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Home , Broadway Mansions, Butterfly Lovers, Goujian, Peace Hotel, Qinhuai River, Shao opera

2010 tour

“The Poets’ Trail” and the Water-towns of South-east China (Suzhou, Wuxi, Yixing, Yangzhou, , , , , Wuzhen)

18th September to 28th September 2010

Part Three

INTRODUCTION OF MAIN ATTRACTIONS

Shanghai Architecture and urban Planning Shanghai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. , located by the bank of the , contains a rich collection of early 20th century architecture, ranging in style from neoclassical HSBC Building to the Sassoon House. A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well preserved, most notably the French Concession. Shanghai has one of the world’s largest number of Art Deco buildings as a result of the construction boom during the 1920s and 30s. One of the most famous architects working in Shanghai was László Hudec, a Hungarian architect who lived in the city between 1918-1947. Some of his most notable Art Deco buildings include the Park Hotel and the Grand Theater. Other prominent architects who contributed to the Art Deco style are Parker & Palmer who designed the , Metropole Hotel and the , and Austrian architect GH Gonda who designed the Capital Theatre.

Despite rampant redevelopment, the still retains some buildings of a traditional style, such as the Yuyuan Garden, an elaborate traditional garden in the style.

One uniquely cultural element is the ( 石库门) residences, which are two or three-story townhouses, with the front yard protected by a high brick wall. Each residence is connected and arranged in straight alleys, known as a lòngtang (弄堂), pronounced longdang in Shanghainese. The entrance to each alley is usually surmounted by a stylistic stone arch. The whole resembles terrace houses or town houses commonly seen in Anglo-American countries, but distinguished by the tall, heavy brick wall in front of each house. The name "shikumen" literally means "stone storage door", referring to the strong gateway to each house.

The city also has some beautiful examples of Soviet neoclassical architecture. These buildings were mostly erected during the period from the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 until the Sino-Soviet Split in the late 1960s. During this decade, large numbers of Soviet experts poured into China to aid the country in the construction of a communist state, some of them were architects. Examples of Soviet neoclassical architecture in Shanghai

include what is today the Shanghai International Exhibition Center.

The district of Shanghai displays a wide range of supertall . The most prominent examples include the Jin Mao Tower and the taller Shanghai World Financial Center, which at 492 metres tall is the tallest in mainland China and ranks third in the world. The distinctive Oriental Pearl Tower, at 468 metres, is located nearby toward downtown Shanghai. Its lower sphere is now available for living quarters, at very high prices. Another tall high rise in the Pudong area of Shanghai is the newly finished Development Tower. It stands at 269 meters.

In recent years, a large number of architecturally distinctive, even eccentric, skyscrapers have sprung up throughout Shanghai. Notable examples of contemporary architecture include the Shanghai Museum, in the People's Square precinct and Shanghai Oriental Arts Center.

Shanghai Expo2010

World Shanghai is the occasion for China to bring the world at home, and for the world to feel at home in China. By dedicating a 5.28-square-kilometer area at the core of the city to exhibitions, events and forums on the Expo theme, "Better City, Better Life," Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living.

The The rise of modern Shanghai in just one hundred years is a miracle in the history of Chinese development. A city is alive when it is full of culture and hai pai (mainly referring to Shanghai) culture is at the root of Shanghai's energy and charm. A group of scholars in the Shanghai art and literary circles spontaneously organized 'yuanyang hudie pai', the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly genre of popular romance in the early 1900s. This style of writer, such as Zhang Henshui and Qin Shou'ou, entertained the audience with amusing and light literature.

