Zhouzhang is a tranquil ancient town
on the southern side of the Yangtse river. It was set up as a town in
Song
dynasty, and is now subordinate to Kunshan County of Jiangsu Province. The
town proper has an area of 40 hectares and a population of 2,000 people. The town is
crisscrossed by a network of canals, which are spanned by 14 stone arch bridges. There are
many traditional houses of Ming and Qing dynasties which are connected
by narrow alleys called Xiang. More than 60 percent of the present
builings date from Ming and Qing dynasties. Especially the town has huge and beautifully
organized residences of Ming dynasty such as Zhang's
residence. Zhang's residence has a width of 5 bays and a depth of
5 Jin (house-unit). Shen's
residence, the largest house at Zhouzhuang, is located near Fuan Bridge over the central canal. It
consists of the buildings surrounding 5 courtyards which are
longitudinally laid out. It has a width of 5 bays and a depth of about 90m. It was built in
1742. The two residences show the lives and culture of the millionaires
who dwelled there. |