#我来唠家常#
▲ Night view of Wuzhen. Photo/ Visual China
-The Legend of the Gentleman of Things-
Why do Chinese want to go to Wuzhen?
"Friend, I advise you not to live in a metropolis like Shanghai, and only turn a few theories, a few statistical tables or a set of 'Eighteen Tricks of Political Jianghu' upside down in your mind. It's also rewarding to get around and see what life is like outside the metropolis of the economic or political center...... So although this time it is something unrelated, I am very willing to go back to my hometown. ”
In 1932, before the dark clouds of the "January 28" incident dissipated, the writer Mao Dun returned to Wuzhen from Shanghai and wrote this "Miscellaneous Notes on His Hometown". Jiangnan is the home of the Chinese soul, more than 80 years have passed, the times have long been different, but the mood of people who come to Wuzhen is quite similar: people who do not want to be nailed to the metropolis come out to experience a different kind of world and gain inner peace.
▲ Water Pavilion in the rain, as shown in the picture of an ink painting. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Mao Dun probably would not have imagined that his hometown would become the hottest travel destination in China, receiving more than 10 million tourists a year, and it is the first ancient town in the hearts of countless people. On the other hand, international events such as the Wuzhen Theater Festival and the World Internet Conference have pushed Wuzhen into the spotlight again and again......
▲ The venue of the World Internet Conference and Wuzhen Summit. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Can both the ancient charm and the new be combined? This is a controversial point in Wuzhen. But then again, if there is a place in China that can have both classical style and avant-garde attributes, then this place must be in Jiangnan, why not Wuzhen?
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▲ Liu Ruoying returned to Wuzhen again. Video source/ Wuzhen
The richest Jiangnan is in a dream, but also in the water
Mao Dun returned to his hometown that time, in addition to his relatives, he also interviewed material for the novels "Lin Family Shop" and "Spring Silkworm". He often walks alone by the small canal, staring at the mixed green flowing water swirling under the bridge piers, the villagers don't know, only the rumor is "Shen Yanbing watched the river on the other side for a long time, and didn't move!"
▲ Wuzhen Xizha Water Stage Flower Drum Opera Performance. Photo by Thomas Fang
This incident is recorded in the "Reading Place under the Tower" by another Wuzhen native, writer and painter Mu Xin. At the beginning of 1995, Mu Xin, who had been away from his hometown for more than 50 years, returned to Wuzhen, and he was disgusted by the decay of his hometown.
"The water in the canal is pale green and vague, and it has been drunk for hundreds of years. When I was a child, I stood at the head of the river port, watching the pale green river flow slowly, lapping the shore one by one, with a slight sound, and no splash - now I see it again, exactly the same as what I saw when I was a child......" (Mu Xin's "Wuzhen")
▲ Pale green water, dark green tree shadows, gentle water town temperament, who can't be impressed?
▲ It used to be slow, and now it's slow. Photo by Thomas Fang
Watching the water from the other side seems to be a must-do for everyone who comes to Wuzhen. Water is the soul of the water town, and the soft waves are rising, and the grand scenery of the south of the Yangtze River is spread out like a picture scroll.
▲ Overlooking Wuzhen. Photography / Jet Lag Island ,-- / VCG
The grandeur of Wuzhen is first reflected in her size.
Today's range of Wuzhen in the Ming and Qing dynasties has two towns, with the north-south city river as the boundary, the east is Qingzhen, belongs to Jiaxing Tongxiang, the west is Wuzhen, belongs to Huzhou Wucheng, the name and the real combination, collectively called Wuqing Town, and later simply called Wuzhen.
▲ Wuzhen flowers bloom. Picture / Picture Worm Creativity
Wuzhen is seven miles longitudinal and four miles horizontal, and Qingzhen is seven miles longitudinal and two miles horizontal, and the area is so wide that it has surpassed Huzhou Mansion and Jiaxing Mansion in the same period. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Wuqing Town was once divided into 7 small towns, which is rare in the south of the Yangtze River. At the same time, it is also one of the most populous towns in the south of the Yangtze River: by the year Mao Dun returned to his hometown, the population of the town had reached more than 115,000.
