Jiangnan, wait until I slowly see you as the same as Nanxun

When visiting Jiangnan, many ancient towns cannot be ignored. In fact, the trend across the country in recent years is that as long as it is a tourist city, one or several ancient streets will be preserved. Ancient towns will serve as scenic spots, but most of them will eventually become commercial streets selling small commodities, filled with nondescript cafes and bars. The experience depends on whether you are lucky enough to happen to choose a quiet place.

After coming out of Suzhou, we specially chose Tongli to visit this town that has appeared countless times in paintings and film and television works. Compared with the ancient town of Gujie mentioned earlier, what attracts me most in Tongli is that there are still people living in the ancient town. I look forward to wandering around the small bridges and flowing water in the town during the off-season, looking at the white walls and black tiles of the surrounding houses, and feeling the rhythm and atmosphere of life that are different from the past... Dream on! It really proved afterwards that no matter how much expectations there is, no matter how much disappointment there is.

It was already night when we left Suzhou and arrived in Tongli. Because the car could only be parked outside the ancient town, we had to drag our luggage to the B & B in the ancient town. There are not many people on the street. Pack your luggage and let's find a place to have dinner. Although there are B & Bs and restaurants run by local residents everywhere, at this time, the disadvantages of the off-season are revealed. Because there are few people, the restaurant owner is probably starting to cook himself in order to save costs... My wife took a bite and said: This person can't even taste seasoning... Probably due to the protection of the local style and support of the local tourism industry, there are not many foreign restaurants in the ancient town, and basically all are run by locals. Due to cost considerations, bosses often don't hire a chef during the off-season, and most customers choose to eat and never patronize.

The next day, we got up early and walked around in the alley. There was still light rain and fog in the sky, which gave me the feeling of misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River. But, but why are there so many electric bicycles! Starting from 7 a.m., groups of electric vehicles clattering into the ancient town at several entrances and exits of the scenic area. No matter in any corner, the whistle of electric vehicles and the sound of them being about to break up will be heard. After walking to the undulating places along the river, electric cars couldn't pass through. Under the dirty and dilapidated awnings outside the restaurant and cafe, tables and chairs were piled in a mess. It is estimated that many people will sit here and consume during the peak season, but now they are only left sitting there to pick up rainwater in boredom. When tourists come to the water town, they see small bridges and flowing water, but the damage to the style of the ancient town caused by lack of management really makes people lose the interest in continuing to visit.

We left Tongli at noon that day and drove straight to Nanxun. I have to say that perhaps because it used to be the site of the summit, the environment in Huzhou City is much better than that in Tongli.

Once again, I parked my car outside the ancient town and dragged my luggage into the scenic spot again. On the roads of the two ancient towns, due to considerations of cultural protection and style, the roads are paved with strips of stones. It is really painful to drag a suitcase on them. This time we stayed in Huajiantang, which is about four to five hundred meters away from the entrance of the scenic area. The distance between hundreds of meters and the road was a mess. I wonder if the designers of the scenic area can consider this issue and set up a channel about one to two meters wide for tourists who haul luggage or need to use wheelchairs. In fact, it is enough to use relatively smooth stone slabs.

Apart from the problem with the trails, Nanxun basically has nothing to complain about. The environment in the scenic area is very well protected. Shopkeepers are sitting in front of their stores in twos and threes, chatting quietly and basking in the sun. Most stores still sell vegetables and daily necessities. On the street, except for a few local residents doing some housework by the river, it was basically just the few of us hanging out. People traveling with him lamented: I finally began to feel the beauty of the ancient town.

Nanxun was once the most important silk producing area and freight hub in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. Most of the residents who used to be either rich or expensive. Years of wealth have created a profound local context. Zhu Guozhen, Wen Tiren, Shen Huai, Dong Fen, and even Zhang Jingjiang in modern times all changed China's destiny more or less.

Nanxun's gardens are very worth seeing. Especially Zhang Shiming's old house, although not too far away from Jiangsu, you can clearly feel that the architectural style has begun to tend to the complexity of the Hui style. Because they held most of Jiangnan's salt coins in their hands, the Zhang family was once rich. Zhang Zhaili uses a large number of Dongyang wood carvings as decoration. The wood carvings on the building components are carefully carved and have complex patterns. Most of the brick carvings depicting various historical allusions are well preserved. It makes people can't help but stop and take a closer look.

Nanxun's architecture also has another characteristic. Probably because of the port city, local households have a high acceptance of Western architectural styles. Not only Zhang Shiming's old house, but almost half of the buildings in the Liu's staircase known as the Red House are Baroque red brick buildings. It is decorated with a large number of Western stained glass and parquet floor tiles. This was also the residence of the Zhuang family in the Ming Dynasty case. It is already reckless enough for Zhuang to write history in a white body, and all the year titles and official names used follow the old system. After being blackmailed by Wu Zhirong, he failed to take effective measures, resulting in the final involvement of a major case in which more than 70 people were re-convicted and thousands of people were convicted. It is said that Mr. Jin Yong's ancestor Zha Jizuo once accused the Zhuang family of indiscriminately citing literati names, and he was convicted for no reason and finally escaped the death penalty. Whether this is really the case, the answer can only be found in history.

It is said that Baijiantang in Nanxun was once built by Dong Fen, a minister of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the Hanlin Academy during the Ming Dynasty, for his servants. Daren Dong was good at writing Qing Ci and was regarded as a strict party. He returned to his hometown to provide for his elderly care in the late Jiajing Dynasty. Nowadays, basically every household in Baijiantang is local residents. Most of the owners in the house are busy with their own trivial matters, and they don't even bother to look at us passing by.

For friends who want to travel to Nanxun, it is recommended to walk a few more steps outside the scenic area for dinner. Because there are Hu sheep in Nanxun, the mutton restaurants and noodle restaurants on the street cook very delicious. Those who don't like mutton can try the local duck foot noodles. After dinner, I wandered around in the sun on the streets of Nanxun, thinking about where to go next to enjoy this lazy time.