HUZHOU
5 min readBrief Introduction of Huzhou
Huzhou is located on the southern shore of Tai Lake. It is in the north of the Hang-Jia-Hu (Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou) plain, neighboring Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou and Changzhou. The city of Huzhou is adjacent to Shanghai in the east(a distance of 130 kilometers), Hangzhou inthe south(a distance of 75 kilometers), and Suzhou and Wuxi are just across Tai Lake. The history of Huzhou can be traced back to the Warring States Period. As early as 333 B.C, King Chunshen of the kingdom of Chu built a city there and named it the City of Gu as the marshes there were overgrownwith thick Gu,a water plant. It acquired the present name Huzhou in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Huzhou is named after the spectacular Tai Lake to its north, and it remains the only city in the region to be named after the lake.
“Lake”in Chinese is called”Hu”. To the southwest of Huzhou lie the undulating ranges of Tianmu Mountains. The central part of the area is a long and narrow stretch of hilly land covered luxuriously with cash crops, such as bamboos, tea bushes and fruit trees. The northeastern part is the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta with the crisscross of rivers and streams, where rice, silk worm cocoons, and fresh-water fish are in abundance. It is a region of rivers and lakes in Southern China, known as the “home of silk and tea, land of fish and rice, and area of rich cultural heritage and paradise for tourists”. Huzhou now has three neighbouring counties and two districts under its jurisdiction. They are Deqing county, Changxing county, Anji county, Wuxing district and Nanxun district. The whole area covers 5,820 square kilometers. Huzhou’s population is close to 3,000,000 in 2012. The city proper covers approximately an area of 35 square kilometers with a population of 350,000.
Huzhou is famous for silk and the silk trade has a long and ancient cultural history. It is one of the birthplaces of world’s silk culture. The silk fabrics unearthed from the Qianshanyang remains were articles of over 4,700 years ago, and they are deemed the most aged silk fabrics in existence. Huzhou mulberry silk had been designated and listed as an article of tribute to the royal court from the Han Dynasty. It has ever since been exported to many foreign countries, and has won the laudatory name of “an oriental flower”. Huzhou holds the top position in the output of silk worm cocoons in the country, and its silk industry is flourishing with a complete system for the whole process of production.
Huzhou has also a long history in food industry.”Three Delicacies”are most popularly known. They are”Zhulaoda”glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves,”Dinglianfang”rolls minced meat wrapped in bean curd sheets, and time-honoured “Zhenyuantong”crispy cakes boast of a reputation of a hundred years’ standing. When tourists leave Huzhou, these specialities are often chosen for their relatives and friends as the gift.
Except for the food industry, the traditional handicraft of Huzhou has been enjoying a high prestige. Many local products with time-honoured brands, such as bamboo artware, writing brushes, feather fans, Shuangling spun silk,all sell well at home and abroad. Of course, the development of modern industries in textile, chemistry, electronics, building materials and other walks of life accelerate the transformation of the economic mould in Huzhou, and strengthen the vitality of the ancient city.
Huzhou has been called”The Capital of Chinese Calligraphy Brush”.
The Hu-writing Brush, as one of “Four Treasures”(writing brush, inkstick, inkslab and paper) placed in ancient studying room, is ranked the first. The Hu-writing Brush is believed the finest writing brush in China. The rich natural resources and the thriving economy have been giving impetus to the local culture and contributing to the emergence of so many famed natives and residents like Wu Changshuo, Zhao Mengfu, Lu Yu, Yan Zhenqing, Su Dongpo, Wang Xizi, and so on. They lived or once worked in Huzhou, and left many immortal masterpieces and deeds. The classic book Tea Study written by Lu Yu laid a good foundation for later generations to study tea culture and for its development.
Enjoying favorable conditions of mountains and rivers, Huzhou is privileged with its natural beauty and pleasant environment. There are manyattractive scenic sites and historical interests. Mogan Mountain, one of the four best summer resorts in China, is called “Cool and Placid World”.
Feiying Pagoda of the Song Dynasty is considered a unique pagoda, which has the marvelous spectacle for its architectural feature of pagoda-inside-pagoda. Tiefo Temple is an ancient iron Buddha temple that features an iron Goddess statue with a history over thousand years. Lianhuazhuang Garden, which was a private gardening villa with a lotus pond, boasts the most unique garden in southern China. Wanshou Temple is a well-known monastery in southeastern China. Additionally, Jiaye Tang Book Collection House in Nanxun, Mo Rock Hillside Carvings in Changxing, and the Great Bamboo Sea in Anji are all charming and fascinating places, and worthy of making a tour. With the development of Huzhou tourism, the general design for construction and development of tourism has been worked out. More historical relics and new scenic spots have been excavated or under the construction, such as Zhao Mengfu Art Museum on the former residential site, Renhuang Park, Xiangwang Park and so on. Particularly, some large theme parks and specialized museums are being constructed in the city proper and the counties.
Surrounded by green mountains and clear water, Huzhou is an ancient and modern city with multiple cultures. Its long history, and those unique local cultures in silk, in tea, in bamboo, in Chinese writing brush and calligraphy gain the title of”Civilized City of Zhejiang Province”for Huzhou. Its natural resources, ecological surroundings, charming sceneries as well as historical and cultural relics win the reputation of”ExcellentTourism Destination City”. It is just what the famous poet Dai Biaoyuan of the Yuan Dynasty once described in his verses,”Having travelled so manyclear and beautiful places of South China,I find that it is only Huzhou where one can enjoy a harmonious life.”
