【Xitang Ancient Town｜Unlock the Poetic Code of Jiangnan Water Town 24 Hours a Day】

🌅 Dawn and Dusk Secrets
Free admission before 7:50 AM to enjoy the misty long corridor alone. The bluestone path glistens coldly as you walk through Shipi Alley in Hanfu holding a lantern. The 0.8-meter narrow alley "One Line Sky" freezes a thousand years of light and shadow. At dusk by Yongning Bridge, the sunset dyes the bridge’s shadow into a golden ring, blending with the oar sounds of black-awning boats to compose an ink painting.

🎡 Immersive Experiences
Night tours upgraded! The Xiyuan Night Banquet uses holographic projection to recreate the Lantern Festival market from "Xitang Poetry Manuscript." Light and shadow flow along the corridor pillars like a starry dream; wearing light-colored Hanfu for photos adds an ethereal touch. Every Friday and Saturday night, the live Sakura Riverside Yue Opera "Butterfly Lovers" is performed. While riding a black-awning boat to "follow the show," actors toss custom bookmarks. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Lab lets you make traditional frog buttons and experience sealing yellow wine jars, with engraved wine jars to take home as souvenirs.

🍜 Taste of Jiangnan
Qiantang family’s straw-wrapped pork with eight-treasure cake, where lotus leaf fragrance seeps into black pork, offers great value at 45 RMB per person. Lu’s small wontons have skins as thin as cicada wings; a 10 RMB bowl is incredibly fresh—remember to visit before 3 PM. The local-favorite "A Liu Tou" restaurant’s 28 RMB water caltrop stir-fried with shrimp is a perfect dish to go with rice.

🚗 Practical Tips
✅ Take the high-speed train to Jiashan South Station, then bus K222 directly to the scenic area; last bus at 21:40
✅ Stay in a guesthouse inside the scenic area for ticket discounts. At Fuxi Nanting Hotel, opening the window reveals black-awning boats in water alleys, plus free Hanfu rental for photo shoots
✅ Free admission after 17:00 (small attractions closed), with night light shows and bar folk music atmosphere in full swing
✅ Must bring: mosquito repellent, flat shoes, and a dual-purpose sun/rain umbrella for mosquito and sun protection

💡 Off-Peak Tips
Avoid weekend afternoon crowds sketching in the misty corridor; weekdays early morning or 12:00-13:30 are best for photos. On the water bus, choose the right seat to capture the classic framed view of ancient houses through the Wan’an Bridge arch.

This "living millennium-old town" certified by National Geographic is an ink painting by day and a lantern world like "Spirited Away" by night. Here, you are not just a tourist but a participant in the water town’s story.

Post by SeekerOfAdventures | Jul 28, 2025