Wuzhen Shuige (Waterside Pavilions)

The Wuzhen shuige is a traditional dwelling form unique to the Jiangnan water towns: pilings of wood or stone are driven into the riverbed, beams laid across and planks set on top to build a room over the water with windows on three sides, from which one watches the market river pass. It is the soul of Wuzhen's image of "small bridges, flowing water, and households," and was listed in the second batch of Zhejiang provincial intangible heritage in 2007.

Building a shuige means following the lie of the water, raising the house along the river; the piles are sunk and treated against rot, the beams joined by tenon and mortise for firmness, the roof still clad in the white walls and black tiles of the Jiangnan. The dweller leans from a window over the water and a pole becomes a boat, joining daily life to the river traffic and the town's trade.

The shuige is the most telling architectural mark that sets Wuzhen apart from other Jiangnan towns, carrying the dwelling wisdom of a people who live with and upon the water, and holding real value for the study of Jiangnan vernacular building and the ethics of traditional habitation.