Shaoxing's canal system is crossed by an extraordinary density of stone arch bridges, many centuries old, that define the visual character of the old city's backstreets. The bridges are not collected in a single tourist area but are distributed throughout the canal district — turning a corner from a main street onto a canal path often reveals a Song or Ming dynasty stone arch in daily use as a footbridge, with local residents crossing it with shopping bags and bicycles.
The most celebrated are Guangning Bridge (1256 CE), one of the longest Song-era stone bridges surviving in Zhejiang, and Bazi Bridge, whose unusual figure-eight plan was created by the meeting of two bridges at a canal intersection. Both are in the eastern part of the old city and reachable on foot. A self-guided walk through the old canal district, following the waterways rather than the main streets, will cross dozens of stone bridges of varying age and design in a route that gives the best sense of Shaoxing's traditional urban character.