Shendang: Hidden Town & Coast Private Day Trip

Slow right down in Shendang, a peaceful little Jiangnan town in Haiyan that inspired the celebrated novelist Yu Hua, on a private day trip from Shanghai. Your English-speaking guide and private car collect you from your hotel and drive you south along the coast of northern Zhejiang.

Shendang is a place to wander without rush. You will explore the historic Shendang Brewery and soy-sauce works (jiangyuan), where traditional fermentation has carried on for generations, and breathe in the rich aromas of an old Chinese craft. Nearby, the Shendang Granary has been reborn as a stylish granary bookstore, a lovely spot to pause among books and timber beams.

This is a town of literature and quiet beauty. As Yu Hua, who grew up here, famously said, "As long as I am writing, I am going home." Walking these streets, you sense the everyday rhythms that shaped his fictional world, and the calm that draws visitors seeking the same sense of homecoming.

Lunch is a tasting of authentic Haiyan flavours; a classic local pairing is a plate of stir-fried pork liver with a small cup of yellow rice wine, and your guide will guide you to the best family-run spots.

In the afternoon you stroll a stretch of the Haiyan coastal walkway, where rows of wind turbines stand against the sea, an easy, breezy, photogenic landscape of windmills and water that makes a perfect gentle finale.

There is no hiking on this tour, only relaxed strolling, good food and quiet scenery. Afterwards your private car returns you comfortably to your Shanghai hotel.

A relaxed day trip from Shanghai to Shendang, the quiet Jiangnan town of novelist Yu Hua. Visit a century-old brewery and granary bookstore, taste Haiyan food, and enjoy windmills by the sea.