Yangzhou, once the "famous capital of Huaizuo" with a spring breeze of ten miles, has been known since ancient times as "a hundred thousand houses with red curtains, and the spring breeze blows away the old prosperity

Yangzhou has always been known for its beauty that is worthy of love, with its charming and graceful appearance that follows the wind. It has attracted countless literati and scholars, who are all vying for it.

The consensus of ancient and modern times is that "fireworks in March in Yangzhou" is the most suitable way to visit Yangzhou, where spring is fragrant, peach blossoms and plum blossoms are beautiful, and red and green flowers are piled up. In the warm winter sun, seeking solitude and exploring beauty, there is no shadow gathering from the crowd; Lingering in the scenery, there is no lack of openness and contentment.

In the Year of the Rat (2020), the beginning of winter has just passed, and the charm of late autumn still lingers. Therefore, it is necessary to "wave your hand and leave", but unexpectedly, "the sound of horses and horses" will occur. As a result, deep autumn is sticky with shallow winter, entangled and difficult to distinguish for a while.

The victory of Yangzhou lies in the fact that the slender West Lake occupies half of the country; The victory of Slender West Lake, Wuting Bridge and Twenty Four Bridge are also the first to bear the brunt. Years have passed, and I am not worried about revisiting the old place. People are different from things, and I cannot help but sigh at the past when "we gathered and dispersed in a hurry, and this hatred is endless. This year's flowers are better than last year's," but now "it's a pity that next year's flowers will be even better. Do you know who we are with

Slender West Lake is located in the northwest of Yangzhou, covering an area of 20 hectares, with nearly one-third of the water body, which is uniquely advantageous. Its original name was Baobao Lake - a moat and spillway built after the Sui and Tang dynasties, aimed at safeguarding the city of Yangzhou. It is well deserved and flows through the Grand Canal, making it as prosperous as ever.

The name "Slender West Lake" originated from Wu Qi's (1619-1694) "Preface to Yangzhou Drumming Poetry" in the early Qing Dynasty: "One water leads to a mountain hall in the north of the city, named Slender West Lake, and its original name is Baobao Lake." However, it is famous for the poem by Wang Hang (1704-1784), a poet of Qiantang during the Qianlong Dynasty: "The weeping willows continue to connect with the broken Wu, and the geese bite the red bridge like a painting. It is also sold as a pot of gold, so it should be called Slender West Lake

Named after the Slender West Lake, the people of Wu Ci relied on the narrowness and twists of the lake, as well as its location within the city; Poet Wang, on the other hand, compared the West Lake in Hangzhou with the saying, "The city is adorned with pearls and pearls, households are lush and beautiful, competing for luxury and extravagance

Come and search for the dream of the top of cardamom, the bright moon on the Twenty Four Bridges

Amidst the vastness of the earth, there are countless West Lakes, each with its own unique appearance. Hangzhou's West Lake is particularly outstanding, while Yangzhou's West Lake, known as Shou Xi Lake, is named after its narrowness, length, and delicacy. A thin person is lonely, but it is also a metaphor for their delicacy and cleverness, which is pitied by heaven.

In this way, it is not only well-known and prominent, but also embodies its ten mile spring breeze, a lifetime of prosperity, and is all within the belt like landscape on both sides of the strait. The landscape is diverse, seamlessly connecting dynasties such as the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, and is leisurely and colorful. Therefore, it is natural for it to be listed on the World Cultural Heritage List.

In the late frost and snow of Wuzhong, in the prime of early winter, the maple leaves have not yet left the forest, and the yellow chrysanthemums still have remnants

Slender West Lake, with gentle bends along the shore, adorned with trees and flowers, "with no gaps at all"; The clear mirror on the lake's surface and the waterstop are connected by painted bridges and pavilions, arranged in a staggered manner. Therefore, it is worthy of the reputation of being a "garden on the lake" and a "garden of Yangzhou, unparalleled in the world".

The most suitable way to visit Shouxi Lake is to take a boat ride on the lake, and the best place to board a boat is undoubtedly Xichun Terrace. This is not only the picturesque and poetic core of the Twenty Four Bridges Scenic Area, but also the convenient place to pick up the essence of the scenery - the mysterious and jade accumulation on the water surface of the lake shore.

