With a history of over 2,500 years, Luzhi boasts in a bunch of honorary titles, including “China’s Famous Historic and Cultural Town,” “Small Town with Special Characteristics in China,” “Charming Town with Excellent Traditional Chinese Architecture,” “the National Garden Town,” “the National 4A-level Scenic Site,” “Township with a Beautiful Environment in China,” “A Key Town in China,” and “the National Livable Town.” The town ranked the 91st among “China’s Top Thousand Most Competitive Towns in Terms of Comprehensive Strength” in 2018. It is the first town nationwide which passed the ISO14001 Environmental Management System certification.
In 2016, Wuzhong District proposed an overall plan for its distribution of productive forces, featuring “one core, one axis, and one belt.” In other words, the urban area serves as the core, advanced manufacturing the axis, and ecological and cultural tourism the belt. The three sectors are interdependent, complementary, and mutually motivating. The axis of advance manufacturing has Luzhi and Xukou on its two ends to connect to the development zone, comprehensive bonded zone and other industrial belts, stretching from the east to the west of Wuzhong District. As an important link of this axis, Luzhi has acted according to its own circumstances and developed the mold industry for more than 20 years. After its selection as one of the first batch of “Small Towns with Special Characteristics in China,” Luzhi is becoming increasingly famous for its name as a “small town of mold manufacturing.
Luzhi is located in the east of Wuzhong District of Suzhou, bordering Wusong River in the north, Chenghu Lake in the south, Suzhou Industrial Park and Wuzhong Economic and Technological Development Zone in the west, and Kunshan City in the east.
Luzhi was formerly known as Fuli. Legend has it that King Helv of Wu State built his temporary palace in the southwest corner in the present town area. Later King Fuchai of the State constructed the Wutong Garden in the north corner of the town. There was a village within a mile radius, so it was named Fuli. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, the village belonged to the State of Gouwu. It was successively under the jurisdiction of the three feudal states, namely Wu, Yue, and Chu during the Zhou Dynasty. Wu County was established in the Qin Dynasty, and then Fuli was under its jurisdiction. In the early Tang Dynasty, Wu County experienced several rounds of divisions and mergers. Throughout history, Luzhi has been under the jurisdiction of Changzhou County, Yuanhe County, Wu County, Wuxian City, and Wuzhong District in succession.
A Town of Bridges
The ancient town Luzhi is famous for its numerous stone bridges, so the town has long been referred to as “seventy-two and a half bridges.” Chen Weizhong’s Chronicles of Fuli in Wu County compiled during Emperor Kangxi’s reign of the Qing Dynasty recorded that there were 56 stone bridges in Fuli. According to Peng Fangzhou’s version of Chronicles of Fuli in Wu County written during Emperor Qianlong’s reign, Fuli accommodated 58 ones. In Xu Qi’s Draft Chronicles of Fuli completed during Emperor Guangxu’s reign, the number of bridges in Fuli increased to sixty-seven. In 1986, “Watercourses, Embankments and Ancient Bridges in Luzhi” were listed as a cultural relics package of protection of Wuxian County. In 2001, it was upgraded to a cultural relics protection unit of Suzhou.
Many ancient bridges in Luzhi’s old town area are well-preserved. These bridges are varied in style and shape, spanning over Shihe River in the town. They form a string of unique views such as “two bridges within every three steps’ walk,” “one bridge carrying one (two) temple(s),” and “key-shaped double bridges.”
Places of Interest in Luzhi
The Baosheng Temple
The Baosheng Temple, formerly named as the Baoshengjiao Temple, was built in the second year of the Tianjian era in the Southern Liang Dynasty (503). The Baosheng Temple was damaged during the chaos in the late Tang Dynasty and rebuilt in the sixth year of the Xiangfu era of the Song Dynasty (1013). It is said that in its heyday, the temple hosted 5,048 halls and rooms with over one thousand monks.
The cluster of Arhat statues, a national treasure, are kept in the Antiques Museum of the Baosheng Temple. Yang Huizhi, the “master sculptor” of the Tang Dynasty, molded eighteen Arhat statues for the Temple, among which only nine have survived past ups and downs. In 1961, these statues were listed as one of the first key cultural relics units under national-level protection.
