Jiangnan water towns

Author: Lin Feng / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Open the map, and you can see that the geographical locations of Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu run north to south along the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea. In the middle section, there are the Yangtze River estuary and the Hangzhou Bay estuary of the Qiantang River, and in the lower section, there are the Taizhou Bay estuary of the Jiao River and the Wenzhou Bay estuary of the Ou River. Numerous lakes of various sizes are distributed across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. North of the Yangtze River, there are Hongze Lake, Gaoyou Lake, Luoma Lake, and Weishan Lake (bordering Shandong); south of the Yangtze River, there are Taihu Lake, Yangcheng Lake, Dianshan Lake, Geshan Lake, Shijiu Lake, and Changdang Lake. Zhejiang is mostly mountainous and has few large natural lakes, mainly reservoirs for hydroelectric power, such as the Xin'anjiang Reservoir, Chencai Reservoir, Changzhao Reservoir, Changtan Reservoir, and Jinshuitan Reservoir. Among them, the Xin'anjiang Reservoir is the famous Qiandao Lake. Historically, the Jiangnan region was famous for this body of water. The lower reaches of the Yangtze River are in Jiangsu, while in Zhejiang, the Xin'an River, Tongjiang, Fuchun River, and Qiantang River are well-developed. The historically prosperous cultural and economic region of Jiangnan, such as the Taihu Lake Basin and the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, lies between these two rivers. This area is exactly between 30°N and 32°N and has a subtropical humid monsoon climate, with warm and humid weather and distinct four seasons. On the map, the Taihu Lake Basin and the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain appear as a network of intersecting rivers, with the ends of the rivers connected to large and small lakes and marshes. This millennia-old water network, combined with the humid climate, has long been China's natural granary across dynasties and has also nurtured countless small and large water towns in Jiangnan, such as Suzhou, Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Mudu, Zhujiajiao, Jinze, Jiaoshi, and Jinxi in the Taihu Lake Basin; and Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Jiashe, Tongxiang, Wuzhen, Nanshan, and Xitang in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain. In fact, most towns in this area in the early days had layouts characteristic of water towns. With the transformation of water bodies and urban development, many water towns have gradually lost their original appearance, replaced by new buildings that are uniform in style. The few famous water town ancient towns we have preserved today are merely small historical protected areas in their respective locations. Since ancient times, the changes in Hangzhou have been inseparable from the changes in rivers and lakes. The Xin'an River, Tongjiang, Fuchun River, and Qiantang River were once called the "Zhejiang River" in ancient times and are the largest rivers in Zhejiang Province. It is said that they originate from the east slope of Liugujian, the main peak of Huaiyu Mountain at the junction of Anhui and Jiangxi provinces in the southwest of Xiuning County, Anhui Province. The source is Fengcun River, and the water flows from southwest to northeast along the Shui River, Xin'an River, Tongjiang, Fuchun River, and Qiantang River, emptying into Hangzhou Bay. It is 605 kilometers long. Hangzhou not only has abundant river water but also very rich inland water resources. In ancient times, the city of Hangzhou had numerous canals, crisscrossing each other. Due to the long history and the influence of natural and human factors, the canals in the urban area have undergone significant changes, with the original Shire River, Maohe River, and Lixiang River completely lost to time. The existing main canals in the urban area, such as Zhonghe, Donghe, Tiesha River, and Guxin River, have also been renovated. The Huansha River was originally a city canal, and its name is related to the legend of Xi Shi washing silk. In the 1920s, it was converted into an air defense tunnel, with the road above the tunnel named Huansha Road. Now, the government has recognized the environmental and cultural value of the Huansha River and is planning to partially restore its water surface as part of the transformation of the Luhuan area. Zhonghe runs north-south through the central part of Hangzhou's urban area. In the Tang Dynasty, it was called Sha River, in the Song Dynasty, it was called Yanqiao River, and it was first named Zhonghe in the Qing Dynasty. Zhonghe was dug in the Tang Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the southern end of Yanqiao River started from Bibo Pavilion, passed through Zhouqiao and Tongjiang Bridge, and converged with Lixiang River from the inside of Baoshan Water Gate, then crossed Wangxian Bridge to the north and exited Tianzong Water Gate at Mejia Bridge. According to the "Survey of Hangzhou Waterways and Ditches" in 1928, Zhonghe was 7,715 meters long, 8 to 13 meters wide, and connected to Longshan River to the south, with water flowing from south to north into Shangtang River. Later, after large-scale regulation in the 1980s, Zhonghe started from Fengshan Bridge in the south and ended at Xinheng Bridge in the north, with a total length of 6,400 meters and a width of 8 to 10 meters. The water flows from Genshan Gate into the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. P2-3