Situated on the southern shore of Taihu Lake, Zhenze Town belongs to Wujiang District of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. To be specific, the town is in the southwestern part of the District, where Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces meet. It boasts in an advantageous geographical location and convenient land and water transportation, which make Zhenze a major town on the plains between Suzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou. Zhenze, as the only town with the same alternative name as Taihu Lake, has long been known as “the head of the Wu State and the tail of the Yue State” (meaning “the town’s norther part belonged to the Wu State while the southern part was in the Yue State”). It is a place of rich natural resources and outstanding people.
Since the reform and opening-up, Zhenze has endeavored to develop the manufacturing industry and tourism by making good use of its geographical advantages and historical heritage. As a result, the town has won a great many titles: “China’s Famous Linen and Silk Spinning Town,” “China’s Industrial Cluster Base of Hemp Spinning,” “China’s Silk Quilts Town, Township with a Beautiful Environment in China,” “China’s Famous Town of Linen, Silk Quilts and Home Textiles,” “China’s Town of the Taihu Lake Farm Cuisine,” “China’s Town of the Taihu Lake Delicacies,” “China’s Keffiheys Town,” “China’s Outstanding 20-year Industrial Cluster of Textile and Garments,” “China’s Township of Well-Being,” “China’s Silk Town,” one of “China’s 6th Batch of Historical and Cultural Towns,” “National 4A-level Scenic Site,” “A Key Town in China,” “China’s Famous Business Town,” “A Town with Chinese Characteristics,” and “China’s Beautiful and Livable Town,” etc.
According to the chapter “The Tribute of Yu” in A Book of Documents, “Three rivers meet here, and Zhenze serves as the hub to hold them.” The name “Zhenze” derived from the ancient name of Taihu Lake. Judging from the unearthed Neolithic pottery and ceramic fragments, the early settlers of Zhenze chose to live here about 5,000 years ago. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhenze first belonged to the State of Wu and then to the State of Yue. During the Warring States Period, it was under the jurisdiction of the State of Chu. The place belonged to Wucheng County during the Qin Dynasty, the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. It was a part of Dongqian County during the Western Jin Dynasty. The area was named Zhenze in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty. During the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty, Zhenze was set as a town. In the fourth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1726), the western part of Wujiang County was taken to set up Zhenze County, and Zhenze Town still belonged to Zhenze County. In 1912, Zhenze County was re-merged into Wujiang County. Zhenze was upgraded to be a town under direct jurisdiction of Wujiang County in 1952. The year of 2003 saw Zhenze Town and Badu Town merge into the new Zhenze Town.
Zhenze with its long history and rich cultural heritage abounds with relics of great historical and humanistic values. There are 40 cultural relic units under various levels of protection in the town, including two national key cultural relics protection units, three provincial key cultural relics protection units, 22 municipal cultural relics protection units, and 13 units under the municipal cultural relics control. These extensive yet quiet courtyards, elegant lodges and halls, and ancient stone bridges are material records of Zhenze’s history, which lend traditional charm to the ancient town.
The Yuji Bridge on the east side of Baota Street is said to have been built in memory of Da Yu, a renowned ancient tamer of flood. The bridge, running from the north to the south, is a single-arched one. The Ciyunsi Pagoda (the pagoda in Ciyun Temple) in the east of Zhenze is lofty, grand and exquisitely designed, which is the commanding point of the town. The Yuji Bridge and the Ciyunsi Pagoda jointly form the unique view of “the arch bridge accompanied by the tower’s shadow.” Such a view is a signature one of Zhenze and of a water town in the south of the Yangtze Reiver as well. The Yuji Bridge and the Sifan Bridge, one in the east and the other in the west, are like two moons, echoing each other. The beauty of the twin bridges is beyond compare. Baota Street is named after the Ciyunsi Pagoda built to its east. In the western section of the street is the Shijian Hall, a key national cultural relics protection unit. A walk along Baota Street gives one a chance to cross the Yuji Bridge and the Sifan Bridge, visit Wangxian Memorial Temple and the Shijian Hall, and leisurely sip a cup of smoked bean tea (a local specialty). Then the cultural appeal of this ancient town can become very real and distinct.
