The land and water of Wuzhen, a typical water town in the Yangtze River Delta, is known to be agriculturally abundant, boasting plentiful rice and fish. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

A famous writer, Mao Dun, is from this town and due to his love and inspiration for this place he wrote novels about Wuzhen. They show a real and deep picture about the culture and life in this peaceful town. Mao Dun was once the minister of culture after the founding of People’s Republic of China. There is a literature award associated with his name, the Mao Dun Literature Award for writers of long novels.

It is one of the highest literature awards in China. Another young female student, Xu Yuwei, a proud resident of Wu Zhen, told me about the famous photographer Xu Xiaobing, who was born in Wuzhen and was an official photographer to Chairman Mao Zedong . Another master of both art and literature, Mu Xin, was from Wuzhen. He is more famous in foreign countries due to his writings about Chinese culture and traditions.