Huzhou 湖州

1

The 'modern-era tycoons' town among the six great ancient towns of Jiangnan: rising in the Ming and Qing dynasties on Jili lake silk, the fabulously rich silk-merchant clans of the saying 'four elephants, eight bulls, and seventy-two golden yellow dogs' left behind a cluster of Chinese-Western mansions and gardens

2

One of China's four great summer resorts, famed for its 'three scenic treasures' of bamboo, clouds, and springs and for its international villas: since the late Qing, missionaries and Shanghai notables built more than 200 old villas (according to records), and Wuling Village, Songyue Cottage and other sites preserve traces of modern-era celebrity stays

3

A bamboo-themed expo park in Anji, 'China's first bamboo county': it gathers over 300 bamboo species from across the country (according to records); the Bamboo Museum displays the full spectrum of bamboo culture and industry, and the park's bamboo-forest trails are a family highlight

4

One of the filming locations for the bamboo-forest fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (according to records): a continuous moso-bamboo base spanning about 10,000 mu (approx. 667 hectares), with Wunu Spring (Five Maidens Spring) and viewing platforms as stops and hiking trails winding through waves of bamboo

5

Huzhou's core lakeside recreation belt on Lake Tai: the 'Moon Hotel' (the ring-shaped Sheraton building) is the landmark night view on the lakeshore, while Yuge Pavilion, the Golden Lakeshore, and the yacht marina form the lakeside route

6

Home of the 'pagoda-within-a-pagoda' marvel: the outer pagoda is a brick-and-wood, pavilion-style tower enclosing a Tang dynasty stone pagoda; climbing the outer pagoda lets you view the inner pagoda's carvings up close

7

Twin historic districts of Huzhou's old town: Yishang Street is named for the garment and cloth shops that once clustered there; the city canal runs through the street, and the old wharf layout at Guanyi Hetou still survives

8

A thousand-year-old water town on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal: it rose through commerce; along Xihekou, riverside covered eaves, ancient bridges and stone revetments are well preserved, with houses packed along the water yet few tourists