such as Wangjiasha, Shanghai Old Hotel, Jiaxing Zongzi, etc. Famous shops are like walking into Yunnan Road Snack Street in Shanghai. Baoen Bridge is a century-old wooden bridge lying across Renshan Road and Zhaojialou Pingxi Street. It has been transformed into a single-hole arch bridge with a stone and concrete structure. It was originally a water town scene with small bridges and flowing water, but now it has an ancient feel. All lost, showing modern style.
Zhaojialou attracts tourists as an ancient town, but it completely loses the "ancient" meaning, which makes people disappointed.