|
Wuzhen
Location: Tongxiang City, Zhejiang
Transportation: Bus
service from Shanghai
Culture/History Rating:
4/5
Scenery Rating:
3/5
Executive Summary:
Wuzhen is a good
place for a single day, I stayed over and regretted that decision. There
are buses coming in and out from Shanghai stadium everyday. There are
quite a number of places to see here, but the actual scenery area is quite
small. A larger tourist area in the west is still under development. The
river in the town is actually a canal, and water is being pumped in and
out twice a week. Wuzhen is one of the six 'water towns' in Jiangnan
(South-of-Yangtze-river-region), and it is one of the less developed one.
The citizens in the town itself are not allowed to do any sort of business
due to local government regulation. So if you want to get a feel of what
the original 'old town' looks like, you should visit this place. Here you
can find some nice Chinese dish such as baishui fish and Wuzhen lamb.
Description:

|
Located in the north of
Zhejing province, Wuzhen Town is embraced by the Beijing-Hangzhou
Grand Canal with rivers and canals crisscrossing the while town. For
hundreds of years, its residents have been building houses along the
rivers. The ancient docks, waterside pavilions, and corridors
stretch out for miles and make a romantic atmosphere that is typical
to Jiang Nan water towns. Wu Zhen boasts its prosperous past and
simple lifestyle. Unique folk custom, Hua Gu Opera with local
character, Shadow Play, and Gathering Pilgrim show the rich
tradition of the locality! Wu Zhen is famous for its natural beauty
and many talented people in history. Since the South Dynasty when
the prince of Liang kingdom-Zhao Ming once studied here, such
literary master as Mao Dun had left many cultural relics here. If
boating around the water network, or lingering in the lanes one can
always feel the serenity, peacefulness and subtle beauty of the
Jiang Nan water town. |
On both sides of a slab
stone-paved street stand pubs, restaurants, pawnshops, weaving and
dyeing establishments, and other businesses, all housed in wooden
structures of brown. Rivers and creeks spanned with stone bridges in
various designs flow through the town, and the Beijing-Hangzhou
Grand Canal passes by. Old waterside houses and outside corridors
can be found here and there. This is the ancient town of
Wuzhen.
Wuzhen Town, in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province,
has a history of more than 1,000 years. Of the ancient residential
houses, workshops, and stores still standing on the banks of the
rivers, 169,600 square meters, accounting for 81.54 percent of the
town's total floor area, have remained unchanged, lending an
atmosphere of antiquity.
Wuzhen has many sites of historical
and cultural interest. From the Song (960-1279) through the Qing
(1644-1911) Dynasties, Wuzhen produced more successful candidates in
the highest imperial examinations than any other town south of the
lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. Bearing witness to
the town's emphasis on education is the Lizhi (Aspiration) Academy
of Classical Learning of the Qing Dynasty, which still retains its
original appearance. |
 |
 |
During the Northern and Southern
Dynasties (420-581), Crown Prince Liang Zhaoming once studied at
Wuzhen. The prince is famous for his Literary Selections by
Zhaoming, a milestone in the history of Chinese literature, and the
town of Wuzhen built a memorial archway to commemorate his stay
there and has kept it well preserved. Other historical and cultural
sites include the Wenchang Pavilion, the Xiuzhen Taoist Temple, the
ancient stage, the mansion of a member of the Imperial Academy, and
the former residence of Mao Dun, a great master of contemporary
Chinese literature.
Tradition is still very much alive in
Wuzhen. In addition to flower-drum opera, shadow-puppet shows, and
temple fairs, Wuzhen also attracts visitors with its time-honored
art of making indigo-dyed printed calico. In ancient times,
indigo-dyed printed calico was used for curtains, scarves, and
tablecloths in every household in the countryside of Zhejiang
Province. Today, it is still common to see old women in indigo-blue
gowns leisurely operating spinning wheels or looms at weaving
workshops in the old lanes of Wuzhen, while the squeaks of the looms
resound throughout the lanes. Carrying on this tradition has become
a part of the lives of the old women. |
The raw material for dye
printing is Eupatorium fortunei, a herb that turns into indigo after
being fermented and precipitated. For convenience in transporting
the cloth, the weaving workshops and dyeing workshops are usually on
the same street, only a few doors from each other. At the dyeing
workshop, the cloth is soaked and air-dried again and again to
produce white flowers on a blue background.
Setting out
candle lanterns on the river for a special occasion. A shadow-puppet
show. The puppet master is 70 years old.
Waterside houses
make it possible for housewives to buy food and other daily
necessities without leaving home. A local temple fair.
Wuzhen is at its best on rainy days. Strolling with an
umbrella along an old lane past the centuries-old wooden houses and
seeing the rain flow off the engraved eaves that cover the doorways
is an amazing experience. The falling raindrops bring ripples on the
river surfaces, while boats travel to and fro. The waterside
pavilions and corridors and the arched bridges, all shrouded in
drizzle, make up a charming scene. |
 |
 |
People in Wuzhen live a simple
life. Many of them breed silkworms and raise chrysanthemums, and
they have mostly retained the tradition of buying fruit and
vegetables from trade boats through the windows of their waterside
houses. They benefit from an inherited harmony of man and nature and
enjoy the pleasing living environment that comes from social
progress. In May 1999, the local government invested 200 million
yuan for maintaining and improving the town's environment. The
project was to be completed within five years, and the first phase,
with an investment of 80 million yuan, was completed by the end of
2001.
While taking care to retain the town's original look,
efforts have been made in the treatment of the water environment,
the renovation of public toilets, the installation of outdoor
lighting, and the management of the sanitation and appearance of the
town. A clean, beautiful environment has thus been ensured.
Wuzhen has been included by UNESCO in the reserve list of
world cultural heritages. |
Climate:
statistics |
Average values in
the latest 20 years |
month |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
Highest temperature on the
average (centigrade) |
8.0 |
9.0 |
14.0 |
20.0 |
23.0 |
29.0 |
33.0 |
33.0 |
28.0 |
23.0 |
17.0 |
11.0 |
Lowest temperature on the
average (centigrade) |
1.0 |
2.0 |
6.0 |
12.0 |
17.0 |
21.0 |
25.0 |
25.0 |
20.0 |
14.0 |
8.0 |
3.0 |
rainfall
(mm) |
65.0 |
90.0 |
115.0 |
130.0 |
160.0 |
200.0 |
130.0 |
155.0 |
180.0 |
70.0 |
60.0 |
50.0 |
© 1999 - 2003
ShanghaiFinance.com All Rights Reserved
|
|