▲ When taking aerial photography with a drone, you can see from God's perspective that Wuzhen Xizha is actually composed of 12 "small islands", and what connects these "small islands" into one is those ancient bridges with different shapes and styles. Photo/ Visual China
Such a large town can only develop on the busiest node of the Jiangnan water network system. Wuzhen is divided into east, west, south and north gates, and the gate is the water gate, that is, the water gate, which is quite common in Jiangnan towns, and there are all in Nanxun, Luzhi, Puyuan and other places. The four gates of Wuzhen, east to Jiaxing, west to Huzhou, south to Hangzhou, north to Suzhou, is the golden intersection of the hinterland of the south of the Yangtze River.
▲ Wuzhen four gates and internal water network. Cartography / Paprika
The imperial court did not approve the establishment of a county in Wuzhen, but set up a separate "Zhejiang Branch" (Jiangsu and Zhejiang Branch) and appointed Tongzhi (equivalent to the deputy mayor) to manage it. There is a couplet in the lobby of the government office: "Ping Fan and two Zhejiang, control three Wu", where is a small town yamen, it is simply the momentum of the governor's palace.
▲ Bright snowy night. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Today's Wuzhen can vaguely see the spirit of the past, only in Dongzha there are Huiyuan pawnshop, Hongyuan Tai dyeing workshop, Xiangshantang pharmacy, Sanbai liquor shop, visit Luge teahouse and other time-honored brands to resume business, finance, handicrafts, pharmacies, catering industries, the county has some here, as if the Ming and Qing dynasties Jiangnan social specimens. Mu Xin grew up in Dongzha God of Wealth Bay, and the Wuzhen he recalls is full of vitality, "pink walls, green branches, red lights, and blue curtains are mixed in, and the five-colored clothes and BMW incense cars come and go, which is like a peaceful and prosperous era."
▲ Huiyuan pawnshop, because of the developed economy, the town once had 13 pawnshops, the number of which is better than many prefectures. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
It should be said that this vitality is like the river flowing slowly under the bridge in Mu Xin's eyes, with a slight sound and no splash. In his subconscious, the BMW cars are slow, the mail is slow, and even the sun is slow, but the youth in his memory is associated with "only enough to love one person in a lifetime".
▲ Wuzhen Xizha blue calico workshop drying field. Photo by Brother Qi
In fact, it's not just Mu Xin, in the atmosphere of the Jiangnan Water Town, it's easy not to notice a deep house compound in the white-walled Uwa, but it's difficult to ignore the subtle fluctuations in the heart. For outsiders, Jiangnan is the hometown that they have never returned, they have never met, but the breath has long been familiar.
▲ People eating. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Between the two "heavens", the time and space of Jiangnan are inherited
Wuzhen is located in the hinterland of the Hangjiahu Plain in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, where 10,000 years ago, the Yangtze River and the Qiantang River alluvial, forming a network of rivers and swamps dense land. In the 70s of the last century, archaeologists found the remains of Majiabang culture in Tanjiawan, Wuzhen, proving that the ancestors 7,000 years ago had settled here, cultivated rice, made stone tools and pottery, and gave birth to the source of Jiangnan culture.
▲ Wuzhen Ancient Tower. Photo by Brother Qi
Civilization comes with war. More than 2,000 years ago, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu and Vietnam in the Taihu Lake basin were at war, and the Wu people were preparing for war here, and had the name of "Wushu". "Wuzhen" appeared in the Tang Dynasty, which is different from the "town" in our cognition, it is more like a military establishment like "Wushu", and the chief is the town guard general Wuzan. This brave general later became the protector of Wuzhen, and there is still an ancestral temple commemorating him in the Xizha Scenic Area.
