Chairman's Committee
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Chen Xianghong
Founder and Festival Chairman


General Planner, Designer and President of Wuzhen Scenic District and Beijing WTown. Chairman of the Culture Wuzhen Co. Ltd., President of Wuzhen Tourism Co. Ltd. Chen was born in Wuzhen and started the Wuzhen construction protection and development plan from its very inception in 1999. Known for his desire to preserve and protect Wuzhen, Mr. Chen was the lead designer and organizer of the plan to preserve the historical value of Wuzhen. His idea of preserving the streets, canals and architecture of the original city was the driving force behind his desire not only to turn Wuzhen into a wonderful tourist destination, but also to protect its historical value. For his work, Mr. Chen was given the Award of Distinction from the Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2003. His vision of the new Wuzhen has attracted the attention of Chinese and international artists with the Wuzhen Theatre Festival.

In 2013, Chen Xianghong co-founded Wuzhen Theatre Festival with Huang Lei, Stan Lai and Meng Jinghui. 

The phenomenon of the Wuzhen Theatre Festival has attracted attention from outstanding local and international artists, and added new vitality to the thousand-year old culture of the town, making Wuzhen a new “hotspot” of culture and arts. More recently, Chen Xianghong has also promoted and supported the founding of the Muxin Art Museum, and the hosting of both the Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhibition and Wuzhen International Project, “A Future in the Visual Arts.” These successful events have embodied the extraordinary contributions made by Chen Xianghong to the cultural development of Wuzhen.