Zhangjing, located in the northeast direction of Wuxi City, is a place that contributes a lot to the history and culture of Benyi, in addition to the famous Gu Xiancheng, the same surname Gu celebrities also have the literary scholar Gu Zhenguan, as well as Wuxi's last champion Gu Gao in the history of the imperial examination, and now Zhangjing Town and the neighboring Eight Shi combined into the new Xibei Town, in the ever-changing times, the traces of history are gradually fading from the appearance of the town, and the scenery of Zhangjing Old Street is naturally incomparable with the heyday of that year. We can only feel the historical warmth of this Jiangnan town from the existing architectural style.
Zhangjing, Jingnan Road
The old street runs east-west, bounded by the bridge on Jing'an Road, called East Street and West Street, the south of the street is bordered by the river, the map is marked as the Mother River, it seems that in ancient times it would not be called a city river in a market town, and I do not know what the locals called the river, no matter what the name is, in the previous era of underdeveloped traffic, the Mother River should be the most important channel connecting the town with the outside world, and the old street is also born because of the river, so the name of the Mother River is actually very appropriate.
In comparison, East Street is more secluded, walking on the street in the afternoon, rarely see pedestrians, the houses along the street are half new and half old, there are many bungalows, and two-story buildings are rare. Many surrounding townships, in recent years, the appearance of the old street has changed a lot, the old street is old, the decades of history of the building can be regarded as a long old house, those Republic of China buildings can be left behind has been very precious.
There is a small bridge in The East Street crosses the Mother River and connects the old street of Mother Henan, and a two-story small building on the side of the bridge has a very sense of the vicissitudes of the times, but the walls are mottled and the windows are broken, which is obvious that it has been neglected for a long time, and the traces of history have been worn away in the years, which is very sighing.
There is a vertical Jing'an Road between East Street and West Street, and there is an L-shaped building in the northeast and northwest corners of the intersection, each with three stories high, which may not look remarkable today in the skyscraper era, but in the old days there was a building of such a scale in the town, which should be extraordinary. The window of the building at the mouth of the east street is of the right size, it seems that someone is home, the building at the mouth of the west street looks like the steel windows are wide and bright, very suitable for the factory office, in the intersection of the two buildings facing each other, you can still see the style of the old town, which is worth remembering for tourists.
West Street entrance
The entrance to West Street is very spacious, but after walking into the street, it is still the same width as East Street, there are obviously more pedestrians on the street, and there are residents who bask in the sun on the street, which is much more lively than the east street houses closing their doors and closing their doors, and the xiao suo of the houses on the street is still the same.
Walk into an abandoned courtyard on the side of the street, the courtyard is overgrown with weeds, the building is destroyed because it is uninhabited, in fact, the small building is built very exquisitely, if someone takes good care of the living, it will be very homely, the Climate in Jiangnan is humid, the wooden pavilion cannot withstand the destruction of wind and rain, thinking of the previous visits in Shanxi to see the houses there, it is also uninhabited, but the dry climate greatly extends the life of the wooden buildings, so that the empty houses can also be clean and odorless, and the natural care is really difficult to obtain in the south.
A long townhouse on West Street is quite eye-catching, the building along the street five large bays, the second floor also exposed wooden facades and floors, the upper floor along the street out of the way, with wooden columns down the front of the house, the ground floor window along the street into a small arcade. An old man in the house saw that Mr. M was full of interest and went out to talk, and briefly introduced the history of the house.
Built in 1937, this building may have been a historic residence on the old street, originally only 3 were built, and then expanded to the east with two, which is a high-gate house compared to the surrounding houses. Hearing that Mr. M is from Shanghai, the old man can't help but sigh at the convenience of transportation now, he said that even if you go to Wuxi City, you have to walk by boat for half a day, compared to now from Nanjing Shanghai to Wuxi, the speed of the train is undoubtedly like flying.
The old street of that year was a place that combined scenery and economy, but now it is no longer the focus of people's lives. In today's streets, local residents are becoming increasingly rare, even if it is possible for temporary residents of foreign workers, if possible, they should also be inclined to live in new-style houses with better conditions, the bungalows along the river on the street will be demolished, and the old street is also trying to make itself have a better ecological environment, we can only bless this long street that once carried the dream of prosperity, in the coming years can embark on a development path that is compatible with the modern process, so that the old street will be evergreen, so that residents can live more at ease, and the history and culture can be preserved.