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Alleys snaking around residential complexes are another distinctive of this ancient town. The most famous alley is called "Stone-Paved Lane." It is 68 meters long and only a meter wide, paved with 216 slabs of stone. But "Stone-Paved Lane" isn't the narrowest to be found. That honor goes to two alleys. One can be found at the Li House. It's so narrow that only one person can pass at a time, and sideways. The other, called "Wildcat Lane," is barely 30 cm wide. Located at the west end of the Huanxiu Bridge, it is actually a passage that separates two houses.
Up until 1998, there were 104 old bridges, all of which were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. These include the bridges of Anren, Anjing, Anshan, Wufu, Qingning, Wolong and Laifeng. Most of them are single- or triple-arched wooden beam bridges with stone piers. The Wufu (Five-Bliss) Bridge. It was built during the Ming Dynasty and renovated during the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. The single-arched bridge with a stepped floor is 14 meters long and 7.5 meters wide.
Valuable as they are architecturally and culturally, some of these heritage houses today serve as public or private museums. On display is a wide of range of items including historical documents or collections of old bamboo carvings, wood sculptures, decorative bricks and tiles. In the private museums, residents have even been known to open their lounges or studies to visitors for having a good old chat. More fortunate visitors might even be treated to private ancient book collections and inscriptions.
The Zhongfu House, This residential compound built in the Ming and Qing styles, features a seven-fold serial courtyard with a garden in the back. It was the home of the prominent Wang family during the Qing Dynasty. The Xue House was built into a business-residential complex during the years of the Republic of China (1911-49). Located in a bustling commercial area, the house had a specialty food store at the front and living quarters at the back. With the front of the house facing the street and the back on the waterfront, the design is typical of the town's commercial-residential buildings.
The unique canopies, covering most of the town's riverside walks, add to the attraction of this beautiful water town. The canopies provide much needed shelter from the sun and the rain, and are the perfect place to sit under on benches along the riverwalks. Most of the road canopies, 2-2.5 meters wide, are wooden-famed structures with tiled roofs. End to end, the canopies stretch for a total of over 1,000 meters.
Xitang's Narrowest Alley
Xitang Museums