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November 19, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Plenty of gems to discover in ancient water town

By Xu Wenwen | November 19, 2014, Wednesday | Print Edition

NEARLY 85 years ago when the governor of Zhejiang Province, Zhang Jingjiang, spared no effort to start West Lake Expo — China’s first international exposition — he probably never imagined his hometown of Nanxun would be a part of the future West Lake International Expo.

Nanxun, a water town in Huzhou City, Zhejiang, was a prosperous town that built itself on the silk trade. The town was so profitable that in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) its annual revenue was more than the royal court’s reserve.

At that time the booming silk industry nurtured a group of prominent figures like Zhang. They rose to prominence in both politics and business.

He had studied and worked in France, financed Sun Yat-sen, one of the great forerunners of the Chinese republican revolution, and organized an international expo that attracted more than 20 million visitors from home and abroad.

The expo was designed to boost the province’s economy, which had suffered due to wars. And it was a huge success with revenue tripling what it cost.

Nanxun has been part of the new West Lake International Expo since 2000, when it was relaunched by the Hangzhou municipal government. Nanxun became one of the expo’s sub-venues in 2010.

The water town’s Silk Worm Festival, Lamb Food Culture Festival and Folk Culture Week are all held during the expo in support of the event.

A month ago during this year’s expo, Nanxun government sent a team to the Citizen Leisure Festival to promote its products including mulberry leaf tea, which helps decrease high blood pressure, and farms that offer fishing, horse riding and fruit picking.

Sub-venues play an important supporting role for West Lake International Expo, which ended earlier this month. There were 16 sub-venues this year.

“The main venue and all sub-venues benefit each other and develop together because the international platform attracts tourists, while sub-venues broaden the expo’s influence and market,” said Ye Min, director of the Organizing Committee of the Hangzhou West Lake International Expo.

The water town that faces Taihu Lake and is also along the Grand Canal is known for its old canal, ancient buildings and arched bridges. Its history of “being as wealthy as a country” distinguishes it from towns with a similar appearance.

The town boasts some historic structures worth investigating. At the top on the list is the 400-year-old Baijianlou, literally 100 buildings.

Withstanding several centuries of war and turbulence, the buildings are amazingly well-preserved; stretching 400 meters on both banks of Baijianlou River, a branch of the Grand Canal, which divides the town.

Walking along Baijianlou, visitors are always under the eaves of a veranda. For those interested in learning more about how locals live, Baijianlou is also a good place for an overnight stay at a small inn.

This part of the town features several former sites once belonging to local tycoons, in which traditional Chinese buildings are coupled with old Western-style structures. They include Jiaye Library — one of the four ancient libraries in Zhejiang with a large collection of historical documents.

Nanxun dates back about 1,400 years and is unusual among ancient towns in that it hasn’t moved its residents out of centuries-old houses and into modern apartments. Women washing clothes and vegetables in streams is still a common sight.

A mansion that once belonged to Zhang showcases letters and photos that illustrate his close relationship with Sun Yat-sen. Zhang helped finance Sun’s 1911 Revolution, which led to the end of the Qing Dynasty.

These days there are also well-designed cafes, teahouses, postcard stores, souvenir shops and eateries providing tourists a place to sit and enjoy nice views of the river.

If you go

From Shanghai: Humin Elevated Road — Hukun Expressway — Shenjiahu Expressway — Nanxun

 

From Hangzhou: Qiushi Elevated Road — Lianhang Expressway — Shenjiahu Expressway — Nanxun

Hangzhou


 

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