The Paper's reporter Li Mei
Walking through the ancient towns around Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the small bridge and the flowing water may be the inherent impression of most people on the ancient town of the water town, but in fact, due to regional differences and differences in culture and folklore, the landscape formed by each town is also different. The same is true of the ancient towns around Shanghai, whether it is Songjiang Cangcheng City, which was born because of caoyun, Xinchang Ancient Town, which was built up because of the salt industry, or Nanxiang Ancient Town because of Sicheng Town, all have their own characteristics.
The "Keep the Ancient Town" series of reports launched by The Paper's Ancient Art focuses on the Ancient Town of Nanxiang in Shanghai's Jiading District, which has historically been known as the "Little Nanxiang Saisu City". Before arriving at Nanxiang Ancient Town, the most heard of was Nanxiang Small Dumplings. Walking into this ancient town, I found that in addition to the smell of the small cage, the brick pagoda of the temple that stood tall and simple, the ancient well of Xiaoliang in the Southern Dynasty that had been restored and had clean water quality, the carved beam painting building, and the extremely popular Chaxi Bookstore... They are all physical witnesses to the continuation of this ancient town for thousands of years.
The relevant person in charge of Nanxiang Old Street told the surging news, "Nanxiang Old Street has basically restored the historical style of 'Yin Nanxiang' in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty after four phases of transformation. In the future, on the basis of protecting Jiangnan culture, doing a good job in the maintenance of ancient towns and the traditional presentation of time-honored brands, Guzhen will make differences in maintaining Jiangnan and homogeneousness through the dialogue and integration of Jiangnan culture and internationalization. ”
The brick pagoda of Nanxiang Temple was built in the fifth dynasty during the Northern Song Dynasty
Nanxiang Ancient Town
"Four hundred and eighty temples in the southern dynasty, how many buildings are in the smoke and rain?" This poem from the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu is more or less reminiscent of the scene of the flourishing of Buddhism and the lining of Buddhist temples in the Southern Dynasty. Unfortunately, after the war, most of the wooden buildings of the temple have survived to this day, but in some ancient towns where the temple is built, through the brick pagodas, ancient wells and other historical relics left on the ground, it is still possible to imagine the magnificent landscape of the princes and nobles who were obsessed with building Buddhist temples at that time.
Nanxiang Ancient Town, located in Shanghai's Jiading District, is such a thousand-year-old town made of temples. Guzhen Old Street is located in the core area of The Old Town District of Nanxiang Town, from Henglihe river in the east, to Minzhu Street in the south, to Huyi Highway in the west, and to Dehua Road in the north, which is a traditional commercial area and residential area, with a total area of 14.34 hectares.
Nanxiang ancient town can be seen from time to time in the small dumplings
The thousand-year-old town of Injicheng Town, the Nanxiang Brick Pagoda that has been restored several times
Speaking of Nanxiang Ancient Town, the famous one is of course Xiaolongbao, known for its thin skin, tender meat, juicy, delicious taste and beautiful shape, and in 2014, it was included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage representative projects.
But when it comes to the history of Nanxiang Ancient Town, it is impossible not to mention the Nanxiang Temple, which was built during the Liang Tianjian period of the Southern Dynasty. The "Zhongwu Chronicle" records: "In Linjiang Township, Kunshan County, there is Nanxiang Temple. At the beginning, the foundation of the temple produced a piece of stone, and the square path was more than enough, and there were two cranes flying on it. There are monks with the name Qi Mage, who call this place Can Li Garan. That is, the dove material recruits the crowd, and it does not become a day, because it gathers its disciples. When the two cranes fly, or come from the east, there will be the easterners who give their wealth; and from the west, the givers will also come from the west. Everything else goes with the flow, and none of them are tested. ”
In the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi gave the forehead "Yunxiang Temple", so it was renamed Yunxiang Temple. In the first month of the thirty-first year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1766), Yunxiang Temple was destroyed by a fire, leaving only the remains of the temple brick pagoda and other relics in the Nanxiang Old Street Scenic Area for hundreds of years to come, silently guarding this ancient water town in Jiangnan that has experienced vicissitudes and mulberry fields. According to relevant information, the temple brick pagoda was built in the fifth generation of the Northern Song Dynasty, and was originally part of the ancient temple of Yunxiang Temple. Regarding the specific location and shape of the brick tower, there are detailed records in the Jiaqing Town Chronicle: "There are two brick towers in the mountain gate, facing each other from east to west, three hugs, three Zhangxu, octagonal seven levels, and each room has a well." In the census of cultural relics, experts believe that the ancient pagoda still maintains the characteristics of the typical pavilion-style brick and wood structure in the Jiangnan region. In September 1962, the Twin Towers were announced by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government as a cultural relics protection unit in Shanghai.
