There is a small town in Suzhou. Both Kangxi and Qianlong visited this place. Its name is also related to Xi Shi.

Mudu Ancient Town, located at the foot of the legendary Lingyan Mountain, is the most storied small town in Suzhou. It has a history of more than 2,500 years and is said to be the same age as Suzhou. Since ancient times, it has the reputation of being the first town in Wuzhong and the most beautiful town in Jiangnan. The origin of the name "Mudu" itself is very legendary: it is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, King Gou Jian of Yue used a beauty trick to offer beautiful Xi Shi to King Wu Fu Chai. In order to please Xi Shi, Fu Cha built the Guanwa Palace on Lingyan Mountain. The wood was continuously transported down the mountain through the Xujiang River, causing a blockage in the river, which is the so-called "building block blockage" - hence the name Mudu.

Lingyan Mountain was originally the site of the Guanwa Palace of King Wu Fuchai in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it was also the place where the Yue Kingdom offered gifts. When Emperors Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and Emperor Qianlong, Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty, built a palace on the top of the mountain during their tour of the south, it was burned to the ground in the 10th year of Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty.

(Viewing the ancient town of Mudu from Lingyan Mountain) After King Wu Fucha got Xishi, he was particularly fond of her and built the first mountaintop royal garden in Chinese history for Xishi - Guanwa. Palace, this garden is located on the beautiful Lingyan Mountain. As a result, the town's landscapes and scenery have become the objects of sightseeing, chanting, and description by literati and scholars of all ages. It has remained popular since nearly two thousand years ago.

In the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty, at the foothills of Lingyan Mountain and by the Xiangxi River, there was a thousand-year-old ancient town surrounded by mountains and rivers. In the spring of the 16th year of Qianlong's reign (AD 1751), Qianlong was on a tour to the south. The royal boat passed through the canal, turned to Xujiang River, and turned into Xiangxi River. Along the way, there are many business travelers along the way. When Qianlong's boat landed, he could not help but be overjoyed when he saw a peaceful scene. There is an ancient mountain pond road at his feet, which is so strange and ancient that Qianlong couldn't help but became inspired by poetry, and he immediately composed a poem of seven rhymes. The place where Qianlong abandoned his boat and landed on that day is now the Royal Wharf of Shantang Street on the bank of Mudu Xiangxi River.

Mudu is not well-known, but Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited the south of the Yangtze River six times. Every time he visited Suzhou, he would abandon his boat and land at the ancient town of Mudu. Let us follow the clues of time and go into the depths of history, trace the traces of the emperors, and visit the ancient houses, gardens and street scenes there.

The "Xiangxi Bridge" on the Xiangxi River. The Xiangxi River flows quietly at your feet. It is said that King Wu Fu Chai built the "Guanwa Palace" on Lingyan Mountain for the beautiful Xi Shi. Xi Shi bathed with spices every day, and the water flowed down the mountain. Over time, the river was full of life. It is fragrant, so it is called "Xiangxi".

Yongan Bridge has a history of more than 500 years. The bridge is a single-hole granite stone arch bridge. The bridge hole is spacious and suitable for boating. There are flowers hanging on the bridge, which is full of interest. Local newlyweds, men, women and children have the custom of "walking to Yong'an, praying for blessings and peace" when the moon is full.

The Yan Family Garden is the most famous garden with the highest gardening art in the ancient town. It was formerly the former residence of Shen Deqian, Qianlong’s teacher and the longest-lived poet in China. In 1902, Yan Guoxin, the richest man in Mudu, purchased the garden and renamed it "Xianyuan", commonly known as "Yan Family Garden". It was renovated by Yao Chengzu, a master architect of Xiangshan Gang, and his craftsmen. Modern architects Liu Dunzhen, Liang Sicheng, Tong Jun and others visited this garden several times and highly praised it, calling it the "leader" of local gardens in Suzhou.

Xianyuan Street Square in the ancient town.

