Xitang, A Separate Peace

Mid-April, and the wishy-washy trip planning is in full-swing. Your loved one wants Hong Kong, the buddies favor Sichuan. “How about Suzhou?” queries a noob, “I hear it’s peaceful, and the canals are really beautiful.” The needle screeches off the record.

Nothing’s that bad about Suzhou, especially this time of year when outdoors is no longer warmer than indoors, and it’s not as over-hyped as other tourist destinations we could name. But for a frequent traveler, success is measured in terms of how much you feel like a discoverer, and how little like a sheep being led through the shearing pen. Suzhou is a Blanche Dubois of a city, bright light exposing its faded charms, clinging too noisily to the past to give a visitor any peace.

Xitang, on the other hand, is Stella, Blanche’s quieter, warmer, more inviting sister. Too small to make a big fuss over itself, Xitang has still largely escaped the monetized re-invention of other ancient Chinese cities. Quiet, relaxed, with few of the touristy affectations that mar the experience, Xitang is one of the last peaceful little river towns. Equi-distant from both Suzhou and Shanghai, a two-hour bus ride either way, Xitang is easy to compare to its famous neighbors.

Nine rivers divide Xitang into eight parts, and 104 bridges unite them. These bridges were built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, between 1368 and1911 CE. However, the town’s been around since the Spring and Autumn Period (770-221BCE), and prosperous since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Whereas most of China has been rebuilt on the rubble of past glory, Xitang’s deep past remains relatively un-eroded, imbuing the place with a fatalistic calm.

Naturally, Xitang’s gentle action is on the riverside, characteristic Chinese bustle slowed to the rhythm of lapping water. 122 stone-paved lanes carve the town up into a maze only slightly disorienting, whereas the labyrinths of Lijiang can leave a visitor panicking like a hunted beast.

The frequent showers which frequently dampen spirits in this part of China only add to the fun in Xitang, where most of the lanes have continuous black-tiled awnings. A sudden downpour is an excuse to take a breather inches from the rain, and watch drops dot the river. The awnings likewise defeat the summer sun in its efforts to sap tourist energy. Ranging from over a kilometer long to driveway length, dwindling at times to barely a meter’s width, the lanes give strollers a quaint sense of comfort otherwise obliterated by the endless right-angled boulevards which dominate more modern Chinese cities.

The homes along these lanes gratify tourists in that they are almost entirely un-refurbished for tourist gratification. Instead, many residents make exhibitions of old woodcarvings, inscription rubbings, and other cultural relics. Nothing conveys the spirit of Xitang’s residents better than the grass growing on their rooftops, often cubit-high. Easygoing and unpretentious, they are at peace with drawing sustenance from the roots of their past.

A boat ride in Xitang is as mandatory as it would be in Venice. No Bridge of Sighs or gelato, but also no gondoliers coming on to your womenfolk. An hour’s drift along the waterways leaves you hypnotically tranquil, and ravenously ready for some of the fine seafood Xitang boasts. Most of it, such as the crabs, will be steamed rather than drowned in oil. Telling, that. Xitang lets its natural qualities flavor the tourist experience, rather than besotting you with snake oil and artificial flavoring.

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