Lin's Shop

Lin's Shop

Lin's Shop is located in Wuzhen, which belongs to Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province and borders Suzhou.

Just a short walk from Mao Dun’s former residence, you’ll find this general store. Above the doorstep hangs a simple wooden signboard with four red-painted characters “Lin's Shop” written in clerical script. The letters have faded a bit, and the door is still an old-fashioned four-panel wooden shop door.

"Lin Family Shop" is a novel written by Mao Dun in June 1932. The protagonist, Shopkeeper Lin, is a cautious and savvy small businessman. Despite the frequent economic downturns and sluggish business, he managed to thrive by catering to the needs of customers fleeing the January 28th Incident from Shanghai, selling a popular “One Dollar Goods” promotion. Of course, he also resorted to common tactics used by small merchants of the time, such as passing off inferior goods as superior ones. However, due to the adverse conditions of the era, Lin's Shop inevitably went bankrupt.

Today’s “Lin's Shop” is still on the same street, bearing the same name, but the goods are entirely different. They are almost exclusively local and specialty products from Wuzhen, such as Wuzhen braised mutton, Sister-in-Law Cake, water town salted eggs, Gaogongsheng Sanbai Wine, Hangzhou white chrysanthemum, lotus leaf roasted duck, and other food series. There are also various clothing items made of blue calico, silk from silkworms, cloth shoes and cotton-padded jackets, Wuzhen lake brushes, and other local small gifts. Additionally, there are commemorative items such as Wuzhen wall hangings, cultural T-shirts, wool sweaters, as well as calligraphy and photography masterpieces left for Wuzhen by artists from home and abroad.