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80 km from Hangzhou and Suzhou, 140 km from Shanghai, east of China
One of the six most famous water towns in China
Wuzhen Water Town is a national 5A level scenic spot, one of the six China's southern towns. It is 80 km from Hangzhou and Suzhou, 140 km from Shanghai. Wuzhen water town has a long history of 1,300 years. Since its foundation in 872 AD., Wuzhen has never changed its name, location, waterways, or way of life. Traditional buildings remain intact today even after hundreds years of weathering. 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.
The ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal flows through the town, which is divided by waterways into four areas, Dongzha Area, Xizha Area, Nanzha Area, and Beizha Area. Among them, Dongzha Area and Xizha Area are two main areas for tourists.
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.
Ancient Bed Museum
Ancient Bed Museum is the first museum in China that is devoted to the collection and display of antique beds. It is located at No.210 Dongzha Street in Wuzhen Town. Every bed is a unique piece of art and has its own story, from the newlyweds who pray for a good and healthy life to the old couple that have shared the same bed for a lifetime. Inside you will find exquisite examples of the regional style, the oldest dating back to the Ming Dynasty. Displayed in the first hall, along with other pieces, is a framed bed with hoof-shaped legs and rails that look like a writing brush. In the second exhibit hall, you will find the Bed of a Thousand Craftsmen, a beautiful piece of craftsmanship from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Indigo Fabric Workshop
Indigo Fabric Workshop is a large, environmentally-friendly, print and dye workshop with an area of 2500m². Paved with green bricks, the cloth-drying space is filled with tall poles and terraced cloth frames. In addition to using bluegrass as dye for fabric, the dye house also employs its unique color roasting technique which can reproduce bright colors from plants belonging to the local flora, such as mulberry, tea, bark and tallow leaves, hence its Chinese name, Caomu Bense, which means "true color from plants" in Chinese. As a traditional specialty product of Wuzhen and the favorite natural clothing material of the local people, patterned indigo cloth is an ideal souvenir for tourists.
Water Market
At the center of an extensive network of waterways, Wuzhen was once a transport hub linking all the surrounding prefectures and provinces. People residing in the nearby places used to row their boats here in the early morning to drink a cup of tea or to sell their vegetables and fruit. Gradually it developed into a thriving market on the waterway. The riverside denizens could call out to passing boats, and they would row up to the house with fresh vegetables or fruit for sale, much to the delight of local people. It still thrives today.
Take Boat Cruise
Taking a boat cruise along the waterway would be another way to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Wuzhen. There are two kinds of boats you can choose from, one is sculling boat with 6 passengers seats on one boat only, and the other is tourist cruise which can take dozens of passengers at one time.
Watch Shadow Play
Shadow Play is like the cartoon of traditional Chinese culture. It tells entertaining stories by projecting characters made with sheep or cattle hide onto a white screen. Performers control the puppets with bamboo sticks, creating lifelike action with their shadows. Through the performers’ consummate skill, viewers are treated to plays in a wide variety of genres. It is interesting to watch.
As an ancient town with the largest protected area in China, Wuzhen's profound cultural accumulation shows the infinite charm of the ancient oriental civilization. Wuzhen boasts more than 400,000 square meters of exquisite architectures of Ming and Qing dynasties and nearly 20,000 meters of crisscross rivers. At Wuzhen, you can know about the history and culture which had been inherited for thousands of years. You can visit the beautiful water town scenery, taste characteristic foods and experience colorful festivals. Dongzha and Xizha are the two most beautiful places in Wuzhen.
Dongzha
Dongzha(东栅) has typical landscape of water town, where you can experience the life of locals at the water towns in China. Dongzha is full of characteristic handwork shops, traditional store and featured exhibition halls. While enjoying the original scenery of the water town, you can also enjoy the pleasure of traveling, shopping and foods. Compared with Xizha, Dongzha is small but it has many classical elements of water town, which is suitable for tourists who have limited time to take a day or two to appreciate the customs of the ancient water town.
Xizha
Xizha(西栅) Scenic Area covers an area of 3 square kilometers and consists of 12 islands surrounded by clear water, which truly presents the features of the ancient water town in the south of China. Xizha block preserves a lot of ancient buildings of Ming and Qing dynasties and old streets. The ancient buildings of Xizha remain the ancient appearances, while the interior is equipped with modern supporting facilities, which greatly improves the living conditions of local people and provides tourists with comfortable living environment and entertainments. Here, you can deeply experience the beauty of water town and enjoy the comfort and convenience of modern life. At Xizha, you can get away from the hustle and bustle city.
The Wuzhen Theatre Festival is an annual theatre event in the ancient water town of Wuzhen. Wuzhen Theatre Festival was founded by famous actor, director and entrepreneur in China in 2013. It is held in Wuzhen, Tongxiang, Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province in October every year.
With a history of more than 1300 years, the whole Wuzhen has become a stage, and drama lovers all over the world are invited to enjoy this fascinating feast of theatrical art. One of the unique features of Wuzhen Drama Festival is the charm and diversity of all its drama spaces. Within walking distance, there are more than 10 indoor venues of various characteristics, all of which exude the charm and beauty of the ancient town.
The best time to visit Wuzhen is spring(March to May) and autumn(September to November) with pleasant and comfortable weather. And Wuzhen water town is most beautiful in spring. You can stroll around the streets of the ancient town. Please pay attention to the rain and crowds in spring in Wuzhen. If you like the misty water town in Jiangnan, you should not miss Wuzhen in spring.
Autumn is also recommended to visit Wuzhen. At this period, Wuzhen is cool with comfortable temperature. Besides, Wuzhen Theatre Festival is held in October. If you are interested in theatre, you can visit Wuzhen in autumn.
Summer(June to August) is also good time to visit Wuzhen if you do not mind the hot weather at day. And you can get wonderful photos at Wuzhen at summer.
Winter is the off season of Wuzhen with less tourists and better price of the hotels and guesthouses. It is a nice option of tourists with limited budget.
Wuzhen can be easily accessed through a number of expressways and national highways. You may find more transport details at
→ How to get to Wuzhen Water Town from Hangzhou
→ How to Get to Wuzhen Water Town from Shanghai
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