Xihé Ancient Town

Xihé Ancient Town

The tranquil Xihé Ancient Town is located to the south of Wuhu County, at the junction of Xuancheng, Nanling, and Wuhu. It borders the Yi River to the east and the Gaoxing and Shengong administrative villages to the northwest, forming an irregular rectangle with an area of about 0.33 square kilometers. It is situated in a remote location with limited cultural exchange. Currently, there are three neighborhood committees: Xingfu, Yuejin, and Tangjiapeng, with 822 households and 2,278 residents.

According to the "Book of Han, Treatise on Geography": "In the third year of Yuanshou during the Han Dynasty, it belonged to the ancient territory of Dancha’an under Danyang Commandery. It was destroyed by war during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty." As far back as the Western Han Dynasty, the town was a lakeshore area overgrown with weeds, sparsely populated, and plagued by severe flooding. It was commonly known as "Caitou Lake." A local temple was built here, and people referred to it as "Chaan" (Tea Temple), which was part of Wanyang County under Danyang Commandery. During the Sui Dynasty, Wanyang was renamed Xuancheng, and it then belonged to Xuancheng County. In the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, dikes were built, and people began to settle here, forming a small market town. Since it was located on the west bank of the Qingyi River, it was named "Xihé" (West River). It was destroyed by war during the Wanli era. During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, a military defense institution was established here, and it was briefly called "Xihé Xun." Some also say that because it was near Zifu River, it was once called Zifu Town. According to *Xuancheng: Past and Present*, "In the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), it was designated as a formal town, and in the 38th year (1949), it was recognized as a standard market town. It was one of the seven major market towns in Xuancheng County." After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, it was designated as a formal town multiple times, and in 1984, it was again designated as a formal town.

The market town has historically been the seat of township, town, and district administrative offices. With changes in administrative setups, it has been called "Xihé Administrative Village," "Xihé Streets Brigade," and "Xihé Town." On January 10, 1971, it was incorporated into Wuhu County.

Xihé is an ancient water town in the Jiangnan region, with a legendary history of over 600 years. Houses and shops were built along both sides of the embankment. Due to annual flood prevention and dike reinforcement, the foundations of the houses are about 1.5 meters lower than the road surface. The main street is paved with bluestones and winds for approximately 1,200 meters. The street runs north-south, with varying widths, generally around 2–3 meters. The shopfronts on both sides feature upturned eaves facing each other, with windows much lower than the street level. Along the riverside, the old houses have steep walls, with granite bases that rise several zhang high, forming steep cliffs. During floods, the waves crash against them, but the outer riverbank is protected by bluestone, allowing passage. The inner side of the street mostly consists of multi-room connected houses. Stepping down from the bluestone steps onto the street, you can enter the interiors, which extend for over ten meters. Additionally, outside the upper street section are Zhangjia Alley and Tudi Alley, while outside the lower street section are Xuhuilan Alley, Jiangdong Alley, and inside the middle street is Ruijia Alley. These are all old alleys connecting to the inner parts of Shen Gongwei and also leading to the riverside docks, giving the area an ancient and aged appearance.

There has been a trend of expanding the town’s construction into the embankment area. In the early 1970s, a new cement-paved street about 50 meters long and 5 meters wide was built, commonly known as "Fazhi Road." It cuts across the old street and extends from the riverbank to the embankment area. The intersection with the old street is called "Cross Street," where a cement overpass connects the two. The overpass is about 4 meters above the street level, allowing people to pass underneath or descend via the bluestone steps on the north side of the overpass into the old street. In 1983, another cement-paved street, 200 meters long and 9 meters wide, was laid on the inner side of the embankment, roughly parallel to the old street. Known as "Minzhu Road," it stretches from the grain station to the entrance of Ruijia Alley, crossing "Fazhi Road." It is currently the widest street, where agricultural and sideline product trading is concentrated. At dawn, this street comes alive as people carrying baskets, shoulder poles, and carts gather from all directions.

The town is situated on the banks of the Qingyi River, whose waters flow endlessly, originating from the mountainous regions of southern Anhui, including counties like Jing, Jingde, and Tai (Jing County, Jingde County, and Tai Ping County), and converging in Wuhu to join the Yangtze River. According to oral accounts, it has undergone many changes over time.

As early as the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty, waterway transportation became convenient, and ships often moored here to rest. It had become a distribution hub for bamboo, wood, firewood, and charcoal from the mountains. Grain merchants from downstream set up purchasing points here, making the commercial market very lively. It is said that at the time, there were three bathhouses, four restaurants, and forty-four general stores in the town. Many shops had workshops at the back, with residential areas stretching from Wangjia Village nearby to Bamiánfó. The riverside area was also filled with houses. During the Wanli era, warfare caused severe damage to houses and shops, leading to displaced residents and an economic downturn in the market town.

