Why it looks like this

Tradition says tin was mined here in antiquity until the seams emptied, and the town was named for the lack — 'Wu Xi', no tin. What it did have was position: the Grand Canal runs straight through the old town, and Lake Tai, one of China's largest lakes, spreads at its southwest edge.

Canal trade made Wuxi a rice and silk market, and in the early 20th century its merchant families built some of China's first modern mills, making it an industrial pioneer among canal towns. The modern city wraps the old canal core and reaches down to the lake's scenic shores.