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Heart of the land of fish and rice
By Xu Wenwen |
April 21, 2010, Wednesday
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HANGZHOU has many tourist attractions to offer World Expo visitors, and one of the most fascinating is Yuhang District in the north of the city.
Yuhang, in the center of the Yangtze River Delta, is where Liangzhu culture developed from 3400 BC. The area is known as the "land of fish and rice, house of silk, garden of flowers and fruits, and land of multiple cultures."
It contains an important archeological site, the Liangzhu Culture Village with extraordinary jade artifacts and a stunning lake-island museum designed by world-famous architects.
It's home to Mt Chao famed as the "ocean of blossoms" when plum trees bloom in winter.
It contains fascinating Tangxi Ancient Town with winding lanes on the north bank of the Grand Canal.
Scenic Shuangxi River flows through its bamboo forests and leisurely rafting or boating is popular.
Culture Village
The landscaped Liangzhu Culture Village and the Liangzhu Museum lie in small Liangzhu Town about 20 kilometers from downtown Hangzhou. It's an area of rolling hills, streams and a lake, with the museum built on an island.
Liangzhu culture (3400-2250 BC) was the last Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta. The period is sometimes referred to as the dawn of Chinese civilization.
Its area of influence extended from around Taihu Lake, north to Nanjing, east to Shanghai and south to Hangzhou.
The culture was highly sophisticated and the art was splendid. Jade, silk, ivory and lacquer artifacts were found in burial sites of the wealthy.
The jade is characterized by finely worked large ritual jades, commonly incised with the taotie (zoomorphic or stylized human-animal shapes) motif.
Agriculture was advanced and included rice paddy cultivation and aquaculture. Houses were often constructed on stilts over streams and shores.
In 2007, Zhejiang provincial government announced discovery of the base of an ancient city wall. All relics were considered part of Hangzhou, the capital of the Liangzhu Kingdom, whose influence spread as far as modern-day Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Shandong Province.
The 34-square-kilometer area open to visitors contains more than 50 Liangzhu tombs, altars and other sites.
The Liangzhu Museum opened in 2008 is an attraction in its own right, a piece of art as well as a functional space. Designed by the British firm David Chipperfield Architects, the building has been well received in architectural circles.
Based on four simple rectangular bars covered in the warm hues of golden Iranian stone, the museum also has the feeling of contemplative galleries and museums throughout Europe and America.
The minimalist structure is a bold, modern contrast to the ancient and elaborate jades, silks and lacquer ware of the Liangzhu people. The tan and cream-colored stone facade of the museum evokes the color of famous Liangzhu jade.
Ancient Town
Tangxi, a watertown, was prosperous in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and famous as the No. 1 ancient town of Jiangnan, the region south of the lower reaches of Yangzte River.
Located at the start of the Grand Canal, it was a collection and distribution point for commodities and products of all kinds.
Though all the houses on the south bank of the canal were demolished to make way for Western-style buildings in the 1980s, the structures on the north bank were preserved. These include the houses, stone lanes and docks, as well as the 500-year-old Guangji Bridge.
Like many towns in southern China, the houses in Tangxi are made of wood and stone with white walls and black eaves.
The district renovated the houses and lanes and reopened the area last October. The large ancient houses have been preserved but some houses, which are part of stores, are only open to the public during the National Day holiday. Narrow lanes, verandas and balconies are common.
Of the many lanes, among the most popular are Taishidi Lane, Yujia Lane and Shenjia Lane beside Shixin Street, which used to be Shi River before it was filled in. The lanes are about 100 meters long and so narrow that only one person at a time can make pass.
New street lights brighten dark alleys, creating a dim yellow color and mysterious atmosphere.
The local saying goes, "Rain doesn't get Tangxi people wet, as verandas with eaves are everywhere." Today these are only preserved on Shinan Street.
Mt Chao
This mountain in northeast Hangzhou is one of the three traditional places to appreciate plum blossoms in Jiangnan.
In winter more than 100,000 plum trees blossom over the mountain and foothills, turning the landscape into a "fragrant white ocean," one of its many names.
Plum trees typically blossom in late winter, but their charm is not only the large blossoms, but the gnarled trunks and bold, stark shapes of the branches - their geometry and aesthetics are typical subjects of Chinese painting.
In this season the plums are ripe and farmers are busy turning these sweet-sour fruits into snacks, preserves, juice and wine.
Shuangxi boating
Scenic Shuangxi Town is famous for its bamboo forests, brooks and cool humid air. Bamboo rafts are used for transport and visitors can go for a leisurely boat or raft ride along the tranquil river, so clear that fish and stones on the bottom are visible.
