MANY people fell in love with Wuzhen after watching the TV series “Si Shui Nian Hua” starring Rene Liu. Over 10 years have passed since then, and Wuzhen still maintains its charm as a waterfront town. If you are considering visiting this village inlaid with streams and rivers but can’t stand the jam-packed crowd, there is a “Little Wuzhen” nearby Shenzhen where you can get a reprieve from urban life to quaint waterscapes.

    The time-honored place is Fengjian Water Village. Located in north part of Xingtan Town in Shunde, Fengjian Water Village dates back to the West Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 25). It is also the shooting location for the TVB series “Storm in a Cocoon.” Most importantly, it takes only a two-hour trip to reach from Shenzhen.

    Due to comparisons of the local scenery with the famous waterbeds of Zhouzhuang in Jiangsu Province, the village is also known as the Zhouzhuang of Shunde. It’s said that the village’s name comes from the fact that most of the residents have the family name of Feng or Jian.

    Here, ancient temples, shrines and houses abound among a network of rivers and streams, making it a tranquil getaway for visitors. One of the highlights of touring Fengjian Water Village is taking a boat to view the village from an aquatic point of view along one of the winding rivers while listening to the gurgling of water springing up from below.

    According to a local boatman, there are not many tourists on work days. Most people visit during weekends, but he still doesn’t earn much. However, when the Dragon Boat Festival arrives, there is a boat racing competition held in the village, creating a festive atmosphere in the tranquil town.

    As a typical Cantonese-style waterfront town, Fengjian is home to antique bridges of different eras. Among them the most famous ones are Mingyuan Bridge, Juji Bridge and Jin’ao Bridge. Juji Bridge was first built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). On each pillar stands a cute stone lion, and the stone columns are carved with exquisite patterns.

    Walking along the rolling streets, peeking down alleyways and admiring folk houses built along the river — especially their clunky wooden doors and rusty iron handles — you may feel as though you’re traveling back in time.

    At Fengjian Water Village, Shunde signature home-cooked cuisine is prepared around every corner. What’s special here is that all the different dishes are made from different parts of fish: Shunde fish skin, Shunde fried fish intestines with egg, fish hotpot, grilled fish bone, grilled fish belly and fish porridge, for example.

    Add: Fengjian Water Village, Xingtan Town, Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong 广东省佛山市顺德区杏坛镇逢简水乡

    Transport: Take a train to Guangzhou South Railway Station, then take Bus K990 to Xintan Coach Station and transfer to Bus 383 to Fengjian Village Committee. Walk 70 meters to the destination.

    (Chen Xiaochun)