Jiangnan has always been an artistic conception that fascinates me, because of the deep and shallow rain, the water that turns thousands of times, the houses with white walls and black tiles, and the gentle and bright scenery. A woman from the south of the Yangtze River held an oil-paper umbrella in the misty rain and walked through the bluestone road.
The memory of Suzhou seems to start with the girl from Suzhou University whom I met in Taiwan three years ago.
She is a girl studying architecture. During her six months in Taiwan, she hand-drawn ancient buildings across Taiwan. She also compiled a booklet on Taiwanese architecture with her friends. The illustrations were drawn by her and the text was written by her. friend book. At that time, I was still a confused young boy, but I was moved by her enthusiasm, so I thought what a beautiful place Suzhou must be and what a school with cultural heritage Suzhou University should be, capable of cultivating such beautiful and beautiful girls. child.
So Suzhou has always been a crystal-like dream in my heart. However, after three years of hard work, it has never been realized. First, I have never traveled alone, and I have a natural fear of unknown loneliness; second, I always want to wait for my heart to be clear and transparent, and I want to experience and understand with a pious heart. In fact, these are just excuses to escape. We should set out bravely and bravely experience a life that we have never experienced before.
So I was alone, woke up from a nap on a sunny afternoon, picked up my schoolbag and set out on my way.
As soon as I got off the train, Suzhou amazed me.
The wooden structure of Suzhou Station exudes warmth and simplicity. In front of the station is the moat of Suzhou. In the moat lies the relief stone tablet of "Pingjiang Map". Across the river is the ancient city wall of the Pingmen section, which is full of ancient charm. Within the city wall is the ancient city of Suzhou. At night, the light and shadow of the city wall are thick and deep, silently telling the history and culture of Suzhou. Not to mention, there are statues of eight sages in the square in front of the station. Suzhou people’s confidence in their own culture can be glimpsed from the train station.
I was still a little hesitant and afraid, but now my mood has become brighter and clearer.
I got on the bus (I got a dollar for the bus ride from a handsome guy next to me) and arrived at the youth hostel I had booked - Grand Terrace Youth Hostel. In my light mood, I talked to the little girl at the front desk. Started teasing.
She, show me your ID card. By the way, what room type?
I, let me take a look, it seems to be a tatami bed room.
Is she alone? Smiling.
I, um, what’s wrong, can only two people stay? A wicked smile on his face.
She, no, no, I thought you would have friends over. He has a bright smile, but a bit naughty.
I pretended to sigh sadly and saw that her companion had brought her a cup of fried yogurt. She was about to pick it up with her hands, so I told her not to forget to lick her fingers after eating.
It was strange that almost all the people I met in the corridor were girls. I opened my room with a little anxiety, so I understood why the little girl smiled naughtily.
Well, it’s great, there’s nothing wrong with being colorful. I think.
What attracted me to the Big Terrace Hostel was not its beautiful bedspread, but its large terrace.
Climbing up to the large terrace on the third floor, you can have a panoramic view of the ancient city of Suzhou at night.
The wind in early spring was slightly cool, and it was not the season for large terraces yet, so there was no one on the terrace. I stepped on the wooden floor and walked in circles, looking at the wicker chairs and deck chairs, and the sleeping laziness of Suzhou City outside. I could imagine if it was a summer night and I had seen the lotus flowers in the Humble Administrator's Garden. After a barbecue, we gathered together on the large terrace, where we sat or lay down, enjoying the cool breeze of summer nights in Suzhou City that spanned thousands of years, and listened to the mosquitoes that had lived for tens of thousands of centuries in our ears. What a pleasant thing it would be to buzz around, talk about some boring things, and drink some refreshing wine.
When I went out and walked slowly along Pingjiang Road, there were only a few pedestrians on the road. Probably because it's not the weekend yet, Pingjiang Road is a bit deserted due to the lack of tourists. Many shops are closed, and some are not even open.
Stepping on the bluestone road, I saw the Fuxi Guild Hall in the distance, with the words "Kun Opera, Pingtan, Guqin, Tea" written on it. I didn't dare to be arty, but I remembered what Sister Ting Shui said about listening to Kun Opera with her friends, and remembered that she had had tea. Go, there is always a yearning in my heart, I want to get closer and take a closer look.
The performance must have ended not long ago, and there were no tourists in the store. Sitting at the table was a woman (or a man? I can’t tell) in costume. The makeup for the performance had not been taken off yet, and her face was Expressionless, I don’t know what I’m thinking. I looked outside the window for a while, thinking that it would be a blessing to communicate with such an artist. However, as I knew nothing about Kunqu Opera, Pingtan, Guqin and Tea, I was afraid that I might disturb others' dreams, so after much deliberation, I had no choice but to Gone quietly.
