Zhezhiang fairytale

Walking through the narrow lanes that make up Zhezhiang, you get to see alot of traditional crafts being put on for the tourists. Most make you feel like you're wandering through a kind of low-budget Disneyland, and the crafts are totally put on show for you. But one area had people who were spinning silk from silkworm cocoons the traditional way, and making shoes, clothes and quilts out of it.

The stuff they were making was pretty high quality, and the methid employed were certainly unmechanized. But the most striking thing about the scene was the atmosphere: felt like I had slipped down the rabbit hole and ended up in a fairy tale, something like Sleeping Beauty or Rumpelstiltzkin.

The work of a few seconds to lift out my Nikon D300 and grab a few frames. I'm not even sure they knew I was there.

Sticky situation

This is a string of sugar that allegedly came from wheat, if my translation serves. It was being worked into a VERY sticky candy in a traditional Chinese method at a candy store in Zhezhiang, near Shanghai.

The man who was working with this mess kept grabbing that stick, pulling the sugar out into a long line rather like you stretch a piece of gum, and then winding it back together. I bought some of the end result, but didn't enjoy it: way too sugary and so sticky I couldn't talk for at least 15 minutes. Toffee has nothing on this stuff.

It's Friday! Time to break out my happy shoes!

And here they are:

This was shot in a craft store area in Zhezhiang, a Ming-dynasty era town near Shanghai. Filled with canals, crafts and ancient houses and structures, it's well worth the visit.

As I was walking down one of the narrow lanes between the buildings, I noticed these traditional Chinese children's shoes in a store. Irresistible image.