A musician plays a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) at a scenic spot in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. LI XINLEI

Along the banks of the Grand Canal, this Jiangsu city shows how history and innovation can coexist

A profound dialogue between tradition and modernity is unfolding in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, through the seamless integration of technology and culture.

As a city that lives and breathes its history while simultaneously writing its next chapter, Wuxi is a place where the ancient and the ultramodern dance together.

For more than 2,500 years, the Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been the city's lifeblood. Stroll along its banks and watch a scene that has played out for centuries: barges gliding slowly past, their modern cargo contrasting with the ancient, gracefully arched stone bridges and restored merchant houses built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Today, these historic buildings hum with new energy, housing artisan teahouses, boutique shops and cafes, proving the past is anything but static.

But turn your gaze, and a different Wuxi emerges. Across Taihu Lake, the skyline of Taihu New City is home to Wuxi's powerhouse of technological innovation, where companies are pioneering the Internet of Things, microchips and biotechnology.

Residents enjoy their leisure time after a musical performance at the Nanquan Old Street in Wuxi. LI XINLEI

This forward momentum expands its presence into the city's cultural scene. At night, Wuxi is transformed into a canvas for digital art. Historic buildings become backdrops for stunning light shows, showcasing how tradition can be reimagined through technology, with installations that are intelligent and beautiful. Integrating Buddhist tea culture with eco-conscious living, Nianhuawan was founded in 2015 as part of Wuxi's cultural tourism renaissance.

Drawing inspiration from the Zen temples of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and gardens of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the town's layout mirrors a lotus flower, symbolizing purity and enlightenment.

Its nightly light shows include projections of Buddhist sutras and mandalas on temple walls. Against this backdrop, traditional instruments, like the guzheng (a plucked zither), are played by elderly locals.

At a museum in Wuxi, visitors can admire a handcrafted purple clay teapot and then see the same clay used in a 3D printer, creating art that merges ancient forms with algorithmic patterns.

From a settlement built around canal irrigation in the Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256 BC) to a thriving commercial hub along the Grand Canal that is now emerging as one of the country's leading industrial centers, the city continues to lead with its modern commercial clusters, blending traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology to excel in sectors ranging from textiles to advanced manufacturing.

Wuxi is a city that understands its deep roots. The clay and the canal are what allow the city to reach for the sky. It's a place to feel the whisper of ancient poets on the lake breeze while listening to the digital pulse of tomorrow.