Jinxi is a town of canals and bridges. The town now offers a canal tour that gives a general idea of the old buildings along the waterways and leaves the visitors with enough time to travel the town on foot as a thirty-minute route.

Starting at Lianchi Temple, the route covers Lingtang Cove, Jieshou Bridge, and Nantang Bridge. After reaching Nantang Bridge, it returns, running past Jieshou Bridge, Puqing Bridge, Zhong'an Bridge and Zhonghe Bridge before getting back to Lianchi Temple.

Commonly known as Lihe Bridge, the Nantang Bridge was first built in AD 1129 during the Song Dynasty and renovated during Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It witnessed the changes of Jinxi's history over nearly 900 years. In 1980s, Chen Yifei, a famous painter, drew an oil painting of the bridge. The painting was named Morning (晨).

The couplets on bridge archways are worth reading if you understand Chinese.

The waterside gallery is also included. The gallery, built with red pillars and black tiles, offers a sheltered space for retailers and visitors.

Edited by Andrew Ancheta