Shanlian () is a small town located in northern
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
province in
China, in the
Nanxun District of the
prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure.
During the Republican era, many of China ...
Huzhou. It is renowned as the sole source of the prized Huzhou
writing brush
Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically inscribed, mechanically transferred, or digitally represented symbols.
Writing systems do not themselves constitute ...
, which has been manufactured in the town for over 2,000 years.
An extensive canal system criss-crosses the town, and a good deal of agriculture is done in the outlying areas surrounding the town. In addition there are extensive groves of
mulberry bushes grown throughout the district for
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
production. The land upon which the town is built is made up of very gentle, rolling fields, and the climate is quite temperate - snow in the winter is possible but rare. Agriculture is possible nearly the whole year round.
, a large new
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
is currently under construction next door to the old temple. It is planned to eventually include the old temple grounds. The east side of town has been experiencing significant growth for several years now, while the older, western part of town is very gradually being abandoned.
Image gallery
Image:ShanLian.jpg, View of ShanLian
Image:Shanlian_-_East_side_of_town_looking_south.jpg, East end of town looking south
References
External links
Huzhou Writing BrushShort video clip of Hu writing brushes being manufacturedShort video clip of one of the main streets in town
Cities in Zhejiang
{{Zhejiang-geo-stub