Xitang Water Town

Being one of the six ancient water town in Jiangnan area, the Xitang water town is located in the Jiashan County, the junction site of Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang province. With 10 kilometers aways from the Jiashan city center, the Xitang has a population of 86,000 and covers an area of 83.61 square kilometers, of which the ancient town area is 1.04 square kilometers. It is a AAAA scenic spot with a history of about one thousand year and has been listed in the tentative list of the World Historical Cultural Heritage in 2001 by the the United Nations.

With a long history, abundant human resource, beautiful natural scenery, the Xitang ancient town is one of the birthplace of the Wuyuan Culture. It has developed as a prosperous and populous town in the Ming dynasty for the land of rice and fish, and the economic foundation and the convenience of the channel of the silk mansion.

The nine riverways interweaves there to divide the ancient town into eight parts, among which 27 old bridges connect the city with town together. There are also many old house yards there, which are the crystallization of becoming rich for the ancestors at that time. As Xitang water town made the waterway as their main passage then to avoid the external harassment, it remain perfect appearance until now so that the ancestral heritage can continue.

What makes the Xitang greatly different from other water towns is that The biggest diffidence of the streets of the Lin River of the ancient town have corridor sheds, which total near one thousand meter and look like the long corridor of the Summer Palace. Traveling there, you won’t get wet in the rainy days and won’t bask in the sunny days.

Travel tips: 1) Ticket price: 100 RMB/adult; 2) Opening time: 24 hours; 3) Suggestion duration: 2 days; 4) Best time to visit: April when the cuckoo flower is blossoming and the temperature is comfortable; 5) Stay one night there as the biggest characteristic is the morning time and nightfall time and evening time there; 6) Do remember to take the mosquito repel with you in summer and some other sunscreen.