★ Tourist location: Yangliu Island, Shanghu, Changshu, Suzhou

Yangliu Island is adjacent to Taigong Island and connected to the Moon Embankment. It is an important tourist and transportation point in the scenic area along the lake, covering an area of about 140,000 square meters. Fishermen's rowing boats, pleasure boats, and sightseeing buses all depart here. Among them, transportation stops include Fushuishanzhuang Station, Zhangmuqiao Station, Water Forest Station, Sijingyuan Station, Wisteria Corridor Station, Drifting Starting Station, Amusement Park Station, and Retention of Memory Station, which can save a lot of effort.

Next to the starting point station, there is Zhang Wenxi Ancient Boat Hall, which displays the intangible cultural heritage of Suzhou City-Suzhou Water Town wooden boat making skills. It displays many large-scale ships, which is still worth a visit.

Changshu ancient ship craftsmanship and traditional tools showcase various tools used in shipbuilding in Changshu City. These tools are unfamiliar to people who have never seen a boat swimming in the river but have never been on a fishing boat. Without looking at the introduction next to it, I have no idea what they are for.

In earlier ancient times, before shipbuilding technology was mature, people made rafts and canoes. These boats were too small to carry only a few people. Later, people invented sailboats, which can sail with the help of wind, which is much more labor-saving than supporting a small bamboo pole. Ships are also gradually increasing, and can not only carry people, but also carry goods. Later, ships were used in war, and sailors appeared.

Several famous warships in history are also displayed in the glass window, of course they are replicas. The Dongwu battle ships in the Battle of Chibi were very spectacular. The Dongwu fighting ship belongs to the flat-bottomed sand ship type with a relatively large hull. It was a river ship used in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the Han and Three Kingdoms periods. It was also the most important and typical military command ship in the Han Dynasty Navy. The warship has a total length of 37.4 meters, a width of 9 meters, a depth of 3 meters, and the superstructure is more than 7 meters high. This kind of ship has fast speed, strong attack power, and is good at single-ship combat. It belongs to an offensive warship.

The building ships in the Pre-Qin period had multi-storey buildings and attack and defense facilities, and looked like buildings in appearance, so they were called building ships and were a large warship. Louchuan first originated in the State of Yue during the Warring States Period. Yue had the Louchuan Army, and both the Qin and Han dynasties had the official title of General Louchuan. Building ships were built to a scale more than 100 feet high in the Han Dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms period, Wu built five-story warships that could carry 3,000 troops. It is said that although this kind of ship is huge, its speed can still maintain a certain speed. It can be seen that shipbuilding technology was already quite developed in ancient China.

The warship used by Han Shizhong in the Song Dynasty to fight against the Jin soldiers was called Qifan. It was a relatively large fishing boat in the Taihu Lake Basin, equipped with seven hard sails and two soft sails. When the ship is driving, it spreads three sails and four small sails, just like seven fans, hence the name Seven Fans.

In the Song Dynasty, there was also a relatively common type of ship called sand boats. It was a transportation ship that mainly sailed in inland rivers and shallow seas. It could be placed on shallow beaches without fear of being stranded. It is said that ships first appeared in the Tang Dynasty and were only widely used in the Song Dynasty. Because the bottom is relatively shallow, it is also called a shallow bottom boat or a gondola.

Others include the cargo ship unearthed in the Tang Dynasty and the Xiehuang Branch River ship unearthed in Shiqiao, Yangzhou. They are relatively large ships. There is also a relatively famous ship called Fu Boat in the Ming Dynasty. This is a kind of sharp-bottomed ship that is famous for sailing in Southeast Asia and the distant sea. It is also the main warship of our country's navy. The ship is as tall as a building, with a sharp bottom and a wide top, high front and tail, and guard plates on both sides. The ship is divided into four floors. The bottom layer is filled with earth and rocks for ballast, the second layer houses soldiers, the third layer is the main operating place, and the upper layer is the combat place.

There was also a kind of fast boat in the Ming Dynasty. It was a medium-sized transport ship used by the government. It was famous for its flexible sailing and fast speed. It was originally a naval combat ship. After Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, the fast boat was specially used to send all kinds of supplies to the palace from Jiangnan through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

However, when it comes to the most famous ship in the Ming Dynasty, it is still a treasure ship. This was the kind of boat he took when Zheng He went to the Western Ocean. The treasure ship is the main cargo ship in the entire fleet. It is said that Zheng He's riding Dabao is 44.40 feet long, has nine masts and twelve sails, and a displacement of 10,000 tons. Zheng Hong was sent to Nanyang seven times, and the entire fleet had more than 27,000 people.

In the Qing Dynasty, the ships used by customs were the Daguan Express Ship, which was the estuary of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In the late Qing Dynasty, my country established customs in Shanghai, Wuhan and other ports for foreign trade, also called Jiang Customs. This kind of ship was used by customs for patrol and silk collection.

There are more than 400 passenger ships from the Qing Dynasty appearing in the "Picture of Prosperity of Suzhou", and the sails in the river are like clouds. It can be seen that Suzhou was really prosperous at that time.

When you walk out of the Ancient Boat Hall, you see real boats. These are picture-like boats for visiting the outer lakes of Shanghu Lake. Each boat has a boat number, which sets off the Shanghu Lake and Yushan mountains behind it. This boat is just a prop.

The main lake area of Shanghu Lake is also called Shanghu Outer Lake, with a water area of 1,000 hectares. Scenic spots are distributed along the way, forming a six-kilometer waterway scenic corridor. Wandering among the green mountains and clear waters, you will reach ten miles of green mountains, sparkling. The Jiangnan water town not only has small bridges and flowing water, but also has magnificent waters.

There is a dock next to it. Although it is of an open wooden structure, the roof is covered with thatched grass. It really looks like a fisherman's style.

The roof is also covered with thatched grass. Looking through the glass door, it seems that the layout is complete and the hall is empty.

There are a few wintersweet and plum blossoms in this area that bloom well. When walking from the path, it really feels like riding a time machine back to ancient times.

Walking forward to the fragrant plants, this is obviously not the time. The fragrant plants are still in hibernation, and at most, there will only be a small bud. Who can recognize what it is!

Further ahead is the Moon Causeway. This 500-meter-long long embankment connects Yangliu Island and Fushui Villa. It is a meanshui plank road built in the water. Strolling through Yuedi, you will have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of Shanghu Lake and Fushui Villa. Taking a deep breath, it seems that the air is filled with the humidity of Shanghu.

There is a stainless steel sign on the plank road. Starting from January, it has written famous dates and deeds in history. Walking and watching, it is simply an encyclopedic history education.

There are pavilions on the plank road to rest. The reeds and calamus by the lake have withered, and there are actually two wild ducks swimming in the lake. These wild ducks may have come from the north to spend the winter, right? Of course, it is also possible that they are the indigenous people of Shanghu.