Wūzhèn, China — Ancient Water Town

Wūzhèn canal shops

We had  two  weeks to be tourists in China between the end of our spring ZAFU term and the intense summer session, so Barry and I  jumped on the  direct bus from Lin’an to the Shànghǎi South Bus Station.   The trip was fast.  Our bus passed everything– including an ambulance– on the wide, mainly empty highway.

Wūzhèn canal

Our UHMC friends picked us up at the station, and we headed directly to Wūzhèn–a reconstructed water town with a 1200 year old history.

Wūzhèn- water town

Jan and Cathy at the indigo cloth – drying racks.

Wūzhèn is famous for its canals and for its indigo cloth.

Boats and waterways

White and black–the color of calligraphy, the color of scholars

Early calligraphy practice

“Calligraphy” that we can read– created with water and brushes

Wūzhèn ancient library

Bridal bed

A scholar’s study

Barry and Randall at a canal-front restaurant

Jan, Lenore, and Cathy in Wuzhen

Wūzhèn walkway

The Wūzhèn Foot Binding Museum is particularly interesting.  

Graph showing the "popularity" of foot binding by years for about 2,000,000 Chinese girls--from the Wūzhèn Foot Binding Museum (see my earlier post)

                                        Cathy and Barry

We spend a rainy but wonderful day in Wūzhèn.  Think about coming  here too.

 Zài Jiàn and Aloha, Renée