Wuzhen in northern Zhejiang is a typical canal town in Jiangnan or the south of the Yangtze River Delta. Mao Dun (1896-1981), a native of Wuzhen, portrayed his birth place splendidly in his short stories. Nowadays, Wuzhen offers more than tourism attractions. Crisscrossed by rivers and bridges, the scenic river town now doubles as the venue for World Internet Conference and hosts Wuzhen Theater Festival.

In good old times, Wuzhen had more bridges. It is said that there was a bridge every 100 steps. Of all these bridges, the best known are Tongji Bridge and Renji Bridge nicknamed as sister bridges. In the past, west of Tongji Bridge was Wuzhen, part of Wuxing county whereas east of Tongji Bridge was Qingzhen, Tongxiang county.

Though Wuzhen has a long history and prospered in the past thanks to the canal that connects Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south, it was in the shadow of history for a very long time in the 20th century. It was not until 2002 that a 23-episode television romance called Remembrance of Things Past brought spotlight on the ancient canal town. It was the first time in the past decades that the poetic beauty of Wuzhen was viewed thoroughly and romantically by the national audience.

Mao Dun was the penname of Shen Yanbing, one of the best known novelists of the first half of the 20th century in China. The writer’s former residence in the town stands for his reputation. The main component in the courtyard is a two-story house where Mao Dun wrote some of his best know novels and novelettes. The study was decorated in a Japanese architectural style, with copyright royalties of Midnight, one of the best known novels by Mao Dun. The seven-meter-tall palm in the garden is said to have been planted by the writer.

Mao Dun isn’t the only celebrity Wuzhen is proud of. Not far from Mao Dun’s former residence is a grand residence named after Xia Tongshan (1831-1880). Xia grew up in Wuzhen with his maternal grandmother. He later came out as Jinshi in the imperial examination in 1865 and became Hanlin, a member of the Imperial Academy, handpicked by Emperor Xianfeng. The emperor gave Xia a plaque with Hanlin Residence handwritten on it. The plaque was placed at the house in Wuzhen. The house later was redecorated with the imperial approval. Xia had a brilliant career at the imperial court, but he is best known among ordinary people as a judge that successfully reversed a wrongful verdict in a case in the 1870s.

A view of Wucun in Wuzhen

The best known cultural legacy of Wuzhen is what Xiao Tong (501-531) did at Wuzhen. Xiao, best known as Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty (502-557), came to Wuzhen with his tutor Shen Yue. He was personally tutored and had a library built in the river town. The prince is celebrated in the history of Chinese literature for Zhaoming Anthology, the first collection of poems and prose in China. Wuzhen now boasts a building named after the prince, erected in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Another cultural celebrity of Wuzhen is Mu Xin, the penname of Sun Pu (1927-2011), a poet and essayist and painter who lived in America from 1982 to 2006 before he came back home in Wuzhen. Sun Pu in his childhood years knew Mao Dun and checked out books from the celebrated writer’s library many times. The books he read in Wuzhen opened his eyes to the world. Though Mu Xin wrote in a style totally different from that of Shen Yanbing, the two writers are remembered endearingly in Wuzhen. Mu Xin Museum is now a landmark in Wuzhen unveiled in November 2015.

The World Internet Conference, inaugurated in 2014, is now an annual event held in November. The first conference attracted prominent figures from nearly 100 countries. That was China’s first internet conference of this kind and on this scale and an unparalleled event globally. The Wuzhen Theater Festival is an annual event in the ancient water town, co-founded by Chen Xianghong, Huang Lei, Stan Lai and Meng Jinghui, and organized by Culture Wuzhen Co., Ltd. The festival, one of the premier festivals in China and Asia, attracts international troupes and stages eye-opening shows.

A grand celebration of the art of performance and a hub for cultural exchange amidst the stunning backdrop of ancient canals and alleys, Wuzhen Theater Festival consists of various inter-related parts: the Specially Invited Plays, the Emerging Theatre Artists Competition, the Outdoor Carnival, and the Wuzhen Dialogues, etc. During the festival, the entire town of Wuzhen, which has a history of more than 1,300 years, is transformed into a stage, and theater lovers all over the world are invited to enjoy this tantalizing feast of the theatrical arts.

One of the unique qualities of the Wuzhen Theater Festival is the charm and variety of all of its theater spaces. Within walking distance of each other, there are over ten indoor venues that sport widely differing characteristics--all exuding the charm and beauty of the old town. There is a large amphitheater, and several outdoor plazas suited for performance. These striking venues create a theater cluster that is not only unique in China, but in any theater festival in the world.

For average tourists, however, the internet conference and the theater festival are all the hustle and bustle they avoid. In their eye, Wuzhen is a river town suggesting a traditional lifestyle that goes back to the depth of history and culture and to many centuries ago. One can wander aimlessly in the town, hang out at a riverside teahouse, or visit historical and cultural landmarks casually. This is a town of serenity and peace, a place where a visitor can relax and unwind and can have a good time comparing what one sees in present-day Wuzhen with forgotten past of Wuzhen one can image and let everything of the river town become memories that one can take away and keep in heart.