Ceilinged corridors are the most special scene in Xitang construction. These corridors were originally built to make convenience for the residents trading on boats by the side of the rivers. Each shop has a ceiling over the stone-slate road in front of its own house, and the ceilings connect with one another to form corridors. the longest ceiling stretches 1,300 meters, like a silk belt winding along the river.

Another feature of Xitang is the ancient architecture which was well-preserved from the Ming and Qing Dynasty. there are a total of 122 lanes, long and short, wide and narrow. Five of them are longer than 100 meters. Among all the lanes, Shipi lane is the most famous.