Wuzhen

Wuzhen (literally "black town") could well be named after its distinctive color scheme. Li Bin

Small bridges; flowing water; private households.

This is a line from an ancient poem, and it captures the charm of a southern Chinese town more aptly than any other description.

Hangzhou of Zhejiang province and Suzhou of Jiangsu province are often nicknamed the "twin paradises on earth". In between these cities are dotted some 200 small towns connected by a web of canals. Here, the land is flat, the water gentle, grain and silk the major products, the architecture subdued and the people gentle.

Paved roads only arrived recently, so people always traveled by boat. Still today, they ride in a bamboo-covered boat powered by a single oar, which is maneuvered by the boat's owner. The oar has a hole that is stuck in a round protruding stick and with each push and pull, it gives out a crisp sound that is both melodious and rhythmic. Coupled with the splashing of water and the occasional singing of Kunqu Opera wafting from one of the gray-walled residences or gardens, it is the sound of a town that lulls you into its restrained beauty.

This is a land of literary giants and of tranquility and abundance, where natural disasters rarely befall and wars happened thousands of years ago. Here, people don't build palatial homes to rival the imperial grandeur of the north, but tuck them away behind a veil of muted colors.

All of the towns are built on at least one river and stone bridges are everywhere. Streets are paved with stone slabs, which, after hundreds of years, have become smooth and slippery. Some houses face the river on one side, each with a private dock, and the street on the other.

Many of these towns suffered dilapidation during the late 20th century but since the 1990s, there has been a tourism-driven effort to restore their former glory. Here are seven of the towns that have gained recognition for being superb representations of southern charisma.