The translation of the classical Chinese text of "Xunmei Ji" in Banghua Village is as follows:
It is located in the northwest of Weiyang City. The terrain is uneven and there are many ruins and barren mountains. Someone once praised the fifteen bridges here, but no one pays attention to them now. Connected to the city is a garden built by wealthy people. There are cruise ships and singing and dancing performances, and it is full of excitement and joy every day.
At the bend of the river, there is a high-hanging bridge that looks like a rainbow and is called the Rainbow Bridge. After Mr. Ruan Ting had a banquet here, he changed the name to "Hongqiao" and the name came into being. There used to be a flower village next to it, but it is now deserted, and only the vassal flower village still exists alone.
Some people like plum blossoms, so they plant many red, white and green plum blossoms on the east side of the bridge, hidden among the bamboo fences and thatched houses, becoming a scenery that embellishes the homes of wealthy people. In the second month of Wuchen, snow and rain continued, so the author stayed at a friend's house. During the Flower Festival, he came to Hongqiao to watch plum blossoms.
Pleasure boats, singing, dancing, playing music, etc. all gathered on the Red Bridge, but a few old plum trees here remained lonely and desolate, becoming a place for poets to sing about drunkenness. The author laments that the fine wines, delicacies and poems here can also make people intoxicated, which is better than the famous gardens.
Original text of "Looking for Plum Blossoms in Banghua Village":
Northwest of Weiyang City, high and low in the mausoleum, there are many barren tombs with tile foundations; the fifteen bridges praised by the Tang Dynasty have been ignored and ignored. Pedestrians casually point to this place. The ground is connected to the city gate, the pavilions of wealthy homes are surrounded by rows, and people play the flute and drum on the boat, and the days pass endlessly.
Where the stream turns, a bridge hangs high like a rainbow, which is called the Rainbow Bridge. After Mr. Ruan Ting held a banquet, the name was changed to "Hongqiao", and the bridge began to spread. There used to be a flower village in the east of Qiaodong, but it is now in ruins. Those who live next to Huacun are the vassals of Huacun, and they stand alone. A wine flag emerged from the bamboo forest, fluttering gracefully.
The owner loves plum blossoms, so he plants them in different places with red, white and green calyxes. When they are in bloom, they match the bamboo fence and thatched house. In the second month of the first month of Wuchen, there was lots of snow and rain, so Mei Xin stayed until the flowers bloomed in the Chao Dynasty.
The boats with flutes and drums all gather at the Red Bridge, leaving only a few old plum trees here, as a place for the neglected tourists to chant poems and get drunk. After hearing about it, I was envious of it, so I poured out wine and money, played music and sang songs, and had a great time.
The same drink, I feel like drinking it in a flag pavilion, is better than drinking it in a famous garden; the same poem, I feel it coming into the mouth of a singer, better than drinking it in a famous building. I know that the Red Bridge today is no better than the Fifteen Bridges; the Huacun Village tomorrow will be no better than the Huacun Village!