Why do you have to travel to "Jiangnan"?

Last Saturday night, I had dinner with my classmates. During the dinner, we had an in-depth exchange of the experience of traveling in Jiangnan in the past six months, and we felt a lot.

Coincidentally, in the past two weeks, WeChat has often received greetings from strange friends, mostly parents and friends. It turns out that they plan to take their children to travel to Jiangnan this summer vacation and want to get some practical travel advice from me. I told you some travel experiences, and everyone thought that my travel process was especially suitable for children (parents of primary school students).

Well, it just happens that these two days are rare free time. Let me share some of my travel experiences and thoughts with you quickly. I hope parents can make a correct "Jiangnan Travel Plan" for their children this summer vacation.

First of all, I have to tell you truthfully that I am not a professional tourist. I have only been to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Qianjiang, Chongqing, Youyang, Xi 'an, Taiyuan, Qingdao, Jinan, Linyi, Yangzhou, Wuzhen, Yantai, Rizhao, Qufu, Taian, Liaocheng, Zhuozhou, Langfang, Qingzhou and Linqu.

In China, with a land area of 9.6 million square kilometers, there are currently 693 cities (the number of cities will increase every year), and there are countless scenic spots suitable for children to play. Professional tourists and some cultural figures are much richer than my travel experience. Fill in the keywords of a city or scenic spot casually on the Internet, and you can find thousands of travel notes and travel guides. In addition, the travel documentaries and tour guide short videos spread all over the major video websites, especially the tearful film Aerial Photography of China, have worked out a set of optimal city and scenic spot selection routes for the whole people since the third season.

In view of this, I can only provide you with some reference from three aspects: cultural learning, scenic spot feeling and city choice.

Theme: Ten-day Tour in Jiangnan

Route: Hangzhou → Suzhou → Wuzhen → Yangzhou

Departure time: April 6.

Personnel: I+a one-and-a-half-year-old child+three old people in their fifties.

For this travel route, I first set the theme of "Jiangnan", so I limited the geographical scope to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. At the beginning, some cities were selected first, and then the four places were finally determined by considering the hard work of taking care of children, the physical strength of the elderly and the relationship between cities.

Why do you want to do "Jiangnan Tourism Planning"?

Of course, the scenery in Jiangnan is very beautiful and picturesque. Every February and March, with the gradual warming of the weather, people will automatically read out the famous sentence "Fireworks go down to Yangzhou in March". What kind of scenery in Yangzhou can make Li Bai's seven words spread to this day? I really want to fly to Yangzhou at once to find out.

From the perspective of literature and history, Jiangnan tourism is also necessary. Hangzhou is a gathering place for ancient literati. Su Shi and Bai Juyi left a lot of poems in Hangzhou, as well as myths and legends of White Snake and Xu Xian.

Lin Daiyu's ancestral home in A Dream of Red Mansions is Suzhou. It is said in the book that Daiyu took a boat from Nagato to her grandmother's house in Nanjing, and then wrote about introducing people in Shili Street outside the door. Nagato Waishili Street is a very famous ancient street in Suzhou-Shantang Street. But Lin Daiyu did not grow up in Suzhou, but in Yangzhou, because her father Lin Ruhai was a salt inspector in Yangzhou.

Many descriptions of clothing styles in A Dream of Red Mansions are Su embroidery. Only by going to Suzhou to see Suzhou embroidery and Suzhou embroidery can we fully understand why A Dream of Red Mansions is an encyclopedia about China's ancient culture and ancient aristocratic social life.

Needless to say, the history of Jiangnan became popular only after the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it was only after Yang Di built the Grand Canal that Jiangnan began their road to prosperity.

To explain a little, "crossing the south with a crown" is not a victorious activity, but the escape of the gentry in the Central Plains, and the central plains civilization and political power moved south to avoid chaos. To put it bluntly, "one pass to Du Nan" means "great immigrants". At that time, Jiangsu Province received the most immigrants, and Nanjing, Changzhou, Zhenjiang and Yangzhou were the most concentrated. According to historical data, Shandong accounts for half of the sources of immigrants, followed by Hebei, Henan, Shanxi and Shaanxi.