▲ The dragon-shaped field at the beginning of summer. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
In the Song Dynasty, there were records of Wu and Qing towns, which were the towns we know, and the prefect also became a civil servant such as a town supervisor. This change in nature is inseparable from the development of Jiangnan in the Tang and Song dynasties. The swamps around Taihu Lake have been drained, and what "Suhu Lake is ripe, the world is full", "there is heaven above, and there is Suzhou and Hangzhou below" are all sayings at that time. The two "paradises" are connected by the Grand Canal, with Wuzhen at the midpoint.
▲ The geographical location of Wuzhen, the midpoint of two "paradises". Cartography / Paprika
Because of its location, Wuzhen was hit hard by the war that changed the dynasty, but because of its important position, it was quickly reborn after each decline. The development model of the water town is very simple, it is nothing more than using the river as a link to form a river street near the water, and then a deep alley appears. The pattern of the settlement is shaped by the water, and people's eyes are swirling, depressing, and soothing as the streets and alleys meander through the streets. Influenced by the aesthetics of life in the water town, Mu Xin said that his writing does not pursue abnormality and peculiarity, "every writer should be like this".
▲ Corridors and bridges. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
▲ "Children don't know each other, and they smile and ask where they come from. Photo by Fang Thomas
In addition to the commonality, there are also personalities, such as Wuzhen's unique water pavilion. The shape is similar to the stilted building in the southwest, and part of the house is on the water, which is convenient for water, and you can also moor a small boat, like a parking garage on the first floor of the villa. Living in the Water Pavilion, the relationship between people and water becomes more intimate.
▲ Xizha Water Pavilion. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
The style of Wuzhen today is from the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is also the golden age of Jiangnan. At that time, the whole country relied on the production of silk in the Taihu Lake Basin, and there were many cocoons, silk shops, silk shops, and cloth shops in Wuzhen, as well as those selling mulberry leaves and mulberry seedlings, and various forms of silk products were distributed here, and the trend of industrial division of labor and commercialization had the color of "capitalist sprout". The self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy is no longer enough to meet the needs of development, and there were 13 pawn shops in the town at the peak of Wuzhen's prosperity, which shows the deep penetration of economic life.
▲ Wumian workshop. Photo/ Visual China
It's just that commerce and trade are developed, and the water town has no charm. Since the Song Dynasty, Wuzhen has produced 64 jinshi and 161 juren, which is quite considerable compared to other ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River or inland state capitals. Mu Xinzu was a native of Shaoxing, who did business in Wuzhen, earned money, established a foothold, and his children and grandchildren were all scholars; Mao Dunzu was a farmer in the countryside of Wuzhen, who also started in business and passed on poems and books.
▲ Mao Dun's former residence, a masterpiece of the earth's spirit. Photo/ Wuzhen
Scholars not only reshaped the cultural atmosphere of the town, but also directly participated in the creation of the landscape, the most typical example is the former residence of Mao Dun. In 1933, Mao Dun renovated three old houses with the manuscript fee of "Midnight", which were used as a study and a place for living and guests, and even the sketches were designed by him. Business is only the means, culture is the foundation, this is what Wuzhen people have always known.
▲ Muxin Art Museum. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Pioneer Gangnam, a modern "paradise"
On the eve of modern times, the people in Jiangnan were rich, the culture was prosperous, and even the so-called "germ of capitalism" appeared. However, the restoration and cultural reconstruction of Wuzhen's contemporary ancient town makes people see the attitude of the pioneer Jiangnan again.
▲ The North Gate Granary is often used for art exhibitions. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
The decline of modern Jiangnan towns is the decline of tradition, and the rebirth of today's water towns is the return of tradition. After all, the Chinese are homesick.
East Gate | Why has Wuzhen become a model for the restoration of ancient towns?
