Entering Keqiao in Shaoxing

As the hometown of Lu Xun, Shaoxing always carries a strong literary atmosphere in the city, and Shaoxing is filled with a strong aroma of wine due to its aged yellow wine. Returning to Shaoxing after three years, this ancient water town seems to still retain its simplicity and innocence.
This time in Shaoxing, I chose a unique route and came to Keqiao in Shaoxing, which is known as the Venice of the East. As a famous water town, bridge town, wine town, calligraphy town, opera town, and famous scholar town in China, Keqiao allowed me to understand a brand new Shaoxing.

We all know the famous figures in Shaoxing, and the most famous among them is the great literary figure Lu Xun. As the hometown of Lu Xun, Shaoxing has left many traces of him in this city. In addition to Lu Xun's hometown, there is also a Lu town in Keqiao, Shaoxing. The origin of this ancient town is precisely from Lu Xun's famous novel "Kong Yiji", which cost over a billion yuan to restore the scenes in Lu Xun's short story.

In fact, in the history of Shaoxing, there was no such a small town as Luzhen. It was entirely because Mr. Lu Xun mentioned such a water town in many of his novels, and the most famous one was the line in "Kong Yiji" that "the layout of hotels in Luzhen is different from elsewhere." Therefore, it is just a combination of the ancient town he lived in when he was a child.

In fact, the small town of Lu Zhen has existed in Lu Xun's heart for a long time, and through his novels, many people have known about such a beautiful and ancient town. Now, Ke Qiao has truly restored the illusory ancient town depicted by Lu Xun, turning people's imagination of the scenes depicted in his books into reality.

As soon as you enter the ancient town, you will see typical Jiangnan style buildings, with pink walls and black tiles, small bridges and flowing water, and scattered houses and shops along the river. The houses and signs on the main street exude a strong aroma of yellow wine. There is a very large stage on the central square, where there is usually a traditional Chinese opera performance. It is not noisy and simple, making it very suitable for taking a walk with friends and family.

Lu Town is very large, and along the winding river, most of the prototypes can be found in Mr. Lu Xun's articles. At the dining area, there is a waterfront stage where some Huangmei opera performances are also performed. The stage faces the restaurant, and if you're lucky, you can also enjoy Shaoxing cuisine while enjoying Shaoxing opera performances.

In Lu Town, you can find many shops that no longer exist in modern cities, such as tribute shops, tin foil shops, money shops, and pawnshops. At the corner, you can also see sculptures of the characters in Mr. Lu Xun's writings, as if they have brought us back to the world in his books. In Lu Town, there are also many memorial halls, all of which are characters who walked out of Keqiao in Shaoxing.

Although Lu Town was built by the locals based on Mr. Lu Xun's works, it also has the charm of a water town in Jiangnan. With small bridges and flowing water, there is wine to drink, trees to shade, and a rich historical charm, there are stories, entertainment, and a unique Shaoxing style. The small ancient town condenses the great Shaoxing.

In the small river flowing in Lu Town, you can see Shaoxing's characteristic Wupeng boats. Wupeng boats can be said to be Shaoxing's business card. Wherever there is water in Shaoxing, there are Wupeng boats, named after the black painted bamboo canopy. Whether in the past or now, they are Shaoxing's unique and important transportation tools. Even now, this tradition has been preserved.

Strolling along the ancient streets of Lu Town, the black tiles and white walls on both sides create an ancient town atmosphere that makes me feel as if I have traveled through it. Most of the shops on both sides are restaurants, and every time I pass by, I am called out to dine. However, I prefer to take photos on this street.

The most famous specialty of Shaoxing is Huangjiu, so there are many delicious foods made from Huangjiu here. For example, on a hot afternoon, you need a local Huangjiu popsicle, which really has a very strong taste of Huangjiu.

There is also a Monkey King Culture Museum in Lu Town, where you can learn about Journey to the West and the story of Sun Wukong.

If you come to Lu Town for a stroll at night, you won't even have to worry about tickets. Lu Town has a completely different atmosphere at night from during the day. As night falls, the houses on the waterfront light up orange lights, reflecting on the lake surface. It's a bit scattered, and at this moment, Lu Town has faded away the heat of the day. Walking by the river is very cool.

Entering Lu Town is like entering Lu Xun's novels, which belong to the birthplace of novel stories, replicating the local historical and cultural customs, and being closely connected with the novel characters, giving people a feeling of walking in the story.

