Born in Wuzhen, Shen Dehong didn't quite finish his time at Peking University (Beijing University), but would go on to become one of China's most important modern writers, known by his pen name, Mao Dun (Máo Dùn, 矛盾). Beginning his journalistic, and later literary, career in post-Qing Dynasty China, Mao was involved in a number of political upheavals, a fact reflected in the style of his fiction: realism chronicling revolutions that was sympathetic to the working class. After losing faith in Chang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists following their break with the Communists, Mao joined up with the latter. He would go on to become the Minister of Culture, a position he then lost during the Cultural Revolution. The Former Residence of Mao Dun (Máo Dùn Gùjū, 茅盾故居), built during the late Qing Dynasty, was brought into the family by Mao Dun's great grandfat... more >>

On the northwest side of Wuzhen, the old Tongji Bridge (Tōngjì Qiáo, 白莲寺塔) and Renji Bridge (Rénjì Qiáo, 仁济桥), pictured, sit at right angles to one another crossing, respectively, the Wangjin River (Wàngjīn Hé, 望津河) and Xishi River (Xīshì Hé, 西市河). When viewed from the side of either bridge, they appear to be one beneath the other, a view compared to the crescent moon's reflection in a well. Known as "Bridge Within a Bridge" (Qiáo Lǐ Qiáo, 桥里桥), this sight is one of Wuzhen's better known scenic spots. If that proves a little too abstract for some, the views from either bridge still give a picturesque look down the rivers of Wuzhen, taking in the nearby Wenchang Pavilion (Wénchāng Gé, 文昌阁), White Lotus Pagoda (Báilián Sì Tǎ, 白莲寺塔) and the Grand Canal.... more >>

One of Wuzhen’s most highly-regarded and unusual attractions is the Jiangnan Hundred Beds Museum (Jiāngnán Bǎi Chuáng Guǎn, 江南百床馆). The first of its kind in China, its exhibition of ancient beds from the Jiangnan ("south of the Yangtze River") region features a collection of finely crafted beds from the Ming and Qing dynasties to modern times. With exquisite design and workmanship, these are not just items of furniture, but excellently preserved examples of Chinese folk art. The first hall hosts diplays of Ming-era beds featuring simple, well-proportioned examples that focus more on clean lines and the natural colors of the wood than on intrictae carving. In the second room are the Qing beds where fine materials and more complicated carving techniques come into play with one example, the "Babu Thousand Day Bed,"... more >>

Distilled liquor or "báijiǔ" (白酒) brewing was big business in Ming Dynasty Wuzhen when there were no less than 20 distilleries in operation. The best known of these were the Gaogongsheng, Shunxing and Yongsheng workshops, famed for their local specialty Sanbai liquor or Sānbáijiǔ (三白酒). Today, only Goagongsheng (Gǎogōngshēng, 稿公升) remains. At 55% ABV the Sanbaijiu produced here is potent stuff and known for its full-bodied flavor and taste, the soft feeling in the mouth and refreshing and lingering aftertaste. During the Ming-era it was so sought after that when Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne in Nanjing, Goagongsheng's Sanbaijiu was included in the list of tributes. The Sanbaijiu Workshop (Sānbáijiǔ Zuōfang, 三白酒作坊) produces about 200 liters of liquor per day including Sanbaijiu, white glutinous rice wine and sweet wine, all of which are h... more >>

Wuzhen is famous throughout China for its blue calico cloth and at the Hongyuantai Dyeing Workshop (Hóngyuántài Rǎn Fáng, 宏源泰染坊) you'll discover how this deep indigo fabric with intricate white patterns is made. Founded during the Song and Yuan period, the people of Wuzhen continue to use the same traditional methods to hand make this beautiful cloth today. The workshop covers 2,500 sq m (2,990 sq yd) and is paved with stones blue from years of exposure to the blue-grass dye and a maze of patterned fabric hangs on lines strung up high to dry.  Besides the blue calico, the workshop also has a unique process of color printing that makes use of a range of dyes made from grass, leaves and bark, hence its alternative name, the Foliage Dyeing Workshop. Zhejiang guide | Wuzhen guide | Wuzhen attractions Wuzhen f... more >>

Visitors to the Wuzhen Shadow Puppet Theater (Píyǐngxì, 皮影戏) will discover one of China's oldest folk arts. Shadow Puppetry, also known as Shadow Play, is performed by three to five players who present plays and stories to a soundtrack of traditional Chinese music and instruments such as the erhu and flute. The characters are the silhouettes of puppets made from animal skin (traditionally ox or sheep skin) behind a brightly illuminated backdrop. Once a key part of any festival or celebration, the art of shadow puppetry suffered greatly during the Cultural Revolution and only a handful of troupes were left around the country. The shadow play artists of Wuzhen are of particular note and have been invited to perform in Korea, Japan, Singapore, Germany and other places around the world. Zhejiang guide | Wuzhen guide... more >>