塘栖,地处杭嘉湖平原南端,是浙北重镇、江南水乡名镇。京杭大运河穿镇而过,镇域内河道纵横、水网密布,自古以来就是杭州的水上门户。塘栖本来只是个小渔村,直到元末张士诚拓宽了官塘运河以后,人们沿塘而栖,小镇才初现雏形。明代弘治年间,广济桥的构筑使镇区两岸连成一片,逐渐形成具有一定规模的集镇。古镇曾为明、清江南十大古镇之首,但如今只保留了水北街一段,和周庄、乌镇等江南古镇相比,已颇显冷清。 Tangqi, located at the southern end of Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou plain, is the northern town of Jiangnan Water Town. Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal through the town, the town of vertical and horizontal river, water network covered, since ancient times is Hangzhou’s water portal. Tang Hsi was only a small fishing village until the late Yuan Shizhang widened the Kwun Tong Canal, people habitat along the pond, the town began to take shape. During the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty, the construction of Guangji Bridge made the two banks of the township become one and gradually formed a market town of a certain scale. The town was once the Ming and Qing Jiangnan top ten of the first town, but now only retains a section of the water North Street, and Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen and other ancient town compared to the Yangtze River, has been quite lonely.