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Backgrounder: Zhouzhuang Boat and Zhouzhuang Town
The 2001 APEC MRT Meeting that started Wednesday morning in Shanghai will move its venue this afternoon to Zhouzhuang, a renowned ancient waterside town in Jiangsu Province, east China.
The thousand-year-old Zhouzhuang Town in Kunshan city is some 100 kilometers west to Shanghai. A huge "Zhouzhuang Boat", which costs some eight million yuan (964,000 U.S. dollars was specially built as the waterborne venue for the APEC MRT meeting, the highest international conference the ancient town has ever hosted.
The 54-meter-long and 15.3-meter-wide boat-shaped convention center, which represents the typical architectural styles of folk waterfront residence in south China, was made of 280 tons of steel and equipped with simultaneous interpretation system, air- conditioning and other facilities.
The history of Zhouzhuang Town dates back to the year 1086. With a population of 22,000 at present, it attracted more than 1.5 million tourists both at home and overseas last year, to view its rustic brick bridges, clear water and ancient houses along the rivers. Zhouzhuang Town has been put on the agenda to be included into the World Cultural Heritage List.
The old town proves that China is able to well preserve its folk culture and custom while taking an active part in economic globalization, said Long Yongtu, China's Chief Negotiator with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC), who helped promote Zhouzhuang as the venue of the MRT meeting.
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