Wuzhen Happy Hotel

The ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River are all water towns, and the water cultural characteristics here are the most typical. There are no ancient towns that are not full of water, and small bridges and flowing water are the brightest business cards of Jiangnan towns. Walking through the ancient town and shuttling through the streets paved with bluestones, there is always a clear stream winding through the distance, passing through the town and winding away. Although these rivers are not wide enough, they lead to Taihu Lake, canals and the Yangtze River, which are the main roads leading to the outside world and the paths for the acceptance and spread of civilization. Those rivers that have flowed since ancient times are the clear springs of the people in the ancient town and the fountains that nourish civilization.

In the criss-crossing and criss-crossing Jiangnan water network, the ancient town is like a shining diamond embedded in the network. In the small town, houses are built by the river, and people live by the water. With the moisture and convenience of water, people's lives have the most basic guarantee. There is neither far from the city nor the noise of the world. Living by the water and comfortable environment make the town like a paradise, enough for people to live and work in peace and contentment, and also for people to take refuge. Therefore, in a highly competitive society, these ancient towns can make so many people linger.

Live by the water, live by the water, and walk by the water. Jiangnan ancient town must be the best location of water system, either surrounded by water or crossed by a small river. Moreover, the small river in the town must be connected with the big river outside, and the river meets the river. It must also be connected with a larger water system, which can bypass Taihu Lake, enter the canal, or trace back to the Yangtze River. Water is the road, and the boat is the car. In the past, when the traffic was inconvenient, people in small towns had their own "roads" and "cars" first. Boats are the wings of water people and the flowing scenery of ancient towns. The great role of rivers and ships lies in their economic and cultural significance.

Most ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River were formed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. At the earliest, it should be some "cities" gradually formed because of the needs of market trade, mainly in the economic sense. Later, the population gathered more and more, and the scale expanded day by day, forming a "town". Therefore, "town" is also the symbol of the earliest urbanization. The livable place in the south of the Yangtze River is the fastest urbanization and the highest population density in ancient China. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zhouzhuang, Nanxun, Tongli, Dangkou and other ancient towns had more than 10,000 residents and more than 5,000 households, which were densely populated and prosperous.

Traffic is one of the most important factors in a town, and the prosperity of an ancient town has always been inseparable from rivers and ships. In the era of underdeveloped ground transportation, the river is the road and the boat can be used as a car, so waterway transportation has become the most important supplement to land transportation. Cities and towns between urban and rural areas are the transit and distribution centers of material exchange in those years, and also the economic centers connecting cities and villages. The purchase of rural farmers is often completed in nearby towns, so the convenience of waterway transportation bears the brunt. Most of the townspeople are engaged in industry and commerce, and there are many shops in the streets and lanes, goods are gathered and trade is booming. Therefore, the architectural mode of "front shop and back home" has become the most common way of life and work in the town.

In this way, commodity consciousness began to sprout in the town, and economic and trade activities also brought good benefits to the residents of the town. Jiangnan, with its rivers and Sang Yu, has been an important producing area of silk since ancient times. The history of sericulture can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period, and silk production has been a sideline for thousands of years. As early as the Song Dynasty, Nanxun Town was "the most developed commercial agriculture in Zhejiang". Because this series of mulberry silk is white, flexible and excellent in texture, it is famous all over the world. Therefore, there is a saying that "the benefits of sericulture are not prosperous in the lake, but the best in Nanxun". "Li Ji" is the name of this village. It was originally called "Qili" because it is just the distance to Nanxun Town, and later it was renamed "Li Ji". The water in the collection is as soft as silk. Ordinary silk can only lift one copper coin, but the silk in the collection can bear the weight of ten copper coins. Later, the weaving of the emperor's robes was all made of silk in the collection.

