The Magic of Water Towns:Wuzhen and Xitang

WUZHEN and Xitang，two old towns inZhejiang Provincein east China， arehistorically known as places ofsingular serenity and sublimebeauty. Today， they are top touristdestinations because of theirwell-preserved landscapes，gleaming water bodies， and bracingwater town air.

Wuzhen

Wuzhen’s history goes back to872. It is part of the Grand Canalnetwork running from China’snorth to south， constructed instages from the fifth centuryBC and today a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site. The waterwaywas a main route of vital tradeand Wuzhen enjoyed prosperity"throughout history by virtue ofthe lucrative canal.

It also has a long history ofindigo dyeing， going back millennia.Two old dye houses remainopen， where visitors can learnthe basics of indigo dyeing aswell as dabble in actual dyeingthemselves. In the yard of the dyehouses， pieces of dyed fabric swayin the wind on rows of poles.There are also stores selling bambooitem， silk reeling workshops，shoe making shops， and othertraditional handicraft sites， givinga glimpse of the cultural tapestryof Wuzhen life. This rich legacyhas made it one of the most-visitedancient scenic towns in China.

Like in other water towns，traveling by water is the mostcommon means of transport inWuzhen. The old rowing boat hasbeen transformed into fun tourism"transport. Boating is a wayto explore the landscape， whilelistening to the oarsmen talkingabout the history about thetown. Boats are readily available，so just hop on one.

To understand and experiencethe daily lives of local residents，visiting a morning tea houseand the water market is a must.Morning tea is an indispensablepart of local people’s daily ritualsand Wuzhen residents usuallystart their day sipping teain tea houses early in the morning.After finishing their tea andchatting with friends， acquaintancesand even strangers， theyrow to the morning market tosell homegrown vegetables andpoultry products. All productsare sold on boats， which is whythe market is known as the watermarket.

During the day， you can see along line in front of the Xuchangsoybean paste yard with peoplequeuing up to buy its soybeanpastes. Xuchang is a time-honoredbrand. It can be traced backto 1859， and is the first of its kindin Wuzhen. The soybean pasteis localy renowned for its salty，sweet and spicy flavors， and usedto be made for the imperial familyin the past. At the front of theyard is the shop where peoplecan buy their desired sauces andat the back， a 360-square-meteryard houses around 200 vesselsof soybean pastes.

Zhaoming Academy， one of themost-visited places in Wuzhen，is named after its founder， CrownPrince Xiao Tong （501-531） of theLiang Dynasty （502-557）， whocompiled a literary compendium，"Wen Xuan （Selections of RefinedLiterature ）. Today， a stone archwaydedicated to him stands at theentrance of this academy while themain building is a modern libraryand the porch outside the library acalligraphy room with basic writingtools.

Eminent novelist Shen Dehong（1896-1981）， known by his penname Mao Dun， was born andgrew up in Wuzhen. His old houseis now under state protection as acultural relic. The 500-square-meterresidence was built in the mid-19th century and offers a hometour， giving visitors a look into thenovelist’s early life.

Painter and poet Muxin （1927-2011） was also born and raised inWuzhen and spent his last yearshere. A museum built in his honordisplays details about his life as wellas his literature and art legacies.

Wuzhen holds various eventsrooted in traditional festivals.During the Spring Festival， thereare performances on land andwater and lantern shows. Duringthe Dragon Boat Festival， thereare dragon boats festooned withlanterns and zongzi market sellingvarious kinds of zongzi – glutinousrice dumplings with a sweet filling.

Xitang

Xitang is another millenniaoldtown famed for its bridges，alleyways and porches. The watertown has over 100 bridges， withthe earliest one dating back to theSong Dynasty （960-1279）. Mostof the well-preserved historicalbridges are single- or three-archedones made of wood and stone. TheHuanxiu Bridge， situated at a highpoint， is a good spot to admire thescenery of the town. The Laifeng"Bridge boasts a very unique design.This 10-meter-wide coveredbridge is divided by a wall in themiddle. One side has steps， whilethe other has a slope， facilitatingpedestrians’ passage.

Most of the streets in Xitangare covered， providing shelter forvendors and pedestrians from rainand sun. The Yanyu Corridor， literallymeaning the Misty Rain Corridor，stretching over 2，000 meters，is one of Xitang’s most famouslandmarks. The corridors havewooden frames and tiled roofs，and are generally 2 to 2.5 meterswide. There are long benches withbackrests for people to rest.

Xitang has a network of crisscrossingalleys. The Shipi Alley isthe longest and narrowest， with anaverage width of only one meter，while its narrowest part is just 0.8meters. This unique feature makesit a popular attraction.

Xitang has a profusion of buildingsfrom the Ming and Qing dynasties（1368-1912）. Among them，the Zuiyuan Garden， West Garden，Wang’s Residence， and Ni’s Residenceare open to tourists.

The Zuiyuan Garden， built inthe Ming Dynasty （1368-1644），used to be the courtyard of a localfamily called the Wangs. It has aminiature stone bridge， the ZuiyanBridge， which can be crossed byonly one person at a time.

Wang’s Residence includes arear garden， typical of Ming andQing Dynasty residential complexes.The West Garden， builtduring the Ming Dynasty， was awell-known picturesque placewith a fascinating combination ofpavilions， gazebos， ponds， rockeryand other landscape elements.Ni’s Residence， built during theRepublic of China （1912-1949），was the residence of the Ni family，known for their literary background.It once hosted a poets’society.

The most important folk festivalin Xitang takes place on the thirdday of the fourth month in thetraditional Chinese calendar eachyear. Legend has it that an officialsurnamed Jin was responsible fortransporting grain. Once whilepassing the town， he saw the localpeople suffering from a severelocust infestation and distributed"the grain among the people withoutwaiting for the permission ofhis seniors. He was put to deathfor violating the law but when thegovernment came to know thewhole story， it honored him with aposthumous title. The local peoplebuilt a shrine in his name andevery year， tributes are paid thereto this virtuous official.

At the Button Museum， visitorscan learn about Xitang's buttonindustry. Xitang is known as abutton powerhouse in China， asaround 50 percent of the buttonssold in China are made here. The"museum houses a collection ofover 1，000 buttons from the HanDynasty （202 BC-AD220） to themodern era， and there are craftsmenon site demonstrating howshell buttons， a Xitang specialty，are made.

Many residents of Wuzhenand Xitang have renovated theirold houses into guesthouses fortourists， and some visitors keepon returning to the magic townsto experience their slow-pacedlife and unwind. Some touristsbecome friends for life with localresidents.