Wuzhen is the latest developed one of the "six ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River", and it is a typical example of the latter coming from behind. In 1999, Wuzhen established the Ancient Town Protection and Tourism Development Management Committee, with Chen Xianghong as the director. This is a historic moment for Chen Xianghong, Wuzhen and even China's tourism industry.
▲ In 1987, Wuzhen Xizha was still a small wharf and a small village in the fishing market, with a chaotic surrounding environment and dilapidated houses. Photo/ Visual China
Wuzhen, which Chen Xianghong inherited, was, in the words of the painter Chen Danqing, "like a hell of smoke and chickens." Before the establishment of the management committee, an old lady in Wuzhen accidentally caused a fire while cooking, and the houses along the river were burned, and it was Chen Xianghong who was responsible for the fire placement. He understands better than others that protection is not as simple as fixing the old as the old.
▲ Protect and develop the water repair pavilion, clean up the river, and the current appearance. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
The first to be repaired was Dongzha, and Chen Xianghong invited a professional restoration team from Tongji University to plan, personally command, supervise and inspect. The restoration team collected a lot of old materials from the surrounding towns, repaired the wooden doors and windows of Wuzhen's houses and shops, painted them twice with tung oil according to the ancient method, and installed smoke detectors in the houses to prevent fires.
▲ The streets of Wuzhen are clean, refreshing and refreshing. Photo/ Visual China
The original paved cement road has been replaced with a stone road again, today you will find that the street scene is very refreshing, there are no poles and wires, in fact, the circuit is under the ancient bluestone slab in the Ming and Qing dynasties;
▲ Today's night at Yingjia Bridge in Wuzhen. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
In 1988, a new road Xinhua Road was opened next to Mao Dun's former residence, in order to make up for the failure of disemboweling the ancient town, the square in front of the ancient stage of Xiuzhenguan was re-planned, and corridors were built on both sides to divide the old and new spaces. The square becomes the visual center, making the old street more vivid and rhythmic, and also diluting the sense of fragmentation brought by the concrete road.
▲ Jiangnan people live and live finely. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Xiuzhenguan is newly repaired, Ming Dynasty style, but the treatment of door and window paint and the restoration of ancient houses are different. Wuzhen's restoration concept is that the new buildings should be in harmony with the surrounding environment, but they must use new techniques and materials to reproduce the magnificent scenery of the south of the Yangtze River, but never make "fake antiques". This is consistent with the concept of ancient city preservation in Europe, which was even more advanced 20 years ago.
▲ The old but not broken "black" top. Picture / Picture Worm Creativity
Xizha | The temptation to go home
Chinese place too many beautiful things in the image of the water town, so they often go to the ancient town of Jiangnan with a sense of home, and the development of the ancient town is uneven, not to mention the warmth of home, and even the hospitality cannot be achieved. But this is Jiangnan, and it is by no means a place where it is enough to be born once.
Wuzhen wants to change, starting with the restoration of Xizha.
▲ Spring comes to the west gate. Photo by Brother Qi
If you have ever been to some ancient towns, you can probably experience this feeling: looking at the fireworks around you, the original tranquility seems to have been destroyed because of your arrival, and the camera in your hand always reminds you of the identity of the "intruder". You can't go back to your home in Jiangnan.
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▲ Chen Xianghong, chief designer and president of Wuzhen Scenic Area, hand-painted Wuzhen West Gate planning map, blue paper of "ideal country". Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
In this regard, Xizha's strategy is to "create dreams", the so-called "dreams do not know that you are a guest". Relocate the aborigines and vacate the ancient town to make it a theater of dreams. The dream of Wuzhen belongs to all those who love Jiangnan.
▲ Take a walk on the streets of Wuzhen, time will stand still. Photo courtesy of Brother Qi
The most direct way to feel Jiangnan is to sleep on the canal. On the premise of maintaining the original style to the greatest extent, Wuzhen Water Pavilion was transformed into a homestay. For outsiders, the imaginary life in the water town may be washing the toilet in the canal, but the water townspeople will tell you that their ideal life is modern bathroom, air conditioning and Wi-Fi. The experience of Xizha is undoubtedly the latter, pushing open the window is the small bridge and flowing water of the water town, and the room is the comfort of home brought by modern home.
