Slow boat to China: Incredible photos reveal serene river town where the waterways are streets and riverbanks are markets

While the Great Wall Of China is the very obvious tourist destination, the river-town of Wuzhen is one that should be on the must-see list if you are in the area.

Located in the centre of the six ancient towns south of Yangtze River, 17 kilometres (10.56 miles) north of the city of Tongxiang, Wuzhen displays its history in its ancient stone bridges floating on mild water, its stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings.

Wuzhen has a population of 60,000, although only 12,000 of these are believed to be permanent residents.

And today people from all over the world will be able to enjoy its beauty as the world's first internet conference is held there, focusing on topical issues in cyberspace, including cyber security, online anti-terrorism crackdown, mobile network and cross-border e-commerce.

All the buildings face onto the river, the waterways are the streets and the riverbanks are where the markets spring from. Civilisation of the town dates back some 7,000 years and it lies within the triangle formed by Hangzhou, Suzhou and Shanghai.

Mao Dun, a renowned modern Chinese revolutionary writer, was born in Wuzhen, and his well-known work, 'The Lin's Shop', describes the life of Wuzhen. In 1991, Wuzhen was authorized as the Provincial Ancient Town of History and Culture and ranked first among the six ancient towns south of the Yangtze River.