Ancient Xinshi Town has a history spanning thousands of years, featuring numerous Ming and Qing dynasty residences, Juehai Temple, and ancient bridges. Residents built their homes along the river and conducted commerce near bridges, embodying the rich and quintessential Jiangnan charm.
The area around Xihekou Water Street has a relatively concentrated preservation of ancient buildings, which are well-preserved and possess considerable aesthetic value. Beyond Xihekou, traces of history are hard to find due to the changes over time. Xihekou Water Street is laid out in an inverted Y shape, stretching from Chenjia Pond in the south to Zhujia Bridge in the north, approximately two miles long. Records indicate that the town once had 36 lanes and 72 bridges at its peak. Currently, 11 bridges are relatively well-preserved, and three famous bridges on Xihekou Water Street are Jia Xian Bridge, Hui Xian Bridge, and Wang Xian Bridge. On both sides of the water street, the waterside buildings built by successive generations along the street have largely maintained the characteristics of the old water town streets from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China. The simple and elegant stone gateways, exquisite brick-carved residences, unique firewalls, and stone-built riverbanks and docks are notable features. Another highlight of the ancient town is the area around Juehai Ancient Temple, which includes the ancient temple, old bridges, historical commercial firms and pawnshops, Liuwang Temple, Juehai Ancient Temple, and the remains of Guo Huai Temple, as well as numerous museums and exhibition halls. After a day of sightseeing, you can enjoy a bowl of fragrant crispy mutton noodles at ‘Yuansong Mutton’ to the north of the town. Xinshi’s mutton noodles are made from the famous Hu sheep, with fresh and fragrant mutton that has no peculiar smell, making it a must-try delicacy when visiting Xinshi. The town is open all year round from 08:30 to 16:30.Ancient Xinshi Town
Ancient Xinshi Town has a history spanning thousands of years, featuring numerous Ming and Qing dyna[...]
