The water town of Hangzhou is on fire! Right in the downtown area, it has been stunning for hundreds of years

Speaking of 'Xixing', many people generally have a few impressions: there is a Xixing station on Subway Line 1, a town of IoT companies listed on the stock market, and a future community filled with young people. Local elders say: 'Hangzhou has West Lake, Xixi, and also Xixing.' The young people are not convinced, Xixing is just a new area that has risen in recent years, how can it compare with West Lake and Xixi? But if you really count it, the history of Xixing is not inferior to West Lake or Xixi at all. Hundreds of years ago, Xixing was even more prosperous than it is today. At its peak, it was a 'town that never sleeps', and the logistics center of the entire Jiangnan region, even the whole country. To find the prosperous past of Xixing, you have to head south, to the Xixing ancient town hidden in the city. It is a dazzling pearl on the Grand Canal, and also a niche check-in spot privately treasured by many people. Xixing ancient town has a typical 'one river with two streets' layout. It takes about an hour to stroll through the entire Xixing ancient town. Walking along the renovated Guanhe Road, you can take in the main features of Xixing ancient town at a glance. On the other side, Xixing Street is where the real old flavor is preserved. Narrow bluestone paths are lined with buildings from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, where people in the past would dock by the river, pass through the houses, and come directly to this street.