More than ten years ago, party members visited Chen Yun's former residence in Liantang Town, Qingpu District, Shanghai during the July 1st event. I was deeply impressed by the ancient stone arch bridge and the scenery of the ancient water town next to the former residence. Because it was a group activity, it came and went in a hurry. I didn't have time to go for a walk on the ancient bridge, nor did I have time to take a look at the scenery of the market town of Liantang Water Town, so I left with the team. Over the years, I have always wanted to go to Liantang again to appreciate the scenery of the ancient town of Liantang Water Town. On February 17, 2021, the last day of the Spring Festival holiday, I made a special long-distance trip to Liantang.

After leaving Liantang Jinze Bus Station, you will travel south along the Lao Zhufeng Highway for about ten minutes to the Sanlitang River in Liantang City. The Old Street of Liantang Ancient Town is located on the north and south sides of the river. Two stone streets face each other across the river. The north bank is Shangtang Street, and the south bank is Xiatang Street. Shangtang Street has two consecutive floors, with facades facing the street. In the past, most of them were shops, and the back of the house was close to the water. A tower was built on the upper floor to accommodate the accumulation of goods and the scenery and the cooling; Xiatang Street has many residential courtyards with round heads, white walls and black tiles, and the front door is along the river. "Tall houses and narrow alleys face streets and buildings, small bridges and flowing water and people's homes" constitute the landscape of the ancient town of Liantang Water Town.

A highway bridge across Sanlitang on the Lao Zhufeng Highway divides a stone bridge named "Liufang Bridge" into two identical east and west bridges.

Liufang Bridge was originally built during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. It is a stone bridge without railings. When building the highway bridge, it was divided into two, demolished and built on the east and west sides of the highway bridge and added side rails. After demolition and construction, Liufang Bridge is as neat as new, but its ancient meaning has disappeared.

Crossing the highway bridge hole, I headed east along Shangtang Street and found that this section of Shangtang Street also had a street name "Dongfeng Street", which seemed to be a revolutionary street name changed in the late 1960s. The houses on both sides of the street have heavy ridges and high eaves, but most of the shops from that time have now become homes.

I accidentally saw an ancient stone arch bridge on Xiatang Street across the river, so I turned back to Liufang Bridge, crossed the bridge to Xiatang Street across the river, and headed east to this ancient stone arch bridge called "Lihua Port Bridge".

Lihuagang should be the name of the small river under the bridge that meets Sanlitang. Arriving at the ancient stone bridge, I saw that the words "Reconstruction of Yongxing Bridge" and "Qianlong Bingshen" were engraved on the front of the stone bridge. It seems that Yongxing Bridge is the real name of this stone arch bridge.

Yongxing Bridge is a single-hole stone arch bridge that spans the junction of Lihua Port and Shihe Sanlitang in the east-west direction. This is the only east-west stone bridge I have walked through in the ancient Liantang Bridge. The other stone bridges span Shihe Sanlitang from north to south.

Yongxing Bridge was built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in 1776 in the 41st year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Made of granite, the bridge is 18.3 meters long, 2.1 meters wide, 4 meters high, 6.1 meters span, and 3.4 meters high.

Due to its age, the core stone of Yongxing Bridge has been worn out clearly.

Yongxing Bridge is engraved with bridges, but some of the words are vague and difficult to distinguish, and some have been blocked and submerged by soil.

Leaving Yongxing Bridge and continuing on, we saw the Yufang Bridge crossing Sanlitang from north to south.

This stone beam bridge has obviously been renovated. It is said that it was originally a single-hole beam bridge with stone piers and wooden faces. It was named "Dongmu Bridge". It was once converted into a cement flat bridge using stone platforms and stone stages, and later converted back into a stone beam bridge. However, like Liufang Bridge, it is as neat as a new building. Its ancient meaning has been lost and it is no longer an ancient bridge.

Standing on the south side of the Zhangfang Bridge and looking east, the scenery of the simple and quiet water town market town on both sides of Sanlitang is amazing.

Crossing the Fufang Bridge, we come to Shangtang Street (Dongfeng Street) on the north bank. Not far east, we reach ancient times and see the ancient stone arch bridge named "Yixue Bridge" located at the head of the east of the town.