At night, there are also night tours in Lu Town. Take a boat with a painted boat and walk down the river, circling the ancient town to learn about it. Lu Town is like a small water city, with the river like a necklace surrounding Shaoxing City, connecting the scenic spots along the river. The water flows around the city, and the scenery is connected by the water. The water flow changes the scenery. Riding a painted boat cruise, you can enjoy the water, roads, bridges, and other water town scenery of Lu Town along the way.

In the painted boat, tea, mooncakes, and melon seeds are provided, and there is actually a KTV. Leisurely resting on the boat while watching the scenery on both sides, it only takes 20 minutes, and before I can enjoy it, I'm about to go ashore.

At night in Lu Town, there is a unique ancient town atmosphere. It is not so noisy here, and the Kuiwen Pavilion has become the most dazzling building in Lu Town at night. Come here to taste Shaoxing cuisine, enjoy the night scenery of the water town, and as a holiday and leisure destination for the National Day holiday, it is simply amazing!

The stage at night has become an open-air cinema, where many locals come to take a break and watch movies. This scene seems to be a return to the early summer when everyone gathered in front of the open-air movies chatting and laughing. It is a place to reminisce about childhood memories.

When you come to Shaoxing, you can't miss out on the most classic Shaoxing Ten Bowls. I chose a restaurant with Shaoxing characteristics in Luzhen, where even the bowls have a water town style. I ordered fennel beans, dried five spices, Shao San Xian, braised pork, white chicken, shredded radish and shrimp, Western style tofu soup, shiitake mushrooms and vegetables, and Zhuangyuan paste. The first four dishes were all from ten bowls of soup.

I can say that I really love this dish of braised pork. It's a combination of fat and lean, with a delicious sauce that makes my mouth water even when I write it now.

Shaoxing special Dim sum cream, made of glutinous rice, is slightly sweet. The name of the cream is probably to make the people who eat it top high school, but what impresses me most is that the cake is drier than expected.

Coming to Shaoxing, I must come and taste these ten bowls of unique Shaoxing cuisine, which has also allowed me to taste a different Shaoxing flavor.

Coming out of the exit of Lu Town, across from it is the Ke Yan Scenic Area. The two places are connected, so the ticket is also a one ticket tour. Ke Yan Scenic Area is a 4A scenic area. Unlike Lu Town, Ke Yan has a history of over 1800 years, dating back to the Han Dynasty. It is a scenic spot that combines the cultural heritage of ancient Yue and the ancient stone mining scenery, integrating the water town style of Shaoxing, the ancient stone mining scenery, and the mountain and forest ecology.

The Keyan Scenic Area has a very large area and can't be fully explored for a long time, so it's important to plan your route carefully. The biggest highlight among them is the ancient stone mining heritage, including two Tiangong Buddha statues carved from stones and cloud bones, towering into the clouds and very spectacular. Entering the Keyan Scenic Area, the first thing you pass by is the Lotus Listening Sound. As long as you stand on the lotus pattern, speak or shout towards the stone wall on one side, there will be echoes, and only when you stand on the Lotus Terrace can you hear the echoes. It's really amazing.

Passing through the lotus and listening to the music leads to the core of the scenic area, the Heavenly Buddha. This completely carved stone Buddha is one of the four great stone Buddhas in Zhejiang, and is the reincarnated Buddha Maitreya of Shakyamuni. The Buddha is 20.8 meters tall, with his left hand touching his knee and his right hand bending and lifting to recite scriptures. Due to some historical reasons, the left hand of the Great Buddha has also been damaged. The exquisite carving of this stone Buddha today is breathtaking. The most magical thing is that the statue of the Buddha, along with the niches, canopy, incense burner, lotus platform, and stone steps of the Buddha hall, are all carved from the same giant stone, which took three generations to complete. Many tourists come to the Keyan Scenic Area to pay their respects, which is said to be very effective.

Across from the Stone Buddha is another iconic attraction of Ke Yan, the Cloud Bone, a stone pillar that rises above the clouds. In fact, it is Ke Mountain that has been left over by the stone workers. The cloud bone is 31 meters high, with a bottom circumference of 4 meters. The thinnest part is less than 1 meter. The top of the cloud bone is very solid, but the base is as thin as a hammer standing upside down, which is why the cloud bone is named. Although it appears to be heavy on the head and light on the feet, it has stood for more than 1400 years without falling.

