Kill copycats, open floodgates of creativity

As many visitors to Zhejiang province know, some of the region's top draws are the ancient watertowns along the Grand Canal where major cultural figures and ideas throughout Chinese history have sprung.

But one of the main impressions I got from my recent trip down south turned out to be a repeated warning I received from travel guides instead.

"Souvenirs or silk please remember not to buy anything from vendors or shops on the tourist site because the goods will most likely be fake," went Su Fei, a guide for the picturesque town of Wuzhen.