ENRICO MARTINO

Hundreds of years of history, Chinese-ink-painting-like-scenery, traditional houses built on waterways and interesting folk customs are their comment features, while they have unique attributes distinguishing them from each other. Shelled along the Grand Imperial Canal, the longest in the world, Luzhi, Wuzhen, Tong Li and Shaoxing reveal a different world of water and stone almost unchanged since the days of Marco Polo, hiding a cultural and architectural heritage elsewhere wiped out by centuries of destruction. Over one million visitors, mostly Chinese flock every year on the 14 stone bridges in Zhouzhuang in search of atmospheres that have inspired generations of artists, made of boats that glide silently under trees stone bridges and labyrinths of channels in which the lights am reflecting silhouettes of ancient buildings. Zhouzhang crisscrossed by a network of canals that connect to the rivers and lakes, Tong Li nicknamed as the Little Venice of the East, Wuzhen especially noted for its history and culture, images of a millenary China almost disappeared, but anyone who sees it for the first time have the feeling of recognition. And in a sense it is true, because from here started the long march in a few years has made China the third largest film industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood. Often the stories were set in the China of the past, in order to avoid an embarrassing forays into this too controlled by censorship. So towns like Zhouzhuang have become popular among the Chinese public and international because today also Hollywood, launched the conquest of the most populous market of Asia looks forward to these potential locations.