Yixue Bridge, commonly known as Huishi 'an Bridge, was built during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the 17th year of Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1837). The single-hole stone arch bridge is made of granite and the arch coupons are laid in longitudinal sections. The bridge is 16.4 meters long, 3 meters wide, 4.2 meters high, 5.7 meters span, and 3.1 meters high.

The words "17th Year of Daoguang" and "Reconstruction of Yixue Bridge" are engraved on the forehead of the Yixue Bridge.

There are bridges on the Yixue Bridge, and the east connects: "May heaven always give birth to good people; May people always do good things." Western Union: "The moon reflects the green lotus of the Xijiang River and lies drunk; Sima left a title in the east village of the rainbow."

There is an old house north of Yixue Bridge with two gates: the east gate is the "East District Fire Fighting Committee" and the west gate is the "Second Branch of Qingpu County Public Security Bureau". The Fire Fighting Association was a spontaneous self-help fire fighting organization among the people in the towns of Jiangnan River before liberation. Later, I saw an old house in Liantang West City with the words "West District Fire Fighting Conference" on the forehead. Obviously, there were two private fire teams in Liantang back then.

Cross the Yixue Bridge and come to the east end of Xiatang Street on the south bank. Go south over a cement bridge and go east out of the township.

Looking back at Dongshi, the ancient town of Liantang in the Yixueqiao area, the interest of water, villages and wild areas is close at hand.

Return to Xiatang Street and head west along the street. Passing by the front of Yan 'an Primary School and other old houses that had left Chen Yun's footprints in those years.

The scenery of the water towns and market towns on both sides of Manmu Sanlitang makes people stop and wander.

Cross Yongxing Bridge again and head west to Wanshan Bridge that spans Sanlitang from north to south.

Wanshan Bridge is a single-hole stone arch bridge, also known as Huntangbang Bridge, which was built in the Qing Dynasty. The experience is the same as that of the Qianfang Bridge. Both were once transformed into a cement bridge, but only in recent years have it been transformed back into a stone arch bridge, which is no longer an ancient bridge. This beautifully patterned bridge core stone on the bridge deck may no longer be the original.

Cross Wanshan Bridge and come to Shangtang Street on the north bank. There is a new street name here,"Qianjin Street". Dongfeng Street and Qianjin Street were all new names for Shangtang Street in the 1960s and 1970s.

Not far west along Shangtang Street, you will arrive at the sacred hall in the center of Liantang Ancient Town.

The temple was originally called Yinzhen Temple in the Song Dynasty, but was rebuilt in the 19th year of Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty (1814) and renamed the temple. The temple faces north and south. It is said that it was originally a three-way brick and wood structure, but now only one is left. The door was tightly closed, and one could only see the appearance from the street. There is a three-bay room with a corridor on the front eaves, a small tiled roof on a hard mountain, and a pair of bluestone drums on both sides of the wall door.

There is a protective wall in front of the temple, and outside the protective wall is the Chaozhen Bridge.

Chaozhen Bridge located in front of the Shengtang is commonly known as Shengtang Bridge. It runs north-south and spans Sanlitang and has a single-hole stone arch bridge. The date of its construction is unknown, but it can be verified that it was rebuilt in the 34th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1555), built again in the 34th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1695), and renovated in 2000.

Chaozhen Bridge is made of a mixture of bluestone and granite. Among them, bluestone should be from the Ming Dynasty, and granite should be added when it was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The bridge is 18 meters long, 3.5 meters wide, with an arch span of 6.8 meters and an arch height of 3.7 meters. The arches are laid in longitudinal sections.

The north slope of Chaozhen Bridge is a divided step with 15 steps above and 10 steps below. On the south slope, there are 25 straight steps.

There is an ancient pomegranate on the east side of the south side of Chaozhen Bridge, which has accompanied the ancient bridge for more than a hundred years. Unfortunately, it is late winter and early spring, and the scenery with lush branches and luxuriant leaves cannot be seen.

Chaozhen Bridge is the ancient stone arch bridge I noticed when I visited Chen Yun's former residence in Liantang. In order to take a closer look at this Liantang Ancient Bridge in my memory, I made a special trip this time and stopped by the bridge for a long time in order to take a photo of Chaozhen Bridge with ideal light and shadow.

On the west side of the south side of Chaozhen Bridge is Chen Yun's former residence. This small building with a narrow facade is actually Chen Yun's uncle's home.

