Beyond the megacities, China’s ancient towns are where old China survives — walled streets, courtyard houses, canals and lantern-lit lanes. They make a wonderful contrast to the skylines.
The best ones
- Pingyao (Shanxi) — a complete, walled Ming/Qing town; walk the ramparts and old banking streets.
- Lijiang (Yunnan) — cobbled lanes and canals beneath snow peaks, home to the Naxi people.
- Jiangnan water towns — Zhujiajiao, Wuzhen and Suzhou’s canals, easy day trips from Shanghai and Hangzhou — see my favourite city for a Shanghai-plus-water-towns plan.
- Fenghuang (Hunan) — stilt houses over the river, especially pretty at night.
Wuzhen — the water town to beat
If you only do one, make it Wuzhen (乌镇). Set in Tongxiang, Jiaxing (Zhejiang) — neatly between Shanghai and Hangzhou — it’s the best-preserved and most atmospheric of the Jiangnan water towns: a maze of stone bridges, black-tiled stilt houses leaning over green canals, and lantern-lit lanes.
Wuzhen (乌镇) — black-tiled stilt houses over the canals of this thousand-year-old Zhejiang water town.
- Two scenic zones. Dongzha (East Gate) is smaller — a half-day stroll through workshops for indigo cloth-dyeing, rice wine and the home of writer Mao Dun. Xizha (West Gate) is bigger, more beautiful, and magical after dark — this is the one to prioritise.
- Stay overnight in Xizha. Book a canal-side inn inside the West zone so you have the lantern-lit lanes to yourself once the day-trippers leave — it’s the whole point.
- Culture too. Wuzhen hosts the acclaimed annual Wuzhen Theatre Festival (autumn) and the World Internet Conference, giving the old town a surprising creative buzz.
Wuzhen’s Xizha (West) zone after dark — the lantern-lit canals are why you stay overnight.
Getting there: about 1–1.5 hours from Shanghai (high-speed rail to Tongxiang or Jiaxing, then a short taxi/shuttle, or a direct tourist bus) and ~1 hour from Hangzhou. See my favourite city for a Shanghai-plus-water-towns plan.
Getting there
Most are reached by high-speed rail plus a short transfer; book on Trip.com. Day tours to the water towns are on Klook.
Tips
- Stay overnight to enjoy the towns once the day-trippers leave — they’re magical in the evening.
- The popular ones get very busy; go early or midweek.
- Many charge a town entrance or “maintenance” fee on top of attractions.
