Xitang Ancient Town Scenic Area

Xitang Ancient Town Scenic Area

Xitang Ancient Town Scenic Area is a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction.

The ancient town of Xitang is located in Jiashan County, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, 11 kilometers from the county seat of Jiashan. Xitang is an ancient town with a history and culture spanning a thousand years. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was a border area between the states of Wu and Yue, hence the names "Root of Wu and Corner of Yue" and "Home of Yue’s Corner." By the Yuan Dynasty, it had initially developed into a marketplace. What sets Xitang apart from other water towns is that streets along the canals all have covered corridors, totaling nearly a kilometer in length, much like the Long Corridor in the Summer Palace. When traveling in Xitang, you won’t get wet in the rain or be sunburnt on sunny days.

Small bridges, flowing water, and quaint homes are characteristics of the water town. The tourism environment and public security in Xitang are quite good, the folk customs are traditional, and hygiene is well maintained. Many residents by the river use mops to clean the floors of the corridors.

Xitang has a long history and is one of the birthplaces of ancient Wu-Yue culture and one of the Six Ancient Towns of the Jiangnan region. It is a millennia-old water town representing the local culture of the Wu region. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it lay on the border between the states of Wu and Yue, hence the names "Root of Wu and Corner of Yue" and "Home of Yue’s Corner."

In October 2003, it was listed among the first group of China's Famous Historical and Cultural Towns. In 2003, it was awarded the "UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation" for outstanding achievement. In 2006, Xitang Ancient Town was included in China's tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In 2017, it was elevated to a national 5A-level tourist attraction. On May 24, 2018, Xitang Town was selected among the top 50 most beautiful distinctive towns. In May 2020, it was included in the second batch of Zhejiang Literature and Art Creation Fieldwork Bases.

Highlights: Nine waterways converge in the town area, dividing it into eight sections. Twenty-four stone bridges connect the five areas of the ancient town into one. Most of these old bridges are single-arch stone-pillar wooden-beam bridges, which remain well preserved to this day. The town is also characterized by its 122 crisscrossing lanes, including those connecting two parallel streets, alleys leading from front street to back river, and service alleys inside large residences located beside their halls. The 2,000-meter-long Yanyu Corridor is the most unique architectural symbol of Xitang.

Roof tiles are a type of simple architectural decorative accessory. Because they are not easily preserved and are of significant historical value due to their age, the Xitang Jiangnan Folk Tile Exhibition Hall houses over 300 varieties in six major categories: scalloped drip tiles, chopstick holders, chicken-shaped tiles, brick carvings, ancient bricks, and pottery figurines. These include traditional tiles symbolizing good wishes, religious-themed temple tiles, and political-patterned tiles representing certain historical eras.

The China Wine Culture Museum was reconstructed on the foundation of the original Huangjiu (Yellow Wine) Exhibition Hall, enriched with wine culture artifacts collected by several generations of Mr. Liu Ximing. From one aspect of wine culture, it explores Chinese wine culture in an all-round way through hundreds of items. Its distinctive feature is the integration of knowledge, fun, and academic study. Tracing the origins, it reveals the clear background and profound connotations of Chinese wine culture, involving knowledge from various social sciences and natural sciences such as folklore, history, economics, literature, art, and medicine. It is a microcosm of traditional Chinese culture.

The Ni Residence is a typical example of Ming and Qing dynasty residential architecture style. Originally with five courtyards, featuring a corridor in front and a garden in the back, only the second courtyard has been restored. The last three remain inhabited by local residents and are not open to the public. The first courtyard is the entrance hall, where a statue of Ni Tianzeng is located. The second courtyard consists of a patio and the main hall, named "Chengqing Hall," with a music room and a chess room on either side. Upstairs, there is an exhibition of Ni Tianzeng’s belongings, along with photographic materials about his life and inscriptions from central government leaders.

The Church is located north of Shaogang Port, formerly known as the Pangong Shrine, originally dedicated to the imperial inspector Pang Shangpeng. It was first built in 1575 (the third year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty), with a record written by local resident Yao Shou. In 1674 (the thirteenth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty), Shen Zhigao renovated it, changing the dedication to the image of Guan Yu, commonly known as the "Church." In 1711 (the fiftieth year of the Kangxi reign), the hall corridor was renovated and renamed Jingjue Nunnery, but locals still called it the "Church."

The Ni Residence is the ancestral home of Ni Tianzeng, former Vice Mayor of Shanghai. It is located south of Shaogang Port and was built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The overall architecture is simple and reserved, without any trace of ostentation, serving as a typical representation of Confucian ideology.

