Huzhou

Huzhou lies on the southern shore of Lake Tai in northern Zhejiang, the only major city named directly for the great lake. It is an ancient center of the writing-brush craft, the celebrated Hubi brush having been made here for over a thousand years and prized by classical scholars. The elegant water town of Nanxun, with its canals and merchant mansions, is one of the best-preserved of the Jiangnan region. To the west, the cool forested slopes of Mount Mogan became a hill-station retreat dotted with historic villas and, today, boutique resorts. Silk, tea and freshwater fish have long shaped the local economy. High-speed rail connects Huzhou to Hangzhou and Shanghai within an hour.