The top is also engraved with the words "Cloud Bone", but some people like to refer to it as a furnace pillar with clear smoke. Upon closer inspection of the top of the Cloud Bone, several small trees have grown, as if jumping out of a crevice in a stone.

Two giant stone pillars echo each other, forming one of the famous Eight Scenic Spots of Ke Yan. This used to be a quarry, where generations of skilled craftsmen continued to excavate. The exquisite craftsmanship created these unique and diverse stone pillar shapes, which were given more cultural significance by later generations.

In fact, since the Three Kingdoms period, Ke Yan has created many spectacular natural landscapes such as stone walls and cliffs due to the opening of mountains and quarrying throughout history. There are abundant stone mines here, and more than 1000 years ago, people came to mine stones. Therefore, in the Ke Yan Scenic Area, there are five quarrying pits that have been excavated and protected, each named No. 1234-5 Quarry Pit.

These five stone pits are not only huge, but also very deep. They cannot be seen from the bottom at a glance, very deep. At that time, the workers, without the help of modern tools, were mining in these pits in this way, which was very difficult.

Ke Yan is famous for its stone scenery, but this was originally a Ke Mountain. Due to its excellent stone quality, many ancient architectural stones were collected from here. A large Ke Mountain, with most of the stones excavated, has been preserved in its current form and protected.

If you want to learn about the story of Ke Yan, there is also a museum in the scenic area that tells the origin of Ke Yan, the stories of ancient quarrying, and the past and present of this oldest quarry.

Here, huge stone walls and cliffs can be seen everywhere. In fact, most of them have been excavated, but they still make people feel very spectacular. Below the stone walls, many stone tables and chairs are also set up for tourists to rest and enjoy the cool under the stone walls. It's quite cool, and the fish in the pond swim around, all very big.

There is also a place for release here, and the third character cannot be immediately identified as a "place". Many large carp have been released here, so big that they seem to have become sperm, truly blending natural scenery and cultural history perfectly.

The Keyan Scenic Area not only features two giant stone carvings, the Heavenly Palace Giant Buddha and the Cloud Bone, but also showcases unique stone cultures such as the Yuezhong Mingshi Yuan. Through sculptures, architecture, gardens, and other forms, it showcases the charm of ancient celebrities, such as Dayu, Wang Xizhi, Lu You, Lu Xun, and other famous figures from Shaoxing. The surrounding rocks, cliffs, green trees, and grass complement each other, creating a very artistic beauty.

The Keyan Scenic Area also has the unique water town style of Jiangnan, and the most prominent feature is the Jianhu Scenic Area. This lake is also a millennium old lake with a history of more than 1800 years. It has four scenic spots, including the Eastern Han Dynasty flute pavilion, the Nanyang Autumn Fan, the Five Bridges Walking Moon, and the Hulu Drunken Island. The mountains and waters are compatible and the rocks and lakes complement each other.

Jianhu can be said to be the mother lake of Shaoxing, with its beautiful and unique lake and mountain scenery, making it the most suitable place for people to relax and relax during the National Day holiday., The green trees provide shade, the water ripples, and the air is very fresh, comparable to the beauty of Shaoxing East Lake. Just taking a walk here brings a bright mood.

Strolling through the Keyan Scenic Area, I suddenly looked up and saw a big hat supported by several yellow wine jars. This hat has a great origin, certified by Guinness World Records as the largest hat in the world, and now cleverly used as the roof of a pavilion, it is really very creative.

There is also a very interesting attraction in the Keyan Scenic Area, which is the Yue Nv Spring Dawn. It is a lake view located in the area of the ancient fiber path, and is known as the Yue Nv Spring Dawn because it looks like a girl wearing silk. In fact, you need to look at the lake from the air to see the girl's appearance more clearly. Usually, you can vaguely describe the girl's face, for example, the protruding eyes are the girl's ears, the water jar in the middle is the girl's ears, and the curved lake shore below is the girl's tender chest. As long as you have a little imagination, you can see that this is exactly the shape of a girl.

Alternatively, you can take a stroll by the Jianhu Lake and enjoy the ecological scenery of Ke Yan. You can also take a boat ride to explore the entire surface of Jianhu Lake and appreciate the wisdom of ancient stone mining techniques. A local friend from Shaoxing told me that they used to visit Ke Yan as their backyard when they were young. It is precisely because of its rich natural attractions and profound historical accumulation that Ke Yan has become a favorite place for people to go for outings.

