Xitang 
If you come to Xitang, make sure you watch the sunset and you stay for the night, when darkness falls. Open your eyes and you will find the entire town lit up with a string of red lanterns. The moon, lanterns, combined with the flickering lights from households provides a dim and romantic environment as a calmness settles across the water.
If you are lucky, you might also catch the folk opera on the water stage and you can quietly listen to the graceful notes of the singers as you enjoy your fragrant tea. The hours of the night seem to quickly disappear as the singers describe images of revelry, sadness, and conflict in the ancient past.
Rise and shine. It鈥檚 a brand new day. Look where I slept last night. It鈥檚 not very soft, but it sure was comfortable. And can you imagine how much effort was taken to make this bed? Look above at the engravings鈥o many folklores and stories, myths, and things of the past. Oh, and I want to show you something. These containers are used to store cookies, clothes, shoes, anything you like. And my favorite, come here. Can you guess what this is? Take a good look. Tada鈥 it鈥檚 a toilet.
I鈥檓 not a morning person, but it鈥檚 impossible to stay in bed in Xitang. In the wee hours of the morning, you can find residents getting an early start on the day. By the water, you will see many residents doing their laundry, washing their toilets, and starting up the fire. It鈥檚 a time when the town belongs completely to the residents, unbothered by tourists and outsiders.
By noontime, the streets become packed with people.
This is what happens when you walk through a lane鈥 look at all these people. Whew, finally free. That was difficult.
Many cultural structures have disappeared with time, but these lanes have remained, playing a huge role in the everyday lives of the residents.
The most famous lane is called Shipi lane, or literally 鈥渢he skin of the stone鈥 lane for its 216 thin paving stones. The lane is a mere one meter wide. In the narrowest part is only about 0.8 meters, so tight two neighbors who opened their windows from the building walls could hold hands.
Okay, it is getting a little too creepy for me, so let鈥檚 get back in the light. There are lanes of many types and functions. The 122 lanes are within residences, some connect streets, and others connect streets to water.
Hey, I鈥檓 doing it. This is an example of a lane which connects the street to the water. Like most lanes, it is relatively narrow. I can鈥檛 even extend my arms all the way. Let鈥檚 see what鈥檚 at the other end. Here鈥檚 the water. But don鈥檛 run too fast, because you just might fall in. Nice and cool, huh?
These water lanes allowed boats to stop by the river and at the same time, residents in the lane could easily access the water.
