Wujiang is a district of Suzhou, located on the eastern side of Lake Tai in Jiangsu Province (China). It is an area famous for its silk production, fish farming and industrial activities. Today, despite the massive urbanization of the Yangtze River Delta, this region still retains a rural character mixed with a widespread industrial atmosphere.

The city of Suzhou was recently acknowledged as one the UNESCO Creative Cities (2014), silk embroidery being a pillar of the city’s creative industries. Apart from this dynamic sector, traditional local textile activities are still practised in several rural villages of Wujiang. In the village of Shuang Wan Cun, for example, ancillary textile production has been successfully revitalized through online selling, creating new jobs and attracting migrants to the village. In the process of modernization of the entire district, Wujiang is aiming to create new urban developments and tourist facilities, particularly along the lake. Nevertheless, the local government is also keen to develop policies to support rural tourism and strengthen the cultural roots of the local rural economy. For this purpose, a Chinese Folk Museum and the Fei Xiaotong Memorial Museum were established in 2010 in the nearby village of Kaixiangong.

Source: Giulio Verdini, Culture as a tool for harmonious territorial development