Wuzhen Water Town – Ticket, Opening Hours, Location, and Highlights

Originally the luxurious mansion of the Xu family in Dongzha, known as the Hundred Flowers Hall, Jiangnan Wood Carving Museum is renowned for its exquisite wood carvings. The main and side rooms now display a rich collection of ancient Chinese wood carving masterpieces, which depict a wide range of subjects, including folk legends such as “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea” and “General Guo Ziyi’s Birthday Celebration,” as well as scenes of everyday life like “Fishing” and “Cricket Fighting.” Traditional patterns like “Dragons and Phoenixes” and “Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum” are also represented, showcasing the unique folk customs of Jiangnan.

Situated at No. 17 Guanqian Street on the east side of the river in Wuzhen, Mao Dun’s former residence consists of a two-story, north-facing, wooden-structured building with a total area of approximately 450 square meters. Divided into two units, it was purchased in two separate transactions by Mao Dun’s great-grandfather. The residence includes a bedroom, study, dining room, and other architectural features, with furnishings and layout preserved in their original state from when Mao Dun lived there.

Known locally as the Zhao Family Hall, the Jiangnan Hundred-Bed Hall is the first museum in China dedicated to collecting and exhibiting ancient Jiangnan beds. Covering an area of over 1,200 square meters, it houses dozens of exquisite ancient Jiangnan beds from the Ming, Qing, and modern periods. The beds range from those of wealthy merchants and aristocrats to those of ordinary people, featuring a variety of designs including single-room beds and multi-room beds (with dressing rooms, bathrooms, and servant quarters inside). The collection reflects both the luxury of the elite and the simplicity of common folk.

Wuzhen is renowned for its extensive network of streets, lanes, and alleys, often referred to as “four gates and eight lanes.” The eight major streets include Changchunli Street, Chengjiangli Street, Tongli Street, Nan Street, Zhong Street, Bei Street, Guanqian Street, and Dong Street.

Established during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Hongyuantai Dyeing Workshop was originally located in Nanzha but was relocated here during the Qing Dynasty. It serves as a production base for blue calico and a distribution center for blue calico products. Chinese blue calico is world-famous, and Wuzhen is one of its original production sites.

The Fengyuan Double Bridge, also known as the Corridor Bridge due to the covered walkway atop it, features water barriers underneath, remnants of ancient waterway checkpoints. Legend has it that walking across the bridge requires adhering to the custom of men walking on the left and women on the right. Crossing the bridge necessitates walking half on the left and half on the right, symbolizing encountering both fortune and calamity.

The Xiu Zhen Taoist Temple Ancient Stage is an auxiliary building of the Taoist temple, constructed in the 14th year of the Qing Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1749). Despite suffering damage over the years, it has been meticulously restored since 1919 and remains intact to this day. Occupying an area of 204 square meters, the stage faces the Xiu Zhen Taoist Temple across Guanqian Street to the north, while the southern side overlooks the Dongzha River, with the Xinghua Bridge to the east. The stage features a gable roof with upturned eaves, exuding an elegant and dignified aura. The delicate wood carvings between the beams and columns hold significant artistic value. The stage is divided into two levels, with the lower level constructed with brick and stone, featuring side and front doors for entry and exit. The side door leads to the riverbank, while the rear of the lower level provides access to the stage via a small ladder, and there’s also a trapdoor leading from the riverbank to the boat. The upper level consists of a dressing room at the rear with beautifully carved low windows, and the front serves as the stage, directly facing the square.

Situated between Yingjia Bridge and Nanhua Bridge, the Huiyuan Pawnshop boasts a five-bay storefront with two floors and 1.8-meter-high counters. According to the “Wuqing Town Annals,” Wuzhen once had up to 13 pawnshops, reducing to seven before the Taiping Rebellion. By the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), only Huiyuan Pawnshop remained, and by the time of the Japanese invasion, it had stopped accepting new items, eventually closing its doors. With the closure of Huiyuan Pawnshop, the history of pawnshops in Wuzhen came to an end.

The Mu Xin Art Gallery serves as a tribute to the lifelong artistic and aesthetic legacy of Mu Xin, a painter, writer, and poet. It provides a comprehensive documentation of Mu Xin’s research. The entire gallery, with its modern, minimalist design, faces north and overlooks the Yuanbao Lake in Wuzhen. It spans gracefully over the water surface, providing a serene environment for visitors to appreciate Mu Xin’s works and artistic vision.