After leaving the Yanjia Garden, not far east along Shantang Street, you will see an eye-catching apricot door wall among the many white walls and black tiles, which adds a bit of solemn religious atmosphere to the market. Interesting. This is Mingyue Temple. Mingyue Temple was built in the first year of Yangwu Tianzuo of the Five Dynasties (AD 935) by the monk Mingzhi. In the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, it was merged into Puxian Temple. In the 16th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1890 AD), the monk Daogen was rebuilt.

Yiquan Pavilion, Yihequan contains the names of two protagonists, a legend about childhood sweethearts. This pavilion is entirely made of granite without too many decorations.

Hongyin Shanfang was the private garden of Xu Shiyuan, a scholar in Mudu in the early Qing Dynasty. Whenever Emperor Qianlong visited Mudu in the south of the Yangtze River, he would abandon his boat and land here first to visit the garden. Therefore, local people are accustomed to calling Hongyin Shanfang the folk palace of Qianlong. Ministers such as Ji Xiaolan, He Shen, Liu Yong, etc. also stayed here several times, leaving behind many famous stories.

Qianlong liked to travel around the mountains and rivers, dance and write, and he would compose poems and inscriptions wherever he went. When he saw this ancient road on Shantang Street, he was inspired by poetry and immediately composed a verse of seven rhymes. Later, this seven-line poem was engraved on a stele by local officials and placed in the pavilion. It mirrored the Ming Dynasty Yiquan Pavilion opposite and became a major landscape of the ancient town.

Shen Shou (an embroidery girl in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China) became a famous embroidery expert in Suzhou when she was sixteen or seventeen years old. In the 30th year of Guangxu's reign, his embroidery was presented as a tribute to Cixi for her 70th birthday. Cixi greatly appreciated it, wrote the words "Fu" and "Shou" in her own handwriting, and presented them to Shen Xuezhi, who changed her name to "Shen Shou".

The Xishi Bridge is named after the Yue girl Xishi. It is located on Shantang Street and looks like a beauty lying on the Xiangxi River. The bridge is meandering and light, with a pavilion on the top and two symmetrical arches in the auxiliary bridge, like a pair of charming eyes of a beautiful woman, quietly watching the vicissitudes of life on both sides of the Xiangxi River in the past and present.

Gusongyuan (Cai Shaoyu’s former residence) was built by Cai Shaoyu, a wealthy man from Mudu in the late Qing Dynasty. Cai Shaoyu's ancestral home is in Xishan, Dongting. He was originally engaged in foreign goods business in Shanghai. When he became prosperous, he returned to his hometown to build houses and land, with vast hectares of fertile land. Cai Shaoyu, Yan Guoxin (Yan Jiagan's grandfather), Zheng Lingjiu, and Xu Fenglou are collectively known as the "Four Rich Men" in Mudu, and they are the richest. Its architectural layout is a front house and a back garden, which is a typical Qing Dynasty mansion garden style. The buildings throughout the house are simple and elegant, and the carvings are very fine. They have certain artistic and cultural value and are cultural relics protected units in Suzhou.

There is a Ming Dynasty podocarpus in the back garden. It is green, vigorous and graceful. The ancient pine garden is named after this pine.

Handmade ginger candies are freshly made and sold.

While walking and stopping along the way, there are many Suzhou specialties here, such as maltose, ginger candy, sesame cakes, jujube cakes, etc. There are a variety of snacks, full of childhood memories.

Traditional Barber Shop

"Kailai Tea House" is located in Fenghua Shantang Street, Mudu Ancient Town. Its name means "Shui Kai Ke Lai", hence the name "Kailai". This is A well-known teahouse that dates back to the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It was renovated and opened to provide tea drinkers and folk art lovers in Mudu with a good place to enjoy tea and listen to music.

It happened that there was a performance by Pingtan actors in the teahouse. I used to watch it on TV, but now I heard the actors singing live, but it was a different feeling.

