The larger and most visited islands appear to many travellers as floating souvenirs, and to some extent these indeed are tourist-traps, their inhabitants having succeed in living off tourism. However, most of the smaller islands remain isolated from visitors and still practice a traditional way of life that includes old-technique fishing, bird-trapping, and relying on totora for housing and transportation.

Wuzhen displays its two-thousand-year history in its ancient stone bridges floating on mild water, its stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings. Also, setting it apart from other towns, it gives a unique experience through its profound cultural background.

Built on stilts and linked by bridges the water village is also served by water taxis and has its own schools, hospitals, restaurants, shops, mosques and petrol station. From a distance, although many of the dwellings look neglected and run-down, they actually have all the modern amenities including air conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing, and electricity. People have lived in this village for over 1300 years and some of them keep potted plants and chickens.

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