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Strolling through the Song Dynasty
By Xu Wenwen |
June 14, 2010, Monday
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HANGZHOU preserves and showcases its illustrious history, and the fascinating attractions include the Southern Song Royal Street and the Songcheng Theme Park in the ancient capital city. Xu Wenwen pays a visit.
One of China's seven ancient capitals, Hangzhou was the political center of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), a culturally rich and sophisticated age that left its distinctive imprint on the city.
The Southern Song Dynasty was the period after the Northern Song (960-1127) lost control of northern China to the Jin Dynasty. Retreating from invading troops of the Jin, the Northern Song officials under the rule of the timid Emperor Gaozong (1107-1187) fled and moved its capital to Lin'an (today's Hangzhou).
The Song occupied a leading position in the world at that time. Technology, science, philosophy, mathematics, engineering and other intellectual pursuits flourished during the Song.
Social life during the Southern Song was vibrant: Social elites gathered to view and trade precious artworks, the populace intermingled at public festivals and private clubs, and cities had lively entertainment districts.
The capital Lin'an left behind its historical heritage.
At the foot of the Fenghuang (Phoenix) Hill lie the ruins of Southern Song Dynasty rich in variety and well preserved. What is left of the main palaces are buried 1.5 to 3 meters deep. After 1949, warehouses, schools and residences were built one after another on the site. But the ruins were not further damaged.
Particularly, the discovery of a well-preserved imperial street of the period has helped to determine the then-capital's central axis, which was the widest street used to provide convenient transport of the emperor and the royal family.
However, time turned the street into a messy commercial area, until two years ago, the Hangzhou municipal government renovated the avenue along with its nearby blocks into a stylish creative arts and retail area.
The transformed block reopened last October and has become a brand-new tourist attraction.
Imperial street
The Southern Song Royal Street is the north-south Zhongshan Road, with a history of 900 years.
It now showcases Hangzhou's tourist attractions with folk art, opera, martial arts, tea culture, historic sites, wining and dining.
The 4,185-meter-long Zhongshan Road retains many old buildings, stores, factories, residences and small lanes featuring the architecture of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Western neo-classical tastes.
Visitors can see time-honored shops, the Industrial Bank from the Republic of China (1911-49), a Catholic church and religious shrines.
Renowned old stores include Zhang Tongtai Pharmacy from the Qing Dynasty and Fanghuichun Hall, a hospital of traditional Chinese medicine.
The renovation project spans 4.3 kilometers, covers 87 hectares and contains 13 historical and cultural relics.
The project divides the street into four sections, providing different styles, where tourists can stay in a village inn, eat authentic Hangzhou snacks, drink Longjing tea in a century-old restaurant and purchase traditional goods or crafts in many shops.
Along the street are 13 ponds linked by underground streams. They are decorated with small pavilions, artistic rockeries, potted landscapes and tiny waterfalls.
More than 14,000 pots of aquatic plants, totaling 18 species such as lotus, flourish in the ponds.
Theme park
The Songcheng Theme Park, which opened in Hangzhou in May 1996, is situated in the southwest of the West Lake scenic area.
It is one of China's largest theme parks and showcases the culture of the Song Dynasty.
The park, whose slogan is "A one-day trip in Songcheng Park gives you the experience of 1,000 years ago," is a man-made tourist scenic spot recreating the bustling city scene of the Song Dynasty based on the famous scroll painting "Along the Riverside During Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan.
Wandering in the park is like taking a stroll in an ancient town.
Inside the city brick walls, a moat winds; soldiers in armor patrol and guard the city; Song-style commercial blocks sell traditional cloth, local snacks and knickknacks.
Several cultural squares and corridors give traditional shows like acrobatics, shadow play, local operas, and throwing an embroidered ball - an ancient way to choose a husband.
The park features a large-scale performance "The Romance of the Song Dynasty." The show tells the history of Hangzhou from ancient to modern times through acrobatics, dance, kung fu, opera and music.
The one-hour show, comprised of 300 performers, is said to draw around 2 million spectators a year. The theater has been enlarged and now seats 3,000 people.
The show will feature relics of Liangzhu culture (Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta), the warrior stories of Southern Song Dynasty, such as the tale of General Yue Fei, a model of loyalty, and romances of Hangzhou like the "Legend of White Snake" and "Butterfly Lovers."