In addition to cultural relics and historical sites, history has endowed Zhenze with a rich spiritual heritage. The town has long been known for its respect for education and flourishing culture. For thousands of years, literati have gathered here, and scholars have emerged great in number. From the fourth year of the Shaoxing era in the Song Dynasty (1134) to the 32nd year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1906), there were 15 Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examination) and 33 Juren (successful candidates in the provincial-level of the imperial examination). Renowned people include the three Confucian scholars Wang Ping, Chen Changfang and Yang Bangbi in the Song Dynasty; Wu Xiu, deputy provincial surveillance commissioner in the Ming Dynasty; Wang Xichan, an astronomer in the Qing Dynasty; Shi Zejing, one of the founders of the Red Cross Society of China; the famous financer Shi Zhaozeng; the renowned diplomat Shi Zhaoji; the CAS academician Yang Jiachi; and performing artists of Kunqu Opera Cai Zhengren and Wang Fang. These outstanding locals have made substantial contributions in such fields as politics, economy, social work, science, technology, and art.
Besides, a great many talents and prestigious scholars chose to settle down in or pay visits to Zhenze throughout history. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Fan Li, the imperial advisor of the State of Yue, assisted the king Gou Jian to defeat the State Wu by tolerating hardships and humiliation. After the success, Fan Li lived in solitude in Zhenze and enjoyed fishing in the Zhanlong Pond. Zhang Zhihe, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, built a hut at Fuyudun. The life here enabled the poet to write down the beautiful lines: “I built a small hut with just a few rafters; surrounding it flows clear water. Green hills seem to float on the water; Zhenze is thus a pure and peaceful place.” Lu Guimeng, a man of letters in the Tang Dynasty, build a villa in Zhenze, where he bred ducks at river beaches covered by luxuriant lotus plants. In this way, Lu could enjoy a pastoral life to his heart’s content. The famous sociologist Fei Xiaotong paid four visits to Zhenze, and was inspired to introduce the view that importance should be attached to the exchange of goods and materials between the city and the country. Since the implementation of reform and opening-up, Zhenze’s economy with its focus on township enterprises has grown vigorously, and therefore, it has become a key town in Jiangsu Province.
Thanks to its adjacent position to water, Zhenze was formed, named, and thrives. On its eastern border is Beimayang Lake, on the western border Xujiayang Lake, and on the northern border Changyang Lake. Besides, there is a densely interwoven network of lakes and watercourses in and around the town. Ditang River runs from the northeast to the southwest through Zhenze. The river was originally named “Ditang” (“荻塘”, meaning “a river full of reeds”), since the area abounded with reeds in ancient times. It was also known as the Zhenze Canal, initially dredged by Yin Kang, the governor of Wuxing in the Jin Dynasty. In the eighth year of the Zhenyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (792), Yu Di (“于頔”), the governor of Huzhou Prefecture, repaired the embankments and re-dredged Ditang River. In memory of his virtue, local people changed the name of the river from “荻塘” to “頔塘,” since “Di” (“荻”) and “Di” (“頔”) are two homonymic characters. Ditang River connects with Shanghai to the east, Jiaxing to the south, Huzhou to the west, and Suzhou to the north. The river is characteristic of abundant and clear water. To ancient people living here, it offered an inexhaustible supply of water for their everyday life and the production of silk (e.g. silk reeling). The river is indeed the “mother river” of Zhenze.
Enjoying the convenience brought by Ditang River, silk production grew rapidly in Zhenze and the town advanced accordingly. Silkworm breeding and silk production are the lifeline of Zhenze’s economy. Zhenze’s name of being a silk town has spread far and wide. During his stay in Zhenze, Lu Guimeng, a writer and agronomist of the late Tang Dynasty, wrote poems to describe local people’s practices of breeding silkworms and spinning silk. He left quite a few memorable lines behind, including “Mist coiled through mulberries and cudweeds; shelves holding silkworms were propped up everywhere” and “When it is fine, I repair my nets and shelves; when it is drizzly, I work on my spinning wheels.” During the Ming Dynasty, the Jili silk produced in Zhenze was of such superb quality that its name even spread to overseas markets. Zhenze thus became one of the famous silk markets in China. In the sixth year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1880), the town exported more than 5,400 quintals of Jili silk, which accounted for one-fifteenth of the national output. Zhenze, therefore, became a renowned “silk town”’ in China. The water town then hosted numerous silk shops and silk dealers fluttered about with their business. This booming scene was vividly depicted in the poem “Ode to Spinning by Ditang River” as “there were ten thousand households busy weaving silk fibres.” In the 1920s, Zhenze initiated the reform of sericulture in the south of the Yangtze River with the successive establishments of the Silk Fibre Improvement Society of Jiangsu Provincial Women’s Sericulture School, the Training School of Silk Production Improvement, Zhenfeng Reeling Factory and the Silk Cooperative. In the 1940s, there were 23 silk shops in the town, dealing in silk products all year round. After the founding of New China, there were 28 silk shops with 144 people engaged in the business. In the 1960s, three collectively-run silk reeling factories were set up in Zhenze. The town’s silk industry grew steadily during the 1970s. A foreign trade agency was opened to deal with the purchase of silk fibres, cocoons, and silk fabrics. In the early 1990s, Zhenze’s silk market thrived. People who had the head for business took the lead in setting up factories specializing in filature reeling, production of spun silk fabric and silk spinning. A few insightful people founded factories to make quilts with silk infilling. These quilts soon made a name for themselves. The silk quilts industry has become Zhenze’s signature industry, which enables local people to lead an affluent and contented life.