Later, I checked the Fuxi Guild Hall and found that the woman must be teacher Lu Chengfang.
Early the next morning, before going out, I went up to the large terrace again to see the ancient city during the day.
However, there is nothing beautiful to see in the ancient city during the day. The dilapidated black walls and white tiles are full of the vicissitudes of life. The messy wires flying in the air cannot be framed. There are only a group of pigeons flying around. If not A green willow in the distance made me think it was autumn.
On the large terrace, I met a young man who was growing flowers. He was loosening the soil and watering the flowers. I thought of the "playful farmer" I saw last night. I liked this word very much and gave it to him.
Tu Baian was seduced by a travel agency and started a day of cheating. It was said that we would do all the sightseeing by ourselves, but the travel agency only sent us to the attractions and did not rush us. We would come to them after we had finished sightseeing by ourselves and then take us to the next attraction.
Send me to the lion forest first.
How can I put it this way, the Lion Forest did not surprise me, even though I spent a whole morning strolling here, visiting every corner of the garden, every rockery, and every trail. Maybe it’s because I have no knowledge of mountains and rocks, so I really don’t understand the fun of rockeries like that, or maybe because modern people can easily visit famous mountains and rivers, and they really don’t need rockeries to provide the fun of mountain appreciation. As for the art of gardening, whether it’s changing scenery as you move around or winding paths leading to secluded areas, I don’t have a deep understanding of it, so I don’t dare to show off here.
Actually, I prefer photographing people to photographing scenes.
The girl in red is posing, and her female companion is taking photos of her through the water. I thought it was very beautiful. The red dress looked very stunning in this gray garden, so I couldn’t help but take a secret photo from the side. It's just a girl, it's okay to hold your phone in your hand, but it's not good to hang it around your neck. I always feel like an old lady in a tour group.
There were not many flowers in the Lion Forest, except for this peach blossom in one corner.
After visiting the Lion Forest, I went to eat "Zhu Hongxing" recommended to me by my friend Xi Ge in Suzhou.
I ordered a bowl of classic Su-style braised pork noodles, and I was shocked when it was served. I remembered the bowl of "big meat noodles" I had at Jiaotong University. No wonder everyone calls "one meal" "one (yi four) meal" because I will only eat one meal here.
However, it turns out that meat cannot be judged by its appearance.
Very smooth and delicate taste, tender meat, oily but not greasy, it will melt in your mouth and will be so soft that you can’t pick it up with chopsticks, whether it is fat or lean meat, or even the outside. That layer of skin does not require the use of teeth. After eating it, you will feel the fragrance lingering on your lips and teeth. You will feel that such a piece of meat must have gone through complicated seasoning and cooking, but its color is the most authentic meat color. In the words of "A Bite of China", this almost paranoid preservation of the essential color, flavor and flavor of ingredients should be a major feature of southern food culture.
As for the texture of the thin noodles in clear soup, I ignored it. Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember that the noodles are quite chewy.
After eating the noodles, we went to take a cruise according to the arrangements of the travel agency. The tour guide is a Northeastern man with a loud voice. He was noisy along the way and kept making dirty jokes. It sounded interesting but really affected people's mood for enjoying the scenery. Although the scenery was not great, I got to know my fellow traveler Zhao Ning, a very handsome boy from SISU. He also went out alone and signed up for this cheating travel agency. We hit it off immediately, so we made an appointment to stay in the same youth hostel that night.
The cruise ship sailed slowly along a section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, with picturesque scenery on both sides. I think of the ancients who had many farewell poems by the waterside. Li Bai was about to leave in a boat when he suddenly heard the sound of singing on the shore. It was a happy farewell. Please ask me about the east flowing water. I don't want to say who is short or long. It was a heroic farewell. Relatives and friends in Luoyang such as When we ask each other, a piece of ice in the jade pot is a sincere farewell; at sunset, when we are sober and we are far away, when the sky is full of wind and rain and we go down to the west building, it is a sad farewell. This water has flowed for thousands of years, nourishing not only a land, but also the sincerity of thousands of literati.
There are many trees planted along the river. In addition to willows, the other one is camphor. According to the tour guide, Suzhou people in the past would plant a phoenix tree in front of their door after giving birth to a son, which means "Feng Qi Wu", implying that he will become a high official in the future. When a daughter is born, a camphor tree must be planted. The matchmaker will calculate the age of the daughter by looking at the age of the tree. When the age is suitable, she will come to talk to the matchmaker. When a daughter gets married, the camphor tree must be cut down and two boxes must be built for her daughter as dowry. It sounds pretty interesting too.