Located on Huanhe Island along the Grand Canal in Xizha, the Bai Lian Pagoda stands tall with seven levels, reaching a height of approximately 51 meters, making it the tallest structure in Wuzhen. The pagoda sits atop an octagonal lotus-themed platform with a release pond in the center. A stone boat rests on the eastern bank of the river. The Bai Lian Pagoda follows the architectural style of the brick-and-wood mixed structure commonly found in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions during the Song and Yuan dynasties. While its exterior appears tapering, the actual plan of the pagoda is square-shaped, with a base measuring 24 meters by 24 meters, and its interior floor is paved with Qinghui square bricks.

Zhu Family Hall is the residence of a prominent Zhu family in Wuzhen, known locally as “Hall upon Hall.” In Wuzhen, there are numerous grand residences belonging to affluent families, such as Xu Family Hall and Zhao Family Hall on Dong Street. These houses exhibit unique architectural styles with intricately carved halls. Zhu Family Hall not only embodies the characteristics of these grand residences but also stands out as a unique hall in Wuzhen. Its distinctive feature lies in the concept of “Hall upon Hall,” showcasing a layout where one hall is built atop another.

Spanning approximately 1,000 square meters and divided into two floors, the Mao Dun Memorial Hall showcases the life and literary achievements of Mao Dun, a renowned Chinese writer. The exhibition features 59 personal belongings, nearly 1,000 books, and over 90 photographs, many of which are being displayed for the first time. The main theme revolves around Mao Dun’s life journey and literary accomplishments. At the center of a black granite platform in the water pool stands a marble sculpture of Mao Dun, crafted in a 1:1.3 scale to resemble his appearance at the time of his passing. This sculpture reflects the deep respect and admiration the people of Wuzhen hold for Mao Dun.

Within the spacious courtyard of Zhaoming Academy, illuminated by the flickering glow of lanterns, stands a stone archway bearing the inscription “六朝遗胜 (Legacy of the Six Dynasties).” Beneath it lies an engraved stone tablet with the inscription “梁昭明太子同沈尚书读书处 (Reading Place of Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty and Minister Shen).” Historical records indicate that this stone archway, erected during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, stands at a height of 3.75 meters and a width of 3.8 meters. The inscription on the dragon and phoenix plaque was composed by Shen Shimao, an official of the Ministry of Punishments during the Ming Dynasty, and miraculously survived the Cultural Revolution after being hastily whitewashed. Beyond the stone archway lies an expansive courtyard garden adorned with ancient towering trees and four ornamental ponds, creating a tranquil atmosphere for contemplation and study.

Situated on the southern bank of Xizha in Wuzhen, the Yichang Iron Forging Workshop dates back to the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. It was established by a blacksmith from Huzhou to operate his workshop in Wuzhen. As you enter, you’ll find a courtyard surrounded by four-sided corridors. At the center of the courtyard lies a massive “Number One Pot in the World,” with a diameter of approximately 5 meters. The bottom of the pot bears the cast imprint “Number One Pot in the World, Made in the Fifth Year of Tongzhi.”

Located on the northern side of the old street in Xizha, the Waterborne Stage stands out as a unique architectural marvel built directly over the water. This characteristic has earned it the name “Waterborne Stage.” Its scale and exquisite design make it a rarity within China. The stage serves as a venue for various performances, adding a touch of charm to the picturesque water town of Wuzhen.

The Herbal Dyeing Workshop is a large-scale facility dedicated to traditional handcrafted eco-friendly dyeing and drying processes. The drying area features a brick-paved ground with rows of tall poles and tiered drying racks, creating a vast and impressive sight. In addition to the traditional blue dyeing technique using indigo plants to create blue printed fabrics, the workshop also employs a unique color baking process. The colors produced through this method are rich and vibrant, extracted from local herbal materials such as tea leaves, mulberry bark, and Chinese pistache leaves. Due to its focus on utilizing natural resources, the workshop is known locally as the Herbal Dyeing Workshop.

Wuzhen Grand Theater stands as a contemporary symbol of cultural revival in Wuzhen, drawing visitors from around the world. Its design, resembling a blooming lotus, gracefully rests atop the waterways of Wuzhen, blending modernity with elegance. The theater comprises seven above-ground levels and one underground level, featuring a large-scale theater and a medium-sized multifunctional theater. It caters to a variety of performance genres and types, injecting new vitality into Wuzhen’s millennia-old cultural heritage.

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