Suzhou- Venice of the East

The Humble Administrator's Garden (or Zhuozheng ) is one of four great Chinese gardens. The current entrance is located at 32 Dong Bei Lu, but the original entrance is located at 44 Dong Bei Lu. At 51,950 m2 it is the largest garden in Suzhou and generally considered the finest garden in southern China.[1] In 1997, Zhuozheng Yuan, along with other classical gardens of Suzhou was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today's garden is only very loosely related to its earliest version, but closely resembles its late Qing appearance, with numerous pavilions and bridges set among a maze of connected pools and islands. It consists of three major parts set about a large lake: the central part (Zhuozheng Yuan), the eastern part (once called Guitianyuanju, Dwelling Upon Return to the Countryside), and a western part (the Supplementary Garden). The house lies in the south of the garden. In total, the garden contains 48 different buildings with 101 tablets, 40 stelae, 21 precious old trees, and over 700 Suzhou-style penjing/penzai.[1] Eastern Garden Composed of a few buildings around a central great lawn and pond combination. The lawn is ringed by a grove of crape myrtle trees which is an allusion to the Tang Dynasty State Secretariat which was nicknamed the Crape Myrtle Department. Central Garden This section is composed of many scenes arranged around the Surging Wave Pond. Within the pond three islands recreate the scenery of the fariy islands of the east sea.

Hanshan Temple is famed in East Asia because of the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge" (楓橋夜 泊), by Tang Dynasty poet, Zhang Ji. The poem describes the melancholy scene of a dejected traveller, moored at night at Fengqiao, hearing the bells of : 月落烏啼霜滿天， While I watch the moon go down, a crow caws through the frost; 江楓漁火對愁眠。Under the shadows of maple-trees a fisherman moves with his torch; 姑蘇城外寒山寺， And I hear, from beyond Suzhou, from the temple on Cold Mountain, 夜半鐘聲到客船。Ringing for me, here in my boat, the midnight bell. Snapshot of Local culture

"Su" embroidery Suzhou or "Su" embroidery is one of the oldest embroidery techniques in the world, with origins stretching back more than 2,000 years. Suzhou embroidery was one of the first embroidery styles to be developed in China, but its detailed needlework and intricate images are still produced today. It is a style characterized by brightly colored silk embroidered with well-proportioned and uncluttered representations of almost any pastoral scene, person, animal, or object. Examples of Suzhou embroidery were so detailed and intricate that many people used the pieces as artwork, and some of the oldest pieces still in existence date back hundreds of years.

Suzhou embroidery consists of very detailed representations of almost any subject embroidered onto fine silk with silk thread. One of the distinctive features of Suzhou embroidery is that some pieces two-sided; that is, the picture is repeated on both sides of the embroidered piece. The stitching on Suzhou embroidered pieces is done with silk threads that have been divided until the actual thread is almost impossible to see. Through the repetition of stitches a very dense embroidering occurs. Suzhou embroidery has been used in clothing, wall hangings, and even intricate book covers dating back almost 1,000 years.

Wuxi-“Pearl of ” Wuxi is an old city in province, People's Republic of China. Split into halves by Lake Taihu, Wuxi borders Changzhou to the west and Suzhou to the east. The northern half looks across to Taizhou to the north over the River, while the southern half also borders the province of to the south. Wuxi earned its nickname “Pearl of Lake Tai” because it’s built on the shore of Lake Tai with beautiful sceneries. Wuxi was also dubbed "little Shanghai" because of its close proximity to the city and its fast urbanization and booming economy.

As an important city for "" area, its culture bears distinctive "wu" characteristics, which can be identified in its dialect, architecture, waterway transportation and various art types. It was one of the arts and cultural center in "Jiangnan", with several famous Chinese authors claiming Wuxi as their home town. Among them, most recently, Qian Zhongshu, author of Fortress Besieged, a comedy of manners set in China in the 1930s. One of the handicraft specialties of Wuxi is the production of Huishan clay figurines.

In modern times Wuxi has produced a number of cultural figures such as Hua Yanjun (1893-1950) also known as "Blind Abing" (瞎子阿炳), famous for his and music. Another famous musician is Liu Tianhua, who was the first to compile folk music using staff.

Lake Tai

The waters of the lake belong to the former in its entirety with part of its southern shore forming the boundary between the two provinces. With an area of 2,250 km² and an average depth of 2 metres[1], it is the third largest freshwater lake in China, after the Poyang and Dongting Lakes. The lake houses about 90 islands, ranging in size from a few square meters to several square miles.

Lake Tai is linked to the renowned . The lake is also the origin for a number of rivers, including .