There are many houses by the river. I saw some people washing clothes by the river, which reminded me of the ancient women who were washing their gauze. It is said that when Xi Shi was washing her gauze by the river, her reflection was reflected in the water. The fish became so absorbed in watching it that it forgot to swim, hence the legend of "Sinking Fish". After the fall of Wu, Xi Shi's whereabouts are unknown. I prefer the folk saying: After Wu's fall, Xi Shi returned to Fan Li and traveled with him to the five lakes. The boat passed away from then on, leaving the rest of my life in the river and sea. What a beautiful picture.
Houses by the river with windows opening on the side of the river are called "river-pillar houses". There is an ancient poem: When I see you in Gusu, I will be surrounded by the river. The ancient palace has little free space and many waterports and small bridges.
After taking the cruise, I was dragged by a cheating travel agency to go shopping. First stop - Silk Museum.
I wrote this not because I am very interested in silk, but because I remembered my experience of raising silkworms when I was a child.
I remember that at that time, I asked a friend for a piece of silkworm paper, which was densely covered with silkworm eggs. Through the light, I could see the little black silkworms lying quietly inside, waiting for the warmth of spring to wake them up. Then spring came, the mulberry trees sprouted new leaves, and these cute little lives came out. Each one was as small as an ant's beard. It was unclear whether they had eyes or not. Their black heads dragged their white bodies, and they looked among the newly picked mulberry leaves. Squirming slowly. Oh, yes, I picked these mulberry leaves from a very high tree. Seeing them squirming busy for a day, the mulberry leaves are just a little bit missing at the edges. It feels a bit frustrating. Why are they so slow? Eat more and grow up quickly.
Sometimes I couldn’t wait any longer, so I would bring them to school in a small box, and secretly take them out of the desk to look at them during class. They were still nibbling leaves quietly, not in any hurry to grow up. .
But slowly one day, they grew up, and a small box could no longer hold them, so they were replaced by a large pencil box, and then a large shoe box. They began to eat too much mulberry leaves. After class, they went to climb trees and had to collect a large bag to last them for two days. They were no longer elegant. They began to make a rustling sound when eaten, and they could not be brought to school. Sometimes I pick one up and look at it carefully, and I wonder why it is so ugly when I grow up. It is not as cute as when I was a child.
Later, some of them stopped eating mulberry leaves. Find a corner of a shoe box or among the branches of a mulberry branch, and prepare to spin silk and cocoon. Some silkworms are arrogant and love peace and quiet. They weave their own cocoons alone in a secluded corner and do not live with other silkworms as neighbors. Some silkworm babies are naughty and insist on connecting their cocoons with others' and building their own nests next to others. There are also silkworm babies that have not yet grown up, and they flirt with other silkworm babies. In the end, the two of them build a love nest and form a twin cocoon. They live in the same quilt and die in the same hole. There are also some silkworms that don't take the usual path. Others' cocoons are white, but they insist on forming a yellow cocoon for you to see. They are unique and unique. But I didn’t see the white and yellow cocoons forming a double cocoon together. What kind of cocoon would it be, half white and half yellow? Or are yellow and white intertwined?
After the cocoons were formed, I put all the cocoons in the paper box and waited for them to emerge from the cocoons and turn into pupae and become butterflies (moths).
I have never cut open a silkworm cocoon because that is a very cruel thing. A silkworm chrysalis that has its cocoon cut open cannot turn into a butterfly. Without the protection of the cocoon, its life is very fragile. Because of this experience of raising silkworms, I don’t eat silkworm chrysalis, because I know that they were little lives that I raised with my own hands. Those chrysalis are all untransformed butterflies. I can feel the sadness of a life that has not completed its reincarnation.
In a while, those pupae will emerge from their cocoons. They will take a small bite out of the cocoon and then force their way out, squeezing their bodies and wings in the process, which will allow them to mature. The newly emerged silkworm moth's wings are still wrinkled. But it is very cute, with small shiny black eyes, feathery antennae (it seems that only male moths have it), and short legs dragging a big belly (only female moths have it), crawling around and exploring the air. Hormones and love in .
Cocoons that have been bitten by silk moths generally cannot be used for reeling silk because the silk is broken by them. Therefore, silk reeling in factories uses cocoons containing pupae, which are boiled and then machined to draw the silk. This is another cruel thing.
