Situated 25 kilometers southeast from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Luzhi Town was praised as the First Town of Chinese Watery Regions by Fei Xiaotong, vice president of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Because Lu Qiumeng, a poet named Fu Li in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), once lived there in seclusion, it was called Songjiang Fuli in ancient times. The town was renamed as Luzhi in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), after Luduan, a mysterious unicorn, which was believed to have the power of warding off evils.
Luzhi is gifted with favorable terrain and outstanding people. It faces the Wusong River to the north and the Chenghu Lake to the south, and borders on Kunshan City to the east, and Suzhou to the west. Today's Luzhi teems with lakes, rivers and bridges, luring numerous visitors with its beautiful scenery.
Luzhi has been reputed as A Land of Bridges for long. It is amazing to see so many famous small bridges span the 5.6-kilometer-long river course. In its prime it had 72.5 bridges, and now 41 remain extant. Large stone bridges with several arches, small stone bridges with only one arch, wide arch bridges, narrow flat-top bridges, sister bridges and so on. All theses bridges make Luzhi quite special as a town in watery regions.
The famous Baosheng Temple is located in the west of Luzhi. It is recorded that the temple was constructed in 503. Having a history of more than 1,480 years, it is an ancient temple in areas south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. With an area of over 100 mu (1 mu = 1/15 hectare), 5,000 rooms and 1,000 monks in its early days, the temple attracted a great number of worshippers and pilgrims. Today we can still see its large scale from the remains. Beside its large scale, the sculpture in the temple also is also known far and wide
The tomb of Mr. Fu Li is in the west yard of the temple, with the Douya Pond in front. The Qingfeng Pavilion stands in the center of the pond. There are also stone bridges and ginkgos of thousands of years old in the temple.
Luzhi
Nanxun
Tongli
Wuzhen
Xitang
Zhouzhuang
Liukeng
Phoenix
Pingyao
Xidi and Hongcun
Jingdezhen
Dali
Mudu
Lijiang
Loulan
Wuyuan
| Ancient Town of Dali
The 1,000-year-old town of Dali is known as a shining pearl inlaid in the southwestern highland. The town is located between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake.A poet praised the ancient town in a verse, “Pavilions and towers appear above the cloud and the town spreads between the mountain and the lake.”
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| Ancient Town of Jingdezhen
Jingdezhen, formerly known as the "Porcelain Capital " of China, is one of China’s most famous cultural and historic cities. It is situated in the northeast part of Jiangxi Province of East China.
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| Ancient Town of Zhouzhuang
Zhouzhuang is 30 km in the southwest of Kunshan City and 38 km to the southeast of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. Lying quietly by the side of Dianshan Lake near the Daguanyuan Park in Shanghai, it has a history of more than 900 years. The town is surrounded and bisected by streams.
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| Ancient Towns of Xitang
Xitang is an ancient town in the north of Jiashan County. It has a peaceful and beautiful entironment, with flat terrain and netted rivers. It features huge area and a large number of bridges, lanes, and ceilinged corridors.
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| Ancient Town of Loulan
On the west bank of Lop Nur Lake, which is now a lake of sand instead of water, the Ancient City of Loulan was founded in the 2nd century BC in an oasis with rich water network. However it suddenly waned into the history after about 800 years flourish. The city, once the capital of State Loulan which was one of the 36 Western Regions states, occupied very significant position on the silk road.
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| Ancient Town of Mudu
Among the growing number of water towns that entice tourists to the heart of their historic byways, Mudu may not be the biggest or the richest in historic treasures. It is, however, a pleasant destination for day-trippers, especially those who aren't up for the rigors of Suzhou sightseeing.
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| Ancient Town of Nanxun
Nanxun, situated in Huzhou City, is a famous historical and cultural town in Zhejiang Province. It is in the hinterland of the Hangjiahu Plain. It faces the Taihu Lake to the north, and borders on Jiangsu Province to the east.
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| Ancient Town of phoenix
The phoenix (feng huang in Chinese) is a mythological creature that is a symbol of the sun. Phoenix Town (Feng Huang Cheng) is so called as legend has it that once two phoenixes flew over the town and found it town so beautiful that they hovered above it, reluctant to leave. Phoenix Town is a small city in the western part of Central China's Hunan Province. For tourists, Phoenix Town is a Chinese dream; a wonderland of ancient mysteries.
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| Ancient Town of Xidi and Hongcun
When we speak of Anhui, most people will surely mention Mt. Huang first. Indubitability, the excellent natural scenery always impresses the tourists deeply. However, if you take special notice of the ancient villages nearby, you will unexpectedly be pleasantly surprised with the dreamland villages - Xidi and Hongcun.
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| Ancient Town of Wuzhen
On both sides of a slabstone-paved street stand pubs, restaurants, pawnshops, weaving and dyeing establishments, and other businesses, all housed in wooden structures of brown. Rivers and creeks spanned with stone bridges in various designs flow through the town, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes by. Old waterside houses and outside corridors can be found here and there. This is the ancient town of Wuzhen.
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| Ancient Town of Wuyuan
Wuyuan, known as the "most beautiful countryside in China," has at least 50 old villages. Trekking in the old villages in March offers refreshing views of hills covered in rape, green farmland, exuberant camphor trees, creeks and small rapids.
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| Ancient Town of Tongli
Situated east to the ancient canal on the bank of the Taihu Lake, Tongli is 18 kilometers from Suzhou City, and 80 kilometers from Shanghai. In ancient times, Tongli was called Fushi. It was changed to Tongli in the early years of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
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| Ancient Town of Pingyao
The ancient city Pingyao is in Pingyao County, Shanxi Province. The city wall was first built during the Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256 B.C.) and was expanded in 1370, the third year of the reign of Ming Emperor Hongwu.
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| Ancient Village Liukeng
China is littered with ancient relics and structures that represent the country's 5,000-year history. Ancient villages hold a high standing among these historical gems. Towns and villages famous for their ancient residences include Zhouzhuang and Tongli in Jiangsu Province, Xidi Village in Anhui Province, Qiao Family Mansion in Shanxi Province, and the earth towers of the Hakkas in Fujian Province. Recently, in Le'an County, Jiangxi Province, a 1,000-year-old village has been discovered in a remote mountain village-Liukeng.
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| Ancient Town of Lijiang
The residents in the Ancient Lijiang City are Naxi Nationality whose ancestor was one of the ancient minorities. Since they have been making a living by herding the yaks, they make the yak as their totem.
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