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Xitang Town, Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China
One of the six most famous water towns in China
Xitang Water Town is a small ancient scenic town on water that still preserves its original look. It is sited in Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province, China, near to Hangzhou and Shanghai with convenient transportation. It takes just 90 minutes by bus from Shanghai or Hangzhou (or shorter, if you take the train to nearby Jiashan) first. Xitang is famous for it numerous bridges, alleys and sheltered corridors three features. The 1300 meters sheltered corridors in Xitang is a unique site in the town.
There are nine rivers running through Xitang, dividing it into eight parts, with stone bridges, quiet streets, and sheltered corridors running throughout town. But many old-fashioned bridges link this water town together (anciently called as "nine dragon old pearl" and "wind from 8 sides"), The bridges of Xitang date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as does most of the architecture throughout town.
Inside the town, there are many well-preserved architectural groups constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which boast a higher artistry and study value, thus being highlighted by the experts at home and abroad studying antique buildings.
Through a bird's-eye view of the whole town, green waves ripple everywhere and every family resides near water. In the morning, water flows beneath bridges, thin mist is like silk, pinkish walls on both banks stand tall and tiled houses are reflected inversely in the water. In the evening, the setting sun shines slantwise, songs come from fishing boats, lamps flicker and the fragrance of wine drifts. The whole old town is like a poem and a picture.
In this town, people will feel that they are seemingly in an earthly paradise. It is hard to know that people exist in the picture or picture exists in the heart of people.
Xitang is the hometown of buttons in China, with nearly 500 button manufacturers, with an annual output of 1 billion yuan, accounting for 50% of the national production transactions. The Button Museum is located in West Street, which has collected more than a thousand buttons from Han Dynasty.
Shell buttons are the first generation of professional buttons in China, and there are many shells in Xitang Water Town, which are the raw materials of shell buttons. In the past, Xiaotian buttons on shirts were made of clam shells, which are rich in the south of the Yangtze River. The buttons on small shirts were cut, polished, punched, bleached and reshaped. At that time, most of the button production machines were operated by human feet, which was purely physical labor. In the Button Museum, there is a master to interpret the production process of shell buttons on the spot.
West Garden(西园) is the private residence of Zhu’s family in Ming Dynasty, which was built by a large family in the south of the Yangtze River. There are pavilions, rockeries and fish ponds in the garden, which was a beautiful place in the Xitang Water Town at that time. At the beginning of the Republic of China, Liu Yazi, a Wujiang poet, often came to Xitang with Chen Chaonan and other friends in the town to communicate poems and take photos as a souvenir. Now there are exhibition halls in the park, such as Zhu Nianci Fan Calligraphy Art Museum, Baiyin Museum and Nanshe Exhibition Room.|
Xitang is a treasure land. Mr. Zhang Zheng, a root carving art sculptor, was born in 1958 in Hangzhou. He was introduced to live in Xitang in 1999. Master Zhang Zheng's works are outstanding, and more than 500 large-scale works have been included in the Guinness Best.
The Inebriation Garden was first built in the Ming Dynasty. Walking around the Inebriation Garden, you will see exquisite stones in the pool, winding corridors, lush bamboo is beautiful, whose scenery is intoxicating. In the main hall of Yixiang Building displays the prints of the charm of the water town for tourists to appreciate, which shows the cultural background of an ordinary family in Xitang Water Town.
The water of the canal not only nourishes the land of Xitang, but also breeds the rich cultural heritage here. Teahouses, wine shops, handicraft shops built along the river, as well as traditional snack stores hidden in the deep alleys, all show visitors the unique cultural charm of Xitang. Staggering boats pass under the tall Huanxiu Bridge. On both sides of the bridge, there are rows of street shops of various kinds of cakes, steamed pork and other characteristic snacks. All kinds of snacks are dazzling. In the long alley, there will always be several tourists wearing gorgeous Hanfu(traditional Chinese clothing of Han Dynasty) to photograph their memories of the ancient town.
The Xitang Ancient Town is particularly charming at night when the nights on. The lights of the buildings and boats will be reflected on the rivers. And taking the boat is also a good way to enjoy the night view and quiet atmosphere of Xitang Ancient Town. You can also stroll around the water town leisurely to fully experience the life of the locals here.
Nowadays, when you climb the stone bridges in Xitang, you can see the depth of the river and the scenery of the ancient town. Under the bridge is a continuous corridor, pedestrians come and go under the corridor. And you do not need to worry about the sunlight and rain, stopping to enjoy the scenery. When tired, you can also lean on the bench to rest, looking at the boats passing by, with the buildings of Ming and Qing dynasties on both sides of the river. You can experience the poetic and artistic conception of the south of the Yangtze River. The ancient and charming town of Xitang quietly nestles beside the canal and on the sparkling river, which is like an elegant ink painting.
There is an old saying in Xitang: There are three things to do good in life, building bridges, paving roads and building streets with roof. It's always rainy in the south of the Yangtze River. For the convenience of people, merchants in Xitang, regardless of the size of the shops along the street, always build street with roofs, which can shade the sun and avoid the rain. The essence of this humanized building is a vivid embodiment of traditional culture.
However, the early roofs were different in length and style, which was neither beautiful nor very convenient. In the 1990s, Xitang Scenic Area began to be developed, and the government made unified planning and management of the roofs of the street, which was repeatedly repaired, connected and extended on the original basis, making the roofs of the street stretch into a misty and rainy corridor, which becomes a beautiful scenery of the ancient town.
Sited in Jiashan County in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, Xitang enjoys convenient transportation. Visitors who travel to Xitang usually needs to go to Shanghai or Hangzhou first, then transfer to Xitang from there.
From Shanghai: travelers may take direct buses from Shanghai South Long-distance Bus Station or Shanghai Long Distance Central Bus Station to get there.
From Hangzhou: You may take direct buses from Hangzhou Jiabao Bus Center Station to get there.
It is recommended to spend a whole day to visit the water town
Related readings:
• How to Get to Xitang Water Town from Shanghai?
• How to Get to Xitang Water Town from Hangzhou?
• How to get to Xitang Water Town from Suzhou?
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