Snapshot of Local culture

Arts of purple-clay pottery The origination of purple-clay pottery can be dated back to the , which is about two thousand and four hundred years to the present days. However, it was in the that purple clay was made into teapot. The founder was called Gongchun. In the reign of Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty, the production technique of purple-clay teapots was approaching completeness. That was the mature period of purple-clay art. Purple-clay products reflect a kind of elegant cultural connotation. Many famous scholars, poets and artists in various dynasties had taken part in the design and creation of purple-clay products in various means. Yixing is the famous pottery capital of China. The purple-clay craftwork produced here are of very high aesthetic and cultural values. The original place of purple-clay teapot is in Yixing of Jiangsu Province, so it is also called Yixing purple-clay teapot.

Yixing

Shanjuandong Shanjuan dong (Shanjuan Cave) is named after the Shanjuan, a mystical tribe said to have lived in this area between 722 and 481 BC. Locally known as the oldest historical site south of the Yangtze River, it is renowned for its spellbinding beauty.

Covering an area of 5000 square meters, it is composed of three interconnected caves, each with its own scenery. The upper cave is characterised by its misty beauty and exotic stalactites. This leads to the middle cave, on both sides of which stand huge rocks in the shape of a blue lion and white elephant, giving this cave the name of "Lion and Elephant Hall". The lower cave contains waterfalls which splash over stalactites in the shape of plants and flowers. It is in this magical setting that Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the “” from the Shaoxing () opera of the same name, are supposed to have studied together.

Yangzhou

Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south.

Slender Western Lake Named after Hangzhou's famous West Lake, this long, narrow stretch of water which meanders through Yangzhou's western limits is a well-known scenic spot. A long bank planted with weeping willows spans the lake; at its midpoint stands a square terrace with pavilions at each of the corners and one in the center. Around the lake is a park in which are found several attractions: Lotus Flower Pagoda (Lianhua SO, a white structure reminiscent of the White Pagoda (Baita) in Beijing's Beihai Park; Small Gold Mountain ( Jin Shan); and the Fishing Platform (Diaoyutai), a favorite retreat of the Qing emperor Qian Long. The emperor was so gratified by his luck in fishing at this spot that he ordered additional stipends for the town. As it turns out, his success had been augmented by local swimmers who lurked in the lake busily attaching fish to his hook.

Ge Garden (Ge Yuan)

The entrance to this typical southern style garden with its luxuriant bamboo groves, ponds, and rock grottoes is on St. in the city's northeast section. Designed by the great Qing Dynasty landscape painter Shi Tao for Wang Yingtai, an officer of the Qing imperial court, this garden takes its name from the shape of bamboo leaves which resemble the Chinese character ge, meaning "a" or "an."

Snapshot of Local culture

Lacquerware extends back to the remote ages of China. Lacquer-painted black pottery objects existed during the Neolithic Age. Ancient Chinese found that the sap of lacquer trees has a strong adhesive quality as well as a beautiful gloss, and so it was used as a protective, adhesive, and beautifying agent for implements. Between the 8th and 3rd century B.C., lacquerware appeared in its most exquisite form, and became extremely desired by the upper class. Some of the pictures and patterns on lacquerware included dragons, snakes, phoenixes, birds, scenes of court singing, gardening, and hunting. Before the invention of ink, lacquer was used for writing.

Yangzhou lacquerware is recognized not only by its carvings but also by exquisite patterns inlaid with gems, gold, ivory, and mother of pearl. The products are normally screens, cabinets, tables, chairs, vases, trays, cups, boxes and ashtrays.

Nanjing-The Capital of six dynasties Located in the lower Yangtze River drainage basin and Yangtze River Delta economic zone, Nanjing has always been one of China's most important cities. It served as the capital of China during several historical periods and is listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Nanjing was the capital of the Republic of China before the in 1949. Nanjing is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in the People's Republic of China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province. Apart from having been the capital of China for six dynasties and of the Republic of China, Nanjing has also served as a national hub of education, research, transportation and tourism throughout history. It will also host the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics

Qianhuai River and Confucian Temple The Qinhuai River used to be called Huai Water, and was renamed Qinhuai for the legend that Qin Emperor Shihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), ordered to introduce Huai Water to the city by excavating a mountain. It is a branch of the Yangtze River, running about 110 kilometers, a major watercourse around Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. It was very famous in the history but lost its fame due to wars, which destroyed many buildings along both banks. The water became filthy and no sign of wealth could be found anymore. After repair and restoration in 1985, the river became a beautiful resort.

