In the four years since the first World Internet Conference (WIC) was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, the ancient water town and tourism hot spot, has undergone a raft of changes and upgrades to improve the lives of residents and the experiences of those visiting.

Back in 2014, the central government chose Wuzhen as the permanent host of the WIC because of Zhejiang’s strong internet infrastructure as well as its unique beauty and its vast transformation from being a once neglected village to one of the most visited ancient towns in China.

The first conference was a complete success and spurred great changes in public infrastructure. With the fourth WIC currently underway in Wuzhen, there is no way to escape the influence the WIC, the internet and the latest in high-tech has had.

The street lamps in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province are controlled by a central application. [Photo by Xiang Wenjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Smart street lamps line the streets in the ancient town, all monitored and controlled by a single central application. This enables them to be switched on and off, or even have the luminescence adjusted, at specific times in order to save energy and increase efficiency.