Every city has its own charm. Chengdu, an ancient Shu city, is full of historical heritage and has a unique humanistic feeling.
And to understand a city is not to talk about it on paper. We have to go to see the various buildings in Chengdu and listen to different voices. Taste the fireworks of old Chengdu, you should go to the streets and alleys for a walk. Today, it is Osmanthus Lane that I want to talk about.
The past of Osmanthus Lane
There is such an alley in the Qingyang District of Chengdu. There are trees planted on both sides of the road, including many osmanthus trees, and when autumn arrives, the osmanthus flowers fall, and you can smell the fragrance from afar, and this alley is called Osmanthus Lane.
The trajectory of time is painted in circles as the annual rings of trees, which also leave traces on the building. It is understood that Guihua Lane was known as Dangui Hutong in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of three hundred years. Most of the osmanthus trees in Guihua Lane are decades old, which is not only a landscape, but also a trace of the life of old Chengdu people.
Osmanthus Lane is a narrow street, the wide road outside the lane is bustling with traffic, but the inside of the lane is somewhat deserted. The old architectural style, yellowed walls and rusty iron fences, narrow single lanes and scattered shops, intertwine to form a peaceful Osmanthus Lane.
(Once Osmanthus Lane)
Whether it is people living in the alley or people passing through the alley, the mood is mostly stable. Especially in the early morning of autumn or after the rain, the alley always carries a sweet smell. The merchants in the alley said: "I like Osmanthus Lane because of the fragrance of osmanthus flowers." ”
However, this tranquility was broken.
Osmanthus Lane tree cutting incident
At the beginning of September 2020, because Guihua Lane happened to belong to the category of old city transformation, the osmanthus trees in the lane were suddenly cut down and relocated a lot.
Originally, there were 143 trees in the alley, and only 28 trees remained. Among the trees that were cut down were 20 osmanthus trees, and local residents and merchants sighed.
(Osmanthus trees that were cut down and ready to be transported away)
According to the "tree cutter", the osmanthus tree was cut down due to a bad perception, but also in order to better carry out the road landscape transformation of the old community. In this regard, the residents and merchants in the alley did not agree, and then the Qingyang District Law Enforcement Bureau filed a case to investigate and seriously dealt with the investigation, carried out corresponding penalties and accountability, and transplanted the trees that had been protected in the early stage back to Guihua Lane.
On September 24, 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued a circular: "After verification, the project did not issue an announcement in advance to solicit public opinions, matters involving urban trees were not submitted for approval in accordance with procedures, regulatory authorities did not perform their duties in place, and violated a number of requirements... After the incident, the Chengdu Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government attached great importance to it, immediately ordered the project to stop work and rectify, deal with the relevant units and responsible persons of project construction, construction and supervision in accordance with laws and regulations, and learn from each other, and carry out the relocation of trees at the construction site throughout the city to prevent similar problems from happening again. ”
So at the end of 2020, nearly 70 complete osmanthus trees were transplanted into Osmanthus Lane, which witnessed the whole process of osmanthus tree growth, cutting and transplantation. So today, in addition to the osmanthus trees, what changes have ushered in the osmanthus lane?
Restore the tranquility of Osmanthus Lane
Although the transformation of the old city includes the transformation of the pavement landscape, the core content is still the transformation of the façade of the old building. Coming to the Guihua Lane after being completely rectified, there is a big difference between the Osmanthus Lane in memory and the Osmanthus Lane in front of you.
(Now Osmanthus Lane)
Is it okay to have osmanthus lane now? The trees on both sides of the road have all become neat osmanthus trees, and the façade of the buildings on both sides has also been improved, and the overall living environment has been optimized.
The osmanthus tree on this wall, with meticulous craftsmanship and clear form, is also one of the symbols of the alley.
In addition, the bottom of the façade is not monotonous, with a variety of decorations -
The patterns and characters carved on the wall have the unique charm of Chengdu and have also become a holy place for punching in and taking photos.
All kinds of flowers and plants are placed outside the wall of the road, and the building surrounded by greenery always makes people fresh and stable. But if you look closely, it is not difficult to find traces of renovation.
(Rusty fence)
Also in Guihua Lane, but not close to the road, in the interior of the community that cannot be seen outside Guihua Lane, there is a different situation -
(Interior undeviewed building)
From the mottled cement walls, it can be captured that the building is already some years old. The messy intertwined wires are not at the level of planning in recent years. Lush trees, I don't know how many annual rings. Time has passed over and over again, and there is still a comfortable and leisurely living atmosphere here.
The shadow of old Chengdu twinkles in Guihua Lane, which witnesses the development of the city. According to the statistics of Anjuke, the average price of No. 56 Courtyard of Guihua Lane in March 2020 was 18,259 yuan / ㎡, and the average price in March 2021 was 23,054 yuan / ㎡.
Old houses will eventually be replaced or renovated by new high-rise buildings. However, the transformation of the old city has changed the appearance of the building, and it cannot change the traces of history and the memory of the old city.