波多野结衣办公室双飞_制服 丝袜 综合 日韩 欧美_网站永久看片免费_欧美一级片在线免费观看_免费视频91蜜桃_精产国品一区二区三区_97超碰免费在线观看_欧美做受喷浆在线观看_国产熟妇搡bbbb搡bbbb_麻豆精品国产传媒

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Culture
Home / Culture / Tales and Trails

Let history guide you through the enchanting streets and lanes

By Yang Yang | China Daily | Updated: 2025-04-25 06:21
Share
Share - WeChat

Jiangnan's prosperity was accompanied by the flourishing of market towns, handicrafts, commerce and service industries, giving rise to an urban class that fostered civic consciousness, popular literature and professional ethics, writes scholar Ge Jianxiong in an article published in Wenhui Daily in October.

Juxtaposed against the literati's highbrow tastes for classical gardens, Kunqu Opera and the West Lake lies the more earthy charm of white-walled black-tiled lanes bustling with everyday life, riverside pingtan storytelling, and the indispensable elements that define the Jiangnan water towns: ancient single-arch stone bridges and leisurely wooden sculling boats gliding through waters.

In Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), poet Lu You wrote:

"All night in the small loft, I listened to spring rain; The next morning, apricot blossoms will be sold in the deep lanes."

In modern times, poet Dai Wangshu from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, wrote a poem titled Rainy Alley. An epitome of modern Chinese symbolistic poems, Rainy Alley expresses a man's wish to meet a dreamy young melancholic woman who is just like a lilac flower, when wandering through a deep and lonely alley on a rainy day, holding an oilpaper umbrella.

People online argue which alley he wrote this poem for: Data'er Alley in Hangzhou or Dingxiang (lilac) Alley in Suzhou? Obviously, the rainy alley is just a symbol that refers to nowhere in reality, but it depicts a romantic mood that only exists in Jiangnan.

There are a lot of such alleys in Jiangnan, and some of them have been transformed into historical and cultural blocks.

On an early April evening, after walking more than 15 kilometers in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, I rode a bicycle, wandering through a narrow path beside the Zhonghua Gate, one of the 13 city gates of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) city wall and one of the largest surviving ancient gate complexes in China.

Strolling in the highly-commercialized streets around Confucius Temple during the daytime exhausted me, for the streets were packed with people and shops selling souvenirs, snacks or drinks that one could find in any tourist city around the country.

After hesitating for a while before the Zhonghua Gate, I decided not to pay 47 yuan ($6.4) to see the light show inside the barbican. Turning back, I was attracted by a delicate park, where tiers of white-walled black-tiled houses, finely-trimmed plants and elegant pavilions stand beside a river.

I took a walk by the river and found on the map that it is the famous Qinhuai River, Nanjing's mother river.

At its peak time during the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the 5-km river was bustling with people, adorned with golden pavilions, colorful banners held high, painted pleasure boats gliding on the water, and the sound of oars accompanied by the flickering of lights.

Its charm is further colored by the legends of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai, the eight courtesan singers living at the end of Ming Dynasty known for their beauty, talent and lofty character.

The map also told me that I was not far from a historical culture block called Laomendong (East Zhonghua Gate Historical Culture Block), which, consisting of mainly seven old alleys and six narrow lanes, can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period (220-280).

Each way has its own history. For example, one of the main streets, Gutong Alley, or the Coopers' Alley.

Legend has it that in the Ming Dynasty, this area housed barrel-makers employed by Shen Wansan, Jiangnan's richest merchant. Their expertise turned the lane into a hub for apprentices and clients, hence, Gutong Alley.

I wandered in the Gutong Alley. Compared with the streets around the Confucius Temple, it was quiet and refreshing, with shops decorated creatively to cater to young people's tastes.

The 39th China Qinhuai Lantern Festival was still on. Splendid lanterns in the shape of lovely snakes and flowers beamed at different corners. A young guitarist was singing a love song standing beside a giant jumping blue whale lantern, at which I laughed out. In the local dialect, Nanjing is pronounced as Lanjing, the same as the Chinese term for blue whale.

Several cats sauntered at the wall's foot, so I went to greet them and found an entrance leading to a lane called Santiaoying. Decorated with a big winding golden snake lantern overhead, the lane lured me to explore it.

Walking on the flagstone path slowly and listening to a jazz song drifting out of a store nearby, I found a school for acupuncture and massage therapy training, a shop selling handmade customized costumes, an exhibition and training center for incense-making, a modern perfume shop and surprisingly a museum.

The museum is located in the Jiezi Garden, once belonging to Li Yu, a literary scholar and playwright of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It is famous for its meticulously designed layout within the compact confines of less than 2,000 square meters. Unfortunately, it had closed.

I returned to Gutong Alley and several times turned into the lanes on its two sides, soon finding myself lost.

