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WUZHEN, a town with a history of 1200 years, is just 50 minutes' drivefrom Hangzhou City. This small town,with its black tiled, tung oilpainted timber framework houses, that contrast sharply with its white walls and gray flagging,brings to mind a Chinese ink and wash painting. The river running through the town was once the main means of transportation for local people, but these days is little used, other than for festive celebrations, when bulk cargo is shipped in. The window sills of the houses on the banks of the river are further extended with boards, on which flowers, plants and bonsai bloom in the warm sunshine, adding a touch of life and color to this tranquil, oldstyle town.

Local residents pay little attention to tourists, preferring to get on with their work, or to pass the time of day with their neighbors. The elderly like to gather in the pavilion at the head of the bridge, and talk over everyday matters.

There are some well preserved Ming and Qing dynasty buildings in the town, formerly the homes of those rich enough to escape me social turbulence of past centuries, and who chose Wuzhen as the place to build them or its out-of-the-way location and convenient transportation. There are several ancient villas and gardens in the town, of which the Zhu Family Hall is the most famous. Built in the !ate Qing Dynasty, the house has two stories, each with a hall floored in square bricks -- unusual for civil buildings in south China at that time. The Xu Family Hall is noted for the carvings that decorate every wooden section of its structure, and it has consequently been converted into a wood carving and architectural museum. The Jin Family Hall and the adjacent Wang Family Hall combine to form the Wuzhen Folklore Museum. where visitors may see exhibits and displays of local customs when celebrating weddings. birthdays and festi- vals.

In the town center is a small square with a high stage.The actors, mostly local peopleI , perform Shaoxing, Peking and flowerdrum operas, all for tree. as members of the audience mill around the square, cominco and going as they please. It is said that perfor mances were origi- nally dedicated to the gods wor- shiped in the Xiuzhen Temple. opposite the stage. One of the three most renowned Taoist temples in south China. the Xiuzhen Temple has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in its histo- ry. and lost much of its former splendor in the process. A giant abacus, rather than a tablet. hangs over its gate. engraved on both sides with the couplet: "Man may have one thousand schemes, but God has just one disposition." Another noteworthy feature 1.000-year-old gingko tree.