Tangqi, this ancient town half an hour away from Hangzhou, has the most leisurely life in the Jiangnan water town.

It was once ranked among the top ten famous towns in the south of the Yangtze River, a place where merchants gathered, and it was extremely wealthy during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The fun-loving Emperor Qianlong even came here several times and was infatuated with the beautiful scenery of the prosperous Jiangnan.

Today, the Grand Canal is no longer a golden waterway, and the town is finally peaceful.

The light rain is falling, which complements the scenery of the pond.

When the fog is misty, the water is rippling, the boats are lit with fireworks, and the world suddenly becomes warm.

The rain has soaked the white walls and black tiles, water flows under the eaves, the stone roads are slippery and shiny, and the river reflects the ancient arch bridge... Ancient bridges, stone roads, and old houses, Tangqi has the shadow of all the ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River.

.

Although it is not big, it has delicacies that foodies miss, old houses left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the slow life of local residents? After walking through an ancient canal bridge, you have entered the scenery beyond the hustle and bustle of Hangzhou. When you go to Tangqi, you must

I will go and walk around the Guangji Bridge.

This ancient bridge, which has been around for hundreds of years, is like the soul of Tangqi. Only with it can the prosperity of the ancient town exist.

In 2014, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was successfully declared a World Heritage Site, and Guangji Bridge was included on the list.

As part of the canal ruins, every brick and tile that walks across this bridge has the beauty that spans time.

Crossing Guangji Bridge and walking 20 meters north is the store of Zhejiang's time-honored brand "Centennial Huichang".

This food shop was first founded in 1800 (the fifth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty). The candied fruit making skills it inherited were included in the "List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Projects of Hangzhou", and "Tangqi Zongzi" was rated as "Famous Snack in Hangzhou"

?, these are part of the Tangqi cultural relics.

After eating Shuibei Street snacks, you have tasted Yuhang's most authentic delicacies. Walking across Guangji Bridge is the location of Shuibei Street. This street preserves the traditional food that has been passed down in the town for hundreds of years.

If we start from Shuibei Street, there are snack shops such as Fagen Pastries, Menban Rice, Kanggan Restaurant, and Yiguoxiang.

Many old Hangzhou people go to Tangqi and never forget to buy some pastries from Fagen Pastries or Zhu Yitang on Shuibei Street. The ingredients are sufficient and the prices are cheap.

Besides, Xincun Lane, which intersects Shuibei Street, contains Tangqi Town’s specialty snacks such as Azhong Rice Balls and Chestnut Duck.

The restaurants and shops here may not look very impressive, but the owner of each restaurant is a "treasure of the store". Not only does he do it himself, he is also very particular about the ingredients, and the production process has been passed down for generations.

Lighting lanterns by the canal to pray for blessings is a lively day that only comes back to the ancient town. Not only that, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, by the Guangji Bridge on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, people in the ancient town will also use cruise ships to set up lanterns. Everyone can put out lanterns to make wishes and pray for their families.

Pray for peace and blessing, and let the "lucky lantern" in your hand drift with the current and scatter in the water of the Grand Canal.

With the bright moon in the sky and the lanterns shining brightly, it is a beautiful scenery not to be missed.

Walking through the alleys to watch nostalgic shadow puppet shows, you can appreciate the life style of Jiangnan people. Speaking of delicious food, the most interesting local entertainment activity is the Pingtan Listening Club with strong local characteristics.

Pingyuan Teahouse is located next to a pot of incense. The interior is not very big and can barely seat about twenty people.

The Pingtan Listening Club is said to be open on a regular basis, so those who want to watch it are best to make time to go and reserve a seat early, otherwise you may not be able to see it.