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Water town gets face-lift for holiday
By Xu Wenwen |
October 1, 2009, Thursday
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TANGQI, a town in Yuhang District, was prosperous in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties as a collection and distribution place for bamboo, wood and mountain products because of its location at the starting reach of the Grand Canal of China.
These days its prosperity is measured in loquat and blueberry plantations. But it has not neglected its heritage and has renovated its centuries-old houses and lanes which will reopen with great fanfare on the National Day holiday starting today.
Like many towns in southern China, houses in Tangqi are made of wood and stone with white walls and black eaves. With the canal and a tributary crossing through the town, Tangqi was separated in ancient times into several parts by water. So local people used boats as their main transport, similar to residents of Venice.
Nevertheless, to facilitate transportation and stimulate the economy in the 1980s, the secondary stream was filled in and all houses on the south bank of the canal were demolished to make way for new Western-style buildings.
But on the north bank, the houses, stone lanes and docks were all preserved, in part because the canal cut off means of transporting building materials to the area and the 500-year-old Guangji Bridge across the river was too old to bear heavy traffic.
All large ancient houses in the town have been preserved because of their historical values.
Shuibei Street
Shuibei literarily means "at the north of the water," and the street lies north of the river as a route to the canal. To maintain the old look of the north bank, old bluestones have been used as paving.
The newly paved old street features two-story old houses along the bank. In areas where boat trackers and the poor used to live are now stores selling traditional food and crafts.
Furthermore, traditional Chinese operas will be performed on the street during the National Day holiday.
Ju Yuan Chang
As the houses on Shuibei Street have been remodeled to be shops, Ju Yuan Chang, an old confectionery store, is set to bloom again.
The store had been a credit cooperative immediately before renovation, but its distant past was unknown until some builders discovered characters embedded in a wall.
Huge black Chinese characters of "Ju Yuan Chang," "lotus root starch" and "caramel" are painted on a white wall to reveal the store's history.
It draws attention today by selling Tangqi's traditional pastry and confectionery to modern generations.
Grain Supply Station
The station is not far from Ju Yuan Chang, which features a well-preserved huge tackle and funnel for carrying and pouring rice between two floors.
As the first floor was too moist to store grain, rice was carried and stored upstairs by using a block and tackle, and was sold and distributed downstairs by using the controllable funnel.
Royal Stele
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty found in 1727 that neighboring Jiangsu and Anhui provinces had defaulted on huge grain taxes, while Zhejiang had paid all its taxes.
To commend Zhejiang, Emperor Qianlong wrote a decree absolving Zhejiang from paying taxes for the next two years, and the decree was carved on the stele, an upright sculptured surface.
During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), wise local people built the stele into the wall of a nearby house to protect it from destruction.
Now the local government is planning to build a park around the stele, and a new bridge is also planned beside it so that people can take a closer look when passing by water.
Narrow lanes
Tangqi hosts a number of lanes, yet the most popular are Taishidi Lane, Yujia Lane and Shenjia Lane beside Shixin Street that used to be Shi River before it was filled in.
The lanes are narrow gaps between big houses, which are Taishidi houses, Yujia house and Shenjia house, and the so-called "half lane" is a part of Shenjia Lane.
The lanes are about 100 meters long and so narrow that only one person at a time can make their way through.
New street lights brighten the dark alleys, creating a dim yellow color and generating a mysterious atmosphere. The renovated houses will exhibit old furniture collected by local households when they are reopened.
Shinan Street
"We used to have an idiom saying 'Rain doesn't get Tangqi people wet,' as verandas with eaves are everywhere," says Tian Chuming, a 78-year-old Tangqi resident.
Verandas with eaves were once standard fittings throughout the small watertown, but the characteristic has largely disappeared since the 1980s, and now is preserved on Shinan Street.
Visitors can rest on a veranda next to a small river in long chairs with curved backs.
Shinan Street will hold exhibitions during the holiday of stamps, photos and paintings. How to get there:K342 (starts from Bei Da Guan stop, near the Auchan Super Market) to Tangqi stop
K532 (starts from Gen Shan Liu Shui Yuan stop, at the intersection of Shaoxing and Wenhui roads) to Tangqi stop
The scenic area is about 500 meters away from the stop, you can try the trishaw to go to Guangji Bridge first, the fare would be 3-5 yuan. Volunteers waiting there during the holiday can guide your tour.
