Water town Shaoxing

Author: Shen Fuxu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-09-01
Features: This book focuses on a region within "The Rural China," Shaoxing. Regarding the history, geography, and culture of Shaoxing, abundant records and works have been left behind since ancient times. I do not intend to emphasize these aspects but rather want to combine the scenery with emotions, the feelings within the scenery, and allow readers to share this sentiment. Childhood experiences are always beautiful in, like poems. The water town of childhood, though somewhat hazy in, is vividly imagined. Small bridges over flowing streams, courtyards with lush greenery, bustling streets, people coming and going at the bridges, and shops lined up like a string of pearls. In this old town with pink walls and black tiles, the square courtyards are filled with countless aspects of life. The busyness of festivals, summer nights of cooling off, storytelling, and stargazing – all the joys of childhood are reflected in these architectural images. The beauty of Shaoxing's water town is indeed precious, but even more precious is that it has been literaryized. The aesthetic appreciation people have for it is largely due to the portrayals by literary figures like Lu Xun. There is the sentiment in Lu Xun's novel "The Old Home," the vivid depiction in "The Water Opera," and the humorous portrayal of Kong Yiji. Theater is even more intense and moving, with Yue Opera and Shaoxing Opera being widely loved. The plots and melodies of these operas add an incomparably radiant color to the landscape of Shaoxing. My records of my hometown Shaoxing are written out of emotion, with emotion as the main focus. I have been away from my hometown for nearly half a century, yet the scenes there seem vividly before my eyes; I lived in my hometown for twenty years, yet it feels so rich and long. This is all due to emotion.
Author Introduction:
Shen Fuxu: A native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, Shen graduated from the Department of Architecture at Tongji University in 1963 and taught at the same university. He is currently a professor at the Department of Architecture at Tongji University and has established the Shen Fuxu Research Laboratory. He primarily engages in research on aesthetics, art culture, and architectural theory. His major works include "The Weave of Architectural Art and Culture," "Man and Architecture," "Introduction to Architecture," "Aesthetics," "Introduction to the Modern History of Western Culture," and "Design Techniques in Architecture." His upcoming works include "Illustrated History of Chinese Architecture," "The Origin of Chinese Architectural Decoration Art and Culture," and "Chinese Architectural Environmental Ecology."
Li Yuxiang: Born in Nanjing, Jiangsu in August 1962, Li graduated from the Department of Journalism at Wuhan University. He holds a master's degree in visual arts and is a member of the China Photographers Association. He is currently employed at the Sanlian Bookstore. He has published works such as the "Old Houses" series and other monographs. His works have been exhibited and published both domestically and internationally.
"The path through Shan Yin is like traveling in a mirror." Wang Xizhi's line describes the natural landscape of Shaoxing's water town. However, the beauty of Shaoxing's landscape is even more rooted in human emotion and life. The natural beauty of clear mountains and flowing water, along with the pure and sincere local customs, has nurtured countless famous figures throughout the dynasties, a phenomenon known as "spiritual resonance and talent cultivation." The regional culture of Shaoxing holds significant research value. Shaoxing is located in the western part of the Ning-Shao Plain in Zhejiang, at 120°35' east longitude and 30° north latitude, belonging to the subtropical monsoon climate, which is mild, humid, and has distinct seasons. The terrain of Shaoxing slopes from south to north, and it can be said that the southern part is mountainous, while the northern part is a water town, with a landscape that resembles a painting. The southern part of Shaoxing is dominated by the Xueji Mountain, featuring peaks such as Xianglu Peak, Qinwang Mountain, Bajian Ridge, Shunwang Mountain, and Shiqifeng, forming winding and intricate mountain scenes. The peaks are layered with greenery, and streams flow through the valleys. Liu Yiqing of the Southern Dynasties described the southern scenery of Shaoxing in "The New Tales of the World" as follows: "Thousand peaks compete in beauty, ten thousand ravines vie in flow, with trees and grass shrouded above, as if clouds and mist gather." This is a description of Shaoxing's southern mountains. The northern part of Shaoxing is rich in rivers and lakes. Statistics show that the total length of rivers and lakes in Shaoxing exceeds 1,900 kilometers, mostly concentrated in the northern area. The life of water town residents is even more admirable. Here, there are expansive views of distant mountains and near waters, with crisscrossing fields and villages nestled among forests. The scenes of water town life are vividly depicted. If you take a wupeng boat and glide slowly, the embankments, farmlands, houses, stone bridges, and paper mulberry trees all appear to float on the water, while the distant, faintly outlined green mountains seem to move alongside you, and the scenery of the embankments gradually recedes behind. The wupeng boat passing through stone bridges is even more magical and dreamlike.
