The Web meets the waterways

It is the temporary Internet capital of China.

Wuzhen generally conjures in people's minds romantic visions of its zigzagging waterways. The First World Internet Conference added something fresh last year.

As the Second World Internet Conference returns to this small water town in eastern Zhejiang province, the settlement has put on "smart" clothes to host the country's highest-level fiesta for the Internet-savvy.

The three-day conference, which opened on Wednesday, attracts hundreds of the world's leading Internet conglomerates and entrepreneurs. Eight state leaders and about 50 minister-level officials from other countries are among the guests.

To prepare for the event, more than 400 free Wi-Fi hot spots have been set up to enable Internet access in almost every corner of the town.

Free wireless charging facilities for mobile devices, digital-payment systems for stores, restaurants and guesthouses, as well as online bike-rental networks, breathe new life into the traditional atmosphere created by Wuzhen's waterways and alleyways.

Star Wars helmets are on display at an expo in Wuzhen. Zou Hong / China Daily

Liu Chuanzhi (center), Lenovo's founder and chair, appears in Wuzhen. Zou Hong / China Daily

Xia Baolong (left), Party chief of Zhejiang province, and Lu Wei, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, attend the opening ceremony of the China Internet Museum. Zou Hong / China Daily

Participants take selfies at the World Internet Conference. Feng Yongbin / China Daily

Waterways run through the heart of Wuzhen, an ancient town in Zhejiang province. Zou Hong / China Daily

(China Daily 12/17/2015 page24)