Three-color photos of colorful tourist maps

The official name of the city, Christchurch, is based on the Christian Church College of Oxford University. For a "foreign language" blind me, it is both confusing and difficult to remember, so I firmly remember its other translation: Christchurch.

I went to Christchurch in 2009, and the warm sunshine and laid-back people in downtown Cathedral Square have become the iconic image of New Zealand. Two years later, the earthquake turned the city center into ruins, which made people feel sad. I also want to see the scene there when I go back to my hometown this time.

I was greeted at the airport by 60-year-old Mr. Xiong, who was warm and straightforward and spoke calmly. He introduced himself as a native of Taiwan Province Province, having worked as a sailor for 26 years, living in New Zealand for 19 years and working in tourism for 13 years. I thought at that time, with such an experienced tour guide, this trip must be wonderful, and the 9-day trip confirmed my hunch.

After waiting for other group members for more than 2 hours, Mr. Xiong drove us out of the airport and visited the city.

Christchurch is the earliest officially established city in New Zealand. 1865, the British Royal Charter certified Christchurch as a city. In the past hundred years, Christchurch has been trying to find a balance between cultural relics protection and modern development. Many streets are also named after British place names, known as "the most British-like city outside Britain".

Christchurch is 452 square kilometers, which is equivalent to 1/3 in Nanjing. There are more than 800 parks. In addition, citizens like to plant flowers and trees at their doorsteps. The whole city is covered with trees and flowers. It is an internationally recognized "garden city". Even after the earthquake, Christchurch ranked second in The New York Times's "52 Must-See Places in 20 14".

160 hectares of Hyde Park has no courtyard walls, and many sports facilities and venues are open to the public. Scots live on one side of the park and English people live on the other side.

Victoria Bell Tower, also known as the Diamond Jubilee Bell Tower, was built in 1897 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria of England. It has been listed as a class I historical heritage protection in Christchurch. After the earthquake, the bell tower now has the problem of "unclear history" There are different opinions on the internet about whether it is the original thing that survived the disaster or the new building that was destroyed and rebuilt.

The Avon River is a river that runs through Christchurch. It is said that it has the charm of Cambridge River, and the river surface is not wide, because the beautiful scenery along the coast has become varied.

The houses by the river have a strong British sentiment and blend with the slowly flowing river.

Late autumn is a colorful season. Through the sunshine and breeze, it seems to be stepping into the fairy tale world.

Christchurch Botanical Garden is the soul of "Garden City". The Botanical Garden was established in July 1863. The first tree was planted to commemorate the royal in-laws of the British prince and the Danish princess. It has a history of 100 years.

The Botanical Garden is not small in scale, with 30 hectares of gardens, divided into ten plant parks with different themes, seven large greenhouses and more than 10,000 plant varieties.

More than 800 parks in Christchurch, including the Botanical Garden, are open to all free of charge all year round, making it a good place for people to bathe in nature and enjoy life.

Driving to the city center, you can't see the original appearance of the ancient city at all. The devastation left by the 20 1 1 earthquake can still be seen everywhere.

The famous Anglican Cathedral is still damaged and has been in the wall for nearly seven years. Cathedral Square, the center of Christchurch, is not as prosperous as it used to be.

Although the "Millennium Holy Grail" has not been greatly damaged, it is surrounded because it is too close to the church, so it is difficult to see tourists.

Seeing this scene now, I can't help sending some films made in 2009 to see Christchurch that year.

It is said that after the earthquake, New Zealand set up the "Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Bureau" to rebuild Christchurch with $27 billion. However, various unfavorable factors make the reconstruction slow and become the focus of criticism from people from all walks of life.

Eastern and western architectural concepts are different, especially in the construction of religious buildings. The earliest monasteries and churches in the West were built by monks. They completed religious activities and built religious sites at the same time. Monks are also craftsmen. They usually regard the construction process as a process of religious practice and will not put the completion time in the first place. Of course, it is now a professional construction team, but western architecture has the tradition of "artisans" who are rigorous and rigid, pay attention to details and pursue aesthetics, and time is still not the first. The Cologne Cathedral in Germany was built in the middle of13rd century (1248) and took more than 600 years to complete. More than 70 places were destroyed in the Second World War. Repairs began after the war and have not been completed yet.

Perhaps the Episcopal Cathedral in Christchurch was delayed for this reason. If so, I think we should be tolerant and understanding.

Note: when I was about to post it, I accidentally clicked on the old website of the cathedral, and four red words appeared in the opening hours column: permanently closed. This was completely unexpected, so I went online to collect information. According to the news, due to the age of the church, the internal structure of the church was seriously damaged in the earthquake and could not be repaired with modern materials. Besides, repair costs more money than reconstruction. After several discussions, the government decided to demolish the church, and some buildings that did not collapse remained the same after the earthquake, giving people a memorial and warning.

After writing the above passage, I can't help but sigh, alas! We will bid farewell to this beautiful and elegant building.

This church has a history of more than 100 years, but it is full of disasters. 1863 started the design and construction, but it was delayed until 1904 due to the problems of funds and building materials. After its completion, the church could not shake off the shadow of the earthquake. It was damaged by earthquakes at 188 1, 1888, 190 1, 20 10, and finally,

The only thing I can comfort myself now is that I saw the most beautiful Christchurch and left the happiest moment to the Christchurch people.