Wuzhen is an ancient water town with well-preserved 16th-century buildings – which makes it the perfect setting for drama, literature and art. With Wuzhen celebrating its 10th theater festival, we interviewed an important figure behind its huge success, Chen Xianghong, president of Wuzhen Tourism and founder of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival. Wang Siwen has more.
Chen: We position Wuzhen as a cultural town
“In fact, I don’t have that distinctive label. As a local here, I have been preparing everything from scratch for Wuzhen since 1999. Everything my team and I have done will hopefully turn our hometown into an extraordinary place. I think the requirements have been different for each stage of the process. When we first started, we hoped more people would learn about Wuzhen and more tourist groups would come here, which was the so-called tourism stage. Then, we built Xizha, and we called ourselves a resort town. We hoped that more people would stay overnight and hold meetings in Wuzhen, and understand Wuzhen’s history. Then, we found that China’s ancient towns were booming but there was an unavoidable phenomenon – homogenization – which was becoming more and more severe. Red lanterns were being hung everywhere. There is nothing wrong with red lanterns, but they cover over the characteristics of a town. I believe every town has its own uniqueness. So, we positioned Wuzhen as a cultural town, which was our main ambition, because we wanted more youngsters to get to learn about this place, and we had to rely on the power of culture to maintain that connection between Wuzhen and the outside world.”
Chen: Wuzhen’s tourism development as a ‘long-term strategy’
“It takes 10 years to grind a sword, so the festival was not like this in the beginning. For the next 10 years, we will set more goals for ourselves. We are not in a rush. It’s like laying down a layer of soil, and adding another layer, until it accumulates. It is really important that we aren’t eager for quick success, and that we think about achieving our goals every day. We have to remain very down-to-earth.”
Chen: You will discover Wuzhen’s beauty by living there
“I am from Wuzhen, and my mother still lives on this old street. Of course, I am familiar with Wuzhen. If you took a photo anywhere, I will know where you took it. I think every part of Wuzhen is beautiful. Many people ask me, what is the best way to appreciate it? I just tell them to stay here and live for a while. You will find more beauty besides scenery.”
Chen: Wuzhen wants to hold a centennial theater festival
“I am very glad that I chose the theater festival as the most important aspect of Wuzhen culture. We did not follow a trend. As I talk to you now, I saw the small bridge and flowing water, and then I saw actors and actresses walking by, and young theater lovers performing on the streets. The river is still the river. If I had done something else, the city wouldn’t have become what it is today. After 10 years, Wuzhen has become “young” and the festival is the highlight of the town. If it is held for another 10 years, 20 years or even 100 years in the future, Wuzhen will have the brand of a Centennial Theater Festival, which other cities won’t. I think that’s a big difference.”
Theater festival sparks tourism-driven revitalization in Wuzhen
“I’ll say it in a vulgar way – the more you do, the more you are afraid, and the more cautious you become. When Wuzhen started to develop in the beginning, we made decisions very quickly, but today, we are very cautious. Wuzhen is a magical place. You have to be careful what you put in and what you take away.
I think future protection will develop through reuse. Now we have the Mao Dun Literary Award presentation, contemporary art exhibitions, art galleries, and we are also preparing for literature weeks and poetry festivals. Every time I get off work from the high-tech internet industry, I have a strange feeling that on one side is tradition, while the other is modernity. One side is the humanities, while the other is technology. One side is sensibility, while the other is rationality. That combination makes Wuzhen one of the most beautiful towns in China –because it is full of vitality.”