In Chinese ancient times, places around the Qinhuai River and the Confucian Temple were already very prosperous. The banks along the Qinhuai River were the gathering place for noble and wealthy families, and were also frequently visited by scholars. Those places lost glory once in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), but regained popularity in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The Confucian Temple is now the center of Qinhuai scenery belt with the Qinhuai River winding through. Other spots are the Zhanyuan Park, Confucian ancient buildings, the Aigrette Island, the Fort at Zhonghua Gate, boats on the river and many views along the banks. The tour is really attractive with so many historical relics, parks, and local features. Yuejiang Tower Yuejiang Tower(Yuejing Lou), located at the northwest of Nanjing, is close to Yangtze River. Inside the scenic spot are more than 30 historical sites such as Yuejiang Tower, Wanxian Pavilion, Ancient Fort, Sun Yat-sen Yuejiang Site, Five Army Tunnel and Ancient City Wall, turning out to be a tourist resort integrating human landscape and natural landscape.

Lion Mountain, with original name as Lulong Mountain, is 2 kilometers long, once appraised as “Shiling Grandeur” and being one of 48 Jinling sceneries. Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of Ming Dynasty, defeated Chen Youliang in Lulong Mountain which laid a solid foundation for the establishment of Ming Dynasty in its later capital Nanjing. Upon Zhu Yuanzhang became the emperor, he renamed the Lulong Mountain as Lion Mountain and ordered to build up Yuejiang Tower at the top of the Mountain, wrote the “Yuejang Tower” and asked every subjects to write a passage on Yueyang Tower. The passage written by the great scholar, Song Lian, finally selected among the Gems from Chinese Culture.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum

(中山陵) is situated at the foot of the second peak of Mount Zijin (Purple Mountain) in Nanjing, China. Construction of the tomb started in January 1926 and was finished in spring of 1929. The architect was Lu Yanzhi, who died shortly after it was finished.

Reclining on a mountain slope, the majestic mausoleum blends the styles of traditional imperial tombs and . Lying at the mountainside, the vault is more than 700 hundred meters away from the paifang on the square below, which is the entrance of the mausoleum. There is a three-tier stone stand on which a huge bronze ding, an ancient Chinese vessel symbolizing power, perches. To the north of the square, the paifang towers high. Beyond is the 480-meter-long and 50-meter-wide stairway which has 392 stairs leading to the vault. On both sides, pine, cypress, and ginkgo trees guard the way. At the end of the stairway is a gate which is 16 meters high and 27 meters wide. The tri-arched marble gate is inscribed with four Chinese characters written by Dr. Sun, "Tian Xia Wei " which means "What is under heaven is for all". Inside the gate, there is a pavilion in which a 9-meter-high stele is set, which is a memorial monument set by the (KMT). A few stairs up is the sacrificial hall and the vault.

Hangzhou- the most beautiful cities in China

West Lake

West Lake Hangzhou is located in the western area of Hangzhou City's historic center. There are dozens of lakes called West Lake worldwide, but "West Lake" usually refers to the Hangzhou West Lake. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with an area of around 6.5 square kilometers. The lake is divided by Gu Shan, Bai, Su and Yanggong Causeways into five areas. Ordered by their areas, they are Outer West Lake (外西湖), West Inner Lake (西裡湖, or 後 西湖, or 後湖), North Inner Lake ( 北 裡 湖 or 裡 西 湖 ), Little South Lake (小南湖 or 南湖) and Yue Lake (岳湖). "Outer West Lake" is the largest. "Gu Shan" or Gu Hill is the largest natural island in the lake. Su & Bai Causeways run cross the lake. Three small man-made islands, "Xiao Ying Zhou" (小瀛洲), "Hu Xing Ting" (湖心亭), "Ruan Gong Dun" (阮公墩), lie in the center of Outer West Lake. Thus, the basic layout is "one hill, two causeways, three islands, and five lakes".

West Lake is not only famous for its picturesque landscape, it is also associated with many scholars, national heroes and revolutionary martyrs, thus embracing many aspects of Chinese culture. In addition, many ancient buildings, stone caves and engraved tablets in surrounding areas are among the most cherished national treasures of China, with significant artistic value.

