This dog-friendly old section of ancient Watertown is nestled into Qingpu. It features excellent architecture and an abundance of shops that seem to repeat endlessly throughout the area. The paths are narrow and not ideal for dog walking; however, dogs are permitted to enter the area. Thus I believe dog tolerant is a better description than dog friendly. There are many historic amenities that didn’t feel right to enter even with the dogs on leash such as the temples. The temples, nonetheless, have beautiful vantage points tucked away across the water.
There are also some really fun little restaurants especially if you travel deep into this endless maze of bridges and waterways. Avoid stopping near the entrance as there are many options once you get down some of the smaller alleyways. I cannot attest to the quality of the food, as I was fasting that day, but the aromas were temptations that left me catching a train at the salivation station. Many patrons were indicating that we could bring the dogs inside with us. To be fair they seemed a little desperate for business, as covid restrictions probably hurt them quite badly. The place definitely caters to tourists to generate revenue.
Not all dogs are cut out for waterways and our neurotic Nova didn’t enjoy being so close to scary waterways. Our diagnosis is that she must have some water-related trauma in her past. We ended up having to carry her most of the time. Fortunately, that means she doubles as a 6kg fluffy body heater.
Nova found the entire experience too traumatic and took several days to recover. Hugo and Lenny both enjoyed themselves. As a dog owner, it is nice to have day trips available, yet I wouldn’t recommend this spot to just anyone.
It is worth seeing if you haven’t been to a water town before, as the aesthetic is quite attractive and can be a great backdrop for doggy photography. I would also recommend it if you really like small shops that sell tourist-oriented souvenirs.
Stay away if you have a neurotic dog like Nova, or you, in general, don’t like tourist-driven markets. Also, although it is technically in Shanghai, from my side of the river, it is SOOOOOOOOO far away.
To find it type zhujiajiao or 朱家角 into your map.
Thank you for reading my first post.
Fingernumbingly yours,
The Rascallion
