Anchang 安昌 is a delightful little water town just north of Shaoxing. I went there on a sunny Saturday and it was quite busy, but not crammed. You can get there easily from Shaoxing by taking the regular public bus number 118. It takes around one hour.
The town is very similar to Tongli which I visited around the same time last year. Instead of roads they have canals everywhere and these traditional low whitewashed buildings. Like so many of these “scenic spots” in China you buy a single ticket which lets you get into a variety of attractions like old houses, a 1920s bank, a temple, and so on. And then you spend the whole day strolling around peering at stuff and taking photos. It’s basically my ideal day out, as you might have gathered from this blog recently.
For lunch I had this appetising plate of 田螺 which I think is “river snail” in English. The lady in the restaurant was very keen for me to try it. And then she took a photo of me, which was a bit odd. The toothpick it seems is the standard method to extract them out from their shells. Hm. Anyway I washed it down with some 黄酒 which is the famous “Shaoxing rice wine” that comes from these parts, and also available in your local Tesco.