Beauty of China’s Water Town

Zhouzhuang, one of the most famous water townships in China, is noted for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views and the strong local colored traditions and customs. Zhouzhuang is said to be the most representative of its kind. It was even bestowed the title of number one waterside town in China. Unfortunately, Zhouzhuang also ranks number one in terms of over-commercialization, too. Even though, the entire atmosphere is great!

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Twin Bridges(shuang qiao)

The Twin Bridges is composed of an arched bridge, Shide, and a beam bridge,Yongan. They were built during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty and connected with each other. Because the Twin Bridges looks like a key of ancient times, it is also called the Key Bridge. Twin Bridges are the most famous as considered the symbol of the town.

In 1984, one of China's most respected oil painters, Chen Yifei painted his masterpiece, Memory of My Hometown based on the Twin Bridges. The painting, together with Chen’s others 37 works, were exhibited in a gallery in New York owned by Armand Hammer, president of the US Occidental Petroleum Corporation. Hammer bought the work at a high price and presented it to the then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping during a visit to China later that year. In 1985, the work was chosen by the United Nations to be one of its first day covers, which made Twin Bridges and this water town famous all over the world.

Shen's house(shen ting)

The Shen's House was built by Shen Wansan's offspring in the seventh year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. As an extremely rich man in Chinese history, the hall of Shen's residence shows it, possessing seven courtyards and five entrances. More than 100 rooms are connected and form into one large hall. It ranks as the epitome of folk dwellings. Additionally, a river runs across it, reflecting the typical architectural features of the waterside town.

Many people regard Tongli as a substitute for Zhouzhuang since it has a similar history and natural scenery, but is much less crowded. As a waterside town with a history of more than 1,000 years, Tongli possesses its own unique features which are worth exploring and experiencing. One of Tongli's most famous features is its stone bridges. There are 49 in all linking the many sections of the town, with each bridge having its own name and often also displaying a distinct design. Many even boast fascinating stories, sometimes going back centuries. Tongli is also the tea drinker’s heaven. Many family-run tea houses line the canals and form a unique scene in Tongli.

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Tuisi Gargen

Tuisi Garden, with the characteristics of garden of Qing dynasty, is a classic work of Jiangnan classical garden. It was built from 1885 AD to 1887 AD. Chinese landscaper Chen Congzhou regards Tuisi Garden as “Waterside Garden” inspired by “The wise find pleasure in water; the virtuous find pleasure in hills” of Confucius. The profound cultural connotation of Tuisi Garden, together with the long history of Tongli, makes tourists fall into reverie and enlightenment. In 2001, Tuisi Garden was listed as world’s Cultural Heritage.

Three Bridges

The Shen's House was built by Shen Wansan's offspring in the seventh year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. As an extremely rich man in Chinese history, the hall of Shen's residence shows it, possessing seven courtyards and five entrances. More than 100 rooms are connected and form into one large hall. It ranks as the epitome of folk dwellings. Additionally, a river runs across it, reflecting the typical architectural features of the waterside town.

When Wuzhen was initially opened to visitors in early 2001, they were determined to avoid the over-commercialization that other nearby water towns suffered. And, they did it! Wu Zhen has done a marvelous job of retaining the traditional atmosphere of this 1000-year old town. There are no modern signs, no glass fronted shops and its ancient ways of life maintained. Wuzhen is still a l iving town, where daily life goes on seemingly unimpeded by a growing trickle of visitors. The ancient docks, waterside pavilions, and corridors stretch for miles creating a distinctive atmosphere that is typical of water towns south of the Yangtze River! Wuzhen is no doubt a perfect spot for a tranquil retreat.

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Xizha Scenic Area

Xizha Scenic Area is a newly developed spot opened in Feb2007. In comparison with the Dongzha Scenic Area, the Xizha Scenic Area has a much wider water area, in which there are more green wild plants. It gives a much stronger sense of the wild. Xizha Scenic Area comprised 12 individual islands surrounded by canal, which is only accessible by boat. The twelve islands are interlinked by 72 old stone bridges of various shapes and sizes, with the 1.8km long Xizha Old Street running across from east to west. The density of canals and stone bridges is the highest amongst the water village in China

Chinese Footbinding Culture Museum

Footbinding existed in China for over 1000 years. In China’s feudal society, a pair of tiny feet was regarded as the biggest treasure of a woman. The footbinding museum in Wuzhen displays 825 pairs of footbinding shoes from various regions of China as well as many pictures and footbinding tools with detailed explanations. It presents to tourist the history of footbinding, a course of pursuing beauty through deformity, with large amount of precious objects and pictures. It is a the first if its kind in the world to introduce the footbinding culture and is a must see place for people to Wuzhen.

The bridge in bridge

Tongji Bridge and Renji Bridge are two arch bridges that form a right angle, as one running from north to south, and the other from east to west. While standing beside one bridge, you can see the other through the opening, just like looking at the moon in the well. Therefore, the two bridges are named “The Bridge in Bridge”. It is the most impressive scene among ancient bridges in Wuzhen. They are both high and imposing, and their half-round arch openings reflect in the water, forming two complete rounds.

Comparing with the prosperity and fame of Zhouzhuang, Xi Tang appears silent and less commercialized. In Xitang, the architectures remain the style from Ming and Qing Dynasty and the residences keep their traditional way of living. The whole old town is like a poem and a picture and people will feel that they are seemingly in an earthly paradise. It is hard to know that people exist in the picture or picture exists in the heart of people.

Xitang is prettiest at dawn and dusk, so try to stay overnight if you can. The ticketed attractions can more or less be done in half a day, so come in the late afternoon and leave the next day after lunch.

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Covered Corridor

The covered corridors of Xitang attract Chinese and foreign tourists for their graceful posture. Most of the streets in Xitang are covered with roofs, so merchants and passengers are not worried about rain and sunshine.Long chairs are arranged along the riverside of some covered corridors for people to have a rest. Most of covered corridors are centralized in commercial areas, such as North Zha street, South Zha street and Zhao Nan Dai, with a total length of over 1000m.

Shipi Lane

There are a total of 122 lanes, long and short, wide and narrow. Five of them are longer than 100 meters.Among all the lanes, Shipi Lane is the most famous. It is situated at the west side of Zhongfu Hall in the West Street, with a total length of 68 meters. The lane is about 1 meter at the widest but the narrowest point is only 80 centimeters. It is paved with 166 stone planks which are only 3 centimeters thick, which is really hard to be chisel from the granite. That is why it is called Shipi (the skin of the stone) Lane. Walking through the long quiet lane with stained tall walls is just like traveling through the town's long history in a spatio-temporal tunnel.