In this ancient town in Jining, Shandong, people say hello on the lake. The inn where I stayed has a pier.

Then I will share my trip to Shandong. In a CCTV documentary, I got to know Nanyang Ancient Town in Weishan Lake in Jining. I have never forgotten it since then. This time I got what I wanted.

When I was in Qufu, I was thinking about going to Nanyang Ancient Town, but after searching for a long time, the transportation guide was not clear. An idea struck, and I booked an inn in Nanyang Ancient Town online. I called the owner directly and asked about transportation methods. The boss simply said that when you get to Yutai, take a taxi for 20 yuan to Xidukou, Nanyang Ancient Town. It turned out to be so simple, and we successfully landed on the island at noon. The lotus flowers are in full bloom on the water on the west side of the tourist pier in the ancient town. The scene is very shocking. This is the "Flying across the Lotus Pond", a scene in Nanyang Ancient Town.

Nanyang Ancient Town is located in Nanyang Lake in the north of Weishan Lake. It is surrounded by water and prospered because of the canal. It has a history of more than 2,000 years. The ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes through the town.

The weather is too hot now. The boss gave me a suggestion. I should go out before six o'clock tomorrow morning and book a small wooden boat to go to the lake from the pier of the inn. I got up in a daze and walked out the door. The energetic boatman's wife was already waiting for me in the wooden boat on the pier. She got on the boat and set off. The building on the shore in the picture is the inn where I stayed.

Our boat is moving slowly on the lake. This is Nanyang Lake in the north of Weishan Lake. Now is the season for lotus appreciation. As usual, the boatman's wife saw me holding a camera and wanted to take me to see lotus flowers and pick a lotus leaf or lotus flower as a souvenir. My sister-in-law’s suggestion made me laugh, but I didn’t! What I want to see is the daily life scenes of the boatmen on Nanyang Lake. This is what attracts me the most. I discussed with my sister-in-law that whatever you usually do in the lake, do it now and don't worry about me. The sister-in-law happily agreed, her eyes seeming to say, don't regret it, I have to be busy with my own business.

It turns out that what the boatman’s wife usually does is fish for mud snails. You can rely on mountains to eat mountains, and you can rely on water to eat water. In addition to contracting water-water farming, residents in Nanyang Ancient Town also fish for mud snails and lotus pods to supplement their household income. The purchase price of mud snails per pound is only 7 cents, and people from outside come to the island to buy them. The sister-in-law said that if you are lucky, you can make 180 yuan a day.

Not long after the boat was rowed out, I saw this old man fishing for mud snails. The sister-in-law and the old man greeted each other warmly and asked how the harvest was. This scene makes me find it very interesting. We usually greet and chat with neighbors and friends in the streets and alleys, but the people here on the water say hello on the lake. It feels very different.

The old man punted away. Nowadays, ancient town tourism is in the ascendant. The development models of ancient town tourism are diverse, and some are shockingly generous. The most unreliable thing is that all the aborigines will move out to rebuild a "imaginary" prosperous ancient town. Every shop owner encountered by tourists during the tour, The owner of every ancient house, let’s put it this way, everyone you meet is a staff member of the scenic spot, who comes to work and gets off work at the same time. What’s the point of such an ancient town?

The boatman’s wife rowed the boat leisurely and lightly, constantly greeting the neighbors she met. This is the life on the lake in my mind. In fact, I like this feeling. When visiting an ancient town, tourists are guests. The ancient town is centered on the indigenous people. They have lived here for generations. They are the "protagonists" of the ancient town. Tourists are passers-by and "supporting characters". We just It's enough to quietly enjoy the leisurely life of the ancient town, and occasionally muster up the courage to experience the life of the aborigines.

On the shore, a diligent and responsible little local dog was "protecting" its goose. When we passed by on the lake, it seemed that we had violated the puppy's territory, and it kept barking in protest. How could I show weakness? I also imitated the barking of a dog and fought back. For a while, the real and fake dog barking echoed on the lake, and the winner was still unclear. My "silly" behavior made the boatman's wife laugh non-stop.

We rowed leisurely on the lake, constantly passing by our neighbors who got up early to fish for mud snails. The boat owner’s wife told me that the posture of the two of them was the most comfortable.

The rare cool and pleasant morning is the most comfortable time. The seemingly thin sister-in-law paddled the boat with strong arms. I remember one year, our unit drove to a resort by the sea for the weekend. While we were having a hot dinner, we had a lively exchange with the tourists at the next table. Later, it developed into an "arm wrestling" competition. A fitness guru from the unit was defeated by the neighbor. After asking around, I learned from the subordinates of an elder sister-in-law at the table that she was a fisherman with amazing wrist power. I guess if I try to fight with the sister-in-law in the picture, I will not escape humiliation and defeat.

There are such big scenes everywhere on the lake, and the breeze makes it look like a fairyland. The beautiful scenery in the eyes of tourists is actually the livelihood of Nanyang people. During the harvest season, they pick lotus pods and get lotus seeds.

So early, the ferry boats in Nanyang Ancient Town started operating. The round-trip boat ticket from Xidukou Pier to the ancient town is 40 yuan for tourists, and 10 yuan for local residents. There are no tickets in the ancient town, so this boat ticket is equivalent to an entrance ticket.

This is the town government office building of Nanyang Ancient Town. Our inn is only a few hundred meters away from the town government.

The happy lake tour was over. The boatman’s sister-in-law took me back to the dock in front of the inn and quickly went back to take care of my grandson. I quickly paid for the boat trip that I had agreed on in advance and added a little extra as a thank you fee. Put it into the shy sister-in-law's hand.

On the small pier, the innkeeper's wife, her sleepy son, and a little local dog greeted me. I like this morning in the ancient town.

Walking along the old streets of the ancient town, I feel that the ancient town is slowly waking up. Spend one yuan to buy two big steamed buns and go next door to drink mutton soup.

The mutton soup next door usually contains mutton offal, but the mutton soup here is pure mutton. The amount of mutton is quite large, and it is also served with vermicelli. The boss asked if he wanted chili. I said boldly, just add it as normal, no dietary restrictions. It seems that this chili is a bit spicy. Even if the mutton soup I ordered is spicy, I have to finish it.

In the little lamb soup shop, there is a table of people drinking morning wine, lamb soup, steamed buns, two side dishes, and a few bottles of beer. It seems that these people must have gotten up very early to work. buddy.

The little local dog in the picture has been following me from the small pier of the inn and never leaves me. When I was eating, I specially left a piece of steamed bun to feed it. When I came out, the little guy had disappeared.

Do you like this kind of ancient town? Nanyang Ancient Town in Jining, Shandong Province is a somewhat niche island in the lake, but the transportation is actually very convenient