A galaxy of advanced culture, talent

As the place where silk, Chinese calligraphy brush pens, tea, porcelain and wine originated, Huzhou is known as the "land of plenty, house of silk and the state of legendary culture". From as long ago as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Huzhou has enjoyed a reputation for being bountiful. As the saying goes: "If Suzhou and Huzhou celebrate good harvests, the whole country benefits from it".

The Hu Calligraphy Brush - one of the four traditional writing materials of Chinese stationery comprising the ink brush, ink, Chinese Xuan paper and ink slabs - is made in Huzhou. Elsewhere, the Qianshanyang archeological site has been known as the "source of silk textiles in the world" since some fabric dating back over 4,000 years was unearthed there in the 1950s. 

Hu Silk produced by Huzhou won the gold medal at the famous 1851 World Expo held in London, marking the first move by China to participate in such an international event. Meanwhile, Lu Yu's Cha Jing (The Classic of Tea) is said to be the first monograph about tea culture in the world.

Huzhou has always valued literature and education highly and cultivated great talent. It abounded in such local celebrities as Meng Jiao and Shen Jiaben. Meanwhile the ancient city also attracted renowned painters and calligraphers, who were known as pioneers of the schools they represented. That is why, as the saying goes, that half of the history of Chinese painting and calligraphy belongs to Huzhou.

Ever since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279), there have been 19 Zhuangyuan (the No 1 scholars in ancient Chinese imperial examinations) and more than 1,500 Jinshi  (successful candidates in the imperial exams) in Huzhou's history. From the time of the founding of the People's Republic of China, 40 academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering have come from Huzhou.