★ Tourist location: Old Street in Tangshi, Shajiabang, Changshu

The night in Shajiabang seems to come very early. Perhaps it was because the work time was relatively early, so it became deserted early. My colleagues and I don't like people who are trapped in dormitories, so after dinner, we will undoubtedly have to walk around the surrounding area. It is said that the place worth seeing nearby is Tangshi Old Street.

Tangshi Old Street is one of the old neighborhoods in Changshu that retains the original flavor of the ancient town. It may have been neglected for development, so it seems very deserted. The Qingshiban Road echoes with our footsteps and idle voices. Looking at such a deserted street, it is hard to imagine that it was also a prosperous market in ancient times. Temples were built during the Liang Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, there were many wealthy businessmen and it was known as Jintang City, which shows its prosperity.

One of the main streets here is also known as the bustling street. At that time, there were more than a hundred shops on this short street, such as Nanhuo Store, Silk Cloth Shop, Noodle Shop, Restaurant, Snack Shop, Salina Shop, Silver House, Tea House, Bookyard, Pawn Shop, Oil Shop, Rice Shop, Fish Shop, Wood Shop, Bamboo Shop, etc. Tang City has always been a large town in Changshu. In history, there was a saying that "the eighteen towns in Dongxiang are the first town in Tang City." The old street consists of Fanrong Street and Beixin Street. It runs from north to south, is about 370 meters long and 1.4 to 2.5 meters wide.

I originally thought that the decline of Old Street was related to the lack of celebrities. In fact, there have been traces of Yang Yi, Yan Ne, and Gu Yanwu on the Shiban Street here. If you count it carefully, although the cultural resources cannot be compared with Yushan, they still have a certain heritage. Compared with the Shajiabang Scenic Area five or six kilometers away, the popularity here is very poor now. It is estimated that it is rare for tourists to stop here. But because of this, I am particularly fascinated by this old street. This is the original Jiangnan Old Street. It has no commercial atmosphere. The occasional small shop does not sell tourist goods, but serves the neighbors.

Not far from the entrance of the old street is the Yang Yi Memorial Hall. Unfortunately, it is not open. It is said that it is not open during the day and holidays, and it is also closed here. Yang Yi, whose name is Zichang, was named Guyuan. He was born in Changshu at the end of the Ming Dynasty. He was one of the founders of Yingshe and the founder of the Tang School. Therefore, unlike other celebrities who have left a trace here, he is a native of Tang City. In his early years, he worshiped under Qian Qianyi and was called "Yang Gu" with Gu Menglin in Taicang. In the fourth year of Tianqi, he organized the restoration of the society with Zhang Cai, Gu Menglin and others in Taicang, which was praised as the beginning of the restoration of the society. However, this scholar did not go well in the imperial examination and was not met again and again. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he kept the door open and wrote with one mind. The Fengji Building he built contained more than 10,000 volumes of books, and together with Mao Jin's Jigu Pavilion and Qian Qianyi's Jiangyun Building, became the three major library buildings in Changshu at that time. The founding meeting of Yingshe was held in Fengji Tower, with hundreds of celebrities from Jiangnan attending the meeting.

Yan Ne and Gu Yanwu were not from Tang City. The former had a prosperous official career and served successively as Taichang Shaoqing, Minister of Rites, Minister of Civil Affairs, and Grand Scholar of Wuying Hall. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of Shaobao and Wen Jing. He could be said to be a high-ranking official and mourned after his death. The latter was from Kunshan and became even more famous. He was an outstanding thinker, Confucian scholar, historian and phonologist in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Together with Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi, he was called the three major Confucian scholars in the early Qing Dynasty. Yan Ne wasn't sure, but Gu Yanwu and Yang Yi were on good terms. After the fall of Kunshan, he lived here for ten years.

Shiban Street was built along the Youjing River towards the water. The entire street was paved with horizontal granite stone strips. When it was first built, there were carvings. After the baptism of time, it is no longer visible now. But back then, this street should have been very exquisite.

Most of the buildings along the street are Qing Dynasty style, and may occasionally be left over from the Ming Dynasty, but we really can't tell if we don't know much about architecture. I only felt that the shadows of the lights were clear and shallow. Under the dim light, it was rare to see anyone passing by. We were only chatting while walking, and our voices echoed on the stone streets of the old street.

The reflection of the prosperous bridge in the water is beautiful. The smooth and round lines, symmetrical arches, and not bright lights combine with the reflection in the water to form a full moon for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Standing on the bridge, the residential houses on both sides left a silhouette, like the outlines in ink paintings, looking quiet and beautiful.

The door of Fragrance Courtyard is closed. This is the place recommended by colleagues. It is said that it is open during the day. So, I kept it in mind and planned to come and have a look at noon tomorrow. Later, at noon the next day, I visited the old street again. During the day and at night, the old streets are as quiet and lonely.

Walking back to the bustling street, crossing the bridge and walking forward, this is also an extension of the old street, but it seems to be quieter. There are not even red lanterns in sight, only the wax plum blossoms in the corner, giving off a faint fragrance.

Although the daytime tour the next day was not leisurely enough, I could fully appreciate the people in the Zhenhe River in the old street of Jiangnan Water Town. White walls and black tiles, even though the weather is not so sunny, it still looks like a picture.

In addition to the prosperous bridge, there is also a Huayang Bridge that looks very ancient. The narrow bridge body and mottled bridge deck tell the vicissitudes of history.

Wan'an Bridge probably has some history, but it was rebuilt in 1993. Unlike Fanhua Bridge and Huayang Bridge, this bridge is open to traffic. However, the bridge body is a bit narrow. Once the traffic volume increases, it will easily form blockages, right? I don't know if this bridge is under repair.