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Wuzhen
 Endowed with natural beauties, Wuzhen is also renowned for
humanities contribution. The land has cultivated a Chinese literary giant Mao
Dun, who made remarkable achievements in literature. In his honor, the Mao Dun
Literature Prize was initiated and is awarded to outstanding Chinese
contemporary writers. In Mao Dun's famous works like "Lin Family's Store" (Lin
Jia Pu Zi) and "Incense Fair" (Xiang Shi), the lives of the local Wuzhen people
are vividly dramatized.
However, some say that it is not Mao Dun but the
poetic television series Si Shui Nian Hua starring singer-actress Rene Liu that
has aroused a new surge of national interest in the scenic Wuzhen town. This is
true to some extent, as more lovers have since focused their good eyes on the
romantic land. Si Shui Nian Hua is set in the sequestered region of Wuzhen where
fine creeks, elegant bridges, and graceful willows relate not only love but also
human beings' inner-self when exposed to modernity.
It is fair to say
that the value of a scenic spot lies in the rich heritage of cultural relics.
Wuzhen is just the place that satisfies appreciative visitors. The following
descriptions are expected to bring you the local customs of the town.
 "Incense Fair"
The ancient
"Incense Fair" (Xiangshi) festival, also called the Temple
Fair, is held in March each year. The festival dates back to the Tang Dynasty.
Mao Dun's "Incense Fair," notes that the fair lasts two weeks.
During
this time, varieties of local dramas are staged, such as typical Chinese
shadow-puppet shows and local flower-drum operas. Besides, native vaudevilles
are displayed, including acrobatics
, juggling, walks on white boats, and the folk art "Santiao." What's more, the
ancient form of Chinese trading business is dramatized in the Fair. The local
farmers sell many handicrafts at the festival. That is why the festival is
called a fair.
Actually, the fair is a tribute to Buddha. The resident
Buddhists from the neighborhoods pay their respects to the gods and burn incense
for them to ask for lucky fortunes.
In a word, the "Incense Fair" is the
epitome of the traditional Chinese lifestyle. Maybe the lively scenes would
remind a fortunate Scotch of the ancient Scarborough Fair.
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