Xitang

Unique among Jiangnan water towns, more than a kilometer of riverside covered walkways lets people stroll Xitang on rainy days without getting their shoes wet.

Where the town's waterways meet, a tall stone arch bridge rises near a twin-lane covered bridge that suits both sunny and rainy days.

Paved with 216 granite slabs only three centimeters thick, this deep, narrow lane squeezes down to the width of one person turned sideways.

Rockeries and ponds fill these private water-town gardens, which display the Wang family's woodblock printing and its collection of old books and paintings.

Local tradition says Wu Zixu improved waterworks and excavated Xutang at Xitang, a story later associated with the town's old name and waterways.

Xitang's riverfront streets developed covered corridors linking waterways and shops, providing shelter and becoming a defining feature of its Ming-Qing water-town landscape.