Xichun Terrace and Xiaojin Mountain are located at the west and east bends of Shouxi Lake, facing each other with buildings, while Wuting Bridge is separated by them, providing a perfect balance between the two. The Xichun Terrace was a work of flattery and flattery by salt merchants in Yangzhou at that time, intentionally built to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Qianlong during his southern tour. It was named after the phrase "Xichun" from Laozi's (571-471 BC) Tao Te Ching, which goes, "The crowd is as bustling as climbing the Spring Terrace." It refers to the scene in front of the Xichun Terrace where people come to congratulate the emperor on his birthday,

Therefore, the English charm of royal gardens flows freely, majestic, magnificent, and grand; The vermilion color on the eaves and pillars, and the green color on the glazed roof tiles, all indicate the nobility and splendor of the royal family.

The Hu boat unties the cable, and the boatwoman sways the oars gently, plowing open like a mirror on the lake surface, startling the fish. "Chu Er is far away, coming and going intermittently." Looking back unintentionally, to the northeast of Xichun Terrace, the Twenty Four Bridges stand out in sight, "peaceful and carefree, calm and carefree

The fame of the Twenty Four Bridges rose to fame thanks to the poem "Sending to Judge Han Chuo in Yangzhou" by Xiao Du of the Tang Dynasty. Among them, "On a bright moon night at the Twenty Four Bridges, where can the jade man teach to play the flute?" caused a moment of boundless wind and moon, and it still remains so to this day.

However, the stars and frost have repeatedly moved, the wind and rain have eroded, and the original bridge has collapsed in the desolate smoke and grass, with no trace to be found. The current Twenty Four Bridge, which is only over thirty years old, is a retro work from the last century, but it has incorporated the imagination and interpretation of later generations - all the details of the bridge correspond to Twenty Four, beautiful and good, and eager to live. It is unknown whether the original bridge was built back then or not.

General Xiao Li's painting book and the Wangchun Tower are truly small buildings in the style of Jiangnan. With white walls and gray tiles, they stand serene and serene at the corner of the lake, overlooking the Xichun Terrace across the lake. "Amidst the flowing water, the veins are indescribable

The painting of General Xiao Li is actually a pavilion, perched by the water, named "General Xiao Li Painting Book", indicating the scenery on the left and right sides, just like the landscape paintings of General Xiao Li - Li Zhaodao (675-758), the son of Li Sixun (651-718), a painter of the Tang royal family. The appearance is not inferior, and the artistic conception is also consistent.

The Wangchun Tower is a two-story tower with a waterfront hall, named "Wangchun", aiming to look forward to the long-awaited spring scenery - red and green, and to express one's longing for spring - to be seen everywhere. The area of its skin is divided into a water courtyard and a mountain courtyard, aiming to bring the lake light and mountain scenery into the interior. Not only is the garden clear and beautiful, but it is also intertwined and profound.

The Linglong Flower Realm on the south bank is also a place where the Wangchun Tower on the north bank remains unchanged. The sound of spring can be heard from the quacking of ducks and ducks on the lake, after all, "the warm water of the spring river is the prophet of ducks"; The color of spring can be seen in the exquisite flower world by the water, with a myriad of shades of purple and red. Ultimately, "the red river flowers surpass the fire at sunrise
In the shallow winter, the flowers and plants are submerged and withered, the trees are gradually withering, and the exquisite flower world is no longer the beautiful scenery of spring flowers. However, the deep autumn beauty, although "red withered shore knotweed, emerald reduced Ting Ping", can still be considered a scenery and a flavor, meandering at the beginning of Mengdong, and hidden in seclusion, gradually fading out of the vast world. It is also a touch of elegance and charm.

The boat sailed slowly in the clear water with gentle waves, occasionally swans swam back and forth, and occasionally wild ducks and ducks swam left and right,

And half a mile away, the Wuting Bridge gradually approached, clearly in sight.

The Wuting Bridge, which combines the beauty of the south and the magnificence of the north, was established during the Qianlong Dynasty with the intention of welcoming the southern tour and pleasing the emperor. It has reached the age of three hundred and is still vigorous. The Five Pavilions Bridge is surrounded by five pavilions. The golden tiles on its roof, the red lacquer beams and columns everywhere, the painted caisson on the ceiling, and the surrounding White Marble guardrails all blend the splendor into the exquisite carving, aiming to show off Tao Baifu, the Lie of Yangzhou, and also cater to the great success of the "Shiquan Old Man".