In the 1980s, the brick pagoda (West Pagoda) of Nanxiang Temple before the renovation was photographed by Mr. Wu Genfa
However, due to disrepair, the eaves of the tower have fallen off, the tower brake and phase wheel have disappeared, and the weathering of bricks and wood is very serious. In the 1970s, Nanxiang Town invited experts from Shanghai Municipality, after field investigation, mapping, according to the remaining components, excavated the underground physical objects, flipped through the relevant materials, after many modifications, repeated research, and finally finalized the brick tower restoration plan, completed in December 1986. At that time, in order to preserve the old appearance of the brick tower as much as possible, the base of the tower fell on the foundation of the Song Dynasty, about 2 meters from the ground, and tourists needed to climb the stairs to visit. In 1987, the environment around the brick tower was cleaned up again. In front of the tower, there is a stone stele inscribed with the words "Nanxiang Twin Towers" handwritten by the 107-year-old Su Juxian.
In 2021, the temple brick tower once again caused the tower surface to weather and fade due to natural factors, and there was a phenomenon of partial missing and damage. In order to better protect the brick tower of Nanxiang Temple, in early March, Nanxiang Town started a rescue reinforcement and repair project. According to the previous construction party, "this repair is only for the weathering of the tiles of the double tower waist eaves, cylinder tiles, bucket arches and other local damage or the existence of hidden dangers of falling, and replaced or completed according to the original, while the railings and bricks with a small degree of weathering remain as they are." ”
In 2021, the renovated Nanxiang Temple Brick Pagoda
When the surging reporter visited the ancient town of Nanxiang, the brick pagoda had just been repaired. The restored brick pagoda is 11 meters high, the bottom diameter is 186 centimeters, in the environment of the ancient town water town, the twin towers stand tall, bathed in the morning sun, more and more simple and exquisite, can not help but remind people of the Qing Dynasty historian, scribe, and scholar Wang Mingsheng in the "Lianchuan Miscellaneous Songs" on the Nanxiang Temple description: "Ancient cypress pine leaning on the sunset, the flower palace suddenly from Xiao Liang." With the left fist stone, embedded in the old curved room of the cloud deep. ”
The ancient well of Xiaoliang in the Southern Dynasty is still there, approaching the ruins of the bell tower of the original Yunxiang Temple
What is surprising is that in the open space in front of the twin towers, there are two ancient wells hidden - the Xiaoliang Ancient Well during the Southern Dynasty. They are more than 1500 years old and were born almost at the same time as Yunxiang Temple. Xiaoliang Ancient Well is commonly known as the "Octagonal Well", and in the old days, the ancient well was covered with a well pavilion for the monks and surrounding residents of the monastery to drink and wash. In 1961, to widen the streets and renovate the houses, the ancient well was buried in the ground. Nearly 50 years later, with the start of the nanxiang old street renovation project, in the archaeological cleanup, the ancient well was able to reappear in the sky.
Xiaoliang Ancient Well
Zhang Dan, secretary of the party branch, general manager and director of the old street office of Shanghai Nanxiang Old Street Construction and Development Co., Ltd., told the surging news that since 2008, the people's government of Nanxiang Town has officially launched the transformation project of Nanxiang Old Street. The renovation project is divided into four phases, the first phase (2008) mainly completed the transformation of Renmin Street and Jiefang Street Road, the façade on both sides of Renmin Street and the west side of Nanhua Road were reconstructed, and all pipelines were buried in the ground by using the separated common trench burial technology; the second phase (2009) mainly completed the renovation of both sides of Gonghe Street and Jiangnan Small Courtyard, and built a new leisure corridor - Shangxian Corridor; Phase III (2010-2012) built Tanyuan, Visitor Center, Chaxi Bookstore, Nanxiang Historical and Cultural Exhibition Hall and Laojie Company Office Building; Phase IV (2012-2014) mainly completed the façade transformation of the production street section from Taikang Bridge to Baziqiao, as well as the re-planning and design of the Heping Street section from Taiping Bridge to Guyiyuan Road and the two sides of Zoumatang, and built several new shops, leisure corridors and pavilions.