Nanxun Town has thus become the trading center of raw silk and silk, and the huge water network has woven a traffic map extending in all directions for Nanxun. /kloc-After the opening of Shanghai in the 20th century, with the sharp increase of raw silk exports, Nanxun Town quickly became the largest silk market in the south of the Yangtze River, showing a prosperous scene of "bustling, trading tens of thousands of gold a day" (Nanxun Silk Market Tour). Influenced by the flexible, witty and open water culture, Nanxun people are sensitive and good at doing things. They not only make their business prosperous, but also take the flexibility, wit and pragmatism cultivated by the market to the broader world of Shanghai. In Nanxun Town, there are so-called "four elephants, eight cows" and "seventy-two dogs". These elephants, cows and dogs refer to the wealthy businessmen and tycoons in the town. Their silk businesses spread all over the world, making great profits and becoming local tycoons.

It is the most pleasant thing to take a boat, listen to the boatswain sing Wu Ge, stroll along the ancient town along the river and enjoy the scenery along the coast. In Nanxun, the buildings winding 400 meters along the shore are breathtaking. This is the famous "Hundred Buildings". According to legend, the Hundred Towers was built by Dong Fen, Minister of Rites in Wanli Period of Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than 400 years. This group of magnificent buildings with white walls and tiles are connected by arcades and sealed by volcanic walls. The courtyard is separated by vouchers, and there is a veranda in front of the building to shelter from rain and sun. The buildings are strewn at random, simple and elegant in style, magnificent without losing the architectural characteristics of Jiangnan, and unique among the buildings on both sides of the strait. Hundreds of buildings are across the river. Between the buildings on both sides of the river, there is a stone bridge, and the neat revetment made of stones along the river is unified. The riverside pier in front of the door is convenient for cargo transportation and boat tour, as well as daily pumping and washing.

"The small building listens to the spring rain all night, and the deep alley sells apricot flowers." That beautiful long poem belongs only to the ancient town of Jiangnan. When the boat glides across the water, if the lattice sash near the water is suddenly pushed away, a girl with bright eyes should lean against the window with a smile; What would it be like if the sun went down and a farmer's daughter was selling flowers on the boat by the dock? Jang Jin, a poet in Qing Dynasty, wrote a poem in Xunxi Fishing Song:

Compared with those tourist hotspots in Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen, Dangkou Ancient Town is low-key and quiet. Here, the white goose is still floating leisurely, the osprey on the wooden boat is still fishing, and there are few guests in the tea shops on both sides of the strait, but it is more suitable to sit in a small tea shop, chat leisurely, live in a newly renovated homestay at the east end of the street and enjoy the tranquility of the town. "Southeast giant immersion goose lake, wonderful smoke waves. The green hills outside the clouds are reflected in the distance, and the scenery in the west of the city is like nothing. " This is the praise of Du Hanjie, a poet in Qing Dynasty, for Dangkou scenery. I think Dangkou was very popular with the literati at that time. This place is also frequented by Tang Bohu, Shen Zhou, Wen Zhiming and other talented people in Wumen, because there is a "authentic appreciation den" where the owner Huaxia is a famous collector and fellow friend of the talented people. That night, Tang Bohu went boating with a beautiful woman under the moon in Goose Lake, leaving a sentence "The willow is full of fog and the moon is full of lake light", a poem by Cui, "On the boat with prostitutes, the goose wants to watch the night". It was not only returned many times, but also painted two paintings with the same name for Zhai. It was here that they found the feeling of "home"?

The ancient town in the evening is often compared to a gentle poem, which vividly interprets the poetic water culture. Sitting under the long corridor of the ancient town, watching the clouds fall in Yun Qi, the boats come and go, and the misty rain gathers, which is a luxury that the city can't experience, and it is also a realistic version of "Poetry and Distance", and urbanites are eager for it. In fact, today's quiet and peaceful ancient town was a bustling commercial hotspot in ancient times. These ancient towns are close to the urban area, with convenient travel and no horses and chariots. All kinds of life are convenient, the town is prosperous, and you can enjoy peace and comfort. The characteristic promenade in the ancient town of Tang Xi was originally built by a businessman to meet the needs of guests for shelter from the wind and rain. His good deeds brought him a good reputation and good business, which attracted many businessmen to follow suit. Thus, the veranda is connected with the veranda and extends into a one-kilometer corridor. Some people even put chairs and benches on the riverside for people to rest, which not only created a good shopping environment, but also became a unique scenery of the ancient town, reflecting the awakening of people-oriented consciousness and service consciousness in that era.

The ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River are either built by water or surrounded by water, and most of them have small rivers flowing through them. Where there is a river, there are bridges. Because there are boats under the bridge, most of the bridges in the ancient town are arch bridges. If water endows the town with poetry and aura, then the bridge adds a sense of accessibility to the town of hidden fish.

Luzhi, known as the "Bridge Capital" in the south of the Yangtze River, has 72 stone arch bridges in a square kilometer town. These bridges were built in Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, and 4 1 bridge have been preserved so far. These bridges have various shapes and shapes, including large porous stone bridges, small single-hole stone bridges, wide arch bridges and narrow flat-topped bridges. There are many bridges because there is a lot of water. Lu Zhi is one of the "Five Lakes" of Yangcheng Lake, Dianshan Lake, Hucheng Lake, Jinji Lake and Dushu Lake. Many rivers surround the town, and a straight river ditch in the middle connects six directions. Land and water intersect to form a big character "Lu Zhi", hence the name "Lu Zhi".

The ancient towns are all immersed in water, and the location of Tongli ancient town in the east of the canal is similar to that of Luzhi. Surrounded by Tongli Lake, Jiuli Lake, Yeze Lake, Nanxing Lake and Pangshan Lake, the town is known as "Little Venice" in the south of the Yangtze River. Chen Congzhou, a modern landscape expert, said, "Tongli is named after water, and there is no Tongli without water", revealing the close relationship between Tongli and water. The whole ancient town is divided into seven lands by 15 river, and these seven lands are connected into a whole by 49 ancient bridges. In the Ming Dynasty, some literati gathered here to jointly evaluate the "Eight Scenes in Tongli": Jiuli Blue, Lin Haochun Rain, Lianpu Fragrant Wind, Late Crossing in the Western Jin Dynasty, Fishing Flute in Shuicun, Watching the Moon from East to West ... Almost all of them were not wet.

Small bridges and flowing water connect ancient towns and historical customs in series. From Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi and Wuzhen to Xitang, Nanxun and Dangkou, no matter which ancient town has water, there must be a bridge. The ancient bridges on the river come one after another, just like a string of notes soaring on the staff, forming a melodious music. Naturally, the main value of bridges lies in the significance of transportation, not only to satisfy the eyes, but also to maintain people's aesthetics, culture, life, customs and vision as a kind of labor creation integrating culture and art.

In Tongli, whenever someone in the town holds a happy event, the wedding procession in red has to pass several bridges. The first one is called Geely Bridge. Here, the groom must complete the first step of the wedding in accordance with the ancient custom-"two hands on one back" and walk with the bride through Geely Bridge, Taiping Bridge and Changqing Bridge, and complete the traditional wedding with firecrackers, drums and congratulations from relatives and friends. In cities, weddings have long been replaced by fixed programs of hotel emcees. Only in the ancient town, there is a long tradition and a continuous soil. The three bridges of "Geely, Taiping and Evergreen" in Tongli ancient town stand in a patchwork manner, only a few dozen steps away. The custom of "taking three bridges" has been circulated as early as the Qing Dynasty. People have to cross these three bridges for weddings, birthdays, birthdays and children's full moons.

The local folk proverb says:

Walking on the bridge, as a popular custom in Jiangnan water town, originated in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The poem "Walking Three Bridges" in the Ming Dynasty said: "My mother called backyard chicken, and it was called at dawn. After crossing the third bridge, the lights have fallen, but I don't think Luo socks will pollute the spring mud. " At that time, taking the bridge was mainly a popular folk way to get rid of diseases, and gradually evolved into a richer blessing custom in its evolution. In Wuzhen, taking the bridge has evolved into a blessing activity that the whole town participates in. On the night of Lantern Festival, after dinner, people began to carry lanterns across the bridge in groups of three or five. As more and more people gather, the bridge-walking team winds into a long lantern dragon. Unlike Tongli, Wuzhen people have walked more than ten bridges, so they can only walk all the way without returning to the bridge. Therefore, they need to plan a good route before walking on the bridge. People should read the proverb of walking on the bridge while walking: "Walking on the bridge at midnight leads to a peaceful life and all diseases disappear;" Children cross the bridge, smart and take the initiative to study hard; When the young man crosses the bridge, his career is thriving. The girl walks on the bridge, youthful and beautiful, slimmer; The old man crosses the bridge, he Jian. " Judging from the content, it is obviously a new proverb.

Zhouzhuang, the earliest open ancient town, is surrounded by water. The whole town is connected by water, and the bridge is opposite. The unique water environment has created Zhouzhuang's exquisite charm and unique human landscape. Nowadays, the "Shuangqiao" brought into the picture frame by Chen Yifei has become the cultural symbol of Zhouzhuang. Shuangqiao has its own name, the one across the north and south cities is called Shide Bridge, and the one across Yinzibang is called Yong 'an Bridge. The name of the bridge reveals the value cognition of the townspeople, and the simple shape and exquisite structure also show that the townspeople in the water town advocate nature and live in peace with the world.

The periphery of the most important bridge in the ancient town is often surrounded by restaurants and teahouses, where people, tourists and food gather, and it is often the cultural, economic and information center of the town. Sitting in the teahouse of the riverside pub, people drink tea or drink, raise a glass and look at the moon in the wind, while enjoying the boat waves and pedestrians under the bridge and chatting casually. This is the most charming style of the town.

At the west entrance of Zhongshi River in Zhouzhuang, there is a single-hole stone arch bridge-Zhenfeng Bridge, which was built in Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty. Both ends of the bridge connect Zhenfeng Lane and Xiwan Street. There is a "Deji" restaurant under the bridge, which has a charming nickname-Milu. It is said that the boss's only daughter, Ah Chin, is as beautiful as Lotus. When she was selling wine, her reputation spread far and wide, and diners from far and near came to smell the fragrance, and the restaurant business was very prosperous. Chen Qubing and Liu Yazi, gifted scholars in the Republic of China, also frequented Deji at that time, drinking and chatting, and also held banquets. They are here to give directions, poetry is booming, and words are exciting. Over time, they collected more than 100 poems, and they compiled a collection of lost buildings. The name "Lost Building" has become another name for Deji restaurants. Nowadays, a group of wax figures in the mysterious building silently tell people the story of a hundred years ago.

-End-

Author: Zhuang Ruojiang

Zhuang Ruojiang, a professor at Jiangnan University, a member of the think tank of the municipal government, an expert on Jiangnan culture of Wu culture, and an outstanding popular science expert in the national humanities and social sciences system. He has served as director of the Chinese Department, director of the Department of Film and Television Communication, vice president of the School of Literature, and director of the Jiangnan Cultural Research Center. He is also the vice president of Jiangsu Taigang and Overseas Chinese Literature Research Association, the vice president of Wuxi Jiangnan Culture Research Association and the vice president of the National Reading Promotion Association. Long-term engaged in regional culture research, comparative study of literature across the Taiwan Strait and three places, and film and television drama planning and creation. He has interpreted the culture of Emperor Wu for many party and state leaders and was highly praised.

He has written 2 1 article on Urban Culture, Talking about Wu and Modern Interpretation of the Connotation of Wu Culture, published more than 40 papers1article in various journals, and won many provincial and ministerial-level outstanding achievement awards in philosophy and social sciences. In addition, large-scale humanistic documentary texts such as Shuo Wu, Huishan Ancestral Temple Group, Jiangnan Poetry and Painting, TV series Jiangnan Noble House, movie Xicheng Past, dance drama China Jiuge, Millennium Canal and Tin Merchants in the Storm won the "Top Ten Gold Awards", Best Screenplay Award and Outstanding Literature and Art in the Sixth International Documentary Awards Conference.

Review and release: Zhang