The Site of Lu Guimeng
The Site of Lu Guimeng is located in the west courtyard of Baosheng Temple, in which there is a cenotaph for the renowned poet Lu Guimeng. In addition, the courtyard accommodates the Qingfeng Pavilion, the Duck Pond, the Rainbow Bridge and other relics. The cenotaph covers an area of about 1 acre, with a mound of 1.2 metres high. In front of the mound stands a stone tablet inscribed the phrase “Tomb of Sir Fuli, a sage of the Tang Dynasty.”
The Ye Shengtao Memorial Hall
The Ye Shengtao Memorial Hall is on the southwest side of the Baosheng Temple. The plaque over its main gate bearing six inscribed characters — “Ye Shengtao Memorial Hall”— by the famous calligrapher and social activist Zhao Puchu. It functions as an education base of the history of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, a patriotic education base of People’s Education Press, a moral education base for schools in Jiangsu Province, a provincial-level patriotic education base, and one of the first demonstration sites for the cultivation of rule of law culture in Jiangsu Province.
Shen’s House
Shen’s House is on the east side of the Xianghua Bridge. It was built in the ninth year of Emperor Tongzhi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty (1870), with a floorage of 1,000 square metres. The residence hosts delicately carved beams and painted rafters. Its exquisite layout features a typical Suzhou-style. Shen’s House is now a cultural relics unit under the municipal-level protection.
The Wang Tao Memorial Hall
The Wang Tao Memorial Hall is in Nanshi Street of Luzhi. The old residence was built during Emperor Daoguang’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1821—1850). In 1998, it was turned into the Wang Tao Memorial Hall. In July 2009, the memorial was selected into the sixth batch of cultural relics units of Suzhou.
Wansheng Rice Shop
Wansheng Rice Shop, formerly known as Wanshunheng Rice Shop, is a local business with a time-honored brand. The shop was opened in the early years of the Republic of China period. In 1998, it was transformed into a tourist attraction and relocated to the former ancestral hall of the Yin’s house over 100 meters from its original site. The shop showcases a typical rice market in the area south of the Yangtze River during the Republic of China period.
Zhangling Park
Zhangling Park is located at the Zhanglin Mountain which is about 1 kilometre south of Luzhi. In 1990, the town started to build the park. On the east side of the park gate erects a stone tablet with the characters “the Zhangling Mountain Ruins” which marks the park as a cultural relics unit under governmental protection. On the top of the mountain is the Zhangling Temple.
Customs and Specialties in Luzhi
Water-town Women’s Clothes in Luzhi
Women in Luzhi have gradually developed a unique type of clothing while engaged themselves in rice agriculture over the last thousands of years. In May 2006, water-town women’s clothes with Luzhi characteristics were included in the first batch of units for the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Luzhi’s Water-Town Women’s Clothes Museum was set up in September 2010. The exhibition at the museum offers a comprehensive introduction to local women’s clothing via written texts, pictures, and real pieces.
Luzhi’s “Eight Aquatic Delicacies”
Luzhi abounds in “Eight Aquatic Delicacies,” namely Gorgon nut, lotus root, arrowhead, water chestnut, watercress, water caltrop, wild rice stem, and taro.
Luzhi’s Dried Radish
Luzhi’s dried radish was first made by Zhangyuanfeng Sauce Shop in Emperor Daoguang’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1821—1850). “Luzhi Dried Radishes” was acknowledged as a “Suzhou’s Famous Trademark” in 2010. In June 2013, its production craftsmanship was listed in the sixth batch of the representatives of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Suzhou. In November 2014, the production craftsmanship of Luzhi dried radish made the claim to be a unit of the fourth batch of representatives of Jiangsu’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Luzhi’s Cattail Sandals
Cattail sandals made in Luzhi are a product characteristic of rice agriculture. These shoes were mentioned in “Ode to Cattail Sandals” by Liu Zhang, a poet of the Tang Dynasty and in Yun Jian Ju Mu Chao (meaning “records of life in Yunjian” which is today’s Songjiang of Shanghai) by Fan Lian, a writer of the Ming Dynasty. The weaving skills of making Luzhi’s cattail sandals were listed in the fifth batch of units for the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Wuzhong District in November 2014.
Bamboo basketry
Making bamboo basketry is a craftsmanship of a long history, whose impart and inherit depends largely on apprenticeship. In November 2014, the weaving techniques of Luzhi’s bamboo basketry were included in the fifth batch of units for the Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Wuzhong District.
The thousand-year-old Luzhi appeals to visitors from home and abroad with its rich history, beautiful environment and profound cultural heritage.
