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Wuzhen is a historic Jiangnan water town in the north of Tongxiang, administered as part of Jiaxing in northern Zhejiang province, and one of the most famous and most visited water towns in the lower Yangtze delta. Its main scenic area is split into two distinct zones, the East Scenic Zone and the West Scenic Zone, each with its own character, and together they form one of the most complete and most photographed surviving examples of the canal-town landscape that once defined this stretch of the delta.

Within the town, the classic Jiangnan water-town layout unfolds along a network of canals: narrow lanes, stone bridges, whitewashed facades with black-tiled roofs, and rows of old timber-framed houses whose back doors drop directly onto the water. Stone arch bridges cross the canals at intervals, and small wooden boats move along the main waterways, giving the town a working water-bound identity that has been preserved even as the surrounding delta has modernized. Key landmarks include the former residence of the writer Mao Dun, a Wuzhen native and one of modern China's most important novelists, and a network of museums and workshops dedicated to local crafts, indigo dyeing, wine-making, and traditional printing.

The town's identity as a film location has added another layer to its reputation. The well-known Chinese television drama 似水年华, starring popular Chinese actors, was filmed here, and its imagery of lantern-lit lanes and quiet canals has reinforced Wuzhen's profile as the archetypal Jiangnan water town for Chinese audiences. The town is also the long-time host of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival, an annual international performing arts event that transforms the streets and temporary stages into one of the country's most distinctive cultural gatherings each autumn.

Most visitors base themselves overnight in or near the West Scenic Zone to take advantage of the evening illuminations, the slower pace after the day-trip crowds leave, and the early morning calm on the canals. A full Wuzhen visit typically spans one to two days, combining day walks through the East Zone, an evening in the lit-up West Zone, and a boat ride on the canals into a single extended stay rather than a quick day trip.