Xijindu Ancient Street

Historic Yangtze Ferry Crossing And Street In Zhenjiang, Holding The Yuan Dynasty Zhaoguan Over Street Stone Pagoda And The Site Of A 1702 Merchant Lifeboat Society · Zhenjiang, Jiangsu

For most of two thousand years Xijindu was the crossing - the point where travellers between north and south China waited for a boat over the Yangtze, and where enough of them waited long enough to build a street of inns, shops, shrines and offices on the slope above the landing. Then the river moved. Silt pushed the channel steadily north, and today the old ferry steps look out not over water but over the roofs of Zhenjiang, which is the strangest thing about the place and the first thing a visitor should understand. Two survivals make the walk worth an hour. A white stone pagoda from the Yuan dynasty stands across the lane on four legs so that anyone passing beneath it was blessed by the act of walking under - the only over-street stone pagoda of its kind left in China. And a small building nearby housed a lifeboat society founded in 1702, funded by local merchants to pull people out of the river, one of the earliest civilian rescue services anywhere in the world.

Xijindu, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China

THE STREET IS FREE AND OPEN AT ALL HOURS - there is no gate and no ticket. Shops, teahouses and restaurants run roughly 9:00-21:00 and the lane is lit after dark, which is when it is at its best. Individual small exhibitions along the street keep daytime hours and charge modest separate fees; ZHENJIANG MUSEUM, in the former British consulate buildings at the upper end, is usually free with ID but keeps its own hours and may close one day a week - bring a passport. The street climbs and has steps.

Xijindu Ancient Street on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos