IFreeing.

Places, connected

Explore the region

Follow lakes, rivers and coast to find the cities and places in the magazine.

Eastern China
Hangzhou Jiaxing West Lake Lingyin Temple Qiantang River China Tea Museum China National Silk Museum Longjing Village Wuzhen Xitang South Lake · Nanhu Yuehe · Moon River Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion Zhoushan Mount Putuo Suzhou Nanjing Yangzhou Wuxi Zhenjiang Xuzhou Huai'an Humble Administrator’s Garden Pingjiang Historic District Tongli Retreat and Reflection Garden Nanjing City Wall Zhongshan / Purple Mountain Qinhuai and the Examination Quarter China Grand Canal Museum Salt Merchant Culture Exhibition Hall Geyuan Garden Dongguan Street Slender West Lake Taihu and Lihu Huishan Ancient Town Yixing Jinshan Temple Jiaoshan Stele Forest Shizishan Chu King's Tomb Xuzhou Han Stone Relief Art Museum Qingjiang Lock and the Li Canal Hexia and Wu Cheng'en's Memorial Residence Zhouzhuang Niushoushan

Selected waterways · simplified geography

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Jiaxing.

Waterways, working hands.

In northern Zhejiang, between Shanghai and Hangzhou, Jiaxing names both a city and the wider region around it. Wuzhen, in Tongxiang, and Xitang, in Jiashan, are distinct towns within that region. Start with their different ways of living beside water, then return to South Lake and the canal-side streets of the city itself.

A stone bridge spans Jiaxing's Grand Canal beside white-walled buildings and a tree-lined path.
The Grand Canal in Jiaxing, photographed in January 2024.

When the river is a street

Lit windows and white walls stand directly above a quiet canal in Wuzhen.

A doorway, a bridge and a stretch of roof reveal how Jiaxing's waterways gave everyday life its shape.

A roof, a landing and a bridge make the water towns easier to read. Each place has its own answer at the waterline.

Read the story

Two water towns, and room for the city

Wuzhen and Xitang have their own stories. South Lake and Yuehe offer lighter pauses within Jiaxing.

An overhead view of Wuzhen shows tiled roofs, a narrow canal and a small bridge.

Jiaxing

Wuzhen

Canal-side rooms, blue cloth and a contemporary stage give this water town three different ways to draw you in.

 Tiled roofs and covered walkways line a canal in Xitang.

Jiaxing

Xitang

Follow the covered river edge, then cross a bridge and enter the narrow space between houses.

City corners

Bare branches frame South Lake, with buildings faintly visible on the opposite shore.
A short introduction

South Lake · Nanhu

Open water and Yanyu Tower give Jiaxing a quieter, wider view, with a short piece of modern history.

 White walls and timber-fronted buildings face a narrow watercourse in Yuehe.
A short introduction

Yuehe · Moon River

A restored district of water, small bridges and shopfronts brings the city back to walking pace.

A pattern, patiently made

Long blue-and-white patterned cloths hang from wooden poles beneath a blue sky.

A Cloth Learns to Be Blue

At Wuzhen’s indigo workshop, a pattern takes shape by keeping parts of the cloth away from the dye.

Follow the white shapes through a blue cloth, from a careful covering of paste to a courtyard of hanging fabric.

Read the story

An old town finds a new stage

Three performers link outstretched arms in a black-and-white stage photograph.

When the Town Becomes a Stage

Wuzhen’s theatre festival brings performances into courtyards, lanes and other shared spaces, turning the old town into a modern cultural venue.

Wuzhen adds contemporary theatre to the uses of its lanes, bridges and courtyards.

Read the story

A landscape, folded small

Rows of leaf-wrapped zongzi tied with white string sit beside bowls of ingredients.

Rice, folded in a leaf

Jiaxing's zongzi turns a few ordinary materials into a compact lesson in texture, shape and handwork.

Rice, a broad leaf and a few precise movements bring the wider region to the scale of one parcel.

Read the story

Follow the things that connect

Buildings, materials and human uses offer paths beyond a single destination.

Architecture & craftHalls, stone and the knowledge carried by things.

A closer look

This journal follows the things that give a place its particular shape: a covered street, a protected white pattern, a lake within the city. Choose a thread, read a little further, and leave room for the next discovery.

Photo credits and rights
  1. The Grand Canal in Jiaxing, photographed in January 2024.Windmemories · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Resized; WebP conversion.
  2. A winter view across South Lake, January 2024.Windmemories · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Resized; WebP conversion.
  3. The close waterline of Jiaxing's Yuehe district, January 2024.Windmemories · CC BY-SA 4.0 Photo source ↗ Rights information ↗ Resized; WebP conversion.