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Phot.Shanghai.Xitang.01.091518.3226.jpg
China, Shanghai, Xitang, one of the ancient water towns in the Yangtze Delta area in the north of Jiashan County, located about 140 km southwest of Shanghai. The town stretches across eight sections, linked by 104 historic stone bridges. In the older parts of town, the well-preserved buildings with "patina" are set along the banks of the canals, which serve as the main transportation thoroughfares in the area.
Entry fee about 10 € p/p, if you stay in one of the charming boutique hotels, they will reimburse you 50% of the entrance fee.
In the Xitang Water Village, there are well-preserved groups of buildings of the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 & the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911, with relatively high artistic quality & research value. The village is famous for its large number of covered corridors, lanes & bridges.
Its history dates back to at least the spring & autumn period, 770 BC–476 BC, when it was located at the border of the State of Yue & Wu. According to legend, Wu Zixu, a well-known scholar & military general, ordered to dig many canals & a pond to facilitate water transportation & to channel water to Jiashan County, therefore Xitang is also called "Xutang".
The Xitang Water Town, people who live there are not rich, so no newer modern houses have been built there. That's maybe one of the reasons why the old constructions are preserved as a whole almost without damage. In those archaic houses, besides the culture & value of the houses themselves, there are also displays of cultural relics or woodcarvings or eaves tiles collected by the house owner. To this day there are exhibitions of the ancient rare books of the owners passed down from generation to generation or rubbings from a stone inscription of a famous calligrapher.
On the roofs of some old houses here, the grass is about "one chi" tall, 33 cm ++, believing that the spirit of the former owner of the house joins with the grass, making it flourish & blessing the peace and durability of the house, as well as the prosperity of the entire town.
The "Mission Impossible III", 2005, movie featuring Tom Cruise scenes in Xitang, leading to a boom of Xitang's popularity among tourists.
Because of the rainy climate, common ceilinged corridors have been created bordering the waterways. Each family roofs the stone-planked path in front of their house resulting in covered corridors of up to 1300 metres.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Phot.Shanghai.Xitang.01.091518.3226.jpg
China, Shanghai, Xitang, one of the ancient water towns in the Yangtze Delta area in the north of Jiashan County, located about 140 km southwest of Shanghai. The town stretches across eight sections, linked by 104 historic stone bridges. In the older parts of town, the well-preserved buildings with "patina" are set along the banks of the canals, which serve as the main transportation thoroughfares in the area.
Entry fee about 10 € p/p, if you stay in one of the charming boutique hotels, they will reimburse you 50% of the entrance fee.
In the Xitang Water Village, there are well-preserved groups of buildings of the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 & the Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911, with relatively high artistic quality & research value. The village is famous for its large number of covered corridors, lanes & bridges.
Its history dates back to at least the spring & autumn period, 770 BC–476 BC, when it was located at the border of the State of Yue & Wu. According to legend, Wu Zixu, a well-known scholar & military general, ordered to dig many canals & a pond to facilitate water transportation & to channel water to Jiashan County, therefore Xitang is also called "Xutang".
The Xitang Water Town, people who live there are not rich, so no newer modern houses have been built there. That's maybe one of the reasons why the old constructions are preserved as a whole almost without damage. In those archaic houses, besides the culture & value of the houses themselves, there are also displays of cultural relics or woodcarvings or eaves tiles collected by the house owner. To this day there are exhibitions of the ancient rare books of the owners passed down from generation to generation or rubbings from a stone inscription of a famous calligrapher.
On the roofs of some old houses here, the grass is about "one chi" tall, 33 cm ++, believing that the spirit of the former owner of the house joins with the grass, making it flourish & blessing the peace and durability of the house, as well as the prosperity of the entire town.
The "Mission Impossible III", 2005, movie featuring Tom Cruise scenes in Xitang, leading to a boom of Xitang's popularity among tourists.
Because of the rainy climate, common ceilinged corridors have been created bordering the waterways. Each family roofs the stone-planked path in front of their house resulting in covered corridors of up to 1300 metres.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
14 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments