Co Bac is a town with many man-made canals, likened to the Venice of the East.
Gu Bei, a suburb of Beijing, belongs to Simitai village at the foot of the Great Wall, is a town with many ancient canals, houses, and temples. In 2007, the local government relocated villagers in the mountains around Simitai to flatter valleys, so 1,400 people moved to Co Bac since then.
Co Bac water town seen from above. Image: Zhang Chenlin/Xinhua
Initially, the town was built on a reservoir named Uyen Uong. The lake was used to supply water to irrigate fields. Most of the architectural works here were built and remodeled in 2012-2014. Some walls are covered with mud to make them appear older than they really are. In addition to the old fake houses, there are temples in the town that look like they were built in the time of kings. The town has been welcoming visitors since 2014 and its official name is “Co Bac Water Town”.
Currently, each visitor pays a fee of 80 yuan ($12.8) to enter. The town attracts a large number of tourists, praised and called one of the most beautiful sights in Beijing.
Soh Zhi Qin, Singapore YouTuber and former architect, shared with Insider that This place is really fascinating. In November 2021, he once posted a video introducing Co Bac after the tour: “China has many vast architectures that make you get lost. However, Co Bac has a moderate size and concentration, so I like it very much. “.
Co Bac is a water town that is likened to the Venice of the East, or the Venice of China. Image: China Discovery
Many people compare Co Bac with Europe’s Venice, but Chinese media still believe that Co Bac was built according to the design of these towns. A magazine article Thatsmags The town has a similar design to Suzhou which is famous for its natural canals. Page TUour-beijing called Gu Bei a copy of Wuzhen, one of the six ancient towns south of the Yangtze River.
“This town is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the East,” said Wen-Chi Liao, an expert at NUS Business School Singapore. Despite being called Venice, Liao thinks the town still contains more Chinese culture.
Venice and the Old North are both places with man-made canals. In Venice algae and moss create a bad smell. According to Soh, the water in Co Bac does not have too many passenger boats and does not have a bad smell. Water flows in the canal evenly from the mountain and falls down the dam.
There aren’t too many passenger boats in Co Bac and the water doesn’t smell bad. Image: Booking
According to China Highlights, the town currently has hundreds of accommodations including two luxury hotels, six boutique hotels and 400 motels. Many tourists like to come here to experience hot springs with outdoor baths. YouTuber Singapore Soh shared: “It feels like the whole town is a hot spring inn. That’s what I like most about this place.”
Khanh Tran (According to Insider)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
