Wuxi, known as the "Pearl of Taihu Lake", is one of the mega cities in East China and a famous national historical and cultural city in China, and is the transportation hub of southern Jiangsu Province and the throat of the Yangtze River. It is also a prosperous modern city, one of the birthplaces of Chinese national industry, and is known as the cloth dock, the money dock and the small Shanghai.

Wuxi is one of the major art and cultural centers of Jiangnan. The city is known for its Huishan clay figurines, which take their name from the black clay of Huishan Mountain. The figurines have been produced for over 400 years since the Ming dynasty, and are typically large-headed dolls puppies, kittens and chickens.^[26] The figurines are believed to promote longevity and exorcise evil spirits. Yixing clay teapots are also of note, made from purple, red and green earth,^[27] which is said to enhance the tea drinking experience.^[28]

The city is served by Jiangnan University, a key national university of “Project 211” and center for scientific research, which was originally founded in 1902 and established in 1958 as the Wuxi Institute of Light Industry. In 2001 it was reconstituted by the Ministry of Education with the merger of two other colleges to formally establish Jiangnan University.^[15] The Taihu University of Wuxi, beside Huishan National Forest Park is a private university and one of the largest in China, covering over 2,000 acres with over 20,000 teachers and students and more than 20 different faculties.^[29]

Other educational institutes include the Wuxi Institute of Technology.