In the mid-Qing Dynasty, people’s lives stabilized, and traveling merchants gradually increased, bringing renewed prosperity to the market town. The bamboo and wood handicraft industry flourished, with shops selling bamboo and wood products lining the streets. Wealthy families opened grain businesses, purchasing and transporting grain to cities along the river. There were also bamboo and wood merchants along the riverbanks. Gradually, the streets expanded northward. In addition to mountain goods, general merchandise, and department stores, the town also saw the opening of new businesses such as distilleries (for brewing), sugar refineries, pharmacies, tobacco shops, inns, and restaurants. Most of the merchants came from counties north of the river like Chaohu and Wuwei, and south of the river like Jing, Jingde, and Tai. Business was booming, and it became an important town in the western part of Xuancheng County under Ningguo Prefecture. During the Xianfeng era, due to prolonged battles between the Taiping Army and Qing forces, who set up camps here for four years, the residents suffered greatly, many shops closed down, and people fled their homes, leading to another decline in the market town.

In the early years of the Republic of China, the market town began to revive again. The number of boats and rafts passing through the Qingyi River increased, and large quantities of bamboo and wood rafts were transported from the mountains and docked here. Boat traffic was frequent, with around seventy to eighty boats daily. By then, the market town had become a natural inland river port. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the market town’s commerce thrived. According to elderly locals, there were over a hundred shops of various kinds, and larger shops and workshops employed twenty to thirty apprentices and craftsmen. Famous pastry shops at the time included Wang Yijiang and Yuantaihe, which offered a wide variety of pastries, especially their exquisitely made thin and sweet square cakes. There were six traditional Chinese medicine shops, the largest being "Chen Hengsheng," "Taihechun," and "Hu Guangsheng," which made their own medicines and prescribed treatments. There were five fabric shops, the most famous being "Hengfenghe" and "Tongyuyuan." The bathhouses included "Canglangyuan," "Daleyuan," and "Xinxinyuan," with "Xinxinyuan" having seating for sixty to seventy people. There were three teahouses, including the famous "Jingu Chun" and "Liucui Xian," as well as over thirty general stores and six grain shops. Additionally, small vendors were spread throughout the entire street. Since most of the merchants were from Jing County, there was a saying, "No Jing, no town." During this period, manual crafts such as spinning, weaving, thread twisting, sock knitting, and embroidery became popular. Wang Jingji, a local resident, even founded the "Xihé Private Peiying Primary School." It is said that at its peak, the population reached nearly six thousand.

When the War of Resistance Against Japan broke out, the town was bombed three times by Japanese planes, destroying over a hundred houses and causing nearly a hundred casualties. The area was left in ruins, and the residents lived in unrest. In the 33rd year of the Republic of China (1944), the market town fell to the Japanese, who enforced strict control, committed atrocities, and cut off transportation. The town became desolate.

After the victory in the War of Resistance, the Nationalist government, disregarding the people’s hardships, forcibly levied taxes and donations, exploiting the populace. Supplies in the town were scarce, commerce stagnated, prices soared, the currency depreciated, and the people were filled with grievances.

On April 23, 1949, Xihé was liberated, giving the market town a new lease on life. The people lived in peace and worked happily. The number of shops and vendors increased, and there were many local craftsmen working with bamboo, wood, and iron, as well as thriving hand-weaving industries. People spun and wove their own cotton, linen, and embroidered products. The trade of bamboo, wood, firewood, and charcoal from the mountains increased significantly, and agricultural and sideline products from nearby rural areas gathered here for sale, leading to a bustling market. According to records, the resident population at the time reached over 3,800.

Xihé Ancient Town has always been a commercially vibrant consumer market town and a natural water transport hub. Many residents made a living through commerce, and there were also numerous artisans, especially those specializing in the town’s snacks—Xihé wontons, mutton, cakes, fried stinky tofu, square cakes, and small fish from the Qingyi River. The nearby rural areas have fertile land, producing abundant grain and cotton. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the town’s streets and shops gradually modernized. In recent years, the town government building, the middle school teaching building, the post office building, and the Xinhu Commercial Street have emerged, showcasing modern architectural styles, while the old town still retains its ancient charm. With the national agricultural tourism demonstration site—Heping Ecological Tourism Area, the Xihé Ancient Town scenic area now offers comprehensive facilities for food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, and education (as a municipal and county educational base), providing visitors with high-quality services. With strong support and care from party committees, governments, and relevant departments at all levels, the area is now entering a new phase of large-scale development. We will seize the opportunity to continue protecting the town’s resources, signature snacks, folk customs, and green ecological tourism features. Efforts will be made to enhance the preservation of the ancient town and increase investment in infrastructure and supporting services. Software development will be strengthened, markets will be actively developed, and the scenic area will be transformed into a comprehensive tourism destination that includes ancient town tours, signature snacks, beach swimming, leisure vacations, Yi River rafting, folk customs, ecological tourism and science education at Heping Ecological Park, as well as Buddhist tourism at the Henglang Mountain scenic area.