The old factories along the ancient canal have developed into new windows of Changzhou culture, where the Canal 5 Creativity Campus stands. Changzhou used to receive boats from south to north on the canal, which nurtured and boosted the national industry and commerce here. The canal also witnessed the rise of a host of excellent national industrial enterprises on both banks. Today, the old factories have been integrated and transformed into the unique cultural and creative industrial block “Canal 5”.
In the daytime, cultural venues such as No. 5 Theatre, the Grand Canal Memory Hall, Hengyuanchang Bookstore and the Grand Canal Historical Exhibition Hall are great destinations to feel the cultural profoundness of the ancient canal. At night, you can ride a bike in the evening breeze and bright lights, through the alleys of old residences, and the old-time night view of Canal 5 may suddenly surprise your eyes. You can find assorted stalls selling sugar figures, freshly brewed tea, cakes and snacks, festive lanterns and handicrafts, as if you are walking along the street in ancient times. Refreshing city scenes like creative designs, fancy drinks combined with lights and flowers, also fit well into the background of old buildings. Here, old urban architecture and trendy modern stores together represent a crowded life deeply rooted in the Campus’s history for over a century.