The riverways within Shaoxing's city are crisscrossed, often with one road and one river running parallel. Although many of these riverways have been filled in, the landscape of the water town remains. This "small bridges, flowing water, and houses" scenery has become a part of the cultural heritage of the water town. The water town landscapes of Wu and Yue are very similar, so they can also be described using Du Xunhe's "Seeing Someone Off to Wu": "Homes are built along the river." The life of homes by the river is centered around water – living by the water, drinking water, using water, and traveling by boat on the water. The water scenery also nurtures the personalities and cultural characteristics of the people of the water town. Shaoxing's Yue Opera and Shaoxing Opera are closely tied to the water town landscape and culture. Shaoxing has a long history, with traces of humans dating back to the Neolithic Age, evidenced by numerous unearthed artifacts. Historical records are even richer. The ancient emperor Yu Shun once visited Shaoxing for inspections, recreation, and living. The small Fei River, Shunwang Mountain, and the Shunwang Temple at the southern tip of Shaoxing all bear witness to these historical events. During the Xia Dynasty, Yu the Great held a grand assembly of feudal lords here and was buried at the foot of Xueji Mountain, which is now known as the Yu. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Shaoxing was the capital of the Yue Kingdom. The traces of King Goujian of Yue's "burning the ashes and tasting the bitter" and his efforts to strengthen the state still remain, and the phrase "ten years of gathering and ten years of teaching" is still engraved in the hearts of the people of Shaoxing. Shaoxing was established as the Jieshi Prefecture during the Qin and Han dynasties, known as Yuezhou during the Tang Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, when Emperor Kang of the Song Dynasty fled south and sought refuge, officials and scholars submitted a memorial requesting the bestowal of a name for the prefecture. Emperor Kang inscribed "Shaoxing" (Shao means inheritance, and Xing means the imperial line), thus changing the name of the prefecture to Shaoxing. During the Yuan Dynasty, the prefecture was abolished and replaced with a road. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was restored as the Shaoxing Prefecture. After the Republic of China (1912), the prefecture was changed to a county, merging the original Jieshi and Shanyin counties into Shaoxing County. Today, it is known as Shaoxing City. Shaoxing is famous for its yellow wine. The history of Shaoxing's old wine dates back over 2,000 years, when King Goujian of Yue presented this fine wine to the King of Wu. The soldiers of Wu drank it recklessly, accumulating mountains of jars. During the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Yuan of Liang wrote in "Golden Thread" that he always carried a "silver cup" filled with "sweet wine from Shanyin" and occasionally offered it to others. Even today, many people in Shaoxing are fond of drinking wine. In addition to yellow wine, tea, porcelain, silk, paper fans, fermented tofu, and felt hats are also famous specialties of Shaoxing. Shaoxing has produced generations of famous figures throughout history, making it a place of great cultural heritage. In addition to Yu the Great and Goujian from the pre-Qin period, there have been countless stars since the Qin and Han dynasties. Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty visited Shaoxing, "ascended Jieshi, explored Yu's cave," as recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian." Wang Chong, a thinker of the Eastern Han Dynasty, his work "Discourse on Inequality" is considered a monumental work of materialist thought. Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, his "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" is a masterpiece of the world, and the name of the Orchid Pavilion became famous worldwide. Tang Dynasty poets such as He Zhi Zhang and Zhu Qing Yu also lived here, while Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi were drawn to visit Jishan, Jianhu Lake, and Ruo Ye Creek, leaving behind many poems. Lu You, a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, Xu Wei, a painter and calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Hongshou, Zhang Dai, a literary figure of the late Ming Dynasty, Zhao Ziqian and Ren Boqian, painters of the Qing Dynasty, as well as the Confucian scholar Liu Zongzhou and the historian Zhang Xuecheng, are just a few examples. Among modern figures, there are more politicians and revolutionaries, as well as literary figures. Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tao Chengzhang, Cai Yuanpei, Lu Xun, and Zhou Enlai, among others, are also included. Zhou Enlai's ancestral home is in Shaoxing, and his ancestral residence, Baishi Hall, still stands in Shaoxing today.
This book focuses on a region within "The Rural China," Shaoxing. Regarding the history, geography, and culture of Shaoxing, ancient and modern, abundant records and works have been left behind. I do not intend to emphasize these aspects but rather want to combine the scenery with emotions, the feelings within the scenery, and allow readers to share this sentiment. Childhood experiences are always beautiful in, like poems. The water town of childhood, though somewhat hazy in, is vividly imagined. Small bridges over flowing streams, courtyards with lush greenery, bustling streets, people coming and going at the bridges, and shops lined up like a string of pearls. In this old town with pink walls and black tiles, the square courtyards are filled with countless aspects of life. The busyness of festivals, summer nights of cooling off, storytelling, and stargazing – all the joys of childhood are reflected in these architectural images. The beauty of Shaoxing's water town is indeed precious, but even more precious is that it has been literaryized. The aesthetic appreciation people have for it is largely due to the portrayals by literary figures like Lu Xun. There is the sentiment in Lu Xun's novel "The Old Home," the vivid depiction in "The Water Opera," and the humorous portrayal of Kong Yiji. The theater is even more intense and moving, with Yue Opera and Shaoxing Opera being widely loved. The plots and melodies of these operas add an incomparably radiant color to the landscape of Shaoxing. My records of my hometown Shaoxing are written out of emotion, with emotion as the main focus. I have been away from my hometown for nearly half a century, yet the scenes there seem vividly before my eyes; I lived in my hometown for twenty years, yet it feels so rich and long. This is all due to emotion.