Xitang , China

中國，西塘

西塘古鎮(zhèn)地處江浙滬三省市交界處，位于中國經(jīng)濟文化活動最為活躍的長三角地區(qū)核心地帶，地理位置優(yōu)越。東距上海90公里，西距杭州110公里，北距蘇州85公里，交通便捷。

    古鎮(zhèn)素有“吳根越角”之稱，是古代吳越文化的發(fā)祥地之一，相傳春秋時期，伍子胥此興水利、通漕運，唐宋時期形成市鎮(zhèn)。古鎮(zhèn)景區(qū)面積3.03平方公里，核心保護區(qū)1.01平方公里內(nèi)有25萬平方米的明清古建筑群，是目前保存最完整，保存面積最大的古鎮(zhèn)。

    她還原汁原味地保留著上千年的人文習俗，2600多戶、6000多名原住民依然延續(xù)著“日出而作，日落而息”的傳統(tǒng)生活方式。春秋的水，唐宋的鎮(zhèn)，明清的建筑，現(xiàn)代的人是對西塘古鎮(zhèn)歷史沿革最為恰當?shù)母爬ā?

     Xitang town is located at the junction of three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. It’s the core of China's most vivid area of economic and cultural development, the heart of the Yangtze River Delta. It’s 90 km to the west of Shanghai, 110 kilometers east of Hangzhou, and 85 kilometers south of Suzhou, in a convenient traffic network.

    This town is known as "The Root of Kingdom Wu and Edge of Kingdom Yue," the birthplace of Ancient Wu-Yue Culture. According to the legend of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Wu Zixu created water transport here and through the Tang and Song Dynasties, the place became a town. The Ancient Town scenic area is of 3.03 square kilometers, with the core protected area of 1.01 square kilometers, holding 25 million square meters of ancient Ming and Qing buildings. Now it is the best preserved and saved largest ancient town.

    Xitang also retains the authentic humanistic practices for more than 1000 years. More than 2600 households, more than 6,000 indigenous people still continue with the traditional lifestyle of "Work on Sunrise, Rest at Sunset". Water dating back to Spring and Autumn Period, town of Tang and Song dynasties, the Ming and Qing architecture, and modern people are Xitang’s most appropriate summary on its long history.