A horse show at the Hailan Horse Culture Museum, which claims to be the world's only horse-culture museum.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Xu's dad died when he was 19. The son remained in Jiangyin out of filial piety until age 22, when he set off to discover the outside world - with his mother's blessings - in the spring of 1607.

He not only recorded his experiences but also documented such geographical and topical features as gorges and mineral beds with scientific accuracy.

Xu is credited with discovering the Yangtze River's headwater.

People often visit his former residence in Jiangyin. Celebrated calligraphers have inscribed stone tablets with passages from The Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake.

The Xu Xiake International Tourism Resort is scheduled to open in the city in 2020.

Tourism authorities say it received a total investment of about 30 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) and forecast it'll attract 3 million to 5 million visitors a year.

Planners will design islands with different motifs from Xu's writings, including a theme park, cultural experiences and a wetland area.

The city also hosted the 12th Xu Xiake International Traveling Festival in May.

But the celebrated traveler isn't the only reason people travel to Wuxi.