Address: 148 Zhijiang Rd
Admission to park: 80 yuan
Admission to show: 180-480 yuan
Tel: 400-8888-518
One of China's seven ancient capitals, Hangzhou was the political center of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), a culturally rich and sophisticated age that left its distinctive imprint on the city.
The Southern Song Dynasty was the period after the Northern Song (960-1127) lost control of northern China to the Jin Dynasty. Retreating from invading troops of the Jin, the Northern Song officials under the rule of the timid Emperor Gaozong (1107-1187) fled and moved its capital to Lin'an (today's Hangzhou).
The Song occupied a leading position in the world at that time. Technology, science, philosophy, mathematics, engineering and other intellectual pursuits flourished during the Song.
Social life during the Southern Song was vibrant: Social elites gathered to view and trade precious artworks, the populace intermingled at public festivals and private clubs, and cities had lively entertainment districts.
The capital Lin'an left behind its historical heritage.
At the foot of the Fenghuang (Phoenix) Hill lie the ruins of Southern Song Dynasty rich in variety and well preserved. What is left of the main palaces are buried 1.5 to 3 meters deep. After 1949, warehouses, schools and residences were built one after another on the site. But the ruins were not further damaged.
Particularly, the discovery of a well-preserved imperial street of the period has helped to determine the then-capital's central axis, which was the widest street used to provide convenient transport of the emperor and the royal family.
However, time turned the street into a messy commercial area, until two years ago, the Hangzhou municipal government renovated the avenue along with its nearby blocks into a stylish creative arts and retail area.
The transformed block reopened last October and has become a brand-new tourist attraction.
Imperial street
The Southern Song Royal Street is the north-south Zhongshan Road, with a history of 900 years.
It now showcases Hangzhou's tourist attractions with folk art, opera, martial arts, tea culture, historic sites, wining and dining.
The 4,185-meter-long Zhongshan Road retains many old buildings, stores, factories, residences and small lanes featuring the architecture of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Western neo-classical tastes.
Visitors can see time-honored shops, the Industrial Bank from the Republic of China (1911-49), a Catholic church and religious shrines.
Renowned old stores include Zhang Tongtai Pharmacy from the Qing Dynasty and Fanghuichun Hall, a hospital of traditional Chinese medicine.
The renovation project spans 4.3 kilometers, covers 87 hectares and contains 13 historical and cultural relics.
The project divides the street into four sections, providing different styles, where tourists can stay in a village inn, eat authentic Hangzhou snacks, drink Longjing tea in a century-old restaurant and purchase traditional goods or crafts in many shops.
Along the street are 13 ponds linked by underground streams. They are decorated with small pavilions, artistic rockeries, potted landscapes and tiny waterfalls.
More than 14,000 pots of aquatic plants, totaling 18 species such as lotus, flourish in the ponds.
Theme park
The Songcheng Theme Park, which opened in Hangzhou in May 1996, is situated in the southwest of the West Lake scenic area.
It is one of China's largest theme parks and showcases the culture of the Song Dynasty.
The park, whose slogan is "A one-day trip in Songcheng Park gives you the experience of 1,000 years ago," is a man-made tourist scenic spot recreating the bustling city scene of the Song Dynasty based on the famous scroll painting "Along the Riverside During Qingming Festival" by Zhang Zeduan.
Wandering in the park is like taking a stroll in an ancient town.
Inside the city brick walls, a moat winds; soldiers in armor patrol and guard the city; Song-style commercial blocks sell traditional cloth, local snacks and knickknacks.
Several cultural squares and corridors give traditional shows like acrobatics, shadow play, local operas, and throwing an embroidered ball - an ancient way to choose a husband.
The park features a large-scale performance "The Romance of the Song Dynasty." The show tells the history of Hangzhou from ancient to modern times through acrobatics, dance, kung fu, opera and music.
The one-hour show, comprised of 300 performers, is said to draw around 2 million spectators a year. The theater has been enlarged and now seats 3,000 people.
The show will feature relics of Liangzhu culture (Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta), the warrior stories of Southern Song Dynasty, such as the tale of General Yue Fei, a model of loyalty, and romances of Hangzhou like the "Legend of White Snake" and "Butterfly Lovers."
Address: 148 Zhijiang Rd
Admission to park: 80 yuan
Admission to show: 180-480 yuan
Tel: 400-8888-518
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