▲ Xizha rain scene. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Without aborigines, there would be no "intruders", and residents could become the protagonists of life in the water town. At 7 o'clock in the morning, the east gate opens, and the bustling tourists disturb the peace of the ancient town, while the west gate opens at 9 o'clock, and the most beautiful scenery in the morning fog is privately enjoyed. You can also sleep and do nothing, let time and beauty pass, and loss and waste can also be a way to open up an ancient town.
▲ The sunset sprinkled on the water. Photo by Brother Qi
Commerce and trade were originally the foundation of the prosperity of Jiangnan towns, but the overdeveloped ancient towns were always full of similar shops, and "the things in the ancient towns were not delicious" and "the quality of the things in the ancient towns was poor" were well-known complaints. Xizha wants to recreate the prosperity of the market, and also wants people to regain the fun of shopping, so each store is carefully selected, one store and one product. No sales, no brainwashing, genuine, buy only if you like it, is Jiangnan's self-confidence.
▲ A small shop on the street. Photo/ Visual China
Some people say that an ancient town without aborigines has no soul, but isn't there no emperor in the Forbidden City? In fact, holding the aborigines in place, living a life lacking privacy, maintaining a low economic level, and playing a kind of "self" that is detached from the contemporary way of life restricts the development of the "land" and also restricts the development of people.
▲ Sit by the window and drink tea and water. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
In contrast to the myriad old streets that have disappeared in the process of modernization, the rivers that have been filled in, and the reconstructions that have been rebuilt without personality in the same way, Wuzhen is a template that is indeed overly idealistic, but also represents what Jiangnan might look like in the future. In recent years, with the relationship between Wuzhen and the Internet, 26 10 gigabit optical cables have been connected to the town, and smart security, smart tourism, smart pension, and smart medical care have emerged.
▲ Under the drizzle in spring, it is the most southern Wuzhen. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
Wucun | Meet the original you and me in the countryside
Wucun, which opened to the public in 2016, is an idyll. Just like Tao Yuanming's "Returning to the Garden and Pastoral Home", "Planting beans in the south of the mountain, the grass is full of beans and seedlings." Morningside is desolate, and the hoe returns with the moon", what is done may be the fake style of "grass and beans and seedlings are scarce", but what is obtained is the artistic conception and joy of "hoeing with the moon".
Urbanization and fast-paced social life have inversely stimulated people's impulse to return to the countryside, so Li Ziqi and Huanong Brothers became popular, "Longing for Life" was a hit, and major reality shows turned their attention to the countryside.
▲ "Extreme Challenge" came to Wuzhen Wucun.
The countryside is an ideal place for people to "stay in the cage for a long time and return to nature", picking, fishing, hand-weaving and other daily activities in Jiangnan have become activities that can be experienced, or riding in the water town of Zeguo to feel the texture of Jiangnan. The sun rises and the sun sets, which is a luxury that is difficult to find in urban life.
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▲ In Wuzhen, "reminiscing about the years like water". Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
The taste of Jiangnan is inherited by the wonderful hands of the people of the water town. Seasonal Qingtuan and malt cake in spring, mung bean soup in summer to relieve heat, fragrant osmanthus rice cake in autumn, and fried cat ears and sesame paste as a reward for parents when childhood...... Because in the countryside, these flavors have the heaviness of the earth and the friendship of the countryside.
Wucun's business model is relatively advanced, all-inclusive, providing clothing, housing and transportation in the countryside of the south of the Yangtze River, and minimizing the commercial color of "drama". There is no sales, no trivialities, food and housing safety, just do what you like with the people you like.