Old photos of Nanxiang People's Street before the renovation
"After four phases of transformation, the historical style of 'YinNanxiang' in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty was basically restored." After years of planning practice and cultural accumulation, the tourism resources currently owned by the scenic spot include, in addition to the Nanxiang Twin Towers and Xiaoliang Ancient Well, there are also Yunxiang Temple, Tanyuan, Nanxiang Historical and Cultural Exhibition Hall, Nanxiang Xiaolong Mantou Cultural Experience Hall, Chen Junqi Memorial Hall, Chaxi Bookstore, Deyuan Xuan Zhang Anpu Art Studio, Nanxiang Animation Theme Cultural and Creative Shop, BaziQiao, etc. Zhang Dan said.
Nanxiang Republic Street before the renovation
Remodeled Nanxiang Republic Street
Among them, the Nanxiang Historical and Cultural Exhibition Hall, which was prepared in the third phase of the old street renovation project, lasted for 1 and a half years, with a total construction area of about 1200 square meters and an exhibition area of about 1000 square meters, with five parts: a prologue hall, cultural relics and relics, an old shop in the street market, celebrities and special customs, showing Nanxiang's long history, rich humanities and folk customs with local characteristics.
Nanxiang History and Culture Exhibition Hall
Stepping into the prologue hall, looking down through the glass under your feet, you can see the cornerstone of the Original Site Cultural Relics - the Ming Dynasty Bell Tower. According to Zheng Yichong, a staff member of Shanghai Nanxiang Old Street Construction and Development Co., Ltd., "This was discovered by excavation on the old street transformation site at the end of October 2010. The stone pillar foundation is about 87 cm in diameter and is decorated with exquisite patterns, and there is a well-preserved brick paving floor inside the stone pillar foundation. According to the literature, it can be determined that the preface hall of the showroom is the site of the original Yunxiang Temple Bell Tower built before the Ming Dynasty, and the 'Xiao Temple Bell', one of the scenic spots of Nanxiang in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, originated here. ”
Map of Yunxiang Temple on display at the Nanxiang History and Culture Exhibition Hall
On the right side of the preface hall, on a map of the Nanxiang Ancient River in the Qing Jiaqing Period, the Hengli River and the Shangchapu Pass north and south, the Matang and Fengjiabang pass from east to west, and the small rivers in the town crisscross each other, and the ancient river map reproduces the smooth and convenient water traffic of nanxiang in ancient times, thus also showing the developed commerce and agriculture at that time. On the left, the Map of Nanxiang Town in the Qing Jiading Period, Yunxiang Temple is located in the center of the town map, the surrounding roads are in all directions, the market is bustling, confirming the legend of Nanxiang In temple into a town.
Cultural relics exhibited in the Nanxiang History and Culture Exhibition Hall
Witness the tranquility and self-sufficiency, from the Ancient Yi Garden to the Chaxi Bookstore
Witnessing the tranquility and self-sufficiency of Nanxiang, gardens and bookstores must not be mentioned.
Originally named YiYuan, the ancient Yi Garden was built by The Ming Dynasty's Tongju Min Shibi of Henan Province, designed and arranged by Zhu Sansong, a famous bamboo carver in Jiading in the Ming Dynasty, with the scale of "ten acres of garden, five acres of house", the pavilions, terraces, buildings, pavilions, columns, rafters, and corridors are engraved with a variety of bamboo landscape patterns. Over the past 100 years, it has undergone more than ten repairs and expansions, and the current park area has increased to more than 90,000 square meters, with 6 scenic spots: Yiye Hall, Xi goose pond, Songhe Garden, Qingqing Garden, Mandarin Duck Lake and Nanxiangbi. The pavilions and pavilions of Guyi Garden are built next to the water, and in coordination with the water features, it reflects the artistic conception of "the pavilions are all near the water, and although there are many houses, they do not hinder the mountains".
In addition, Nanxiang Tanyuan was once a private garden garden of Li Liufang, a famous literary figure of the Ming Dynasty and one of the "Four Gentlemen of Jiading", which was destroyed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was rebuilt in 2011 according to the garden map and documentary records painted by Li Liufang in the third phase of the Nanxiang Old Street project.
Ancient Garden
Sandalwood Gate Plaque
When it comes to another renovation project of the third phase of the Nanxiang Old Street project, the most popular among the public is the Chaxi Bookstore. It is a two-storey antique building with carved beams and paintings. The reporter found at the scene that at about 11:30 a.m., there was still an hour and a half before the start of the performance, and many listeners had come one after another, most of whom were the elderly, who were familiar with the purchase of tickets to go upstairs, take out the tea bags from the tea barrel, soak hot water in the purple sand cup, and sit comfortably on the chairs of imitation mahogany, waiting for the opening.
