Hi. I'm Gavin Van Hinsbergh from the UK. I've been living in Guilin since 2005 and working at China Highlights since 2008. I enjoy my job editing web content as I learn a lot of interesting things about China. I hope the information we provide is useful to you and you will come and discover China for yourself.

 

Wuzhen (East) Water Town, near Hangzhou

Nov. 8, 2011

Wuzhen is one of China’s quaint and atmospheric “water towns” in the Shanghai Delta area. I went there with my wife in 2009 as part of our tour of Hangzhou and Huangshan (the Yellow Mountains). Wuzhen is split into two parts: the east part is set up for tourist day tours; the west part is like a themed holiday resort, with guest houses, hotels and restaurants in traditional wooden buildings. Here I will cover the east part. The east part of Wuzhen, known as Dongzha (东栅/d... Read More »

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Tunxi Old Town, Huangshan City, Anhui Province

Sep. 5, 2011

Our tour of Huangshan finished with a visit to the old town of Tunxi, after we had descended the Yellow Mountains and visited picturesque and striking Hong Village. Tunxi, the old town in the centre of Huangshan City, is famous for ink production. We got a guided tour of a historic factory where ink tablets and seals are still produced by hand. There was a chance to buy factory products at the end, like ink trays, chops, stamps, and seals. We didn't. ... Read More »

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Hong Village (Hong Cun), Huangshan, Anhui Province

Aug. 10, 2011

After descending Huangshan, the Yellow Mountains, my wife and I were met by our tour guide and we went to Hong Cun (宏村 /hong tswnn/). Hong Cun, literally Spacious Village, is famous for being the set for Jiang Yimou’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It is a beautiful ancient village frequented by painters capturing the blend of water, willows and ancient architecture on canvass. Walking through the narrow streets one can visit many historic residences with antique furniture and beautifull... Read More »

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