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China, Shanghai, Xitang, a traditional fishing method in rivers is cormorant fishing in which fishermen use trained cormorants. A noose is tied near the base of the bird's throat to control the birds, they can swallow smaller fish, but it prevents the birds from swallowing larger fish, which are held in their throat.

Has a cormorant caught a fish in its throat, the fisherman brings the bird back to the boat & has the bird spit the fish up. Even so the ones in China & Japan successful cormorant fishing industry, today's purpose of cormorant fishing is primary an attraction to entertain tourists.

Xitang is 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".

In 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 speeding with a bike over the roofs in Xitang, was 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.

 

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