___were Nanjing's roads____in the past?为什么不能用how like?要用what like呢?

这是一个固定句型.又如：
What is the weather like in Beijing?北京的天气怎么样?
What was the film like?那部电影怎么样?那有没有用how的同义句呢？？就是如何用how来提问呢？如果是问一个人对一件事的感受，就有两种表达：1. What do you think of the film?2. How do you like the film?问天气情况不可以用how来问。