Soggy Moose Travels : XITANG A WATER TOWN OR VENICE OF THE EAST

Xitang Water Town

We had arranged for a private tour guide and car via China Travel to make the visit to Xitang. Our driver and guide met us at 0900 on this chilly overcast day. I should mention it did not rain, but we did get a bit of snow. This made for a beautiful day but difficult flat light photography day.

Our Guide was Chris and he spoke very good English and was able to answer most of our questions. I say most as we tend to ask unique questions which are probably a bit out the norm.

Xitang, an old water town located in Jiashan County of Zhejiang Province, regarded as eastern Venice, Xitang water town embraces 9 rivers converging in a very tranquil natural environment. Seemingly like being in an earthly paradise, I felt extremely relaxed in Xitang water town, and was taken in by its beauty. It is divided into 8 sections and linked together by many old bridges. Along the river, over 10,000 local residents live in well-preserved old buildings constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which boast a higher artistry and study value, thus being highly praised by the experts who studying these antique buildings. Nowadays, most of them run souvenir businesses and provide tourist services, including street food offerings. The residents have witnessed how tourism has brought life into this old town and making it come alive.

We roamed through the labyrinth of small lanes paved with stone, visiting temples, and various museums, and a residence. Many of the lanes next to the canals are covered so that even on a snowy rainy day, one can walk around the town without umbrella.

I found it particularly interesting Xitang boasts a unique button industry. Xitang produces the majority of buttons in China both for the domestic market and for export. One of the town's main attractions is a button museum, which features antique and new buttons made from a wide variety of materials such as horn, ivory, silver silk, brass, mother of pearl and bamboo, etc. I enjoyed seeing the button making process and viewing the machines used to make buttons.

After strolling about and visiting some shops we came to a local restaurant and had what was described to us as a typical local lunch. We chose offerings of pork and different vegetables cooked in various ways and in various sauces. We enjoyed all and came away satisfied.

After our lunch we walked a bit and found the boat dock where we boarded one of the boats for a rather tranquil ride. We were glad the boat was covered and there were side curtains to keep the elements out and us dry. We landed and made our way back to the entrance where we met our driver and made the trip back to our hotel.

As a side note, there are several of these water towns one can visit and Chris our guide said Xitang was he second favorite. Xitang he feels has a nice local character and is usually not as busy and crowded as the others. So if you find yourself in Shanghai do make the journey to a Water Town.