Collection of China NO:05 Jiangnan Ancient Towns

Author: Wei Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: When people mention Jiangnan, they generally know it refers to the southern bank of the Yangtze River. However, in fact, the general sense of "Jiangnan" does not refer to the entire southern bank of the Yangtze; it specifically refers to the southern part of Jiangsu and the northern part of Zhejiang. The famous six ancient towns of Jiangnan—Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Nanxun, Wuzhen, and Xitang—are located in northern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, like pearls scattered across the Taihu Lake Basin. "Jiangnan is beautiful, its scenery is familiar; the sunrise flowers are redder than fire, and the spring waters are greener than the blue sky—can one not recall Jiangnan?" In people's poetic descriptions, the beauty of Jiangnan seems never to be separated from its connection with water. Because of these feelings and resonances related to water, people become even more eager to experience Jiangnan. But where is Jiangnan? Today, as modernization advances, the representative cities of Jiangnan, such as Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou, have without exception become part of China's economic forefront. In the process of internationalizing their urban landscapes, they gradually lose the traditional natural geographical and historical cultural characteristics of Jiangnan. The background of Jiangnan, except for some key protected scenic spots and areas, is no longer easily found. When people recite the poetic lines about these cities, they can no longer personally experience the past atmosphere. This cannot be said to be a regrettable unfulfilled matter.