Top ten ancient towns in China
Small bridges and flowing water, stone alleys. Drunk years, intoxicating warm wind. People with ancient town complexes have a trace of romance in their bones, and always want to put those quiet nostalgia among the rotten beams and painted pillars of the years.
1: Wuzhen, Zhejiang
Wuzhen is a typical ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River. Wuzhen was originally bounded by the Shihe River (Chexi) and divided into two towns, Wuqing Town, Wuzhen in Hexi, which belongs to Wucheng County, Huzhou Prefecture; Qingzhen in Hedong, which belongs to Tongxiang County, Jiaxing Prefecture. The houses on the streets of Wuzhen are mainly buildings of the Qing Dynasty and are well preserved. The whole town is connected by rivers and streets, and bridges and streets are connected. All kinds of dwellings and shops are built along the river, including deep courtyards and century-old houses, as well as river port Langfang, cross-street and arcade, which is a typical "small bridge and flowing water family" in Jiangnan. Wuzhen is a thousand-year-old cultural town. Historically, the town has produced 64 Jinshi and 161 Juren. Mao Dun, Shen Zemin and Yan Duhe were all from Wuzhen.
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Top 2: Zhouzhuang Ancient Town Scenic Area, Suzhou City
The ancient town of Zhouzhuang is a pre-selected world cultural heritage site and the first batch of national 5A tourist attractions. It is located in the southeast of Suzhou City, at the junction of Kunshan, Wujiang and Shanghai. The ancient town of Zhouzhuang is surrounded by water, the river forms a town, and the water forms a street, and the street is the market.
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3: Tangqi Ancient Town, zhejiang
Tangqi Ancient Town was founded in the Northern Song Dynasty. It has become a big town since the Yuan Dynasty merchants and merchants. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the rich and aristocratic side, the famous Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passed through the town. The top ten famous towns in the south of the Yangtze River.
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4: Minghe Ancient Town, Zhejiang
Minghe Ancient Town was built in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,200 years. For more than a thousand years from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, Minghe also belonged to the passage of the "Maritime Silk Road". The local area is rich in porcelain, and there are no less than 10 kiln sites, including Lidu Lake Yue Kiln Site Group and Baiyang Lake Yue Kiln Site Group. Minghe is a place where salt was produced in ancient times. It was established as a Minghe Buying Field during the Xianping period of the Northern Song Dynasty, so Minghe was also called "Minghe Field" by the locals.
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5: Nanxun Ancient Town, zhejiang
Nanxun Town has a splendid history and culture. It has a history of 758 years since the town was founded in Chunyouji Year (1252) of the Southern Song Dynasty. Because it is located near the junction of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, it was once placed under the jurisdiction of Suzhou in history. Nanxun has convenient water and land transportation. From Wanli in the Ming Dynasty to the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Nanxun's economy was prosperous. There is a folk saying that "a city in Huzhou is less than half a town in Nanxun". Jiayetang in the town used to be the largest and most abundant private library in Chinese history. Nanxun has a profound historical and cultural heritage, and has Jiangnan gardens and exquisite buildings with a unique water town style. It is known as the cover of Jiangnan in China and one of the six ancient towns in Jiangnan.
![](https://china.stylize.life/i/d/gu-cun-05-nan-xun-lac-Aq2Q1Jq5j9S1GLq0.webp)
6: Qiantong Ancient Town, Zhejiang
Qiantong is famous for its peculiar residential layout, well-preserved ancient buildings in Ming and Qing Dynasties, and numerous talents. Here, "every family has carved beams, and every household has running water". Qiantong Ancient Town was built in the sixth year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty (1233 AD).
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7: Guyan Painting Township, Zhejiang
Guyan Painting Township Scenic Spot is located in Bihu Town and Dagangtou Town, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, 20 kilometers away from Lishui City. The core area includes Dagangtou, Yantou, Pingdi and Baoding, with historical and cultural accumulation. Deep and atmospheric. The Longli and Lilong expressways have exits here, and provincial highways 53 and 50 run through the whole territory. Lishui Station of the Jinwen Railway connects the national railway artery with convenient transportation. It is only more than 100 kilometers away from Yiwu, the largest small commodity city in China. Guyan Painting Township fully conveys an ecological and humanistic Lishui to the world.
![](https://china.stylize.life/i/d/gu-cun-07-gu-yan-lac-dOqErDepEbINXQGK.webp)
8: zhouzhuang, Jiangsu
Flowing water south of the Yangtze River, smoke cage people. Also in the Jiangnan region in ancient times, the ancient towns in Jiangsu are not inferior to those in Zhejiang. Zhouzhuang is surrounded by lakes and rivers and ports in the town. It is a typical water town in the south of the Yangtze River and is known as "the first water town in China". Zhouzhuang Town was built in the first year of Yuanyou in the Northern Song Dynasty (1086).
![](https://china.stylize.life/i/d/gu-cun-08-zhou-zhuang-lac-YleNDQaB5JF0DZ1l.webp)
9: Tongli Ancient Town, Jiangsu
Tongli Town (Wu language: dongli-alanghang) is located in Wujiang District (Suzhou Municipal District), Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is an ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River with a history of more than a thousand years. Tongli is a garden with water, every family is connected to the water, and every household is connected to a boat, forming a beautiful picture scroll with scattered layers, which has attracted countless scholars and writers.
![](https://china.stylize.life/i/d/gu-cun-09-tong-li-lac-m7VZqb0e7LsyPJeG.webp)
10: Luzhi Ancient Town, Jiangsu
The dwellings in Luzhi Ancient Town retain the style of Ming and Qing Dynasties. Demolition and modification are prohibited. The establishment of factories and new high-rise buildings in the area is prohibited, and the passage of cars and motorcycles is prohibited. The water town Luzhi has small bridges and flowing water with beautiful scenery and is known as the "Venice of the East". There are 40 stone bridges and stone arch bridges of various kinds in the town. Among them, Hefeng Bridge was built in Song Dynasty, and Dongmei Bridge and Dongqiao Bridge were built in Ming Dynasty. Luzhi Ancient Bridge is rich in architectural research value, so Luzhi is also known as "Ancient Bridge Museum".
![](https://china.stylize.life/i/d/gu-cun-10-lu-zhi-lac-AR0B53RVznuNOONo.webp)