In order to see the scene inside the former residence again, I specially went around to the Chen Yun Memorial Hall and entered the former residence from there. On Xiatang Street outside Chen Yun's former residence, several photography enthusiasts are shooting exterior scenes of the former residence with cameras and discussing technical issues in photography and framing.

There are several wooden cruise ships docked at the river port facing the street. Ancient bridges, running water, old houses, and wooden boats constitute the charm of the ancient town of the water town. The shadows of the bridges, boats, houses, and human figures ripple in the microwave. This is the original water town. The beauty of life.

Leave Chaozhen Bridge and continue westward along Shangtang Street to reach the Zhonghong Bridge that spans Sanlitang from north to south.

Zhonghong Bridge was once named "Zhongmu Bridge". It was originally an ancient wooden bridge. In 2000, it was rebuilt into a stone arch bridge. It is no longer an ancient bridge.

Crossing the Zhonghong Bridge, go west along Shangtang Street, and River Street turns southwest. Not far away, there is a Shikumen-style building that is Fukang Sauce Garden.

It is said that this store was built in 1919 and was once the largest store in Liantang Town.

The former shop has made wine, sauces, caramels, and pickles, but now it is a home.

There are many empty tanks placed in the open space on the southwest side of the door. They should be collected and placed to match the sauce garden attractions, rather than the original products of the sauce garden.

An old house door on the west side of Fukang Sauce Garden is a "West District Fire Fighting Meeting". Back then, the two private self-service fire protection organizations in the east and west of Liantang Town should make efforts to improve fire safety in the market town.

Moving forward, you will find the oldest Shunde Bridge in Liantang Ancient Town.

The Shunde Bridge at the west end of Liantang Ancient Town spans Sanlitang from north to south. It is a three-hole column stone beam bridge. The column piers are composed of three stone rows vertically, the middle span is the channel, and the holes on both sides are used for water discharge. Shunde Bridge was built in the third year of Zhizheng of the Yuan Dynasty (1343 AD). It was rebuilt during the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1661), the 58th year of Kangxi (1719), and the 49th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1784 AD). It is built with bluestone and granite. The bridge is 17.5 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, 4.1 meters high, 5.5 meters in the middle span, 5.03 meters in the north span, and 4.6 meters in the south span.

Shunde Bridge is a long granite stone bridge deck with drums and connected guardrails.

Most of the bridge piers are bluestone pillars of the Yuan Dynasty. The bluestone pillars on the west side of the north pier are carved with lotus seat lotus leaf hat hall. It is said that the words "Three Years of the Yuan Zhizheng" can also be seen. Standing on the south side of the bridge, the lotus seat, lotus leaf hat and character hall carved on the bluestone pillars are clearly visible, but the characters in the character hall cannot be clearly seen. I am afraid that you will have to take a boat to get close to the pier to see clearly.

The words "Shunde Bridge" and "Rebuilding Shunde Bridge" are engraved on the granite bridge stones on both sides of the Shunde Bridge. There are coins and Ruyi patterns next to the words, which should have been carved during the reconstruction in the 49th year of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.

Liantang is named after the legend that Wu of the Three Kingdoms built a pond here for naval training. It is also said that during the Five Dynasties, Zhang Zijun, the governor of Gaozhou, and his wife Lian, lived here. In any case, Liantang should have a thousand years of history. The ancient town of Liantang is not big. The ancient town area is concentrated on both sides of Sanlitang. There are no dazzling shops and small shops along the street on Shangshang and Xiatang Streets, and there are no tourists. It is a very quiet town. If it were not for the Chen Yun Memorial Hall and former residence, I am afraid it would not be known. But it is precisely because of this that Liantang, like Kanazawa, retains the precious and leisurely original ecological scenery of the Jiangnan water town market town.

Strolling through the ancient town of Liantang, stop at the four ancient stone bridges of Shunde, Chaozhen, Yongxing and Yixue, especially the Chaozhen Bridge in the center of the town, and see the powder walls and black tiles on both sides of the Sanlitang River, the market on Shibanpu Street and the small wooden boats that sometimes pass gently across the city river, the people are in the painting, and the painting touches people's hearts. I myself seem to have integrated into this elegant picture of the customs of the market town in the south of the Yangtze River.