Xixing Ancient Town

Xixing Ancient Town

The “East Zhejiang Canal” not only nurtured the prosperous Xiaoshao Plain but also left behind the most intact and rich ancient canal cultural heritage of the Grand Canal, painting a vivid and authentic scroll of ancient canal customs for the world. And the opening chapter of this scroll is precisely Xixing, a millennia-old commercial hub situated on the southern bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, boasting numerous historic and cultural sites.

Xixing is located on the southern bank of the Qiantang River and served as a vital water and land junction on the ancient thoroughfare between the Wu and Yue states. Two thousand five hundred years ago, the ancient Yue Kingdom gradually grew powerful under the rule of King Goujian’s father, King Yunchang, but also harbored deep resentment toward the Wu Kingdom. What began as minor skirmishes escalated into full-scale conflict. To block Wu’s advances, the Yue official Fan Li was ordered to build a fortified settlement and station troops at Xixing Ferry, guarding Yue’s gateway. The fortress was named “Guling” (meaning “solid stronghold”) for its defensible position, later renamed “Xiling.” By the end of the Five Dynasties period, the ruler of the Wu-Yue Kingdom deemed “Ling” (tomb/mound) inauspicious, leading to its current name, “Xixing.”

Tie Ling Guan (Iron Tomb Pass) The pass of the Guling Fortress was called Tie Ling Guan, renowned as the “No. 1 Pass of East Zhejiang.” It once stood at the northwest corner of the ancient town (within the former Xixing Primary School). During the Five Dynasties, King Qian Liu of Wu-Yue expanded Tie Ling Guan for tide-watching and named it “Wan Jiang Lou” (River-Viewing Tower). Later, Ming Dynasty local officials repeatedly repaired the ancient pass and renamed it “Zhen Hai Lou” (Tide-Subduing Tower). Today, Xixing is far removed from the Qiantang River, and the once-mighty fortress has gradually fallen into disrepair. In the 1960s, the 2,500-year-old Tie Ling Guan was finally demolished, leaving only two sections of stone foundations and two upright pillars. A local folk rhyme still circulates: “The Yue Kingdom built this Iron Tomb Pass; iron-armored generals guarded the frontier. Three thousand cavalrymen defended the seawall, bringing peace to the people.”

Historical records indicate that as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the people of Yue excavated the “Shanyin Ancient Waterway” in East Zhejiang, stretching from Dongguo in Shaoxing to the Cao’e River in Shangyu.

During the Yongkang era of the Western Jin Dynasty, He Xun, an official from Kuaiji, initiated a water conservancy project to benefit his homeland. He oversaw the dredging and excavation of an artificial waterway extending westward from Xiguo in Shaoxing, passing through Keqiao and Xiaoshan to Xixing. This canal connected with the Shanyin Ancient Waterway, forming today’s “East Zhejiang Canal.” The famous tale *Night Voyage Boat* unfolds along this very canal. As the source of the canal, Xixing still retains its old houses, deep alleys, ancient sluices, and stone bridges.

Yongxing Sluice Located at the entrance of the ancient canal in Xixing, commonly known as Longkou Sluice, it was originally a large weir. In the 15th year of the Wanli era (1587) during the Ming Dynasty, County Magistrate Liu Hui of Xiaoshan used surplus funds from repairing the Xixing Embankment to convert the weir into a sluice to drain water from surrounding villages. Subsequent dynasties maintained and repaired it, and a Song Dynasty stone spade from the sluice still survives in front of the Sun residence on Xixing Street.

Ancient Zifu Fu Bridge Named after the ancient Zifu Temple of the Wu-Yue Kingdom that once stood west of the bridge, it is commonly called “Monks’ Bridge.” It was rebuilt in the 18th year of the Qianlong era (1753) during the Qing Dynasty. This single-arch stone bridge is nearly fifteen meters long and about four meters wide, with the characters “Ancient Zifu Fu Bridge” inscribed on the central arch.

