Drenched in neon light and decorated by a forest of skyscrapers and elevated highways, Shanghai embodies the modern nation China has become. But only 80km away, the historic canal town of Xitang reveals what China once was.

Drenched in neon light and decorated by a forest of skyscrapers and elevated highways, Shanghai embodies the modern nation China has become. But only 80km away, the historic canal town of Xitang reveals what China once was.