We brought Ethan to 大观园

Initial plan this Friday was to visit the “朱家角” the water village as we had booked the online ticket which the entrance price is cheaper. Since there was no respond SMS for the e-discount we just switched our plan to 大观园 instead, it is still in the same district. Early in the morning, we already started our journey. However, on the way to the destination, there was a terrible traffic jam in the Puxi. We were trapped in the Puxi for about 1 hour.

When we arrived at the destination, we quickly gone to buy the tickets. At first we thought that we need to pay for the entrance of Ethan but with luck Ethan is free entry. We had this thought because the information obtained from the internet said that kids have a 20% discount on the full price. Guessed the park already has less tourist and furthermore not well maintained, it must have change the kid to FOC. We bought the combined ticket to cover both places since the other attraction was just across the main road.

The early morning was very cold, you can feel your hands freezing. Luckily, we let Ethan wore the thick and few layers of clothes and pants. We have asked him to put his both hands inside the pocket to protect his hand from freezing. We quickly walked inside and tried to find the place with sunshine to keep warm.

Before we entered the garden, there was a few commercial stores and Ethan was attracted by the wind wheel and he didn't want to walk away. Daddy had no choice but to buy one for him. This things had brought trouble for us as Ethan brought it along and sometimes wanted us to hold. When we put it inside the back bag, he wanted it again. We have put in and take out for several times.

Arrived at one of the buildings where there was a pond and bridge in front where we took some family photo before entering.

Ethan was sitting on the old carriage 桥子

This building displayed those wax actors and actresses below. The place had offered the tourist to take and wear the clothes to take photo with those wax people. Need to rent the clothes and photo taken need RMB5. Cannot remember how much the clothes fee. The wax people have been blocked out from tourist and we only have to view it from outside because nobody was stationed at the place to collect the money if you want to take the photo with the wax doll. Guessed recently the tourist have been reducing.

We rested at one of pavilion to have our snacks before we continued our journey. We didn't plan to eat inside and surrounding this place. We had some sandwich we brought along before we came out.

There was a temple inside the garden for people to pray. We just dropped by for a while.

Basically the building was built according to what is described in the book 红楼梦. Mummy didn't read or watch the drama before so cannot imagine the place. Just treated it as another tourist place of interest. Don't talk about Ethan, he even didn't know anything. For him, this was another place that his parents brought him along. The building and place was not really well maintained as the building paint have been peeled and some place was quite scary with only small road with both sides full of weeds and undergrowth.