Lynn had her driver for the day and Mahjong had been cancelled so she was kicking her heels. I suggested she come down here, pick me up and we could go across to the island on the river where I had never been but often wondered about.
It would be hard to get there without a driver so it was an ideal opportunity. I had heard it was unlike Nanjing which was already promising. Mr Shi, the driver, himself a Nanjinger had never been there either so it was an adventure for him too.
In the centre of the island where the bridge is, there is a lot of development and signs for a some high tech park there which the driver told us will be finished in a couple of years time. The 2013 Nanjing map shows a line 3 Metro station there.
Lots of cranes are building a dozen or so high rise apartment buildings alongside older traditional houses, most of which have been or are in a state of being demolished. it was a grim scene.
But as we went south along the island the views got better and we entered the village itself, the driver tells us it’s called Jiangxinzhuo (if I understood him). He drove slowly along very narrow roads lined with poplars not unlike those you see in France. On each side of the road were poly-tunnels and greenhouses and vines of grapes and market gardens.
Some of the houses were big and looked quite luxurious but most were like cottages, many having a riverfront view. He assured us that they were all very cheap and it was not a very desirable place to live.
Nevertheless Lynn and I were very impressed with the place and have vowed to come back with our bikes when it gets a bit warmer and take the ferry across from the city. It’s only 10p each way. It;s so close you could probably swim easily enough but with the polution in the river, you wouldn’t want to immerse yourself in the water unless it was a matter or life or death!