Why it looks like this

When grain from the south moved to Beijing by water, Huai'an was one of the most important places in China: the office governing the whole canal transport system was based here, along with customs posts and huge granaries. The old town's streets grew along the canal banks and around those offices.

The Huai River's old course and a chain of lakes shaped the rest — the city sits in flat, water-rich land where canal, lake and river engineering has been continuous for many centuries.