On the "Wuting Bridge", five pavilions are built with four wings below, and there are five out of ten on the front and side of the bridge opening. On the night of a full moon, the moon is held in each hole and hung upside down in a pool of clear water, bright and clear; the clear water ripples gently, the waves wrinkle the moon, and it instantly returns to its original state.

The river and sky are one color without any fine dust, and the moon is shining brightly in the sky. In the sky, it is a lonely moon, with a solitary shadow fading and desolate; In the lake, it is like the moon in the water, where there are five out of ten, which is somewhat ambiguous. At that time, the bright moon was there, once shining on the colorful clouds. The colorful clouds, also known as cloud brocade, were extremely beautiful, as bright as dawn, and the surrounding area shone brightly because of it. However, the mist dispersed in an instant, far away from the sky, turning into dreamlike smoke and clouds, wandering in the distant years, making people feel lost.

The light boat swayed slightly, the current flowed slowly, and leisurely passed under the Wuting Bridge. There was a graceful water pavilion with gray tiles and white walls, like a water bird, and the ducks floated on the clear and sparkling lake surface to the east. This is the villa of Chen Chenshuo (1892-1960), a prominent family in Yangzhou. The corridor is surrounded by water and exudes a unique charm, offering a panoramic view of the magnificent Five Pavilion Bridge; Enjoying the pleasure of fish in the water. The century old residence of the Chen family, named "Fu Zhuang", embodies the beauty of the villa's ducks swimming in the water and reflects the owner's dissipation after wind and rain.

The light boat passed by Fu Zhuang, about half a hundred yards away on the west side ahead West foot of Xiaojin Mountain towards west Cutting into the narrow embankment of the lake, at the end of the embankment “ Those with pavilions and wings facing the lake, Blow table Also.

Blow table The yellow walls of Doujiao are surrounded by doors on all four sides, with water on three sides and a full moon cave entrance on all three sides. Here, the beauty of the garden's "frame scenery" is fully displayed. The skill lies in framing the wind and moon, capturing the beauty of the five pavilions and bridges in the west and the towering white pagoda in the south. The scenery is used as a painting, and the moon gate is used as a frame, vividly and vividly.

The wind platform is originally a place where literati and scholars play the flute and qin, Wanran stands still, with a radiant presence in sight. Due to Emperor Qianlong's fishing trip here, over two hundred years later, a kind-hearted person named it "Diaoyutai" and left a calligraphy treasure with his hand, intending to put it on the platform to shine on his peers and compete with them.

Offset Xiaojin Mountain- Solitary floating on the island in the middle of the lake in the water , The boat slowly steps onto the shore. Lake Island Surrounded by water, resembling Zhenjiang Jinshan is named "Xiaojinshan" because of its small size, and the mountain is covered with pine and cypress trees, which are lush and green throughout the four seasons, also known as "Changchun Ridge".

The lakeside courtyard on the west side, known as the "Hu Shang Cao Tang," boasts trees that have been standing tall and elegant for nearly a hundred years. The most eye-catching feature is undoubtedly the "withered tree in spring" - a millennium old ginkgo tree that was split in half by lightning over a hundred years ago and gradually planted around it, causing vines to climb up and intertwine endlessly. Unexpectedly, it appeared as branches and leaves supporting the sparse "spring red" of the forest flowers, like "withered trees still bloom in spring", hence the name "withered trees in spring", which is appropriate.

Deng Xiaojin Mountain The unique "Wind Pavilion" at the top offers a panoramic view of the four seasons of Shouxi Lake: spring green, summer red, autumn yellow, and winter white. In the midst of a shallow winter, desolate and desolate, withered duckweed and grass remain. As autumn fades away, its orange yellow and orange green colors fade along the way. Although I occasionally look back, I am still unwilling and feel helpless. I have no choice but to face the cold rain in the morning and the wind in the evening

Bo Wan lazily returned, "still unable to understand, but it was imperative for him to leave, so he reluctantly held his arms and walked slowly.

2021.03.01.