From the Keyan Scenic Area, you can take the free Keqiao characteristic tourist express bus directly to the Daxianglin Scenic Area, which takes less than 20 minutes and is very convenient. The design of the tourist bus is also very cute, like the Dingding car I used to ride in. The bus also has an introduction to Keqiao and local food souvenirs.
The Daxianglin · Dulutian Scenic Area is located at the western end of the Kuaiji Mountains, a nationally renowned historical and cultural mountain. It overlooks Mount Putuo, a Buddhist land in the sea and sky to the east, the calligraphy holy land of Lanting to the south, the downtown area of Hangzhou to the west, and the Qiantang River to the north. The scenic area covers an area of about 4 square kilometers and is divided into three parts from bottom to top: Daxianglin, Longhua Temple, and Doulutian Palace.

Da Xiang Lin, as the name suggests, is a forest full of fragrance and fragrance. The Da Xiang Lin in Shaoxing is such a popular hiking destination with the fragrance of osmanthus and the lush branches and leaves of osmanthus. Shaoxing ranks among the top in terms of lake and forest grassland coverage in Zhejiang. This unique Jiangnan water town not only nurtures countless writers, calligraphers, and educators from ancient to modern times, but also maintains a comfortable ecological environment. In the fragrant forest, I experienced the feeling of strolling through the osmanthus bushes.

Daxianglin is a leading scenic area in Zhejiang Province that combines millennium old Guilin with natural landscapes, featuring the unique and beautiful scenery of Jiangnan in Shaoxing. Entering the Great Fragrant Forest, one needs to take a shuttle bus to reach the core location of the forest, and some people also use this route to exercise and exercise. In the big fragrant forest, without seeing any wonders, I had already smelled its fragrance. The fragrance of osmanthus that rushed towards me instantly relaxed me.

In the big fragrant forest, osmanthus wafts fragrance. It is early autumn, and osmanthus trees are blooming in their most beautiful postures in the autumn sunshine. On the large and small osmanthus trees, they are full of yellow osmanthus flowers. The most eye-catching one is also the Chinese Osmanthus King, which is the largest Osmanthus tree in China. Its thick trunk extends out to the sky with osmanthus branches and leaves, and the scattered yellow flowers on top are the source of fragrance in the large fragrant forest.

In the big incense forest, I seem to have entered the sea of osmanthus, but miraculously, the smaller the osmanthus tree, the stronger the aroma, probably concentrated is the essence. Looking at the osmanthus in the eyes, the air is filled with the scent of osmanthus, truly a great fragrance forest.

Golden autumn is the season when osmanthus flowers are fragrant. The osmanthus flowers in Shaoxing Fragrant Forest bloom exceptionally brightly, with clusters of osmanthus flowers blooming one after another, turning the entire park yellow. The famous millennium old Guiqun, blooming for miles, is very spectacular. The osmanthus trees in Daxianglin can be said to be the largest and oldest ancient osmanthus group, and the number of these osmanthus trees can give one a sense of their grandeur.

During the season when osmanthus flowers are in full bloom, the fragrance of osmanthus can be smelled from ten miles away in the Great Fragrant Forest. In the Great Fragrant Forest, more and more elderly people come here to admire and smell the flowers. Most of the elderly come together, bring mooncakes, and chat with three or five friends under the osmanthus tree, or take some beautiful photos under the tree. Watching their spirited appearance while admiring the flowers, I think this osmanthus fragrance may also have a healing effect.

There are four unique fragrances in Da Xiang Lin, namely the fragrance of osmanthus, the fragrance of fireworks, the fragrance of flowers and fruits, and the ancient fragrance of residential buildings. Among them, the most smelled is still the fragrance of osmanthus. It is said that the osmanthus trees in Daxianglin have been planted for thousands of years, and the tradition of planting osmanthus has been passed down to this day, forming a spectacular scene of thousands of osmanthus trees today, spanning several miles and known as the Jiangnan osmanthus forest.

At the middle of the moon, the sweet scented osmanthus is floating out of the sky. After busy work, I came to Daxianglin for a walk. When I was exposed to the fragrance of osmanthus, I felt that even perfume was not needed. When I walked around the osmanthus forest, I was also full of the fragrance of osmanthus. Daxianglin is like a natural perfume. Looking at the osmanthus in the mountains, I also feel the vitality of autumn. No wonder locals like to come here to relax.

