Nine centuries of history whisper through Quzhou's Shuitingmen

Shuitingmen, also known as the Grand West Gate, rests on the banks of the Qujiang River in Quzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. First built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Shuitingmen has stood silent guard over the city for nearly 900 years, witnessing dynasties rise and fall. 

Past the gate's lofty archway, the "Three Streets and Seven Lanes" historic quarter unfolds like a fairy tale with Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) style buildings standing side by side with ancestral halls, temples and modern shops. 

Known as the "Home of Southern Confucianism," the city of Quzhou in Zhejiang has adopted the image of Grandpa Confucius as its logo, and you will find it stamped on every corner around the streets of the Historical and Cultural Block.

Here, the familiar rhythms of city life are underscored by echoes of a charmed past.