These days its prosperity is measured in loquat and blueberry plantations. But it has not neglected its heritage and has renovated its centuries-old houses and lanes which will reopen with great fanfare on the National Day holiday starting today.
Like many towns in southern China, houses in Tangqi are made of wood and stone with white walls and black eaves. With the canal and a tributary crossing through the town, Tangqi was separated in ancient times into several parts by water. So local people used boats as their main transport, similar to residents of Venice.
Nevertheless, to facilitate transportation and stimulate the economy in the 1980s, the secondary stream was filled in and all houses on the south bank of the canal were demolished to make way for new Western-style buildings.
But on the north bank, the houses, stone lanes and docks were all preserved, in part because the canal cut off means of transporting building materials to the area and the 500-year-old Guangji Bridge across the river was too old to bear heavy traffic.
All large ancient houses in the town have been preserved because of their historical values.
Shuibei Street
Shuibei literarily means "at the north of the water," and the street lies north of the river as a route to the canal. To maintain the old look of the north bank, old bluestones have been used as paving.
The newly paved old street features two-story old houses along the bank. In areas where boat trackers and the poor used to live are now stores selling traditional food and crafts.
Furthermore, traditional Chinese operas will be performed on the street during the National Day holiday.
Ju Yuan Chang
As the houses on Shuibei Street have been remodeled to be shops, Ju Yuan Chang, an old confectionery store, is set to bloom again.
The store had been a credit cooperative immediately before renovation, but its distant past was unknown until some builders discovered characters embedded in a wall.
Huge black Chinese characters of "Ju Yuan Chang," "lotus root starch" and "caramel" are painted on a white wall to reveal the store's history.
It draws attention today by selling Tangqi's traditional pastry and confectionery to modern generations.
Grain Supply Station
The station is not far from Ju Yuan Chang, which features a well-preserved huge tackle and funnel for carrying and pouring rice between two floors.
As the first floor was too moist to store grain, rice was carried and stored upstairs by using a block and tackle, and was sold and distributed downstairs by using the controllable funnel.
Royal Stele
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty found in 1727 that neighboring Jiangsu and Anhui provinces had defaulted on huge grain taxes, while Zhejiang had paid all its taxes.
To commend Zhejiang, Emperor Qianlong wrote a decree absolving Zhejiang from paying taxes for the next two years, and the decree was carved on the stele, an upright sculptured surface.
During the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), wise local people built the stele into the wall of a nearby house to protect it from destruction.
Now the local government is planning to build a park around the stele, and a new bridge is also planned beside it so that people can take a closer look when passing by water.
Narrow lanes
Tangqi hosts a number of lanes, yet the most popular are Taishidi Lane, Yujia Lane and Shenjia Lane beside Shixin Street that used to be Shi River before it was filled in.
The lanes are narrow gaps between big houses, which are Taishidi houses, Yujia house and Shenjia house, and the so-called "half lane" is a part of Shenjia Lane.
The lanes are about 100 meters long and so narrow that only one person at a time can make their way through.
New street lights brighten the dark alleys, creating a dim yellow color and generating a mysterious atmosphere. The renovated houses will exhibit old furniture collected by local households when they are reopened.
Shinan Street
"We used to have an idiom saying 'Rain doesn't get Tangqi people wet,' as verandas with eaves are everywhere," says Tian Chuming, a 78-year-old Tangqi resident.
Verandas with eaves were once standard fittings throughout the small watertown, but the characteristic has largely disappeared since the 1980s, and now is preserved on Shinan Street.
Visitors can rest on a veranda next to a small river in long chairs with curved backs.
Shinan Street will hold exhibitions during the holiday of stamps, photos and paintings. How to get there:K342 (starts from Bei Da Guan stop, near the Auchan Super Market) to Tangqi stop
K532 (starts from Gen Shan Liu Shui Yuan stop, at the intersection of Shaoxing and Wenhui roads) to Tangqi stop
The scenic area is about 500 meters away from the stop, you can try the trishaw to go to Guangji Bridge first, the fare would be 3-5 yuan. Volunteers waiting there during the holiday can guide your tour.
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