In early winter, I waited for a snow in Nanxiang.

Early winter

I was waiting for a snow in Nanxiang

A small rain suddenly increased the chill and went out. The chilly wind indicated that winter had arrived.

In the north, snow seems to be the standard in winter, and it is a natural existence. In Shanghai, in the poetic south of the Yangtze River, a snow, even a small light snow, will make people jump for joy, as if welcoming a grand festival. Therefore, waiting for a snow in Nanxiang in early winter is like waiting for a romantic encounter.

Since ancient times, the snow in Nanxiang is romantic. Records of nanxiang town record that Sanchapu is close to the wilderness, boating after the snow, looking like jade. This is one of the eighteen scenic spots in Nanxiang, "Three Chapters and Snow". Imagine, after a heavy snow, the three lakes are all white, and Nanxiang is wrapped in silver between heaven and earth. The ancients were always romantic and elegant, and they didn't care about freezing in the cold. Three or five confidants met for a drink to warm up, and went boating in the snow. I guess it should be Chu Qing after the snow at this time, overlooking the breeze on the boat, with endless white jade on both sides. There should be a warm winter sun to set a Phnom Penh for the snow-covered trees in the distance, and Western jackdaw flew over, and the broken snow fell against the sun.

Zang Kai-cheng painted

Snow in Three Chaes

Qing Cheng You-xi

The snow was the most pitiful, and the house was not covered for twenty miles.

I will say goodbye to the ancient crossing while it is sunny, and I will still stay cold and stagnant.

If you want to find out what heaven knows, this Qionglin is my home.

when wine is sold, you can't get tired of it, but it's a flower that breaks the ice.

Time flies. Nowadays, there are many tall buildings in Nanxiang, and large fields no longer exist. After the snow, we still have to go to Guyi Garden to see the magnificent scenery. I am from Luoyang, and I am used to the bleak vegetation in the north after winter. Because the vegetation is withered, the snow in Luoyang will look rough and fall on the dry branches, which is desolate. Even in winter in Nanxiang, there are pink glutinous camellias, green bamboos and goose yellow wintersweet. When the snow falls, it is a delicate touch dyeing, as if the snow in Nanxiang is also gentle and lovely, which is quite different from the roughness in Luoyang.

I have been in Nanxiang for nearly 2 years, and I haven't waited for snow many times, but the heavy snow in Nanxiang more than ten years ago is unforgettable. The snow seemed sudden, but in fact it seemed to have been planned for a long time, because it was too big, not as big as the snow in the south, and Nanxiang dreamed of returning to Chaxi overnight. In the morning, before the snow stopped, I jumped into the ancient garden. The snow, like a fluttering curtain, caged those green bamboos, scarlet windows, red lanterns and inky eaves, and inadvertently entered the painting.

After the snow, in Chu Qing, the Guyi Garden is crystal clear in the winter sunshine. The plum trees around the Plum Blossom Hall are covered with snow, and the snow blooms among the branches. The emerald color in front of the painted moon gallery was covered with a piece of silvery white, and the camellia was even more shy against the snow. Needless to say, Chimonanthus praecox, a delicate goose yellow, sticks out from the snow and ice, and the petals are still stained with ice crystals, which are as bright as jade carvings and lovely.

A snow will turn Nanxiang people into children. I once met an old man in the snow in Guyi Garden, wearing a red sweater and a red envelope, bright lipstick and nails. She picked up a handful of snow and sprinkled it over her head with a cheerful look like a child. She asked me to take a photo for her, saying that I haven't seen such heavy snow for a long time. Although she is over eighty years old, the old man's fun has not diminished. Her innocence has greatly infected me and made me feel that the snow in Nanxiang is lovely and the people in Nanxiang are lovely.

There is not much snow in Nanxiang, but it is always unforgettable. In the flying snow, we grow together hand in hand with our shoulders; In the flying snow, we laughed and rowed through the years; In the snow, the children grow up slowly. Snow will melt, but those beautiful things will stay in my heart for a long time.

Who did you watch the snow with on those few snowy days in Nanxiang? If there is a snow in Nanxiang this year, who will you watch it with?

I'm afraid it's a little difficult to go boating for three times, so go for a walk in Yinxiang Lake, Liuyun Lake and Nanxiang Old Street, let the snow fall on you, and go white with your loved ones in Nanxiang.

Correspondent: Yu Junli

Photography: Li Qi, Yu Junli.