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Zhouzhuang （周莊）

Zhouzhuang [gxhzxw.com]

Zhouzhuang, a famous water town in southern China, is located in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. Because Zhouzhuang is surrounded by water, boats were necessary for entering and departing from Zhouzhuang before the 1980s. Before the Jishuigang Bridge was built in May 1989, land transportation was not available. Due to an undeveloped transportation network, the ancient culture and historical sites of Zhouzhuang were well-preserved after more than 900 years. This beautiful small town has become the model of China's water towns.

The cultural relics unearthed in Taishidian near Zhouzhuang show that there were people living here 6,000 years ago. However, the town became prosperous during the mid Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), when a person named Shen You moved his family from Huzhou of Zhejiang Province to the area near Zhouzhuang. His son Shen Wansan was adept in running business with overseas countries through water ways and became very rich. His success boomed the development of Zhouzhuang, which became a business center at that time, and then grew into a big water town.

Artist Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010) described Zhouzhuang in this way: "Huangshan Mountain is the pride of China's mountains, and Zhouzhuang is the pride of China's water towns." With cultural relics and historical sites spread throughout the town, Zhouzhuang's unique folk culture grew from people's daily lives over a long period of time.

Along with Tongli and other typical water towns, Zhouzhuang has become a very popular tourist destination featuring centuries-old water ways, bridges and dwellings.

Admission: 100 yuan (US$15.82)/person