Wuzhen Through the Magic of Google

The map shows the layout of Wuzhen, as provided by the town's official website.  The town is built around the river that runs horizontally through the center.  The main entrance for tourists is on the right hand side.  At the far left is the Grand Canal, which would have been the lifeblood of Wuzhen when it was first established.  Hangzhou is the next major town to the South, and also the Southern terminus.  Suzhou is the next major town to the North.  When the people of Wuzhen flush their toilets, the water flows toward Suzhou and the Yangtze river just beyond.

The name "Wuzhen" roughly translates to "black town".  This is what our tour guide told us, and she explained the reason to be that the buildings of Wuzhen are all covered with black tile roofs and dark wood siding.  

The satellite view from Google Maps shows that this is an apt name.  The old town of Wuzhen stands out from its surroundings as patches of black roofs separated by lines of water.  The photo below is courtesy of Google Maps.  Click on THIS LINK to go directly to Google's view of Wuzhen.  If you magnify you will be able to see the bridges of Wuzhen as well as the canal boats traveling the river.   If you scroll to the left, you will be able to find the Grand Canal and see that it is still very much in use by large barges travelling up to the Yangtze.  The photo below shows one such barge.  Just below the barge is the Wuzhen pagoda.  If you look closely you will see its square roofs towering above the surrounding houses.