Ancient towns are the special of regions south of the Yangtze River, whether you are local people or not, Xitang is a classic place to go. Surrounded by river that has flowed over thousand years, it seems that all the scenes about local ancient people’s life all come to you: you could see people washing clothes by the side of river, talking to passers-by on their way home, and even enjoying a cup of tea in their balcony. Modern life has brought us polluted air and noise, which make us sick. Thus, we are so eager to run away from city and get close to nature. So just enjoy the quietness and peacefulness that Xitang gives you.
By: Siqi Mo 130908214 Class
Woke up in the morning at 9am, it was a day before the new term started, I was ready for my Xitang Trip and I can’t wait anymore.
It was a sunny day, sunshine sprinkled on the earth, although it was still winter, warmness came to me unconditionally, which brought me nice mood. I set out from Hangzhou East Railway Station, taking high-speed train to Jiashan county, which took around half an hour and I just needed 27 yuan for the train.
I booked a room in an inn inside Xitang scenic spot(not very expensive, normally 80 yuan for weekdays and 180 for weekends, but if you go on holiday season it would be more expensive), the owner picked me up at the gate and bought ticket for me——half price as 50 yuan (if you buy it yourself it would be 100 yuan for adults and 80 for students).
There are many lovely, romantic stores. You can enjoy a cup of coffee at the corner of a house, of a cup of milk tea with your friends chatting, laughing for the whole afternoon. Moreover, you could find shops that sell postcards and of course you can send them to yourselves and your friends. What the funny is that you could set a date when you want to send the postcard out, and the shopkeeper would do it for you according to the date you write down. Oh! I forgot to say: the ticket could be a postcard as well!
Although ancient towns of regions south of the Yangtze River look almost the same, like Wuzhen (in Tongxiang), Luzhi Town (in Suzhou), Nanxun Town (in Huzhou), each has its own unique. Take the bars in Xitang for example. Some people think bars in ancient town is unacceptable, or it’s weird to have bars in ancient town. But I think it is exactly the special aspect that differs. It’s the combination of the modern and the ancient.
Now that I have come to the water town, don’t miss the chance to take a boat and travel Xitang in a different angle.
As you can see in the water upside, the water of the river is green and it may make you feel that it’s dirty, but it doesn’t smell. Taking a boat you can see some other sceneries that you can’t see by traveling on foot. You would see local people drinking tea on their balcony, washing clothes by the side of the river and tourists sitting on the stairs taking photo.
Besides, Xitang is an old but romantic ancient town. People who come to Xitang must put away a lantern to the river and wish for what you want! There are many shapes of lantern you can choose,most of them are made as flower, like sunflower, chrysanthemum, rose, and so on. It’s a tradition of Xitang as well. People in the old day often do this to bless health, love and happiness. So it is also an unmissable experience!
Come to Xitang and have more fun for yourselves!
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