Wuzi Bridge Originally a wooden plank bridge with a pavilion, commonly called “Plank Bridge,” it was rebuilt into a single-arch stone bridge during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty.

Longtu Temple Enshrines Yang Shi, an official from Xiaoshan during the Northern Song Dynasty. Yang Shi, credited with water conservancy achievements, was revered as a water deity by the locals, with temples built at key hydraulic structures for worship. Later, he rose to the rank of Dragon Pavilion Grand Academician, and the temple became known as “Longtu Temple.”

Though Xixing was a formidable fortress guarding the ancient Yue Kingdom’s borders, it also served as a vital ancient thoroughfare connecting Wu and Yue. Legend has it that King Goujian of Yue and the beauty Xi Shi crossed the river to Wu via this route. After the Western Jin Dynasty, with the opening of the canal, Xixing linked north to Hangzhou and south to Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Taizhou, enjoying highly convenient water and land transport. The once military stronghold gradually transformed into a primarily water-based post and dock hub.

As early as before the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court established a water post station in Xixing, where official documents and memorials to the capital were transmitted. All correspondence from provinces outside the capital destined for the three prefectures of Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Taizhou was relayed from Renhe County (modern-day Hangzhou)’s Wulin Post to Xixing Post. To receive and send off passing officials and accommodate traveling merchants, Xixing’s post station was built lavishly and comfortably, maintaining high standards for a long time. The Camphor Pavilion and the towering Iron Tomb Pass were both prime spots for locals to view the tides. By the late Qing Dynasty, with the advent of modern postal services, Xixing’s post stations were successively abolished. Beyond officials, merchants, and scholars, literati were also frequent travelers along this ancient post road. Poems such as Bai Juyi’s “Where the mist ends, a touch of white—must be the ancient post platform of Xiling” and Su Dongpo’s “Autumn winds on the river grow urgent at dusk, carrying the tolling bells to Xixing” remain invaluable legacies.

Historically, Xixing bordered the Qiantang River to the north, but as the river narrowed, the town gradually moved away from the water. A vast expanse of marshland formed between the town and the river, requiring ox-drawn carts for passage until the late Qing Dynasty.

Chenghuang Temple Though Xixing is a post road town, it hosts two Chenghuang (City God) Temples, both venerating Fan Li, the Yue official, as the City God. The larger temple is situated at the source of the East Zhejiang Canal, preserving a railing and a pair of stone lions. The railing bears the engraved characters “Fu Ze Chang Liu” (Blessings Flow Endlessly), and beneath it lies the Dragonkou Sluice, the canal’s head. The smaller temple has been demolished and repurposed as a food supply store under the grain management bureau.

Guan Di Temple It is said that Xixing once had two Guan Di (God of War) Temples. One, located at the eastern end of the ancient town, now retains only a few stone pillars from the worship hall, with remnants of mortise slots and carved couplets. (After the temple’s demolition, elderly residents continued to enshrine portraits of Guan Yu at home.)

As the strategic hub of Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Taizhou, Xixing leveraged the canal’s advantages to swiftly develop into a transfer point for goods across the two Zhejiang regions. For over eight hundred years, merchant ships crowded the waters, goods filled the markets, and trade thrived day and night. This golden age lasted until the 1920s and 1930s, when the completion of the Xiaoshao Highway and the Qiantang River Bridge stripped Xixing of its water-land junction advantage, leading to gradual decline. Due to water level differences, vessels on the canal had to be transshipped, giving rise to the unique industry of “Guotang Hang” (transshipment businesses)—the town’s most populous and competitive trade.

At its peak, Xixing hosted up to 72 Guotang Hang, organized into guilds with strict regulations: the Huizhou Guild handled tea and raw lacquer; the Beijing Guild specialized in imported foreign goods; the Yiwu Guild monopolized grain transshipment. Each guild operated within its domain without overstepping.

