Zhouzhuang：A Town of Rivers and Lakes in Southern China
Zhouzhuang lies 38 kilometers to the southeast ofthe city of Suzhou，Jiangsu Province and coversan area of 0.47 square kilometers.It was knownas Yaocheng in ancient times when it was the fief of thecrown prince Yao and was part of the state of Wu duringthe Spring and Autumn Period.Zhouzhuang，also knownas Zhenbanli，was founded when Zhou Digong，a localresident and fervent believer in Buddhism during theNorthern Song Dynasty，contributed his residence and200 mu of good agricultural land to the temple.To show their gratitude，the local people changed the name toZhouzhuang.
Zhouzhuang has been known as the“Land of Riversand Lakes”since ancient times.Deng Lake，Baixian Lake，Dianshan Lake，and Nan Lake，as well as more than 30
rivers，are found in the vicinity and its round shape resemblesa lotus leaf floating on the water.The peacefulenvironment of natural waters and unique and pleasingscenery and simple folk customs make it a typical southernChinese region and an Oriental treasure.Zhouzhuanghas been put on UNESCO’s preliminary list of worldcultural heritage sites and has been awarded the Dubaiprize for the best example of a good living environment，the UN prize for outstanding achievements in the protectionof the world’s cultural heritage in the Asia-PacificRegion and a US government prize.It was also named as the world’s most attractive region of lakes and rivers andlisted among the first group of 10 towns named by theChinese government for their historical and cultural significance.
There are four main river channels running throughthe town of Zhouzhuang and smaller streams crisscrossthe town forming a pound sign.The streets follow thecourse of the rivers as they crisscross the town，with thefronts of the houses facing the street and the backs to theriver，thereby fully preserving the ancient flavor of thetown and the old feel and flavor of an ancient town inthe Ming and Qing dynasties.The town contains nearly ahundred buildings from the period of the Ming and Qingdynasties，over 60 engraved brick doorway arches and 24 stone bridges over the straight and narrow river channels（including 10 from the period of the Yuan（1271–1368），Ming，and Qing dynasties）。All this forms a typical pictureof southern China as in the saying，“small bridges，flowing water and homes.”
Construction of the houses takes into account theirwatery environment.The simple unadorned houses linethe rivers in the large courtyard compounds throughoutthe town.Each bridge，each street，each temple and everyroom，the azul water，blue skies，green trees，stone streetsall preserve the feeling of ancient Zhouzhuang，which isthe reason the town has been the delight of Chinese andforeign artists from the distant past to the present.WuGuanzhong，a famous ancient painter，said，“HuangshanMountain is a concentrated reflection of the beauty of thecountry’s mountains and streams，and Zhouzhuang is aconcentrated reflection of the beauty of China’s regionsof rivers and lakes.”The houses of the town also have agreat amount of cultural significance.Western Jin Dynastyliterary expert Zhang Han and Tang Dynasty poets LiuYuxi and Lu Guimeng once lived here.Modern culturalpersonalities such as Liu Yazi and Chen Qubing have also visited and stayed here.Contemporary Chinese painterChen Yifei was inspired by the Double Bridge in Zhouzhuangto create the famous oil painting called，Memoriesof the Hometown，which was later featured on a UN firstday cover issue.This was Zhouzhuang’s road to greaterfame.
The thousand-year-old town of Zhouzhuang is carryingon the poetic and picturesque feeling of beautifulsouthern China，and its quiet grandeur welcomes allguests who come here.Zhouzhuang has now introduceddemonstrations of traditional crafts such as making textiles，iron forging，and bamboo weaving，as well as folkperformances such as lion and dragon dances to helptourists better appreciate the picturesque“small bridges，running water，and homes”in southern China as well asenjoy the rich cultural attractions and unique folk customs.