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 >>