So, in any case, if you have time, you must go to Jiangnan next time, feel the beauty of Jiangnan, deeply understand the local culture and history, let you really understand the course of Chinese, and make the cold words in books and volumes come alive.

Below, I will talk about some experiences and feelings of various cities.

Hangzhou

Accommodation: Be sure to stay in a hotel or homestay near the West Lake. I made a reservation on the US delegation five days in advance.

Transportation: Subway, bus and taxi are very convenient.

This is my second visit to Hangzhou. I went to West Lake, Hefang Street, Leifeng Pagoda and Xixi Wetland.

Let's talk about Xixi Wetland first. The famous 5A scenic spots will be included in some city picture books. So I consulted the city picture book in advance, and this trip to Hangzhou must choose Xixi Wetland.

I felt a little unworthy when I went, not bad, but unnecessary. First, it is too far from the West Lake, and it takes nearly one and a half hours by bus and subway. Second, we can't feel the human history, because the main theme here is "nature", which deviates from the theme of our trip. But children like it very much, and all kinds of plants, birds and pebbles are having a good time. Very few people. It can be said that there are almost no people except us. Children can run around in it. It's a good place to exercise, but I really don't need to bring my children here to exercise.

Hefang Street, similar to the ancient street in every city, is close to the West Lake and has many delicious foods. Snacks in alleys are much more delicious than those in downtown areas, especially in non-prosperous areas. When we find where the street is, the problem of eating will be solved.

Leifeng pagoda scenic spot, it is necessary to go. First of all, the scenery is beautiful. Standing on the top floor of Leifeng Tower, you can see the West Lake surrounded by green trees. Suddenly, you can understand why the white lady who is still practicing immortality in the sky was attracted by the West Lake and had to secretly descend to earth. There is a complete story of "Legend of the White Snake" in Leifeng Tower, which is not quite the same as the story in the familiar TV series. The first floor of the tower is a vivid and three-dimensional restoration of the story with the help of wood carving. While reading stories, people will naturally think of the context of China's fairy tales, and can't help but sigh the wonderful story power and imagination of the ancients!

Finally, talk about the West Lake. Since it is for the sake of literature and history, it is necessary to visit the West Lake and travel in depth. If you only give Hangzhou three days, you can spend these three days on the West Lake and don't have to go anywhere else. It is best to find a tour guide to explain the whole process, so as to truly feel the profound cultural accumulation of the West Lake.

I came to the West Lake this time mainly to see the "Huting" of the West Lake. The well-known "Looking at the Lake Pavilion Snow" is an essay written by Zhang Dai, a writer in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. In the article, "There is a scar on the long embankment, a small pavilion in the middle of the lake, a mustard tuber with Yu Zhou and two or three people on board", there are only a few strokes, and there is no whitewash, which outlines such a beautiful picture and shows people the best example of line drawing writing techniques. If Zhang Dai was afraid of the cold and refused to venture out to see the snow in the middle of the lake, there would be such a masterpiece in our literary history. I came for the pavilion in the middle of the lake to get to know Zhang Dai. I got on the boat at night, passed by the pavilion in the middle of the lake, looked at the night view of the West Lake and imagined Zhang Dai's mood at that time. Only then did I feel that I had a further understanding of the famous works.

Suzhou

Accommodation: staying in a brand hotel near the railway station, with a subway nearby and close to scenic spots, which was also booked by Meituan.

Transportation: It's convenient to go to the scenic spots by subway.

During those three days in Suzhou, we worked hard. We insisted on going out in the rain and enjoying the charm of the city. The places to visit are Lingering Garden and Qiao Feng Scenic Area &; Hanshan Temple, Suzhou Silk Museum, Shantang Street, Pingjiang Road, Suzhou Garden Museum, Jinji Lake.