In Zhongying Lane, I saw two thick trees standing in the middle of the narrow path. Not far from them was a dimly-lit pub, where stylishly dressed young people were going in and out, some sitting outside smoking, while many others sat neatly inside, as if waiting for a performance to begin.

In Huishan Ancient Town in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, I found similar lanes. But what attracted me more was the Grand Canal. Wuxi is the only city through which the ancient waterway winds.

After getting off the bus from Yuantouzhu Tourist Scenic Area, a peninsula lying across the northwestern shore of Taihu Lake, I rode a shared bike guided by a map app on my phone heading for Nanchangjie, or Nanchang Ancient Street.

The Qingming Bridge Historical Culture Street in Nanchangjie epitomizes a typical Jiangnan water town. The bridge, built more than 400 years ago, is the largest single-arch stone bridge above the Wuxi section of ancient Grand Canal.

The city's most iconic Jiangnan water town tableau consists of a symphony of arched bridges, riverside dwellings, and the rhythm of oars that stirs the stillness of this timeless canal.

Tiered dwellings rise and fall along the banks, their stone docks and landings neatly spaced. Homes open to waterways at the back for washing and boarding boats, while front doors lead to cobbled lanes and arched bridges.

By day, residents lean from windows over the water; by night, the soft lapping of oars mingles with lantern light shimmering on the waves. When rain descends, a veil of drizzle dusts the whitewashed walls and black-tiled roofs, composing a living tableau of "homes pillowed along the river" — a poetic ode to this symbiotic harmony of life and water.

After climbing up an overpass, I could not help bursting into cheer, seeing I was standing on the Kaiyuan Bridge watching over the wide Grand Canal, on which three ships were sailing toward the bridge.

About 1 km before my destination, I saw a resplendently-lit pagoda in the dark sky. The street sign read Nanchan Temple, which is one of the oldest temples dating back to the 6th century, now thriving with devout local worshipers and incense offerings. In front of the temple is a big market selling all kinds of snacks, dishes, pets, plants and so on, bustling mostly with happy young people in the evening.

When I finally arrived in Nanchangjie, my feet hurt badly, so I decided to take a boat to see the night view along the ancient canal.

Fifty minutes later, when the boat traveled through the last bridge arch, I realized that the best time to see and feel a Jiangnan water town must be in daytime on a drizzling spring day. In Jiangnan, there are more such destinations to go as Tongli, Zhouzhuang, Lili, Shaoxing, Nanxun and so on.

Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
波多野结衣办公室双飞_制服 丝袜 综合 日韩 欧美_网站永久看片免费_欧美一级片在线免费观看_免费视频91蜜桃_精产国品一区二区三区_97超碰免费在线观看_欧美做受喷浆在线观看_国产熟妇搡bbbb搡bbbb_麻豆精品国产传媒
亚洲一区二区三区四区五区中文| 欧美图片自拍偷拍| 91麻豆精品国产91久久综合| 欧美一区二区在线观看| 亚洲一区二区三区四区在线免费观看| 99久久99久久久精品齐齐| 尤物在线免费视频| 中文乱码免费一区二区| 国产黄色精品网站| 永久免费看片直接| 国产精品视频九色porn| 国产成人精品三级| 中文字幕五月天| 中文字幕亚洲欧美在线不卡| 不卡影院免费观看| 在线视频国内自拍亚洲视频| 亚洲黄色免费网站| 日本少妇xxxx软件| 91精品国产一区二区| 日本麻豆一区二区三区视频| 伊人网在线视频观看| 久久精品一二三| 国产激情视频一区二区三区欧美| 国产成人久久久久| 亚洲欧美日韩精品久久久久| 色哟哟免费视频| 91麻豆精品国产91久久久使用方法 | 国产不卡视频在线观看| 一级黄色片日本| 一区二区中文字幕在线| 杨幂一区二区国产精品| 欧美精品色综合| 麻豆一区二区三| 男女男精品视频网站| 亚洲欧洲av另类| 国产人妻精品午夜福利免费| 欧美一区二区在线看| 国产制服丝袜一区| 色综合久久88色综合天天6| 亚洲国产欧美日韩另类综合| 国产熟妇久久777777| 亚洲国产精品成人综合色在线婷婷| caoporn国产一区二区| 欧美日韩激情在线| 美女尤物国产一区| 黄色一级大片在线免费观看| 一区二区三区免费在线观看| 91av在线免费| 国产精品人人做人人爽人人添 | 国产亚洲精品aa| 99久久精品久久久久久清纯| 91精品国产色综合久久久蜜香臀| 国产又黄又大久久| 欧亚洲嫩模精品一区三区| 男男视频亚洲欧美| 18岁成人毛片| 丝瓜av网站精品一区二区| 污污视频网站在线免费观看| 亚洲精品免费在线播放| 亚洲一区视频在线播放| 亚洲麻豆国产自偷在线| 最新中文字幕视频| 1024亚洲合集| 37p粉嫩大胆色噜噜噜| 亚洲欧美中日韩| 成人h动漫精品一区| 国产精品国产馆在线真实露脸| 亚洲美女在线播放| 国产精品久久综合| 久久久国产精品无码| 国产精品国产三级国产| 黄色a一级视频| 亚洲欧美一区二区久久 | 亚洲成人精品在线观看| 日本裸体美女视频| 五月婷婷综合网| 丰满少妇高潮久久三区| 麻豆成人久久精品二区三区小说| 91久久精品一区二区二区| 精品一区二区三区免费毛片爱| 欧美亚洲国产一区在线观看网站| 国产一区二区三区最好精华液| 在线成人av网站| 9久草视频在线视频精品| 久久天天做天天爱综合色| 国产精品嫩草69影院| 国产精品乱人伦中文| 3d动漫精品啪啪一区二区下载 | 91猫先生在线| 国产日韩视频一区二区三区| 色婷婷精品久久二区二区密 | 色噜噜噜噜噜噜| 日韩综合小视频| 欧美在线视频全部完| 国产成人精品亚洲午夜麻豆| 精品国产一二三区| www.17c.com喷水少妇| 亚洲欧美日韩一区二区| 欧美肥妇bbwbbw| 国产一区二区在线视频| 日韩亚洲欧美中文三级| 图片区偷拍区小说区| 亚洲日本va在线观看| 黑人操日本美女| 国产一区二区三区观看| 精品福利av导航| 素人fc2av清纯18岁| 亚洲3atv精品一区二区三区| 欧美性大战久久久久久久| 成人动漫在线一区| 欧美激情综合网| 美国美女黄色片| 九九国产精品视频| 欧美草草影院在线视频| 特级西西人体wwwww| 亚洲成a人在线观看| 欧美性大战久久久| 一区二区三区人妻| 亚洲精品一二三| 91国内精品野花午夜精品| 成人高清视频在线| 国产精品初高中害羞小美女文| 永久免费看片视频教学| 国产福利一区二区三区视频在线 | 日韩电影一区二区三区四区| 7777精品伊人久久久大香线蕉完整版| 亚洲精品一区二区18漫画| 怡红院av一区二区三区| 91传媒视频在线播放| 一个人看的视频www| 一级特黄大欧美久久久| 欧美在线影院一区二区| 在线观看欧美一区二区| 亚洲成a人v欧美综合天堂下载| 欧美高清性hdvideosex| 国产精品手机在线观看| 丝袜美腿亚洲色图| 日韩精品一区二区三区四区| 国产精品一二三区在线观看| 国产在线不卡一区| 国产精品丝袜91| 色婷婷激情综合| 国产精品99精品无码视亚| 亚洲电影欧美电影有声小说| 欧美一区二区三区免费视频| 中国毛片在线观看| 国产在线精品免费av| 国产精品成人免费在线| 欧美综合在线视频| 在线中文字日产幕| 麻豆精品蜜桃视频网站| 国产三级三级三级精品8ⅰ区| 国产精品国产精品88| 99久久国产综合色|国产精品| 亚洲一区二区三区美女| 91精品国产欧美一区二区成人| 亚洲av综合一区二区| 国产精品系列在线观看| 亚洲色图欧洲色图婷婷| 欧美日韩高清一区二区三区| 白丝女仆被免费网站| 国产一区二区在线视频| 亚洲欧美另类小说视频| 91精品国产一区二区三区| 能直接看的av| 91麻豆swag| 青青青伊人色综合久久| 国产精品免费看片| 欧美日韩国产另类一区| 国产精品久久免费观看| 91麻豆高清视频| 免费高清成人在线| 国产精品久久久久久久久快鸭 | 国产91精品久久久久久久网曝门| 亚洲免费电影在线| 日韩精品一区二| 老妇女50岁三级| 在线观看国产免费视频| 高清国产一区二区三区| 亚洲成人免费av| 国产欧美一区二区在线| 欧美日韩国产另类一区| 色偷偷男人天堂| 国产精品熟妇一区二区三区四区| 精品夜夜嗨av一区二区三区| 亚洲欧美日韩久久| 久久日韩粉嫩一区二区三区| 在线观看91视频| 粉嫩精品久久99综合一区| av在线天堂网| 国产大陆a不卡| 日韩福利视频网| 1000部国产精品成人观看| 欧美不卡一二三| 欧洲日韩一区二区三区| 亚洲毛片亚洲毛片亚洲毛片| jjzz黄色片| 国产不卡一区视频| 麻豆91小视频| 亚洲第一成人在线|