Wuzhen is known to many as the Venice of the East but perhaps Venice should be known as the Wuzhen of the West as this city has an incredible history and beauty that has been preserved for over a thousand years. While Venice is an incredible city as well there is something incredibly charming about Wuzhen that will leave visitors thinking fondly of it for a lifetime.
Venice is a beautiful city that arose from the growing importance of the canals in the area and is now known for its romantic boat rides and beautiful streets of water. In the Far East, there is another city called Wuzhen that may hold even more beauty. Wuzhen has a population of around 60,000 people although only 12,000 are permanent residents. It is one of six towns that were built on the Yangtze River.
The first thing that strikes you about Wuzhen is its history. The town was established in the 9th century and had its first settlers 7,000 years ago, those of the New Stone Age with relics still in the town today from the Neolithic Period. In those 7,000 years, the city has changed as it became an important landmark in sea trade before the time of railroads. However, in the last 1,000 years, it hasn’t changed at all. The ornate buildings, bridges, and canals have been preserved in pristine condition and appear to the visitor as if they are going back in time.
Anything that was in any way damaged has been restored to perfect condition and some buildings have been placed on pillars to ensure they don’t succumb to water damage. The city is famous for the bridge in the center of the town which is actually the crossing point of two bridges that crosses the Yangtze River – one from the North to South and one from East to West. The bridge is remarkable because it is constructed as a perfect semi circle. When the moon is full it causes a reflection in the water so that the semi-circle becomes a full circle with the moon reflected inside.
There are now a number of sculptures and historic landmarks across the town of Wuzhen including sculptures of townspeople by the river. These mark the people who once lived in the city and are part of an overall effort to honor Wuzhen as an important historic landmark in the region. In 1991 it was named as the Provincial Ancient town of history and culture.
In 2014 Wuzhen was the host of the World Internet Conference. This is an international event organized by the Chinese government to discuss the global issues of the internet. It has been held in Wuzhen ever since and has faced some controversy after banning some US reporters in the past. One year the Wuzhen Declaration was created where a statement was written that claimed each nation had the right to govern their own internet – something called cyber sovereignty. Many disagreed with this statement and found it strange that it was put under the doors of their hotel room at night. After objecting it was removed from the agenda and not mentioned the following day.
Overall Wuzhen is an incredibly beautiful place that has an incredible history. To be able to see a community that is unchanged for the last 1,000 years is something that is incredibly rare in this ever-changing world that we live in. Wuzhen is a remarkable place of history and culture and everyone should try and visit. Perhaps use next year’s World Internet Conference as an excuse to go.