A Chinese proverb says, "Water brings everything." Well that's true in Xinghua, a small city in central Jiangsu. Bounded by the Yangtze on the south, the Huaihe River on the north and the Great Canal to the west, Xinghua, like its neighboring cities, is a collection of islets split up by rivers and waterways.

In fact, the Yangtze River Delta is a giant wetland formed by sands and silt carried downstream over thousands of years. Xinghua is no exception.

*Water brings tourist resources

Xinghua has long been an isolated paradise spared from the country's wars and battles, thanks to its geographic location.Today, locals reach out and communicate with the outside world through the rivers.

The local travel agencies have prepared dozens of water routes spanning rivers, brooks, lakes and islets. Tourists from around the world come here, either to sip tea and coffee along the endless river banks, boat along the rivers or to go island hopping.

Wetland Park

Xinghua has been called "the bottom of the bowl." Its altitude is less than two meters above sea level, so it's no surprise the area has y wetlands, where trees and grass live together with fish, crabs and shrimp.

Most wetland parks are connected to the rivers. Big waves on the bigger rivers make it dangerous to boat by yourself, because there's a ninety percent chance you'll lose your direction.

Shangfang Temple

Shangfang (Heaven) Temple lies directly north of the city, and beside Wujing, or "Black Scarf" Lake. Over 1,000 years ago in the Southern Song Dynasty, the famous General Yue Fei of the Song defeated the Jin General Wuzhu in a battle. Wuzhu took off his armor and threw it into the lake, which brought an end to floods that plagued the region. People built the temple to worship both generals.

The temple is allegedly Buddhist, but still promotes Daoism-common of many countryside temples in China.

Old Streets

The two old streets are outside the city wall to the east and west; around two kilometers long, each end leads to a river port. Shabby houses line the streets, making it more accurate to call them "corridors," as the streets themselves are only one or two meters wide.Behind the rows of houses are rivers. The streets offer a place to shop and eat in the many small teahouses and restaurants along the riverbank. Food is unexpectedly tasty here, and the prices are astonishingly cheap.

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