A Place of Delectable Cuisine, Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Charming Waterside Scenery
Discover a southern-style water town in the north, just a short distance from Beijing: Xianglian · Taihang Water Town in Yi County comes highly recommended. This is a meticulously crafted destination where small bridges, flowing streams, and quaint dwellings blend with the natural beauty of mountains and water. It’s a town that brings together food, entertainment, and culture.
Walking into Xianglian · Taihang Water Town in Baoding’s Yi County, Hebei, gives you a strong sense of déjà vu. It shares similarities with Gubei Water Town in Miyun, Beijing, and Xianglian Town in Zunhua, Hebei, yet its location beside the Yishui River imparts a distinct southern water-town flavor.
**Savor Local and Regional Flavors**
The town’s culinary scene spans a wide range, from local specialties such as ganglu shaobing (clay-oven baked cakes), cured meats, and dried tofu, to snacks from Shaanxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and beyond. Standing before the clay oven and watching the chef slap dough onto its inner walls is a novel sight. Take a bite of the freshly baked cake—crisp outside, fragrant inside. In front of a shop called ‘Sole-Shaobing,’ I was drawn to a row of stitched cloth shoe soles hanging up; looking down, I saw pancakes on the griddle shaped exactly like shoe soles. Slip one stuffed with cooked meat and chili into your hands, and you’re in for a hearty treat. Watch skewers rotate over a barbecue grill on a track, gaze at the noodles hung high to dry, and inhale the steam of just-out-of-the-oven donkey meat huoshao (baked buns), the endless aromas of beef-topped pancake, Shaanxi belt noodles… All these snacks, with their colorful banners, shop signs, and the vendors’ shouts, create a dizzying, delightful spectacle. Time your visit to coincide with meal hours, taste the food at leisure, and learn about regional snacks—it’s a truly joyful experience.
**Immerse Yourself in Endless Rural Delights**
The water town has carved out spaces for visitors to soak up rural life and take part in rustic joys. Pushing a stone mill, browsing the mountain goods street, visiting the chili workshop, spotting golden corn stacks, and hearing the melodic opera singing from the embroidered tower all transport people back to bygone days. The old objects, antique furniture, and weathered cartwheels hanging on wooden frames along the lanes tell stories of long years. Many elderly visitors eagerly pose for photos against these vintage backdrops, seeking to preserve fragments of their own past lives and hold onto the indelible rustic charm and nostalgia deep in their memories…
**Discover Intangible Cultural Heritage**
Throughout the water town, walls are inlaid with pottery shards at the Old Mudpot Pottery, the Old Opium Den, the Old Teapot, the Liulingzui Distillery, and the Baoding Three Treasures shop, while stores display paper-cuts, windmills, and gourd artworks. The Tongfu Tea House resounds with the high-pitched, stirring strains of Hebei Bangzi opera—each element narrates its own historical tale. Standing before the pickle baskets in the Baoding Three Treasures store, I vividly recall the old custom: years ago, anyone returning from Baoding would never leave without bringing back a basket of pickles. Wandering the streets and alleys, the intangible cultural heritage artworks and foods are a highlight, giving people a deeper understanding of ethnic culture and art, and of those beautiful things rooted deep in the human heart.
**Fun on the Yishui River**
Nestled next to the Yishui River, the water town offers more than just food, rural experiences, and culture; it also has water-based activities for visitors to enjoy. Against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, young people love to grab a bamboo raft and engage in mock water battles, often ending up completely soaked. The town’s bridges, streams, and houses also let you appreciate the unique scenery typical of southern water towns.
When night falls, return to the water town to find it still bustling with people. By night, it’s even more enchanting: visitors stroll the lanes, sample snacks, and chat leisurely. Many gather at the town’s stage to watch performances. At that moment, it feels as if you’ve stepped through a time tunnel, reliving evenings spent listening to music and watching shows under the starry sky from many years ago.
**Transportation:** From Dujiakan Toll Gate in Beijing, take the G4 Beijing–Hong Kong–Macao Expressway, then transfer to the Zhangshi Expressway, exit at Xiling, and follow signs to Taihang Water Town.
**Nearby Attractions:** Western Qing Tombs, Yishui Lake, Langya Mountain, and Jingke Park in Yi County town.