There are two bridges here, one is called "Zhuxiang Bridge" and the other is called "Xie Bridge". The two bridges, one horizontal and one vertical, are built side by side and rely on each other, so they are also called "Double Bridges". ". The Xujiang River from Taihu Lake and the Xiangxi River from Guangfu Tongkeng merge into one under the inclined bridge, one clear and one turbid, forming an obvious watershed. This is the famous "Xieqiao Branch" one of the ten scenic spots in Mudu Ancient Town. water".

The inclined bridge, located at the east end of West Street, was built in the fourth year of Emperor Huangyou of the Song Dynasty (1052). In 1965, the Wu County People's Government allocated funds for major repairs, and the original stone-grade style was transformed into a flat-slope style, and the height of the bridge was accordingly reduced.

This promenade by the river is called the river shed, with a total length of 175 meters. The river shed leans on the river on one side and is integrated with the residential houses on the other side. It provides convenience for vegetable farmers selling vegetables on the street, boat people and passers-by. It is protected from the sun in summer and rain on rainy days, so it is very popular.

The second-ranked mansion is located on Xiatang Street and is the former residence of Feng Guifen, a disciple of Lin Zexu and a modern political commentator. Feng Guifen was one of the first or second Jinshi in the 20th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1840), so people in the city called his house "the second place in the ranking". The No. 2 mansion is a front house and a back garden structure, covering an area of ??nearly ten acres. It is a typical garden architectural style of the Qing Dynasty.

There are two "double bridges" in Mudu Town, which are Xi'an Bridge and Xiaorihui Bridge, known as "small double bridges". The Xiaorihui Bridge on the left side of Xi'an Bridge is located at the east end of Jiangyao Road and the northernmost part of South Street. It forms a right angle with the Xi'an Bridge and is also called the Small Shuangqiao.

According to the tour guide of the ancient town, I am going to look for the only ancient wooden covered bridge that has been preserved in the ancient town, which is hidden on South Street. Crossing the Xujiang River from Xi'an Bridge and entering South Street is a completely different scene. The alley is deep, quiet and quiet. When people walk there, their minds are calm and their energy is calm.

Actually, Mudu Covered Bridge is not easy to find. You may miss it accidentally. Just when I was about to miss it, an old lady at the door pointed with her finger. It turns out that it is hidden deep in this inconspicuous road. In the alley.

The Mudu South Street Covered Bridge was built in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The locals call it "South Street Covered Bridge", but its real name is "Heqiao". "Heqiao" is very beautiful, with a total length of only 5 or 6 meters. The corridor is covered with black tiles and there are wooden piles on both sides. A large tree branch beside the bridge covered the top of the covered bridge with lush leaves, as if it was also cherishing the small bridge underneath, shielding it from the wind and rain. People inside the covered bridge can lean on the railings and enjoy the scenery. Appreciating the well-proportioned Qing Dynasty dwellings along the river, as well as the neat and solid stone revetments and river piers, can make people indulge in the deep charm of Wudi!

Suddenly I heard the sound of gongs and raised my eyes. Looking over, I saw a team of people walking in front of them, and a man in yellow was walking at the front of the team. If you look closely, you will see that it is Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, walking happily in the spring sunshine. In the procession, there were ministers and eunuchs escorting him, as well as palace maids holding signs to avoid and welcome him. Qianlong, who was wearing a yellow robe and mandarin jacket, held a folding fan in his hand and occasionally fanned the wind, which made him look even more handsome. It turns out that all of this is a tourism activity launched by the Mudu Ancient Town Scenic Area, featuring the "Qianlong Tour in Mudu" scenario performance. It reproduces the grand occasion of Emperor Qianlong's visit to Mudu during his visit to Mudu.

I hope that through my lens, I can present a different Mudu to you. I hope that at some point, like me, you will follow the footsteps of Qianlong and visit every part of it that is absolutely beautiful. scenery.