July is my birthday month, and as usual, it is the day when I escape Shanghai. However, this year has some special characteristics and I don't have much enthusiasm for traveling far, but the sense of ritual that I have maintained for more than ten years is still inseparable. Summer is also a good time to admire lotus flowers. It is a good season to enjoy lotus flowers, so I want to make a day trip near my home, to Hangzhou West Lake or Ancient Garden. Although I have been to these two places many times, I still get different gains every time I go.

I checked the transportation the day before my birthday and found that it was very convenient to get to Guqin Garden. There was a direct bus, which was more convenient and time-saving than the subway. It was direct in half an hour. I remembered that my friend bought the house in the Mansion next to the Nanxiang subway before the New Deal (singles from other places could not buy a house), and I strongly persuaded me to buy it there. At that time, the price of a new house with a lift of more than 90 square meters next to the subway was about the same as the 60 square meters of the 1996-year-old public house in Hongqiao Town, but I chose the Dwelling Residence! Just like the concept of Shanghainese in the mid-to-late 1980s, they would rather have a bed in Puxi than a suite in Pudong.

Shanghai above and outside the window

Nanxiang

It was named Chaxi in ancient times. When Emperor Wu of Liang founded the People's Republic of China, Nanxiang was still just a desolate countryside. One day, local farmers dug a large stone more than ten feet long while cultivating the land. As soon as the stone emerged from the ground, a pair of red-crowned cranes circled over the stone and landed on the stone to rest. A monk named Deqi thought this was a Buddhist land and decided to build a Buddhist temple here. Strangely enough, every day in which direction the white crane flies, people come to donate money. This is the case every day and never stop. Soon a large amount of money was raised and ground broke ground on the construction of the temple. In 505 (the fourth year of Liang Tianjian), Baihe Nanxiang Temple was built. Because the temple became a town, it was named Nanxiang. Nanxiang Town is one of the four famous historical towns in Shanghai City. It was once known as the "Little Nanxiang Saisu City" in history. It has a long history, a gathering of people, and many cultural relics and historic sites. Famous scenic spots such as Brick Pagoda, Ancient Temple, Tanyuan, Liuyun Temple, etc.

guyi garden

It was first built during the Jiajing Period of the Ming Dynasty. It was originally named "Yi Garden", which is taken from the sentence "Yi Yi of green bamboo" in the Book of Songs. In the 11th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1746), it was renamed "Guyu Garden" and became one of the five largest classical gardens in Shanghai.
It is famous for the five major characteristics: green bamboo, quiet winding water, elegant architecture, couplets and poems, and flower stone roads. The garden includes four major scenic spots: Yiyuan, Huaxianyuan, Quxi Heyying, and Youhuang Yanyue. There are famous scenic spots such as Yiye Hall, Goose Playing Pond, Qingqing Garden, and Nanxiang Wall

Jiangnan water town: Beautiful and graceful, with fresh and beautiful white walls and black tiles, small bridges and flowing water, pebbles and flowers create a natural and free scenery of dry rivers. Lotus flowers are reflected in the smoke, presenting a Jiangnan picture of thousands of peaks surrounded by green mountains and a stream of smoke, and the water is clear and dancing with stone lotus. (Set of Shanghai Botanical Garden)

Because the entrance ticket to the park is quite cheap, 12 yuan, and it is also convenient and cheap to get annual passes. It is also a good place for local residents to gather and exercise.

Wan'an Tower: It was originally located in Wan'an Temple in the southwest of Nanxiang Town. In 1988, only three sections of the tower were left. After restoration, it was relocated to the Ancient Temple Garden.

Qingqing ParkThe scenic spot was built in 1985 and is the largest scenic spot in the park. It is mainly composed of green bamboos, reflecting the characteristics of the ancient Yiyuan's "green bamboo".

Say what you say first, then act what you do Excerpted from the "Analects of Confucius·Political Affairs" explanation: For what you want to say, implement it first and speak out again

Many people in the park are elderly people with long guns and short guns. They are a group of photography enthusiasts with money and leisure time.

Plum Blossom Hall

On the way to Lao Street

Centenary Old Store Changxing Building

Making Nanxiang Xiaolongbao

Nanxiang Twin Towers:It is an old longevity star among Shanghai's ancient towers and a treasure among brick towers in our country. It was built from the Fifth Dynasty to the early Northern Song Dynasty and was originally built on both sides of the gate of Baihe Nanxiang Temple. The twin towers are the oldest surviving pair of imitation wood structure pavilions in the country.

Liuyun Temple It was built in the fourth year of Liang Tianjian (505 AD) and was initially named "Baihe Nanxiang Temple".

It is said that during the Tianjian period of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties (502 - 519), a farmer dug his land and got a stone. Two cranes often flew and stood on the stone. Someone borrowed people to recruit people to build a temple. After the temple was completed, the crane flew south and never returned, hence the name Nanxiang Temple. This is why the town got its name. During the Song Shaoding period, the temple was named Nanxiang Temple because Zhao Yun, the Lizong Zong, awarded the plaque of "Nanxiang Temple". In 1700 AD, Kangxi awarded the plaque "Yunxiang Temple", so it was renamed Yunxiang Temple.

Guanyin Hall and Bell Tower and Drum Tower on both sides

Daxiong Hall and Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Halls on both sides

Swimming outside the dust: A very cute coffee shop with two floors. Downstairs near the street is a cultural and creative store, and inside is a public welfare library.
You can enter the "My Jia Study" with the library card shown in the picture above. Unfortunately, it was not open that day and you have to make an appointment for reception after the 26th. There is a coffee shop upstairs where you can see the scenery of Tan Garden.

Second floor, tea and coffee break and gathering place

Corner of Tan Garden outside the window

Handmade pottery: Kunqu Opera

There are porcelain classical Kunqu opera beauties in the corner of the second floor, and paintings of the Western Chamber are hung on the walls. I like it so much!

Very artistic trees and shadows

The business of filming ancient costumes is particularly good

Xiangnandian

Stinky tofu for dinner, I rushed to the station when it was about to rain. There was already heavy rain and thunder on the bus. It was a perfect day for self-release!

My lunch: a bowl of cold rice noodles

I always feel that my memories are like fish memories. I feel very busy every day, but I don't know what I did, so I can only record them and review them. Today is the last day of July again. Thinking that the planned travel trip has not been completed, I specially take this month to review what I did, heard, and thought on my birthday on the last day of this month!

A bowl of cold rice noodles, a cup of coffee and a few pieces of stinky tofu spent a memorable day, simple and satisfying!

Star Chaser Theresa Heine (UK)

I'm going hunting with Orion

Sneaking in the dark night

We're going to ride on the back of a flying horse seat

To catch a ray of golden sunshine

I'm going to use my moon lasso

Wrap around Saturn's bright rings.

Give it all its satellites,

Label it with the mark of the storm.

I'm going to bake a bunch of gingerbread people,

On the hot soil of Venus.

Then stir its volcano,

Look at the boiling magma.

I want to grab the blue Uranus,

Teach it how to fly.

I'm going to throw it like a frisbee,

A ray of light streaked across the night.

Selected from "Reading Poetry for You"

2020.7.19 "Star Chaser"

Take advantage of the cool summer night to see the stars. When it twinkles, your heart will surely tremble. But if you can't wait for the stars above your head, protect the stars in your heart and always be a star chasing person!

The summer day of childhood reappeared in front of me, Na Liangliang lying on a bamboo bed looking up at the stars and counting the stars, frogs chirping in my ears and fireflies shining------