Xitang is level, densely distributed with rivers and has a very quiet natural environment. There are 9 rivers converge in this town and dividing it into 8 sections. As a result, many bridges have been constructed in order to link this water town together (anciently called as “nine dragon old pearl” and “wind from 8 sides”). There are many well-preserved architectural groups which constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties within the town, which boast a higher artistry and study value, thus it is highly highlighted by the experts throughout the world who are studying antique buildings. Through an aerial view of the whole town, green waves ripple can be seen every here and there while every family resides near water. In the morning, water flows beneath bridges, thin mist is like silk, pinkish walls on both banks stand tall and erect and tiled houses are reflected inversely in the water. In the evening, the setting sun shines slantwise; songs come from fishing boats, lamps flicker and the fragrance of wine drifts. The whole old town is like a poem and a picture. In this town, people will feel that they are seemingly in an earthly paradise. It is hard to know that people exist in the picture or picture exists in the heart of people.
The covered corridors of Xitang have always attracting the eyes of the local visitors as well as travelers from overseas with their graceful posture. Most of the streets in Xitang are covered with roofs, in this case, merchants and visitors do not need to worry about rain and sunshine. Besides that, wooden and brick made long chairs are arranged neatly along the riverside of some covered corridors in order for people to rest. Moreover, there are centralized commercial areas as well, such as the Beizha Street, Nanzha Street and Zhaonandai, with a total length of over 1000 meters.
On top of that, Xitang Town is very unique in comparison with the other old towns of the same rank nationwide. It is highlighted with a great number of bridges, lanes and covered corridors. Rivers crisscross in the whole town and bridges are densely distributed. Until 1998, there are all together 104 bridges in the whole town. During Song Dynasty, Xitang had only 13 bridges while in the Qing Dynasty, quite a large number of new bridges had been constructed. Most of these bridges are either single-hole or three-hole with stone pillar or wood beam bridges.
There are some old residences still living in Xitang. Besides the unique architectural culture and cultural relic value of residences here, the historical cultural relics are displayed through many daily items like bamboo carvings, woodcarvings, bricks, stones and eaves tiles collected by their owners. Sometimes, you might meet with the owners who open the door to compare notes with the tourists from different places concerning music, chess, calligraphy and painting or exhibit collected ancient books and rare editions or rubbing from a stone inscription. Such folk culture exchange with a rich regional feature is a tourism form in Xitang full of interest.