Later, the silkworm moths pair up with each other, and the mother moth will leave a lot of silkworm eggs on the paper. This is silkworm paper, and their life ends here. Wait until next spring, these silkworm eggs will hatch into baby silkworms and start a new cycle of life.
After visiting the Silk Museum, I went to the Pearl Museum to buy pearls. Zhao Ning and I didn't even do much shopping. We just waited in the car for them to finish their shopping and leave quickly to go to Dingyuan.
According to legend, Dingyuan was the private residence of Liu Bowen, the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty, but there is no evidence. The current Dingyuan was built on the site of the original Dingyuan and is not an ancient garden. After all, it's just a trap.
But the artificial scenery in the park is still good.
There is a flower temple in Dingyuan where you can seek marriage. So I spent 5 yuan to get a signature. When I took the signature and asked for an explanation:
Where do you live? I almost didn’t understand Suzhou Mandarin.
Henan, I answer honestly.
How old are you this year?
Let me do the math, um, 24.
Do you have a girlfriend?
No.
Spend 30 yuan to buy incense sticks. After you pay, I will tell you how to find a girlfriend.
I'll wipe it, your uncle. If I want to find a girlfriend, do I still need you to teach me how to find one?
Decisively refuse.
Then he was taken to Panmen Scenic Area.
Panmen is quite beautiful, but the time given was too little. I didn’t do much shopping in Dingyuan, and I didn’t even do much shopping in Panmen. I came out in just a few dozen minutes. Although the scenery is beautiful, I feel inexplicably anxious.
I vowed to refuse any group tours from now on. I must arrange my own time, watch and experience slowly.
In the evening, take a boat cruise on Jinji Lake. This was recommended to me by Xige, saying it was very beautiful and I must go see it.
The cruise ship on Jinji Lake is best viewed only at night. The cool night wind of Suzhou is blowing on the water, and the horseshoe-shaped Suzhou Culture and Art Center on the left is constantly changing colors, and the tall Ferris wheel on the right is shining with soft white light. Although I know that this light and shadow technology is all artificial, it is so beautiful that I can’t stop taking pictures with my mobile phone.
While I was intoxicated, a girl sitting on the other side came over and said: Handsome guy, can you let me take a photo in this position?
Okay, just sit here and take your time.
When I had nothing to do, I just looked at the photos taken by the girl. I was shocked when I saw them. Regardless of the composition, lighting, angle and editing, it is all a hundred times better than what I took. I thought I was pretty good at taking pictures with my mobile phone, but after seeing the photos taken by this girl, I realized that there are mountains beyond the mountains. I quickly complimented her, and while the girl was happy, I suggested adding her on WeChat to share the photos. (No, no, no, I’m not teaching you how to strike up a conversation. I really think the photos are beautiful. Seriously)
That’s how I met Yaxuan, a girl who is good at taking photos and loves flowers and plants. child.
Oh yes, there is also an uncle.
This uncle asked Zhao Ning and I for directions after getting out of the subway. He was also going to Jinji Lake to take a cruise. After asking for directions, he followed us. The uncle seemed to be very high. He kept talking on the street and got close to young people like us. He gave people the impression of being very unstable and unreliable, so I basically ignored him. Zhao Ning was the one talking to him. After taking the cruise, they went to the Cultural and Art Center with us, took the subway together, and went to Pingjiang Road to eat snacks with us. Ten thousand grass mud horses ran through my heart: Uncle, at your age, what are you doing with young people like us? Fortunately, Zhao Ning proposed to go shopping at Su University, so this uncle could not follow us all the time.
Go to Pingjiang Road for snacks with Zhao Ning. I ate a hand-pulled bread that was so delicious:
The key is that the price is really affordable, a large loaf of bread only costs 6 yuan.
There is also a small flower shop on Pingjiang Road called "Hua Wuque":
There is also a cultural and creative bookstore, "Cat's Sky City":
I like this store very much, because in this store I saw a passage that I have always wanted to say but didn’t know how to express it:
I started to like that, in my opinion, it is not necessary to be alone. A person, but solitude in the spiritual world. I either read, write, watch my favorite movies, or cook, and I never have any free time. If I want to talk to others, I will listen carefully and speak well. When I feel that there is no need to express, I will shut up. Gradually, I no longer needed to keep warm in the crowd, and I felt like I had a radiance on my body. When you are young, people always don't like to say no, because they always feel that saying no is disappointing, and they also feel that there is nothing they can't bear, and being told that they can't afford it is the biggest insult.
The Grass Pirates
in Shanghai