Chaxi Bookstore
In response to the question of where the surging reporter came from, an old gentleman who seemed to have just passed the age of ear smoothness replied with a smile: "My surname is Gan, Gan from Gansu, and I am 85 years old this year." I live in Taopu Street, Putuo District, to take a few bus stops here, usually the children go to work, idle like to listen to the commentary, very happy and very appropriate, if you do not listen for a few days, it is uncomfortable. ”
Mr. Gan Lao, who rushed to the Chaxi Bookstore in Nanxiang Town at about 11:30 a.m
According to Shen Weichang, the person in charge of Chaxi Bookstore, the bookstore was once an important place for Shanghai quyi performances and was a favorite place for entertainment and leisure of many people. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were two bookstores in Nanxiang Town. With the diversification of culture and the popularity of television, two bookstores have closed down one after another. In 2011, the old street of Guzhen was upgraded, and the bookstore was re-opened as one of the elements that reshaped the culture of the ancient town, and was named after the ancient name of Nanxiang Town, "Chaxi".
The reopening of the bookstore caused quite a stir that year. On three sides of the performance venue are dozens of fancy wooden lattice long windows, exquisite palace lamps are hung on the roof beams, and the window is the water pavilion terrace of jiangnan classical garden Tanyuan. Opening a modern bookstore in an ancient building, the classical environment matches the elegant art of judging, which makes many peers look out of reach and attracts many listeners.
The second floor of the Chaxi Bookstore
"There is a government subsidy given by Nanxiang Town, 5 yuan can listen to books and tea, and some people describe us as 'the lowest consumption, high-end enjoyment'." Most of the listeners were elderly people in their sixties and seventies, the oldest was in their nineties, and in the era of material poverty, the evaluation bomb was an important part of their spiritual world. Now many people regard the bookstore as a second 'home', some people come to listen to books every day like 'come to work', 'there are good books to listen to, mahjong is not rubbed, and the body is healthy'. Shen Weichang said in an interview with the surging news, "Chaxi Bookstore has 105 fixed seats, and before the outbreak of the epidemic, the average daily attendance rate reached 126 people, and the highest number of people was 189 people a day." Some listeners also express their love for this place in a chronological way - sending pennants. ”
With the landing of the Nanxiang Old Street renovation project one by one, in 2021, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Nanxiang Old Street upgrading and transformation project will also be fully promoted. According to Zhang Dan, the project plans to build a "double core - five blocks - five streets - two rivers - multi-point" format theme distribution with the structure of tenant mix (tenant combination), do a good job in the protection of historical buildings, rationally make good use of the "double core" resources of The Twin Tower Square and Tanyuan, and lay out the "five blocks" of the time-honored block, the National Chao Block, the Jiangnan Shijing Block, the Urban Village Block, and the Artist Craftsman Block, so that the "Five Streets" of People's Street, Gonghe Street, Jiefang Street, Mixed Hall Lane, and Peace Street will gather catering and cuisine, folk inns, There are six major types of business formats, such as main stores, cultural folklore, retail, and exhibitions. At the same time, create different outdoor functional venues, consider shaping the outer swing street, outdoor market, live music, Jiangnan market, Jiangnan night market and other functional venues, to create a bright format, give play to the night economic effect; Zoumatang and Hengli River "two rivers" as an indispensable and flexible element of the ecological water town, will re-create the landscape belt, light up the banks of the river, for the night economic development; in the Nanxiang Old Street area distributed 25 courtyards and patios, in order to depict the characteristics of Jiangnan picture, tell a good historical and cultural story, plan to make full use of " The advantage of "more points" has developed Jiangnan flavor pavilions and urban villages, so that the profound heritage of the thousand-year-old town can be inherited and displayed. In addition, the main entrances and passages will be upgraded to create a new retail store signage system to create light and shadow art effects and unleash new experiences.
"The Nanxiang Old Street Upgrading Project is also built in four phases and is expected to be completed in 2025." Zhang Dan said, "In the future, Laojie Company will formulate a business format and image management mechanism, gradually eliminate low-end formats, and integrate business formats, liquid (passenger flow) and night state (night economy). On the basis of protecting Jiangnan culture, doing a good job in the maintenance of ancient towns and the traditional presentation of time-honored brands, through the dialogue and integration of Jiangnan culture and internationalization, we will make differences in maintaining Jiangnan nature and homogeneousness. ”
Editor-in-Charge: Ruoxi Chen
Proofreader: Yijia Xu