Chinese Ancient Towns are the special zones of China. Something special lost in big cities can be seen in these ancient towns, because most of them keep the original condition and tradition of China. Frankly they are the living fossils of ancient lifestyles, festivals, custom, aesthetics and social relations as well as rooted clanship. Big cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong represent Chinese achievements of modernization and internationalization, and the ancient towns such as Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen, Fenghuang Ancient Town, Wuyuan and Shangri-la remain the original of traditional China. Modern urban citizens are more eager to go back to tradition and ancient life as well as the rural idyllic environment when they get tired of the hustle and bustle of life in city. Most of these ancient towns are far away from the mega-cities and near to the nature and countryside. They are the balanced zone between city and countryside, and also the equilibrium point of modern people’s life and soul.
Zhouzhuang Huangshan Mountain represents the beauty of grand mountains in China, while Zhouzhuang features the mellow waterside towns. Feminine beauty was built in its very blood and soul. No wonder it was chosen one of the sites for APEC meeting site. The town complex lies in Kunshan, 38 km southeast of Suzhou city in Jiangsu Province. It has a history of over 900 years. It’s also called Oriental Venice and surrounded by water. People plant willows on the edge of their narrow yards, to be more accurate, corridors. Little bridges, murmuring brooks and rural cottages, all of these come into a picture of quietness and simplicity. Bridges, with name or without name, all have their distinct views…
Wuzhen Wuzhen has a history of over 1000 years since it establishment 872 AD. It’s valuable that across 1000 years, the town has never changed its name, address, water system or life style. The traditional buildings are still well preserved after passing so many years. In this town, with a dense network of rivers, people build their house along the river, and establish the market close to bridge. The rail, the bridge over river and arch gate across street are built in stone. In Wuzhen, there are more than 100 hectares of late 19th Century original buildings and more than 120 ancient stone bridges in different sharps…
Fenghuang Ancient Town Fenghuang Ancient Town or literally translated into Phoenix Ancient Town is a national-level famous town for its history and culture. It has ever been acclaimed as the most attractive town in China by Rewi Alley, a famous Zelanian writer. Fenghuang Ancient Town is adjacent to Dehang Village of Miao Nationality, Mengdong River of Yongshun and Fanjing Mountain of Guizhou province. It will be compulsory to go across this ancient town if walkers want to arrive in Huaihua, Jishou and Tongren of Guizhou province…
Wuyuan Originally Wuyuan belonged to Huizhou of Anhui, and recently it has been separated from Huizhou and became one part of Jiangxi province. Wuyuan is a world-famous town strongly featured by Huizhou local culture and the idyllic scenery. Wuyuan is located in the northeast of Jiangxi province. Wuyuan gets close to Quzhou of Zhejiang province on the east and Jingdezhen of Jiangxi province on the west. It is near to Huangshan Mountain on the north and Sanqing Mountain on the south…
Furong Ancient Town Furong Town or Hibiscus Town is located Yongshun County of Western Hunan Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. It started to be famous for a movie named Furong Town as well. Furong Town is an ancient town with more than 2000 years of history. It is on the riverside of Youshui River with 51 kilometers far from county center. Thanks to its convenient waterways, visitors can easily arrive in Sichuan and Guizhou provinces as well as Tongting Lake. Anciently, Furong Town was the business port in Yongshun County. Furong Town boasts The Great Town of Youyang, Little Nanjing as well as one of Top-Four Famous Towns in West Hunan Province…
Xitang Xitang, a famous ancient town at home and abroad, is situated in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province. The total distance is 11 kilometers from scenic spots to downtown Jiaxing city. Xitang has a total area of 83 square kilometers, of which the ancient town scenic area is about one square kilometer with about sixty thousand people living. It is a time-honored cultural and historical ancient town with more than one thousand years…
Yangshuo Yangshuo County locates 65 kilometers to the southeast of the famous city of Guilin and situates on the west bank of Lijiang River, in northern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is administrated by Guilin. Established over 1,400 years ago, today Yangshuo is 1,428 square kilometers and having 300 thousand people, there are 13 ethnicities in the county including Han, Zhuang, Yao and Hui…
Shangri-La Shangri-la means “ideal heaven” in Tibetan. Tibetan language documents had recorded this word more than a thousand years ago. Shangri-la became famous after the novel Lost Horizon by James Hilton (1900 – 1954) published in 1933. In May 1931, during the British Raj in India, owing to a revolution, the 90 white residents of Baskul were being evacuated to Peshawar, Pakistan, by air. However, the plane was flown instead over the mountains to Tibet in China…
Jingsheng Ancient Town Jingsheng Ancient Town is located 12 kilometers to the northeast Lingshi County (灵石县) and southwest to Pingyao Ancient Town in Shanxi Province, northern China. The scenic Mianshan Mountain (绵山) gives excellent natural landscape to Jingsheng’s environment. Old Wang’s Family Mansion, country houses, Red Temple and Wenbi Pagoda are built along the small river, which is flowing through the ancient town…
Qing Mu Chuan Ancient Town Qing Mu Chuan has once been an important pass to ancient Sichuan Province and the vital area of the old Shu State. It was a strategically important place and merchants gathered there to do trade. In 1950, a regiment of People’s Liberation Army garrisoned in Qing Mu Chuan village, expelled the Nationalist forces and guarded to ensure the successful establishment of the new government…