Beyond the numerous Guotang Hang, Xixing also had 32 teahouses, 16 tobacco shops, 12 dry goods stores, 9 oil and candle shops, 8 restaurants, 2 pharmacies, and dozens of other shops, including Yuechang Yellow Croaker Shop, Yang Yonghe Cotton Cloth Store, Pan Zengda Dry Goods Store, Shunxiang Butcher Shop, Yukang Rice Store, Guanfu Tofu Shop, Qingji Liquor Store, Wang Deyi Sauce Workshop, Shen Futa Salt Shop, Fu Hexing Restaurant, Xu Shoujun Carpenter Shop, Yang Yonghe Cloth Store, Yao Gen Bamboo Ware Shop, and Kong Shuijin Tailor Shop. Due to round-the-clock operations, Xixing’s lantern industry flourished, employing hundreds of artisans and hosting six specialized workshops.

“Official River” is the local name for the ancient canal. The town’s old streets line the river, with “Xixing Street” (also called “Upper Main Street”) on the south bank and “Official River Road” (also called “Lower Main Street”) on the north. These flagstone-paved streets, lined with grain merchants and warehouses, stretch over three li eastward. To this day, the Upper and Lower Main Streets retain their Ming and Qing-era appearance. The old merchant houses, mostly two-story brick-and-wood structures, are either riverfront or street-facing, all featuring small blue tiles, horse-head walls, gateways, courtyards, and lattice doors.

Shen Weiquan Guotang Hang Guotang Hang are the most iconic commercial buildings on Xixing Old Street, often built along the water with stone foundations and steps connecting to river docks for easy cargo loading and unloading. Among them, the well-preserved Shen Weiquan Guotang Hang stands at No. 98–104 Xixing Street.

Zhong Dachun Guotang Hang Xixing’s Guotang Hang had clear specializations—tea, medicine, tobacco, cotton, silk, daily goods, etc., each handled by dedicated businesses. No. 110 Official River Road was a livestock-focused Guotang Hang, with the faded brush-written sign “Zhong Dachun Guotang Hang” still visible on its stone pillars. Though dealing in rugged goods, the calligraphy remains elegant.

Official River Road Guotang Hang Adjacent to Yongxing Sluice, this Guotang Hang spans Nos. 102–104 Official River Road, a three-courtyard, three-bay structure built along the terrain, ascending stepwise from south to north. The front section served as shops, the rear as residences, and the second gate’s archway retains a brick carving reading “Weixin Jiuye” (Reviving Old Trades). The lattice doors feature intricate openwork patterns and historical relief carvings.

Yu Residence Located at No. 347 Xixing Street, this two-courtyard, five-bay commercial building preserves a floral incense altar in its main hall.

Tang Residence Situated at Nos. 360–362 Xixing Street, this old house has separate north and south entrances. The southern gate is simple and grand, while the northern one is delicate and refined. Outside stands an ancient “Taishan Stone Can Defy Evil” stele. The hall’s four lattice doors are carved with relief figures depicting “Fishing, Woodcutting, Farming, and Reading.”

Sun Residence Adjacent to the Tang Residence at No. 368 Xixing Street, this “front-shop, back-residence” commercial building is adorned with exquisite wood and brick carvings. The front and rear courtyards are separated by a fireproof wall, and the gate bears the seal script inscription “Yun Zheng Xia Wei” (Clouds Steam, Rosy Clouds Gather).

Six-Eye Well Located east of Xixing Christian Church, beside Liuyan Well Road. The ancient well is seven meters deep, originally with six openings, now reduced to three.

East Zhejiang Canal Head Well Situated between the source of the East Zhejiang Canal and the Yongxing Sluice ruins, at the northern corner of the former Great Chenghuang Temple.

Yi Well (Righteous Well) Inside the Tian residence in Yijia Alley, the well rim faintly bears the inscriptions “Yi Well” and “Made in the 24th Year of the Wanli Era (1596).”