The Ming and Qing Woodcarving Museum displays more than 250 pieces of woodcarvings from residential buildings in the Jiangnan region, represented by Xitang, dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. These include beams, beam pads, bracket arms, spandrel brackets, lattice windows, and more. The carving techniques are rich and varied, with techniques such as relief carving, incised carving, openwork carving, and pierced carving each showcasing their unique artistry. The patterns are elegant, neat, refined, and beautifully crafted, collectively demonstrating the gentle, delicate, fresh, and vibrant style characteristic of Jiangnan residential woodcarvings.

The Drunk Garden was originally a side hall of the Wang family’s mansion on Tawan Street, a prominent family in Xitang. With four courtyards, it was renovated and opened to the public in 2000. An "Exhibition Hall of the Wang Family Father and Son’s Woodblock Prints" was also set up inside to showcase the inheritance of family culture. The name “Drunk Garden” has three meanings: first, from the “Drunk Classics Hall,” implying the joy of studying classics while drunk; second, the intoxicating scenery in the garden; and third, being immersed in the art of woodblock printing.

The “Drunk Classics Hall” was built by Wang Zhixi, the founding ancestor of the Wang family, who was a renowned calligrapher and painter during the Qing Qianlong period, skilled in regular script, running script, and cursive script, and adept at poetry and painting. His calligraphy remains preserved in the garden. The current owner of the Drunk Garden, Wang Heng, had a father, Wang Muren, who was also skilled in calligraphy. One couplet in the garden — “Mist parts over orchid leaves with warm fragrant breeze; peaches on the bank stir up brocaded waves” — is his work. The main hall, “Yixiang Studio,” displays woodblock prints by father and son Wang Heng and Wang Xiaozheng, depicting the water town scenery of Xitang. Their styles differ somewhat: the father, Mr. Wang Heng, adopts a traditional realistic style, while Wang Xiaozheng’s works are more modern and abstract. They offer visitors insight and showcase the cultural foundation of families in Xitang.

Inside the Seven Lords Temple, the front hall is newly built, with the entrance directly opening onto the street. The open area south of the street is the river dock, where worshippers from rural or other areas can arrive directly by boat at the temple entrance. The six large characters on the lintel of the gate — “Huguo Suiliangwang Miao” (Temple of the Grain-escorting King Who Protects the Nation) — are the handwriting of local calligrapher Jiang Weiyun. The front hall is spacious and now serves as an entrance lobby, with a patio inside that features a large candle stand for incense burning. At the center of the patio stands a 2.5-meter-tall cast iron incense burner with the inscription “Huguo Suiliangwang” (Grain-escorting King Who Protects the Nation). Though somewhat rough in craftsmanship, the burner is solemn and was donated by devoted worshippers.

The Seven Lords Temple, also known as the Huguo Suiliangwang Miao, is situated in Yanta Bay and was first built during the Ming Dynasty. Legend says that a grain transport official surnamed Jin passed through Xitang during a severe drought in the outskirts of the town, where crops failed and starving bodies littered the roads. Moved by compassion, he privately distributed grain for relief, saving many lives. Later, when delivering grain to the capital, the court investigated the matter, and Jin died upholding the law. To honor his kindness, the people built this temple. Since he was the seventh son, the people called him Seven Lords.

The Zhongfutang (House of Blessed Fortune) is a private residence of the Wang family from the Qing Dynasty. The Wang family descended from Wang Yuan, the Commandant-in-Chief of the Imperial Escort Division during the Song Dynasty. Legend says that after Wang Yuan escorted Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou of the Southern Song during the Jingkang Incident and later endured the Mingzhe Coup, his descendants hid in the Hangjiahu area. In the Shunzhi and Kangxi eras of the Qing Dynasty, one branch of the descendants moved to Xitang and built this residence, consisting of seven courtyards plus a backyard garden, reflecting the typical Ming and Qing residential architectural style.

Research shows that beneath the stone slabs in the lane lies a drainage system that prevents water accumulation even on rainy days. The thin stone slabs, as thin as skin, serve as the surface layer of the drainage and are thus called “stone-skin lanes.” Above is a narrow strip of sky, hence the saying that the Stone-skin Lane is Xitang’s “line of sky.”

The Stone-skin Lane is an alley formed between two residences of the Wang family descendants. The walls are paved with 216 stone slabs, each just three centimeters thick, and the ground is laid with 168 stone slabs. The lane is 68 meters long, with a maximum width of 1.1 meters and a minimum width of only 0.8 meters. It serves as a passage between the Zunwentang and Zhongfutang residences of the Wang family.