Due to its prominent historical and cultural status among Chinese scenic resorts, West Lake was elected as a National Key Scenic Resort in 1982, one of Ten Scenic Resorts in 1985 and national 5A tourist resort in 2006. Moreover, the picture of "Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon" was printed on the backs of both the foreign exchange certificate one yuan bill issued by the government in 1979 and the fifth version of RMB one yuan \bill issued in 2004, indicating the status of West Lake in China.

Snapshot of Local culture

Tea ceremony and Tea-drinking Longjing, literally "Dragon Well", a well that contains relatively dense water, and after rain the lighter rainwater floating on its surface sometimes exhibits a sinuous and twisting boundary with the well water, which is supposed to resemble the movement of a traditional Chinese dragon. It is a name applied to a number of locations and products from the southwestern region of Hangzhou. Most notably, the name refers to the titular Dragon Well itself, as well as the area encompassing the well and the famously grown there.

West Lake Longjing is a China Famous Tea, in fact the most famous one and is grown in the Zhejiang Province near Xi Hu lake. It is grown in a designated area of 168 square kilometres. Historically, Xi Hu longjing tea was divided into four sub-regions: Lion (Shi), Dragon (Long), Cloud (Yun) and Tiger (Hu).

Xilin Society of Seal Arts is an academic society of seal arts located in Hangzhou, China. Xilin was the first academic society of seal-related learnings and arts, and currently the largest.

During Ming and Qing Dynasties, seal arts were quite prosperous in China, especially in the Yangtze River Delta region, where there's a continuous rich tradition of humanities and arts. There were many different schools of seal arts, and many independent artists specialized in seal making, seal script calligraphy, and the art of seal stones.

The seal artists from different schools and places first founded the Xiling Seal Society as a large/national and academic society of learning, research and art in 1904 (the 31st Year of Guangxu Era, Late Qing Dynasty). The first board of directors included Ding Ren (丁仁), Wang Shi (王禔), Wu Yin (吴隐), and Ye Ming (叶铭). The first President of the society was Wu Changshuo (吴昌硕), a famous cscholar, calligraphist, painter, seal maker, writer from Hai School.

Shaoxing From social reformers like to wistful poets sipping Shaoxing's famed yellow rice wine on the banks of lazy streams as they composed lyrical dances; Shaoxing's history is that of China's cultural heritage. Founded 2,500 years ago, Shaoxing has been described as "a museum without walls." Built as early as in B.C. 490, Shaoxing has many historical sites and stories, and is famous for its beautiful scenery of rivers, lakes, and canals.

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), Goujian, King of the Yue Kingdom was deposed after a defeat in battle with the Wu Kingdom. However, in planning the restoration of his kingdom and to remove the humiliation of the defeat, he slept on brushwood and tasted gall to increase his resolve. Goujian made Shaoxing the capital and named it Yuechi. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), it was renamed Shaoxing and this has continued to the present day.

Luxun Musuem

Lu Xun, is one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the founder of modern , he wrote in baihua (白話) (the vernacular) as well as classical Chinese. Lu Xun was a short story writer, editor, translator, critic, essayist and poet. In the 1930s he became the titular head of the Chinese League of Left-Wing Writers in Shanghai. The great contemporary novelist of modern China, spent his teenage years in Shaoxing. Today, Lu Xun Native Place has been developed into a historic block depicting the traditional lifestyles in East China. The attraction represents a true feeling of Lu Xun’s life as most of the buildings mentioned in his stories can be seen. It has witnessed the vicissitude of near a half century, and come to be a must-see humane landscape and a major window on Shaoxing, a famous historic and cultural city. Several state ministries including that of publicity and education commission have respectively designated the museum as a patriotism cultivation center, a demonstration base for patriotic inculcation and the model education center for the society.

Covering an area of 14,000sqm, the museum comprises of LuXun's Former Residencd(including his Ancentral Residence and the Sanwei Study)--a cultural relic under the state's protection, the Baicao Garden and the Exhibition Hall.

