Xijin Ferry Ancient Street

Xijin Ferry is located at the foot of Yuntai Mountain in the northwest of Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province. It is situated at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The ancient street is approximately 800 meters long, with a total area of about 6 hectares. It is a historical site built along the Panshan Plank Road and has been praised by Chinese ancient architecture expert Luo Zhewen as the "Museum of Ancient Ferries in China." Xijin Ferry has a history of over 1,400 years, dating back to the Three Kingdoms period when it was known as "Suanshan Ferry." During the Six Dynasties period, the ferry route was fixed between Jingkou (now Zhenjiang) and Guangling (now Yangzhou). Since the Tang Dynasty, it has had complete ferry functions. Since the 1980s, Zhenjiang City has been repairing, protecting, and utilizing the surrounding areas of Xijin Ferry Ancient Street to promote ferry culture. On April 29, 2008, the Xijin Ferry Historical and Cultural Street officially opened to the public. The street has three national-level cultural relic protection units and 38 provincial and municipal-level cultural relic protection units. Important attractions include the Zhaoguan Stone Pagoda, the former British Consulate, the Lifesaving Society, and the Guanyin Cave. Xijin Ferry preserves a large number of historical and cultural relics and traditional residential areas from the Tang Dynasty onwards. It is the oldest, largest, and best-preserved ancient ferry historical street in China. In 2001, the Xijin Ferry Historical and Cultural Street won the "UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation Award of Excellence." In 2011, it was rated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.