On the other side of the Great Fragrant Forest is the Heavenly Palace led by the Great Fragrant Forest, known as the Pure Land of Heaven. This is the residence of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the place where Maitreya Bodhisattva resides, and the place where Maitreya believers return. Located on top of the Kuaiji Mountains in Shaoxing, the Lotus Throne stands tall, and inside lies the world's tallest indoor Buddha, Maitreya Buddha.

Dulidian Scenic Area is composed of Dulidian Palace in the Heaven Pure Land and Longhua Temple in the World Pure Land Kuaiji Mountain. The first thing I saw was the majestic memorial archway of Longhua Temple. There are not many visitors here, which is in line with the idea of Buddhism's purity, but the incense fire is also very vigorous.

The architectural complex of Longhua Temple is built along the mountain, so from a distance, you can see buildings arranged in a stepped pattern. Longhua Temple is one of the largest temples I have ever seen. I first arrived here, perhaps due to the rise of the mountain. The entire temple complex is like floating in the air. Through ingenious spatial utilization and reasonable functional layout, the temples here look very grand, and the painted beams and carved buildings are also full of artistic sense.

It is easy to see a royal style in the architecture of Longhua Temple. Later, it was learned that Longhua Temple is indeed the largest single royal style Buddhist temple in China, with a central axis length of 2500 meters, making it the largest in the country. Through the mountain gate, through the Buddha Ritual Square and Lotus Avenue, you can climb up from the Temple of Heavenly Kings to the the Shakya ManiHall, which is also the central hall of Longhua Temple. The base and fence of White Marble, and the beams and braces inside and outside are decorated with golden dragons and seals, which are very gorgeous, just like the palace.

There are still many pilgrims here who worship the Buddha, after all, the incense of Longhua Temple is quite effective, and many people hang their prayer signs here. Although there are not many tourists on weekdays, during important festivals, people from all over the country gather here to worship the Buddha.

Longhua Temple combines the grandeur of royal temples and the graceful and dynamic Jiangnan gardens. The red palace walls and green vegetation complement each other, highlighting the majesty of Longhua Temple.

And what left the deepest impression on me was the lotus throne behind Longhua Temple, which is also the core of the Dou Du Tian Scenic Area. The Doudu Heavenly Palace is located at the top of Baolin Peak, the highest peak of Kuaiji Mountain. To reach here, you need to climb layers of steps, or you can take a shuttle bus to reach below the Lotus Throne.

The resplendent lotus throne is the symbol of Dou Li Tian. There are 48 copper pasted lotus flowers. The surrounding buildings of White Marble set off the whole Dou Li Tian Palace, which is very dazzling. From top to bottom, there are purple lotus flowers, viewing platform, Shanfa Hall and seven treasure walls. It can be said that the unique shape of Dou Li Tian Palace has become a landmark building in Zhejiang.

Under the Dou Du Heavenly Palace, there is also a water pool surrounded by the twelve zodiac signs, which, like the bottom of the lotus throne, are also close to each other. These twelve zodiac signs are like guardians, guarding the Dou Du Heavenly Palace.

You can still have a distant view of Longhua Temple from Doulutian Palace, although it only takes half an hour to walk. At first, I was puzzled by what a strange name Dou Du Tian was. Later, I learned that it referred to the fourth layer of the Buddhist cosmology in the realm of desire, which means joyful heaven, joyful enough heaven. It is the most extraordinary Pure Land in the realm of desire, just as we can see it from the summit, it is also very pure.

What surprised me the most was the interior of the Doudu Heavenly Palace, which was simply colorful. Because the dome was decorated in the shape of the sky, this Maitreya Buddha is also known as the open-air Buddha. The decorations in the Heavenly Palace are simply magnificent and awe inspiring. I stood there for a long time, looking up at the Buddha statue. There is always a magical power here that can instantly calm my restless heart.

admission ticket:
Ke Yan Scenic Area+Lu Town One Ticket Tour: 115 yuan
Da Xiang Lin+Dou Du Tian Gong One Ticket Tour: 130 yuan

Transportation:
Driving from Hangzhou only takes one and a half hours
Take the high-speed rail to Shaoxing North Station and take a taxi to Keyan Scenic Area for 30 minutes

get accommodation:
There is a Kaiyuan Hotel in Lu Town, located next to the scenic area. It is very convenient to go to Lu Town for a night view