Wuzhen is undoubtedly one of the most popular Chinese towns among the foreigner communities, due to a series of events taking place there in the past few years. (Photos/Courtesy of Wuzhen Tourism Co., Ltd)
"There was an immersive theater done by Feng Jiangzhou last year, and many people couldn't understand it - someone even asked for a ticket refund. But I didn't receive any pressure (from Chen). They didn't say a word; nothing like, 'you should choose things that are popular among audience' - nothing at all," Meng said.
Overseas visitors were also impressed by the pure and free artistic atmosphere during WTF.
Yu Kwok-lit, executive director of Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, praised the quality of WTF by comparing its comprehensiveness and professionalism in live performances with Disney's theme park, which only features its own franchise characters.
"Avignon and Venice also combine tourism and arts very well, but it took them many more years to grow naturally to what they like today," Yu told the Global Times, noting that "Wuzhen speed" is maybe only possible in China.
Tourism-plus mode
Chen is widely seen as one of the most significant of the "right people" in developing Wuzhen. Growing up in Wuzhen, Chen left the town to work at the Tongxiang government before a fire in the western part of the town drew him back in 1999. That's when he evolved his role from a governmental official to a businessman in tourism.
Back then, a nearby ancient town named Zhouzhuang had been very famous among tourists. With this in mind, Chen had been thinking about how to make Wuzhen stand out among other ancient water towns. And to infuse cultural contents to tourist site was his solution, which the WTCL termed as "tourism-plus."
In the light of tourism-plus, in the eastern part of Wuzhen, which officially opened in 2001, Chen highlighted the former residences of Chinese writer Mao Dun and Mu Xin, and invited shadow play artists as well as local opera performers to enrich tourist activities. As a result, the scenic spot received 1 million tourists and managed to make ends meet in the first year.
When Chen planned the western part of Wuzhen in 2004, he hoped it would be different from the eastern part by providing an enjoyable lifestyle in a traditional town.
He drew the town plan for himself, which included every possible detail such as the location of staircases inside a house, the changing heights of roofs, and even the shape of the trash cans on the street.
The new scenic area was equipped with liquefied gas, sewage-treatment systems and Internet access to ensure amenities for tourists not unlike in the major cities. The historical buildings remained, and some were renovated into well-appointed hotels.
All of this effort goes a long way into making Wuzhen the "right place" to host influential events in China. Following WTF and WIC, WTCL hasn't stopped cultivating the town into a cultural and artistic center.
Last year, WTCL opened Mu Xin Art Museum beside the Wuzhen Grand Theatre to commemorate Mu's artistic and literary achievements, as well as to present varied art exhibitions in the future.
Saturday, it unveiled an exhibition dedicated to theater masters Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu, who both passed away 400 years ago, and is displaying collections from British Royal Shakespeare Company and the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Museum.
Earlier this year, the town held the first Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhibition, inviting 50 artists from around the globe to create works for public display from March to June.
In December, the town will hold a new art program, to run for half a year, featuring the Weta Workshop, co-founded by Sir Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Although some artistic programs are operating at a loss, WTCL will not reduce investment in them, Chen Yu said, as she and Chen Xianghong believe cultural investment is for the long-term benefit for the society, at least for people live in and around the town.
And now WTCL has replicated the tourism-plus to more sites managed by the company. In Beijing W Town, located in a suburb of the capital, the company has exploited the area's history and culture through different themed areas and has renovated and built traditional houses of northern China for accommodation.
Besides Wuzhen, WTCL this year opened a new tourist site called Wu Cun, which resembles a traditional village in southern China.
There tourists will have a hands-on experience in various farmers' activities, such as growing rice, raising fowl, fishing, as well as making some handicrafts with local materials. Different from common village tourism, Wu Cun also offers professional workshops in art, dance and yoga.
Yao Jie, general manager of sales department of WTCL, told the Global Times that Wu Cun has proved popular among tourists from big cities by providing them a laid-back lifestyle and getaway from the hustle and bustle of urban life.