The original site of Xiyuan (West Garden) was in Jijia Lane on Xijie Street. It was a private villa of the Zhu family during the Ming Dynasty, later sold to the Sun family. The garden contains trees, flowers, rockeries, pavilions, and ponds, offering beautiful scenery. On the eastern side of the rockery is the “Tingtao Pavilion” teahouse, named for a tall white pine tree on the rockery that makes a rustling sound in the wind.

The garden now houses exhibition halls such as the “Zhu Nianci Fan Surface Calligraphy Art Museum,” the “Hundred Seals Museum,” and the “Nanshe Exhibition Room.” The “Zhu Nianci Fan Surface Calligraphy Art Museum” displays over a hundred exquisite fan artworks by Zhu Nianci, a national-level master of arts and crafts. The “Hundred Seals Museum” exhibits a hundred seals reflecting the scenery and style of Xitang, created by a hundred seal engravers from China and abroad organized by the Xiling Seal Art Society of Hangzhou. These include impressions and inscriptions, portraying a hundred scenes of Xitang.

The location of the Button Museum was originally the residence of a wealthy family: the Xue Residence. Built in 1927 during the Republic of China, it sits by the street and the river, with two courtyards. Compared to traditional architecture, the Xue Residence is compact, simply structured, and brightly lit in the main hall, representing a transition from traditional Jiangnan dwellings to modern architecture.

The Xitang Laifeng Bridge is located east of Xiaotong Street. Built in 1637 (the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty), it is a three-arch stone slab bridge. Legend says that during construction, a bird flew by, which the builders took as an auspicious sign, so they named it “Songzi Laifeng Bridge” (Bridge of the Phoenix Bringing Children). It was renovated in the forty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign and the fifteenth year of the Daoguang reign. The Laifeng Bridge was rebuilt in 1997. Its unique shape and structure make it suitable for sightseeing and it is one of the new attractions. The bridge is 10 meters wide, with a flower wall in the middle separating pedestrians on either side. Locals commonly call it the “Qingyu Bridge” (Sunny-Rainy Bridge). The bridge roof has a shelter with red eaves and dark tiles, combining tradition with novelty. There are railings on both sides and long benches made of square bricks for visitors to rest and enjoy the river view.

The Wolong Bridge is located at the mouth of Beizha Market River, north of the China Wine Culture Museum. It is a single-arch stone bridge, 31.46 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 5.5 meters high, making it the tallest bridge in town. The east slope has 32 steps, the west slope 30, and there are an additional 9 steps at the southwest corner. The arch of the Wolong Bridge is constructed with a longitudinal parallel masonry technique, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. It was completed in 1719 (the fifty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty).

The Yongning Bridge is currently the best scenic spot in town. On the north bank, the Changlang (Long Corridor) facing south on Beidai stretches like a winding dragon lying by the water. Both pedestrians and cyclists walk under the corridor, a feature rare in other ancient towns. The south bank is the back side of Xijie Street, lined with residential buildings of varying heights along the river, mostly built from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republican era. The grand houses’ firewalls rise high, with blue bricks, dark tiles, and stone river bridges all in view. This landscape is especially favored by photographers and painters and is a prime spot for their creative inspiration.

The Wan’an Bridge is located near the China Wine Culture Museum. With a large span, it is divided into three sections, and the bridge deck is arranged in a straight line, creating a distinctive and romantic water town atmosphere. Standing on the Wan’an Bridge, to the north you can see the Wolong Bridge and the Yanyu Corridor at one end, and to the south, the Anshan Bridge, Anjing Bridge, and Anren Bridge.

Major Attractions

The Anjing Bridge stands over Xutang River and serves as the transportation hub of the town. Originally known as Zhongtang Bridge, it was later renamed Anjing Bridge, succeeding an earlier bridge of the same name. Built during the Ming Dynasty, it spans two townships of the then Xietang area. As Xutang River formed the boundary between these two townships, the bridge connected both sides, hence its name, which means “Bridge of Peaceful Borders.”

Ni Residence: Located south of Shaogang Port, this is the ancestral home of the late Ni Tianzeng, former Vice Mayor of Shanghai.

The Wufu Bridge was built before the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty. It is a single-arch stone stair bridge, 14 meters long with a span of 7.5 meters. It connects the north and south banks at the eastern end of Shaogang Port. Renovated during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the bridge remains well-preserved, with intact stone steps and railings. The term “Five Blessings” refers to Fortune, Joy, Longevity, Prosperity, and a Peaceful Death—five major pursuits and wishes in traditional Chinese culture. These blessings, symbolized in the bridge’s name, convey the builder’s hope that it would not only provide convenience but also bring various forms of good fortune to those who cross it.