Silkworms and mulberries are symbols of Zhenze. Silk is the soul of the town. Public sericulture schools broadened local people’s horizon and helped them acquire a global vision. Jiangfeng Agricultural and Industrial Bank pioneered private banking in China. The winding Ditang River is a “Water Silk Road” in modern China. The practices of cultivating mulberries, breeding silkworms, peeling cocoons and spinning silk have been handed down for centuries and are sure to continue indefinitely.
The highly developed silk weaving industry has been the motivating force for Zhenze’s economic boom, cultural advance, and abundant delicacies. Since the dawn of the new century, Zhenze has spared great efforts to develop its silk weaving industry. The favorable location, suitable moment and people’s unity have helped the local silk weaving industry become even more prosperous. Led by those silk quilt producers with such famous brands as “Ciyun,” “Jili,” “Taihu Snow,” “Shanshui,” and “Silk Cube,” the silk quilt enterprises experienced highly vigorous growth in 2008. Over 150 enterprises in the town were engaged in producing silk quilts and related raw and auxiliary materials, whose sales volume of silk quilts in the national market reached 24%. One million quality silk quilts were exported to Eastern Europe, North America, Russia and other countries and regions. The export value accounted for 37% of what was achieved by the national silk quilt industry. In 2013, Zhenze was awarded the title as “China’s Silk Town.” In 2015, the town boasted in two China’s well-known trademarks, five provincial famous-brand products and well-known trademarks, over ten municipal famous-brand products and well-known trademarks. The town produced three million silk quilts, one million tons of silk raw materials, one million sets of silk bedding, and one million silk scarfs and garments, which were sold to more than 130 cities at home and abroad. Silk products manufactured in Zhenze also included home textiles and product ranges for other purposes. In the same year, the sales revenue of silk quilts and products series reached 1.2 billion yuan.
Due to its developed economy and illustrious history, Zhenze takes pride in a large variety of delicacies. The unique natural environment helps develop a food culture with distinct local color. Zhenhu’s farm cuisine has a long history and features “freshness, naturalness, localness and novelty.” Farmers living in Zhenze have inherited the local farm cuisine from generation to generation. In the Xia Dynasty, when feeling homesick, Da Yu would eat square rice cakes. Xi Shi and Fan Li cooked crabs and shrimps. Zhang Zhihe loved small whitebaits. Lu Guimeng entertained his guests with duck dishes. Emperor Qianlong thought highly of black dried bean curd. Fei Xiaotong drank smoked bean tea. The varied dishes, snacks and refreshments contribute to the formation of the farm cuisine unique to the areas around Taihu Lake. Those famous dishes and inviting traditional snacks satisfy the taste buds of visitors and remain unforgettable to those who have just taken a bite.
The construction plan for the picturesque ancient town gives full consideration to its harmonious merger with the natural environment. The townspeople enjoy not only their traditional culture and charm of this ancient town but also a leisurely and contented life. Zhenze holds a large variety of cultural activities for the locals. There are 12 teams focusing on different sports and cultural activities. About 18,000 people do exercise regularly. The town has successively won awards in various cultural and sports competitions organized by Wujiang District and the City of Suzhou. The performance “Joyful Zhenze” enriched local people’s spiritual life. Residents here are happy because more energetic young people have moved to this once a bit lonely town. The alleys used to be quiet but now entertain numerous tourists. Those life routines now become precious scenes photographers’ eyes. Zhenze really deserves the title — “China’s Town of Well-Being.”
Silk has been the theme of Zhenze’s growth. It helps to develop a chain of green economy and industries which integrates agricultural sightseeing, industrial tourism, enjoyment of local delicacies and ecotourism. The construction of this beautiful town does not cease. The project combines characteristic industries, tourism, protection of ecosystem, and the building of its new town area. The town’s past glory and latest trend complement each other. Zhenze will become a town appealing to the general public with its charm as a classic water town in the south of the Yangtze River. It will be more suitable for tourism, business, residence, and cultural activities in the future. In the campaign of constructing modern new towns, Zhenze’s performance is sure to be magnificent.
Zhenze is an appealing place that one will constantly miss.
