Qintong¨C Famous Town of North Jiangsu
Qintong on the juncture of Jiangsu's Nantong, Yancheng and Taizhou cities is an old town deep in the Lixiahe area. Its archaeo- logical finds include a Neolithic site and the world's only complete skeleton fossil of a male Pere David deer. The town boasts a Buddhist temple dating back to the Five Dynasties Period (907-960), Shuiyun Tower and Gushousheng Temple from the Song Dynasty, and the Sanmao, Dutian and Guandi halls from the Ming Dynasty. Located in a low-lying area. Qintong is where the Yangtze and Huaihe fiver systems converge. As a result, it is crisscrossed by waterways and surrounded by massive water bodies. Scaling a high point in the town, one can detect the traces of the three old rivers that used to traverse Qintong from east to west. Shops and pavilions extend along the banks of the former Jiahe River, with houses behind them. A dozen or so dwelling-lined alleys strike out lengthwise from its north and south banks. The lanes are paved with gray bricks and, sometimes, cobblestones. The massive expanses of water outside the town are dotted by diked fields.