Aojiang Voyage Tips and guide

Aojiang (鳌江 Áojiāng) is a town in Zhejiang under the administration of Wenzhou.

The area shares the same local language as its big sister city called Wenzhou dialect (Wenzhounese) however it's pronunciation is much different in Aojiang. Although the city Aojiang has a population of over 200,000 people the area is still considered the countryside. Rice/veg tables are dried on the streets and grown in the parks, abandon lots or wherever there is dirt because the poor are really poor here. However it is a relatively rich area of China. There are many factories, small business owners and companies doing various kinds of trading Internet sales etc. Most Aojiang people including pingyang people now are obsessed with money and sadly various aspects of local culture has are disappearing or looked down upon as being "an old people's thing". With that said the food in Aojiang is exactly what it used to be and will stay the same for the foreseeable future.

No airport, train station has a shuttle bus that will bring you in for ¥1.5. There is only one bus station so that makes things easy. There are always buses coming in or out but most are a connecting bus through WenZhou which is the big sister city about an hour away.

No city buses, taxi, tricycle taxi or foot. City taxis have a standard price of ¥10 to anywhere in the city.

There are many beautiful mountains in the area but the best is definitely Bai Shui (white water). It takes about 20 minutes to get there from the city but it's one of those gems the reminds you that there are still cool things off the map. All the locals know it and how to get there.

Climb mountains, play billiards, swim, eat, drink. Small town.

There is no commodity or special locally made product or large markets in Aojiang.

AoJiang food is known by the area locals for having the best/freshest seafood around. If you are ever taken out to dinner by a local you will most likely be going to a seafood restaurant. However their seafood is quite different than western seafood. Their seafood is mostly small crabs most of which would not even be of legal size in a western country, snails, shrimp, crayfish, various small clams and fish. Unfortunately for westerners the fish is boney, the snails are small and it takes a special technique to get the meat out and the crabs are small and cracked with your teeth. These techniques are learned by the locals when they are small children so it seems very easy for them. They see no reason to change. There is one KFC and some coffee shops have poor quality steak/pizza available. Not much western food. However lunch time is great for what i lovingly call point and picks. It's like a buffet but it's not all you can eat. There is a woman behind the counter and you point at whatever already made dishes you want and you get a bunch of small dishes (beef, mushrooms, rice etc.). These are all over China and best time is 10:30-12:00 or 5-6:30. Nighttime had BBQ which is sooo good. Meat, veggies, dumplings etc. all on sticks marinated then fried up on a BBQ. The best ones are in MingZhuGuangZhan area, but you can find them all over. You will know by the red tents outside and all the smoke.

Aojiang has a large number of Chang Ba 唱吧 (singing bars) and disco bars. Singing bars tend to have poor acoustics and a lively, boisterous atmosphere, attracting younger crowds where beers cost around ¥5. Those looking for a higher-end karaoke experience should opt for a KTV with a private room, which offers much better sound quality — though prices are significantly higher (private rooms around ¥300, beers from ¥18).

Disco bars in the area tend to be rowdy and fights are not uncommon. Note that in this area drinks are typically purchased by the box rather than individually.

For a more relaxed atmosphere, there is a western-style bar on Wang Li Road 王里路 near Ming Zhu Guang Zhan, which serves as the main expat and English-speaking meetup spot. It tends to get busy between 9:30 and 10:30pm, so arriving early or reserving a table is advisable. There are no clubs in Aojiang itself, but several can be found in nearby Long Gang.

Many hotels between ¥70-150 for an average to good room. The fancy hotel where most of the business people stay is the International Hotel. The place is beautiful and its only about ¥500. Plus it's the only hotel with English speaking staff on every shift in case westerners have any problems.

Only one Bus station only one train station. Most major domestic locations have sleeper buses/or trains regularly. There is a bus that runs to the Wenzhou airport regularly but you will have to check the bus schedule (no there is no online time table that you can look as and the schedule is a general idea not a certainty)