For the scenery of Yangzhou ancient city, Zheng Banqiao once described it as "Qingyang deep alley, people lean on Zhumen". The swaying willows, winding alleys, gentle and graceful beauties and scarlet doors constitute an ancient Guangling amorous feelings map.
Today's Yangzhou has undergone earth-shaking changes, but it is not difficult to find traces of the past in the ancient city, which is particularly valuable when many cities in the country are carrying out disorderly, short-sighted and even barbaric so-called "construction". In recent years, Yangzhou is planning to develop the tourist routes of historical blocks, and the areas of Dongguan Street and Donghuanmen have been developed in advance. There are gardens, Yiyuan Garden, bonsai garden, Zhunti Temple, Wudang Palace, Qingxi former residence, Wangxiao Garden, etc. for people to visit. However, in addition, there are many ancient streets and deep alleys worth visiting in Yangzhou. They are scattered in every corner of the ancient city of Yangzhou, which makes people feel that "they are kept in an inner room and no one knows her".
If you visited Yangzhou in ancient times, you had to go to Xiajie in the South Valley. Under the south river, south of Yangzhou and north bank of the canal, it is an east-west ancient street. Hundreds of years ago, because salt merchants lived together, it was very popular here, and there were rows of Zhumen flower houses. Although we have lost the noise of the past, we still have many magnificent old houses. If you walk from west to east, you will see a series of ancient buildings that have experienced vicissitudes. The westernmost part is the Hubei Guild Hall, which is famous for its thick beams and columns. Now it stands quietly in the north of the street and has become a place where residents live together. East of Hubei Guild Hall is the residence of Wang Lumen, a big salt merchant in Yangzhou in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. This mansion is the largest existing former residence of salt merchants in Yangzhou. Wang Mansion is exquisitely carved and connected by cloisters, which is completely Huizhou style. The salt merchant Wang was born in Anhui, so the layout and decoration of the building are Huizhou. Further east is the former residence of Liao Yanshang. The tall gatehouse made of water mill bricks stands tall, and you can know the wealth of that year at a glance. The old house in Liao Jia consists of several rooms. Not long ago, several plaques from the Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China were found on the ceiling of the old house, and they are still hanging on the beams, adding a bit of mystery to this old house. Hunan Guild Hall is located in the east of Liao Jia's former residence, with a carved eight-character gatehouse facing the street. At that time, Hunan merchants came and went here, bringing Sanxiang Lei Feng to the south of the Yangtze River and spreading Guangling's swan song to Dongting. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom War, Zeng Guofan, the governor of the two rivers, marched in Yangzhou and stayed in this Hunan Hall under the South River. Later, Yangzhou people built a "Zeng Gong Temple" to worship him, which is still there today. Further east, there are Anhui Guild Hall and Jiangxi Guild Hall sites along the street. Although there are only some broken walls left, it can also make people imagine the busy scene of people getting on the bus and getting dressed in this ancient street in Ma Rulong.
To the east of Nanhe River, there is a broken old street, which is very famous in history. This is Kangshan Street. This street is named after Kang Hai, the top scholar in Ming Dynasty, who once lived here. In the Qing Dynasty, it was the home of Jiang Chun, a big salt merchant in Yangzhou, who sent clothes to the emperor. When Emperor Qianlong visited Yangzhou in the south, he visited Kangshan Caotang several times and wrote several "imperial poems". At present, there is only one section of Kangshan Street, but there are still historical sites such as Lushi Salt Merchants House, Yanzong Temple and Zenggong Temple, which are enough for tourists to mourn. Lushi Mansion, Yanzong Temple and Zenggong Temple have all been perfectly restored and become bright pearls on Kangshan Street.
In the north of Nanhe River, there is an old street called Yin Shi Street. In the era of salt affairs in Yangzhou, it used to be a place where businessmen from all over the world bought and sold "salt coupons" (salt tickets), just like today's financial street or stock market. The trading situation here always affects the rise and fall of salt prices in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. In Yin Shi Street, there are two places worth seeing. First, there is an alley called "Bazongmen", where a famous Huizhou family lived in the Qing Dynasty. Babbitt managed the salt industry in Yangzhou, and was one of the richest people at that time, and at the same time he was well versed in Confucianism. Ba Weizu, a famous calligrapher in Qing Dynasty, became famous in Yangzhou No.8 Middle School. Now there is the former residence of Pasteur in Yu Liang Street, Shexian County, Huizhou, from which art historians can find traces of a famous calligrapher in Qing Dynasty. Deep in an alley on Yin Shi Street, there is an ancient temple called Youtuolin, and you can't help but visit it. This is a small-scale nun, where Sun Langxian and Mrs. Xu, the governor of Yangzhou, were killed in Xu Baoshan in the early years of the Republic of China. Xu Baoshan was assassinated by the revolutionary party because he was a bureaucrat and a military inspector, and his family fled into an empty net. The great changes here seem to imply some mystery of fate and life.
Dingjiawan area is also a well-preserved street in Yangzhou. The walls made of blue bricks, the doors painted with black paint, the ground paved with Grand White Rock, the small courtyard dotted with red flowers, the houses shaded by green trees and the wells surrounded by gray fences all make people vaguely return to the past. The "Four Banks Salt Department" here, although the square bricks on the gate have peeled off, the cornices are still spectacular. In the surrounding deep alleys, you can meet history at any time. There is a tallest ancient building complex in Xincang Lane, which is the Lingnan Guild Hall and has just been renovated recently. Not far away, there is an unknown alley, but it is the garden site, the former residence of Wei Yuan, a famous thinker in the late Qing Dynasty. His representative work "Atlas of the Ocean" was drafted here. In this masterpiece, Wei Yuan put forward the slogan of "learning from foreigners to control foreigners" for the first time, and became the first person in China to look around the world. There are only a few old houses and some stones left in the garden, but its historical value is several times that of the salt merchant's mansion!
There are well-preserved private gardens in this area, including the small valley of the Zhou family, the governor of the two rivers in the late Qing Dynasty, and the second moon building of the salt merchants. Xiaopan Valley is located in Dashu Lane, with high rockery and deep pool, which is a good place to visit the ancient times. 2. The Moon Building is located in Wucheng Lane. The building, pavilion, bridge and window are all in the shape of the moon, which reminds people of the eternal swan song "There is a moonlit night on earth, and there are hooligans on earth". In the nearby Qinglian Lane, there is also a dilapidated old house, which is the former residence of Zhou Fujiu, the richest man in Jiangxi. Before Zhou Fujiu became the land king of modern Shanghai, he worked as a salt merchant in Yangzhou, which can be said to be the place where he made his first fortune. Although Zhou's former residence was damaged, the gatehouse was intact.
Compared with other cities, the old streets and lanes in Yangzhou are well preserved. The fishbone-shaped ancient neighborhood pattern in Renfengli, Ruan Taifu Temple and former residence in Yuxian Street, Cao Xueqin's former residence in Yunsi Gongyi, Zhu Ziqing's former residence in Anle Lane, Wang Shaotang's former residence in Sanduo Lane, and the brick-carved gatehouse in Caiyi Street, especially the traditional houses in Dongguan Street and Donghuanmen, all contain rich historical, artistic and scientific values, which are worth further restoration, integration and excavation.
The charm of Yangzhou, in addition to the famous classical gardens such as Slender West Lake and Ancient Canal, may be hidden in these little-known ancient streets and alleys, waiting for you to discover, plan, repair, publicize, visit and appreciate. Walking in Gu Xiang, Yangzhou, you can hear the echo of history, wash away the noise of the world and relive the innocence of childhood.