Suzhou is the most famous garden. There are more than 170 gardens in Suzhou. If you are not a landscape architecture major, go and visit one. This is what the tour guide and the locals said. We went to Lingering Garden, and the tour guide said Lingering Garden was the first of the four major gardens. To tell the truth, we really didn't understand at that time. Until I returned to Shandong, I went to a garden in ancient city of qingzhou. In contrast, I feel the elegance, exquisiteness and high artistic level of Suzhou gardens.

There is an article "Suzhou Garden" written by Ye Shengtao in junior middle school Chinese textbook, which is an explanatory article introducing garden knowledge. Of course, this article is also an excellent expository. Read this article twice before going to Suzhou Garden, and then read it again and again after the visit to sort out the layout of the article. Without the guidance of teachers, children can easily master the writing methods of expository texts.

Visiting the garden always reminds me of the description of the Grand View Garden in A Dream of Red Mansions. After leaving Suzhou, I found that the Humble Administrator's Garden has a deep relationship with the Grand View Garden in A Dream of Red Mansions. Cao Xueqin's grandfather, Cao Yin, was an official in Suzhou and bought a part of the Humble Administrator's Garden for his family to live in. Cao Xueqin lived in Humble Administrator's Garden for a period of time when he was a teenager. Some people say that there are too many similarities between Humble Administrator's Garden and Grand View Garden. Cao Xueqin moved his memory of pavilions, flowers and trees in the Humble Administrator's Garden to the Grand View Garden in A Dream of Red Mansions, creating an amazing "paper garden master".

So if you go to Suzhou, you still have to go to Humble Administrator's Garden. Unfortunately, I didn't go at that time. The tour guide said that July and August were the best time to go to Humble Administrator's Garden, because all the lotus flowers in the garden were in bloom at that time. Parents and children who go to Suzhou in summer vacation must not miss the Humble Administrator's Garden.

Qiao Feng Scenic Area is a must-visit, because there is an ancient poem that primary school students must recite-a night-mooring near maple bridge.

Crows fell on the moon, crowed coldly, slept on maple trees, and slept in fishing lanes by the river.

In the lonely Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou, the bell that rang in the middle of the night reached the passenger ship.

Are you familiar with it? Not only do children in China have to recite it, but primary school textbooks in some Asian countries also require it.

Qiao Feng Scenic Area and Hanshan Temple are together. If the weather is fine, the scenery there is really beautiful It is no exaggeration to say that it will cause the screams of newly arrived tourists!

The night view of Shantang Street is also beautiful. There are too many tourists taking pictures on the bridge. I was pushed around by the crowd. There are security guards on the bridge. They keep saying: Just take a photo and then leave. ...

Suzhou Silk Museum should also visit it. Although this is where the tour guide asked us to pay, it is very helpful for us to understand the "Silk Road" by listening to the staff explain the history of silk and the history of the Silk Road, and watching the process of picking mulberry, raising silkworm and reeling silk.

Not to mention other places, I went to Pingjiang Road, Jinji Lake and the Garden Museum recommended by local people. If we have enough time, we can visit them.

Wuzhen

Accommodation: There are many homestays outside Zhaxi Scenic Area in Wuzhen, so it is best for the US delegation to book in advance.

Transportation: There is no subway, so it is convenient to take a bus or taxi.

In fact, it is not recommended to take children to Wuzhen. This place is not suitable for two-year-old children or teenage junior high school students.

Because this is the place to fall in love.

What's more interesting is that this is not the place where ordinary couples should go. This is the habitat of soul mates, and it is also a utopia for literary youth to place their love.

Why do you say that? Because the culture of Wuzhen is almost entirely supported by the romantic movie Time flies by Huang Lei and Rene Liu. Tv series is the story of soul mates, and the final outcome is of course love but not. Such stories and endings have injected love culture into Wuzhen and become the spiritual totem of Wuzhen. If you come to Wuzhen without watching a drama, Wuzhen will only give you boredom in return. That's why tourists keep complaining: so boring! How boring!