Xitang West Garden: The original site of Xitang West Garden was located in Jijia Lane on West Street. In March 1990, a park covering a total area of 16.6 acres was built in western Xitang. To commemorate Liu Yazi’s visit to the West Garden, it was named “Xiyuan” (West Garden).

Huanxiu Bridge was built in 1581 (the ninth year of the Wanli reign in the Ming Dynasty). Spanning the Xiaotong and Beicui dykes of that time, it is the earliest high-rise bridge in Xitang Town. Legend has it that on clear days, one could see the green mountains by Taihu Lake from the top of the bridge. There is a couplet here: “Boats glide through the jade-like ring; people walk as if on a rainbow path,” describing the two ways of crossing the bridge. By boat, you pass through the jade-like ring; on foot, you tread the rainbow path. This couplet is derived from a similar one found on the Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei: “Water flows through the jade-like ring; people walk on the back of the azure dragon.”

Corridor Shelter: The riverside corridor shelters in Xitang are unique water town structures that connect the river with shops while providing shade and shelter from rain. Xitang still preserves corridor shelters stretching over 1,300 meters.

Some corridor shelters in Xitang are built along the riverbanks, while others are situated more centrally. Some have backrest benches along the riverside for people to rest. The roofs of the shelters come in various styles, including “single-slope,” “double-slope,” and even those formed by overhead street-crossing structures. Though different in design, all serve to protect merchants and pedestrians from sun and rain.

Shipi Lane: Located on West Street in Xitang Town, west of Zhongfutang, Shipi Lane is an open alley sandwiched between two residences. It was built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

The total length of the corridor shelters in the ancient town is 877 meters. Among them, the Chaonandai Corridor Shelter stretches 168 meters from North Barrier in the east to Laifeng Bridge in the west, with a street width of 2–2.5 meters. The shelter extends from the street to the riverbank, supported by round wooden pillars and featuring a sloped single-layer roof (i.e., “single-slope”). The corridor shelter is of brick-and-wood structure, with one particularly outstanding section adorned with double-layer carved patterns on its upturned eaves.

Zhongfu Hall: Located east of Shipi Lane in the ancient town of Xitang, Zhongfu Hall is the residence of the Wang family.

Huanxiu Bridge: Huanxiu Bridge was built in 1581 (the ninth year of the Wanli reign in the Ming Dynasty), spanning the Xiaotong and Beicui dykes of that time. It is the earliest high-rise bridge in Xitang Town.

Streets: West Street is the main east-west thoroughfare in Xitang, divided into upper and lower sections. In ancient times, the eastern part was considered the “upper” section and the western part the “lower,” hence the distinction between Upper West Street and Lower West Street. West Street features many attractions, including (from west to east): Shipi Lane, Zhongfu Hall (Wang Residence), West Garden, China Button Museum, and Jiangnan Tile Museum. Tangdong Street was one of the most bustling streets in Xitang during the Republican era through to the liberation period.

Shaogang Port: Home to the Ni Tianzeng Ancestral Residence Memorial, Wufu Bridge, Church, and Ming-Qing Woodcarving Museum.

Tawan Street derives its name from the former Yantha Temple to its west and its location at the bend of the town river.

Suggested Duration

1–2 days

Transportation

Located at No. 258 Nanyuan Road, Xitang Town. Click here to check transportation options to Xitang Ancient Town.

Ticket

Joint Ticket: 95 RMB

Opening Hours

Peak Season (March 1 – October 31): 8:00–17:00; Off-Peak Season (November 1 – February 28): 8:00–16:30

Location

No. 258 Nanyuan Road, Xitang Town, Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province

Xitang Town: Xitang, formerly known as Xietang, was established as a market town during the Ming Dynasty, bordering Yong’an and Qianshan townships. Initially called Xietang, it was later renamed Xitang. Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Zixu stationed troops here and dug the Wuzitang Canal to improve water conservancy, channeling water from Xushan Mountain directly into the region, hence it was also called Xutang. Xitang Town is located in the northern part of Jiashan County, at the junction of three provinces and municipalities—Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu—boasting a prime geographical location known as the “Corner of Wu and Yue.” It lies 90 km east of Shanghai, 110 km west of Hangzhou, 85 km north of Suzhou, and 9 km south of Jiashan County seat. The central urban area is geographically positioned at 120°53′ east longitude and 30°56′ north latitude. With access to both land and water transport... More details about Xitang Town++

Further Reading:

· 32nd Batch of National 5A-Level Tourist Attractions (February 2017)