Xitang is located in the north of Jiashan County, at the junction of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, and is a famous ancient town with a history of thousands of years. In Xitang, you can savor the slow pace of life here, enjoy tea and listen to music in tea houses, or after Xitang is dressed in a stunning outfit at night, take a rowing boat to see the various reflections in the water, and also go to the bar to sit down and find a bit of modernity in the ancient.
Even standing on the bridge to overlook the flowing wooden boats, looking far at the eaves, or aimlessly wandering under the corridor shed is also a pleasure. There are many local residents living in the ancient town, and you will see old ladies washing clothes by the river and old men playing chess under the corridor shed, with a strong atmosphere of life. Countless ancient bridges and alleys are the characteristics of Xitang, and there are corridor sheds (roofed streets, also known as ‘rain corridors’) everywhere, with shops and houses selling specialties, accessories, and snacks on one side of many corridor sheds, and rivers on the other side. Some corridor sheds also have backrest benches on one side, and you can sit down and rest when you are tired. The corridor shed from Songzi Laifeng Bridge to Beishan Street is particularly classic. Xitang’s corridor shed has the reputation of ‘Rainy Corridor’. If it is the rainy season, you can sit under the corridor shed to appreciate Xitang in the rain, and feel the gentle and graceful charm of the Jiangnan water town. Xitang has more than a hundred old alleys of various lengths, and many alleys are paved with stone slabs, with some having high walls on both sides, some wide and some narrow. Among them, the famous stone skin alley with a width of only 1 meter allows you to enter and experience the crowded feeling of passing by tourists on the opposite side, and you can also feel the isolated tranquility in the alley. There are nearly a hundred stone bridges lying on the waterways of Xitang, among which Yongning Bridge is a good viewing point in Xitang, where you can overlook the beautiful scenery at the intersection of the waterways, and you can come here in the early morning to take pictures of the quiet and simple water town customs. In addition, there are uniquely shaped Songzi Laifeng Bridge, Huanxiu Bridge where you can overlook the layers of green tiles from the bridge head, and Wan’an Bridge that appeared in the movie ‘Mission Impossible 3’. There are many ancient attractions in the ancient town, including Xigarden, Drunken Garden, and Zhongfutang, which are unique gardens and residences, as well as temples and ancestral halls such as Huogu Suiliangwang Temple and Shengtang, which are very popular. You can also learn about local customs in the Jiangnan Folk Tile Exhibition Hall, China Wine Culture Museum, and Button Museum. There are many bars in the Tangdong Street area, and the sound of music and singing rises and falls at night. Xitang is also a shooting location for many movies and TV dramas. Many fans may still remember the scene in the movie ‘Mission Impossible 3’ where Tom Cruise runs in the corridor shed, and many restaurants, inns, alleys, and old houses have also left the footprints of major film crews. When you come to Xitang, you must take a rowing boat to experience the ancient town from the water, especially sitting on the boat at night to taste the night view of Xitang, which is pleasing to the eye. There is a cruise ship pier at the main entrance of the scenic area and in front of Songzi Laifeng Bridge.In Xitang Scenic Area, delicacies such as stinky tofu, tofu pudding, steamed pork with rice flour, tied pork, Gordon Euryale cake, and fermented glutinous rice balls can be seen everywhere. There are many old restaurants along Beizha Street where you can taste various Jiangnan dishes, and most of them are not expensive. The ancient town is full of antique waterside inns and ancient houses of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Many people will choose to stay for one night. If you prefer tranquility, you can stay in some alleys far from the bar street.
Opening hours: Open all day throughout the year.
Preferential policies:
Children: Free for those under 1.2 meters (excluding) in height or under 6 years old (including).
For night tours, please embark from Laifeng Bridge Dock or Wolong Bridge Dock. Restrooms: The scenic area is equipped with multiple restrooms, all marked with conspicuous signs.
