Wuzhen, an ancient town in Zhejiang province, has come under a global and national spotlight with the approaching of the 4th World Internet Conference (WIC) taking place from Dec 3-5.

The town has been the permanent site of the WIC, which turned it from a classic water town in the region south of the Yangtze River to a focal point of the whole world.

The reasons why the committee of the WIC chose Wuzhen to be the permanent site should be considered in various aspects.

Wuzhen's connection with the Internet

When searching for the site of the WIC in 2014, experts wanted a place with a developed Internet economy and a rich traditional culture. They looked for a town akin to Davos in Switzerland, home of the World Economic Forum, capable of embodying the meaning of the Internet.

Wuzhen caught their eyes as Zhejiang, where the town is located, contains a great number of Internet users and websites. Moreover, the Internet penetration and the volume of e-commerce in this province have always been among the highest in China.

Nearly 80 percent of national online retails, 70 percent of cross-border e-commerce exports and 60 percent of e-commerce transactions among companies have been done on the e-commerce platforms in Zhejiang in recent years.

Based on Zhejiang's development of the digital economy, Wuzhen has already made a plan for smart tourism. E-tickets, mobile payments and WiFi coverage make a visit to the scenic area more convenient.

The layout of Wuzhen, with waterways branching in all directions and more than 80 stone bridges, is identical with the concept of Internet-interconnection.

Held in a poetic town with bridges, flowing brooks and blue roofing tiles, the conference may gather nature, cultural tradition and modernity together.

China's platform for Internet governance

The WIC Wuzhen Summit is a milestone for the history of Internet development, as well as a Chinese platform for international exchange.

The world economy has shifted in a new direction oriented by network information technology. China is also in the process of developing its digital economy with the most netizens, the largest Internet infrastructures and the most abundant network applications.

The unbalanced development, incomplete rules and irrational orders widen the gap between countries and regions. Attacks on privacy and intellectual property as well as online crimes make it urgent to promote international exchange and cooperation and to boost the global governance of the Internet.

This year's WIC will invite more than 1200 cyberspace tycoons and officials from governments, international organizations, corporations, technical communities and non-governmental associations across the world.

China is actively working on the establishment of an orderly system and the WIC Wuzhen Summit is definitely a good platform for global communication.

Great changes in Wuzhen

From remote diagnosis to driverless cars, Wuzhen is transforming itself with the Internet wave. The town has become a testing site for advanced projects. Technologies, along with humanistic care, benefit the local residents through a changing lifestyle.

For example, a comprehensive service platform for the elderly was introduced in Wuzhen. The platform, focusing on health archives, covers nursing and medical treatment both online and offline. 150,000 senior citizens have been assisted in this new way.

Wuzhen is ready for the WIC

The new venue for the WIC, able to accommodate 3000 people, has been completed. Audio-visual and lighting facilities, as well as interior decorations and machinery equipment, have been installed and debugged.

Features of the traditional gardens south of the Yangtze, like white walls, blue roofing tiles, timberwork and small bridges over flowing streams, are blended into the modern architecture.

Divided into three sectors—a conference center, a reception center and exhibition center—the venue has prepared itself well for the plenaries, all sessions and the exposition.

To ensure the quality of the Internet conference, the venue, an international convention and exhibition center, is covered with fast WiFi and advanced equipment.

Wuzhen has become a smart town through the efforts of past years. 26 fiber cables of 10G were imported to the town and a themed App was developed to provide schedules and guidance for guests.

Wuzhen, a traditional town with modern elements, is awaiting the opening of the WIC.