▲ Under the clean road surface, unmanned passages, and atmospheric lights in Wuzhen, you can hide from the rain with your favorite people, and the effect of warming up your feelings is doubled. Photo by Thomas Fang
From Dongzha and Xizha to Wucun, tourists experience two identities and two life changes of townspeople and villagers. The town is the center of the village, the village is the hinterland of the town, Fei Xiaotong called it "the foot of the township", with the men and women of the village weaving, there is the business and entertainment of the town. Eventually, the village and the town merged into one and became a large, three-dimensional space - Jiangnan. In this cultural atmosphere, Wuzhen proposes an open topic to all those who come here:
What is the life you want?
▲ Then have a chrysanthemum tea by the water. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
The most Chinese and the most worldly, contrasting Jiangnan
Wuzhen is a fantastic immersive theater, and the theater festival is a "drama within a play" and a climax.
"In Beijing, after watching a play, when I walked out of Chang'an Avenue and East Forty Strips, this dream may wake up all of a sudden. And in Wuzhen, walking into the town and getting lost in the theater is walking from one dream to another. ...... All the people who came were there for the show. (Interview with Huang Lei, 2013)
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▲ Wuzhen Theater Festival and Guzhen Carnival. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
The theatrical performance and the Jiangnan Water Town itself are not very compatible, but they are brought together, which is itself the product of the idealism of Chen Xianghong, Huang Lei, Lai Shengchuan, Meng Jinghui and other initiators. In addition to the newly built grand theater, Wuzhen has also transformed several old houses into small theaters with quite charm, Chen Danqing said that watching the play in it is like a church meeting in the past, and Meng Jinghui said that "I was accidentally avant-garde again".
▲ Ni Ni's debut drama "The Cave" will be performed at the 7th Wuzhen Theater Festival.
Wuzhen is a stage for everyone who has a dream, where street performers perform in the open air, and people who love drama and life gather together to party, which has broken through people's imagination of Jiangnan.
▲ Wuzhen Grand Theater. Photo courtesy of Wuzhen
In fact, Jiangnan is infinite, and it is the people themselves who limit their imagination of her. Gardens, calligraphy and painting, Kunqu opera, and manufacturing in the south of the Yangtze River during the Ming and Qing dynasties...... In fact, they are all pioneers. Whether it is the "Taibo Benwu" of the pre-Qin Dynasty, the Nandu of Yongjia of the Two Jin Dynasty, or the Nandu of Jianyan of the Two Song Dynasty, it is said that Jiangnan was developed by immigrants from the north, and in fact, in the end, they all broke through the northern tradition and formed their own style.
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▲ Some of the invited plays of the 2019 Wuzhen Theater Festival. Photo/ @乌镇戏剧节
The international theatrical art and the ancient alleys and bridges give people a wonderful feeling of "contrasting colors". In 2014, the World Internet Conference was permanently settled in Wuzhen, which seems not so unexpected. Whether it is the renovation of the ancient town, the theater festival, or the Internet conference, the "Wuzhen Road" carries the spirit of a pioneer, which is the core of Jiangnan's consistent spirit. It's as if people see the high-rise buildings in Shanghai changing with each passing day, and they don't feel that they are not "Shanghai", but feel more "Shanghai".
▲ Come here to experience the real poetic life. Photo by Brother Qi
Jiangnan has been the most developed region in China since the Ming and Qing dynasties, and after modern times, the traditional water towns have actually declined, but now they have been reborn because of material and especially cultural transformation. Among the ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, Wuzhen is one of the few towns with richer cultural connotations than the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it can be said that she is now in a more prosperous period than the heyday.
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▲ Wuzhen artist. Photo/ Visual China, Wuzhen
Wuzhen is like a dream, which not only retains the "shape" of the charm of the water town in the south of the Yangtze River, but also regains the "meaning" of the pioneer and cutting-edge, and what you see here is not only the present of the water town, but also the future of the south of the Yangtze River.