Wuzhen Water Town
By admin on 2015-03-04

Attraction Type:

• Vernacular Dwelling in China

• Ancient Cities, Towns & Villages in China

Wuzhen is a national 5A level scenic spot, one of the six China's southern towns. It is 80 km from Hangzhou andSuzhou, 140 km from Shanghai. Wuzhen water town has a long history of 6,000 years. It is a typical ancient water towns in southern Yangtze River, known as the "a land flowing with milk and honey, House of Silk". In 1991, it was named as historical and cultural city of Zhejiang Province. In 1999, the protection and tourism development project of this ancient town started. 

With its thousands of years of history and culture; its honest and beautiful scenery of rivers and lakes; its unique flavor of the cuisines, colorful folk festivals, deep heritage and timeless lifestyle, Wuzhen has become a living fossil of ancient oriental civilization. The water town will show tourists a fascinating historical picture which is an innate beauty.

Layout of Wuzhen Water Town
Even on a cold, rainy spring day, Wuzhen, a town surrounded by rivers, has a special beauty which has not yet been overrun by tourists. Its recent restoration gives it a pristine appearance missing in other traditional water towns such as Zhouzhuang. 

Like many towns located south of the Yangtze River, Wuzhen is built along rivers, in this case the East Town River and Town River. They run through the town and main scenic spots all gather along rivers, which run 1.3 km from east to west. Visitors walked through the long pavilion and in front of shops, as the cries of vendors rise and fall on the ear. The air is full of the smells of fresh vegetables, walnuts, fish and shrimp. The signboards of coppersmiths and grain shops still swing in the wind, reminding tourists of their history, but the doors are tightly closed. 

The pavilion is the best place from which to view the architectural complex on the other side of the river. All the buildings are of the style of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911): wood structure, black tiles on the roof, white walls and high eaves. The most interesting building in Wuzhen is the "water pavilion," which is an extra part built in river connecting the houses built on the bank.