Wuzhen is a historic water town which lies in the center of a triangle...
Apr 1, 2013Published
4 min readReading time
Shanghai AttractionsGuide topic
Wuzhen is a historic water town which lies in the center of a triangle formed by Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai. Wuzhen Water Town is located in the city of Tongxian in the northen Zhejiang Province, 80km to the northeast of Hangzhou, 80km to the south of Suzhou and 140km to the southwest of Shanghai. There are daily long-distance buses going directly to Wuzhen from Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai and Jiaxing.
If you are planning your Hangzhou tour, Suzhou tour or Shanghai tour, a side trip to Wuzhen is highly recommended. Wuzhen is the typical water town in the Yangtze river delta region. It has well preserved the layout and the style of a water town in Ming and Qing dynasties.
The waterways crisscross Wuzhen Town, mainly dividing the town into 4 areas Dongzha (east), Xizha (west), Nanzha (south), and Beizha (north). The water paths are incorporated into the ancient grand canal. Wuzhen ancient town dislays its charm and history through its ancient stone bridges, stone pathways, ornate wood carvings.
Beside its waterways, stone bridges and ancient buildings, Wuzhen also gives you the opportunity to appreciate the ordinary life in the Ming and Qing dynasties through its well preserved old house-turned theme museums, shops and organizations such as Ancient Bed Museum, Folk Custom Museum, Wine Distillery Workshop, Indigo Fabric Workshop, Woodcarving Museum, Coin Museum, The Former Residence of Mao Dun, Shadow Play, Fanglu Teahouse, Huiyuan Pawnshop, Wedding Museum, Zhaoming Academy, Chinese Footbinding Culture Museum, Wuzhen Post Office, Wuzhen Grand Theater, Heal town Pharmacy, and Yida Silk Workshop.
Follow me to have a photo tour of Wuzhen Water Town.
Wuzhen Water Town is dubbed as "Venice of the East". The waterways form the water streets or lanes connect bridges and street buildings and houses.
Wuzhen Water Town is dubbed as Venice of the East.A humpback stone bridge over the canal linking two blocks of the traditional houses.The slab paved street flanked by the old wooden houses in Wuzhen.A beam stone bridge over the canalThe old wood houses built by the water pathway.Many building protrude above the waterThe narrow street with long chairs goes along the canalWuzhen Water Town is not a artificial replica of the historic town, and it is still inhabitated by the local residents.Local residents still keep the original water town life.A traditional shop for for local wine and liquorStroll on the narrow lane paved with stone slabs with the hanging laundry that sways overheadA traditional kitchenA local souvenir shopA traditional Wine Distillery WorkshopAn indigo Fabric WorkshopCan the historic town survive the internet ageWuzhen Water Town is akin to a scroll of Chinese painting.Painting a beautiful life! We need a slow life, we need clean water and fresh air.
Tip: Hassle-free China Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for China guided tours:
Top China Private Tours Top China Small Group Tours Top China Train Tour Top China Yangtze Cruise Tour Top China Silk Road Tour
