Shaoxing Zhenzhao Ancient Village is a place full of legends. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has picturesque scenery but few people come here.

There is an ancient village at the junction of Shaoxing City and Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, named "Zhenzhao". It is only one word different from "Liuzhao", the secluded place of Wang Xizhi in Fenghua District, Ningbo City. The two are far apart. Recently, it is easy for people to think that the Zhenzhao is a "correction" of the Liuzhao. In fact, the name "Zhenzhao" does come from a legend, but it has nothing to do with Wang Xizhi's failure to serve in the sixth edict. What is surprising is that there is not only a magical legend here, but also many historical monuments and beautiful natural landscapes. The beautiful scenery of the village attracts tourists from near and far.

What kind of beautiful legends and beautiful scenery are there? I took the time to visit here and found that the ancient village is really beautiful and a place worth visiting.

Zhenzhao Village is located in Shaxi Town, Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, with mountains on both sides and a clear stream flowing in front of the village. Located in a valley, it may seem small in scale, but Zhenzhao Village has preserved a large number of ancient buildings from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. These ancient buildings complement the broad stream in front of the village, forming a beautiful and simple scenery.

The stream in front of Zhenzhao Village was once named Zhaoxi, and the village was also called "Zhaoxi" because of the name of the stream. Later, it was said that there was a Yu Sanquan in Huading County in ancient times. He passed the Jinshi exam but was not awarded an official title. So angry. When the emperor found out, he made Yu Sanquan the county magistrate. At that time, he searched everywhere and found only a young man named Yu Sanquan in Zhaoxi Village, so he was named the magistrate of Huading County. After the young man became the county magistrate, he changed the name of "Zhao River" to "Zhenzhao". Later, this stream was also called Zhenzhao River and Hexi River.

This legend comes from "Xinchang Place Names". When people quote it, they will add "unknown true or false" because there is no date or emperor, so there is no way to verify it. In addition, I feel that this story is also a bit bizarre and cannot be true. In any case, "Zhenzhao" and "Zhenzhaojiang" have indeed been handed down and are still used today.

The Zhenzhao River is winding and can be described as "eighteen bends". The section of the river where Zhenzhao Village is located is one of the bends. The stream here is wide and lined with rocks, forming a beautiful Creek beach. The stream flows slowly from the upper reaches, forming a clear pool in front of Zhenzhao Village. It then overflows the dam and flows from the rocks to the beach, forming a beautiful waterscape and an excellent place to play in the water.

There is a tall three-hole stone arch bridge over the stream. From a distance, it looks like a rainbow lying on the waves, which is very spectacular. The bridge was originally a flat bridge, which was later destroyed by floods. It was rebuilt into a stone arch bridge in the 10th year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty. It was named Daqing Bridge because the proposed and completed dates were both in July, the "Month of Daqing". The Daqing Bridge is 56 meters long, 7.7 meters wide and 9 meters high. There are 32 and 22 stone steps on the east and west sides respectively. The bridge deck is paved with inlaid cobblestones. It was once the main communication bridge between Ningbo in the north and Wenzhou in the south. It is now the longest existing ancient bridge in Xinchang County and the most beautiful historical site and viewing platform in Zhenzhao Village.

There is Zhenzhao Old Street at the end of the bridge on the east side of Daqing Bridge. It was once the commercial center of the ancient village. There are nearly 20 merchants along the street, including yellow restaurants, pork shops, tofu shops, traditional Chinese medicine stores and dyeing shops. Nowadays, this street market has long since declined, and it is no longer as prosperous as it once was. However, walking on the road paved with granite slabs and cobblestones, it seems that you can still feel the hustle and bustle of the ancient streets and alleys.

There are many alleys on Zhenzhao Old Street, lined with quaint houses. Under the horse-head wall with blue bricks and black tiles, there are many ancient buildings such as the Zhenzhao Temple, the Double Tower Gate, the Xiaxin House Gate, and the Tang Hengda Ancient Gate. Most of these ancient buildings have been turned into cultural relics and monuments. Some have been protected, but some have fallen into disrepair and seem to have been left in the dust of history.

Similar to many ancient villages in Ningbo, the villagers of Zhenzhao Village are mainly elderly. Some people worry that ancient Chinese villages will disappear with the passing of these elderly people in the future. Perhaps this is the fate of all ancient villages in China. It is worth mentioning that the old people in Zhenzhao Village are very enthusiastic. They would take the initiative to tell me where there are better scenery and which alleys I can walk out of, which moved me.

In terms of appearance, although Zhenzhao Village is located among mountains, it is not steep and even looks like a plain village. Visitors can walk calmly along the road to the village. The two creek bays in front of the village are beautiful and the water flows slowly, which is suitable for taking pictures and playing in the water. Under the Daqing Bridge is an excellent place to cool down in summer and is well worth a visit.

Travel tips:

1. Ticket information: Free

2. Location: Shaxi Town, Xinchang County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province

3. Self-driving navigation: Use navigation software to search for "Zhenzhao Village" and follow the navigation guidance. There is a parking lot in the village.

4. Public transportation: Take the Xinchang G4 bus at Shengzhou Xinchang Station and get off at the "Xinchang Passenger Transport East" station, then transfer to the Xinchang Shaxi Special Line and get off at the "Hexi" station , transfer to Xinchang bus No. 765 and get off at "Zhenzhao Cunzhong" station; tourists in Ningbo can take bus No. 578 at Xikou Station and get off at "Shaxi Bus Station" (required during the epidemic Walk about 500 meters to the left), transfer to Xinchang bus No. 765 - get off at the "Zhenzhao Village" stop.

This is Chu Yule’s travel diary, which recommends beautiful scenery and describes the travel style. It is updated daily. Welcome to pay attention.