Yuhang, in the center of the Yangtze River Delta, is where Liangzhu culture developed from 3400 BC. The area is known as the "land of fish and rice, house of silk, garden of flowers and fruits, and land of multiple cultures."
It contains an important archeological site, the Liangzhu Culture Village with extraordinary jade artifacts and a stunning lake-island museum designed by world-famous architects.
It's home to Mt Chao famed as the "ocean of blossoms" when plum trees bloom in winter.
It contains fascinating Tangxi Ancient Town with winding lanes on the north bank of the Grand Canal.
Scenic Shuangxi River flows through its bamboo forests and leisurely rafting or boating is popular.
Culture Village
The landscaped Liangzhu Culture Village and the Liangzhu Museum lie in small Liangzhu Town about 20 kilometers from downtown Hangzhou. It's an area of rolling hills, streams and a lake, with the museum built on an island.
Liangzhu culture (3400-2250 BC) was the last Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta. The period is sometimes referred to as the dawn of Chinese civilization.
Its area of influence extended from around Taihu Lake, north to Nanjing, east to Shanghai and south to Hangzhou.
The culture was highly sophisticated and the art was splendid. Jade, silk, ivory and lacquer artifacts were found in burial sites of the wealthy.
The jade is characterized by finely worked large ritual jades, commonly incised with the taotie (zoomorphic or stylized human-animal shapes) motif.
Agriculture was advanced and included rice paddy cultivation and aquaculture. Houses were often constructed on stilts over streams and shores.
In 2007, Zhejiang provincial government announced discovery of the base of an ancient city wall. All relics were considered part of Hangzhou, the capital of the Liangzhu Kingdom, whose influence spread as far as modern-day Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Shandong Province.
The 34-square-kilometer area open to visitors contains more than 50 Liangzhu tombs, altars and other sites.
The Liangzhu Museum opened in 2008 is an attraction in its own right, a piece of art as well as a functional space. Designed by the British firm David Chipperfield Architects, the building has been well received in architectural circles.
Based on four simple rectangular bars covered in the warm hues of golden Iranian stone, the museum also has the feeling of contemplative galleries and museums throughout Europe and America.
The minimalist structure is a bold, modern contrast to the ancient and elaborate jades, silks and lacquer ware of the Liangzhu people. The tan and cream-colored stone facade of the museum evokes the color of famous Liangzhu jade.
Ancient Town
Tangxi, a watertown, was prosperous in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and famous as the No. 1 ancient town of Jiangnan, the region south of the lower reaches of Yangzte River.
Located at the start of the Grand Canal, it was a collection and distribution point for commodities and products of all kinds.
Though all the houses on the south bank of the canal were demolished to make way for Western-style buildings in the 1980s, the structures on the north bank were preserved. These include the houses, stone lanes and docks, as well as the 500-year-old Guangji Bridge.
Like many towns in southern China, the houses in Tangxi are made of wood and stone with white walls and black eaves.
The district renovated the houses and lanes and reopened the area last October. The large ancient houses have been preserved but some houses, which are part of stores, are only open to the public during the National Day holiday. Narrow lanes, verandas and balconies are common.
Of the many lanes, among the most popular are Taishidi Lane, Yujia Lane and Shenjia Lane beside Shixin Street, which used to be Shi River before it was filled in. The lanes are about 100 meters long and so narrow that only one person at a time can make pass.
New street lights brighten dark alleys, creating a dim yellow color and mysterious atmosphere.
The local saying goes, "Rain doesn't get Tangxi people wet, as verandas with eaves are everywhere." Today these are only preserved on Shinan Street.
Mt Chao
This mountain in northeast Hangzhou is one of the three traditional places to appreciate plum blossoms in Jiangnan.
In winter more than 100,000 plum trees blossom over the mountain and foothills, turning the landscape into a "fragrant white ocean," one of its many names.
Plum trees typically blossom in late winter, but their charm is not only the large blossoms, but the gnarled trunks and bold, stark shapes of the branches - their geometry and aesthetics are typical subjects of Chinese painting.
In this season the plums are ripe and farmers are busy turning these sweet-sour fruits into snacks, preserves, juice and wine.
Shuangxi boating
Scenic Shuangxi Town is famous for its bamboo forests, brooks and cool humid air. Bamboo rafts are used for transport and visitors can go for a leisurely boat or raft ride along the tranquil river, so clear that fish and stones on the bottom are visible.
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