Parents are advised to change Wuzhen to Zhenjiang. Zhenjiang is also an ancient cultural and historical city. Beigushan in Zhenjiang is famous for Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Kanluoji is the most famous. This is the place where Liu Bei got married. Throughout the ages, many literati have gathered here to enjoy themselves. Su Dongpo, Shen Kuo, Mi Fei, Lu You, Xin Qiji and others have left many poems that have been celebrated for a hundred years. It's well worth a visit.

Yangzhou

Accommodation: To stay near Slender West Lake, there are hotels and homestays, and the US Mission will make a reservation.

Transportation: There is no subway in Yangzhou, so public transportation is convenient and taxis are cheap.

After visiting Wuzhen, the old people are homesick and don't want to go to Yangzhou again. I persuaded all the way to hold on for another two days. We have all come to Jiangnan, so we must not miss Yangzhou. I also found some beautiful photos of Slender West Lake from the Internet for the elderly. Finally, the old people's heart to go home was held back.

Why do you have to come to Yangzhou?

According to statistics, the city with the highest frequency of ancient poetry is Yangzhou, "I dreamed of Yangzhou every ten years", "Fireworks went down to Yangzhou in March" and "Rich, riding a crane down to Yangzhou". ...

Yangzhou often appears in ancient poetry, which is not accidental, but has a unique environment. From the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yangzhou was an important economic center in the south of the Yangtze River, which took most of the national tax revenue. Economic development is bound to bring cultural prosperity. At that time, the prosperity of Yangzhou really made the literati who had been there unable to help but write poems and admire them.

The food in Yangzhou is more famous. In too many food documentaries, Yangzhou cuisine is recorded.

You must go to Slender West Lake when you come to Yangzhou. My mother-in-law complained all the way: this lake and that lake are not as good as Daming Lake in Jinan. I didn't speak. When I arrived at Slender West Lake, my mother-in-law was immediately intoxicated, saying that it was really beautiful, better than Suzhou, better than Wuzhen, and prevaricated that it was better than Daming Lake and better than Hangzhou West Lake.

You must follow the tour guide when visiting Slender West Lake. There are too many main knowledge points. How did Yangzhou become a super-first-tier city in the Tang Dynasty? How did Yangzhou salt merchants spend a lot of money to build the White Pagoda to please the emperor? What kind of wind and rain changes have the 24 th Bridge experienced? Who designed the Wu Ting Bridge? What TV series are filmed here? If you only rely on Baidu search, visitors can only learn the fur, but can't understand the true cultural connotation of Slender West Lake.

As soon as the Slender West Lake came out, it was Jian Zhen's monk's daming temple, and the incident of Jian Zhen's monk crossing the sea to Japan was a compulsory knowledge point in history textbooks. Therefore, daming temple is also worth a visit.

Dongguan Street is also an ancient street &; Food street, but it's too far from Shantang Street in Suzhou and Hefang Street in Hangzhou. If time is tight, you can not go to this street.

Yangzhou has the reputation of "the gourmet capital of the world". When you come to Yangzhou, if you don't eat the local food in Yangzhou, you will still have a poor understanding of Yangzhou. The most famous in Yangzhou are Yangzhou fried rice, steamed stuffed bun, dried silk, lion head, old goose, thousand-layer oil cake, shrimp dumplings, wrapped water, lotus root starch dumplings and so on. Yangzhou locals said that foreigners are advised to eat in Fuchun Tea House. Interesting gardens are popular now, as well as Zhichun and Dongyuan. In short, you must try the delicious food in Yangzhou. The ultimate experience of clear soup, mellow, light and tender, if it weren't for the richness of Yangzhou in those days, you wouldn't have made such exquisite food.

Well, this is my trip to Jiangnan.

You can change the city and route according to your own situation.

I wish you a happy summer vacation!