For many people, the narrow and narrow old street is an indispensable memory of childhood, and the time of decades is engraved with the story of the years. Hidden in the depths of the city, those winding old streets and alleys are a kind of feeling of constant abandonment. In today's fast-paced life, it is also pleasant to take a day to wander through these old alleys and find the memories that belong here.
Maqiao East Street is located in Maqiao Town, Minhang District, Shanghai, about 30 kilometers from downtown Shanghai. The origin of "Horse Bridge" is that there are four stone bridges in the town, and the distribution form is very similar to a horse, so it is named "Horse Bridge". In the early Qing Dynasty, it was called Maqiao City, and during the Qianlong period, it was called Maqiao Town. Maqiao Old Street was originally divided into three lines: east, west and middle, connected by a large stone bridge across Shagang. Today's old street is only a narrow old east street, and on the other side is the new new east street.
Walking into the old street, quaint and decay coexist, there is no grandeur of the deep mansion compound, nor the elegance of the small bridge flowing water, it is all door-to-door, door-to-door small houses. The old houses are repaired in good condition, green bricks and tiles, and some ancient charm is revealed; many old houses are uninhabited, and the walls of the old houses with wooden structures are peeling off, and the shadows left by the years are carved everywhere. Most of the people who live here are elderly people or foreigners who come to earn a living.
The former prosperity of the old street has long disappeared, and only the mutilated and faded storefronts bear witness to the glory of that year. Compared with the new street across the bridge, it seems empty and quiet. The streets of New Street are neat and wide, and the shops are crowded with supermarkets and doors. Street lights at night, neon lights of merchants, and flickering door sign lights reflect each other, and the neighborhood is bright. The old street is aging, without the style of the past, old and vicissitudes.
25 East Street is a Catholic church built in 1857 and has a history of nearly 200 years. It was once used as the auditorium of the prefectural government, and later converted into a warehouse, and the bell tower was demolished during the movement, and now it is used again as a church. Every Sunday during Mass, the new bell tower rings loudly, and the faithful are mostly nearby residents.
At No. 29 East Street, a Wanshou Nunnery was built in the Song Dynasty and renamed "Wanshou Zen Temple" during the Qing Dynasty. The temple is not large, with a total of three courtyards, the first entering the mountain gate, the second entering the Daxiong Treasure Hall, and the third entering the backyard, and there are auxiliary rooms. When you enter the courtyard, you can hear the sound of Buddhist music in your ears, as if you are in the vast World of Buddhism and feel the purity and peace brought by the Buddha. The incense is still quite exuberant, and most of the nearby residents come here to burn incense and pray for blessings.
Today's Maqiao East Street, without any whitewash has become old, worried that one day will not be able to withstand the beating of the years, fleeting. Today, with the great demolition and construction, I don't know how long Maqiao East Street can exist.