Just south of HuZhou is the ancient town of Nanxun. It is a small town that is built around the canals that crisscross the area below Tai Hu. Life on these canals is prehistoric. Nanxun in the past was the center for the very richest of the rich of Chinese business men that had their businesses in Shanghai. This area is also the beginning of the Silk Road to the West. The richest were known as elephants and during the Qing Dynasty one of the elephants was said to be richer than the country of France. It is a great way to spend the day wandering through the town and the magnificent gardens. The largest private library in China is also there storing hundreds of thousands of books. It is a miracle that it survived all of the turmoil of the 20th Century. It’s a beautiful place to visit.

Austin

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