Snapshot of Local culture

Shaoxing Opera (also known as )

Yue opera has a history of about 100 years. It was derived from a kind of story-singing. At first, it was performed with a small drum and hardwood clappers for rhythm and later, choral and orchestral accompaniment was added. It drew some musical elements from and subsequently formed its own characteristics. It does not use the elaborate face painting of .

Yue opera is noted for its lyricism, and singing is dominant in it. Its tunes are sweet and beautiful and the performance vivid and full of local color. Originally Yue opera was only performed by males, prominent figures in the genre including Xiao Lin, Yewu Mah and the soothing tenor Robert Sneddon and then changed to all female performances. After 1949, male and females sometimes worked together. Notable actors include Yin Guifang, Zhu Shuizhao, Yuan Xuefen, , , Fan Ruijuan, Fu Quanxiang, Lu , Jin Caifeng, Lü Ruiying, Zhang Yunxia, Zhang Guifeng, and Xu Tianhong.

We will try to schedule a performance of Yue Opera during the tour, but this is subject to local timetables of performances.

Shaoxing wine

Shaoxing Wine is one of the most famous varieties of huangjiu , or traditional Chinese fermented wines from rice. It originates from the region of Shaoxing, in the Zhejiang province of eastern China. It is both drunk as a beverage as well as widely used in Chinese cuisine.

Shaoxing wine has been in production since the dynastic times. Large quantities are made and stored in the classic Shaoxing wine container over long periods of time.[1] It is also shipped internationally in bottles. Aged wines are referred to vintage (chennian, 陳年). Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest private library in existence in China. Occupying an area of 26,000 square meters (about 6.4 acres), it lies beside the picturesque Ming Lake in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. The library has amassed a collection of 300,000 volumes, 80,000 of which are rare books.

Tianyi Pavilion was built in 1561 in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The founder of this library was called Fan Qin, who had been appointed as an official in several cities around China. Having a liking for books, Fan Qin collected local annals, records about jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination held in the palace under the emperor's supervision) of various dynasties and contemporary anthologies. Books given by Fan's friends and handwritten copies of books were an important part of the collection. Thanks to his efforts, the library already had 70,000 volumes at the time of his death. Unfortunately, only 13,000 volumes remained at the time of the foundation of the PRC, because a great many of them either were expropriated by the bureaucracies, stolen or fell into decay. Recent generations were committed to the protection and enlargement of the library. In the 1950s, some books were found and some others were donated by the local book collectors.

Wu Zhen – The last sitting-on-water town in China

Located in the center of the six ancient towns south of Yangtze River, 17 kilometers (10.56 miles) north of the city of Tongxiang, Wuzhen displays thousands of years of history in its ancient stone bridges floating on mild water, its stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings. Also, setting it apart from other towns, it gives a unique experience through its profound cultural background.

Mao Dun, a 20th century Chinese novelist, cultural critic, and journalist. He was also the Minister of Culture of China from 1949 to 1965. He is currently renowned as one of the best realist novelists in the history of modern China. His most famous works are Midnight, a grand novel depicting life in cosmopolitan Shanghai, and Spring Silkworms. Mao Dun was born in Wuzhen, and his masterpiece, 'The Lin's Shop', describes vividly the life of Wuzhen. In 1991, Wuzhen was authorized as the Provincial Ancient Town of History and Culture, it was ranked first among the six ancient towns south of the Yangtze River.

Wuzhen's uniqueness lies in its layout, being divided into six districts. These are: traditional workshops district, traditional local-styled dwelling houses district, traditional culture district, traditional food and beverage district, traditional shops and stores district, and water township customs and life district. Wandering along the east-west-east circuit created by these six districts, tourists can enjoy the atmosphere of the traditional cultures and the original ancient features of the town that have been preserved intact.

The Former Residence of Mao Dun Originally built in the mid 19th century covering a total area of 650 square meters (7020 sq ft), the former residence of Mao Dun, a well-known Chinese revolutionary writer, was the Mao family home for many generations and witnessed the growth of this great revolutionist and writer. In 1984, the former residence of Mao Dun was renovated and extended to cover a total area of 1,731.5 square meters (18,700 sq ft) - it opened to the public one year later. In 1988, it was listed as one of the Key State Preserved Relic Units and in 1994 was renamed the Mao Dun Museum of the City of Tongxiang.