Because these six places are so famous, people flock to them. Although there is no danger of being accidentally squeezed into the water like Hangzhou West Lake, it is also very crowded. So, someone found another way to find an ancient water town with few people but equally fun.
Among the ancient water towns discovered later, there are four in Shaoxing, namely Anchang, Doumen, Ke Qiao and Dongpu. Collectively known as the four ancient towns in Shaoxing. Among them, Anchang ancient town is the most famous, which is a rare treasure in the history of Shaoxing ancient town.
Anchang was originally named Changle. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Dong Chang proclaimed himself emperor in Yuezhou (now Shaoxing). Chang Dong opposed Qian Liu's claim to the throne, sent troops to crusade against Dong Chang on orders from Tang Zhaozong, and stationed troops in Changle. After quelling the Changdong Rebellion, Changle was renamed Anchang. Since Qianliu put down the Dongchang Rebellion, Anchang Ancient Town has been 1 100 years, and it is a real Millennium ancient town. If you count the Changle era, the ancient town of Anchang has a longer history.
After Qian Liu put down the rebellion in Dong Chang, he was appointed by Tang Zhaozong as China's ambassador to Zhenhai and Zhendong, later named King Yue and King Wu, and later established Wu Yueguo. During his reign, he implemented the policy of protecting the environment, protecting the people and recuperating, with prosperous economy, fertile land and rich humanities, and became a rare country to live and work in peace and contentment during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. As a part of the territory of Wu Yue State, Anchang is naturally rich in economy and culture, and has gradually formed a prosperous town. During the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, Anchang New Block opened, and it began to form a pattern of residential buildings on one side and markets on the other, which has been preserved to this day.
From the map, the ancient town of Anchang looks like a huge trapezoidal field and the deck of a cargo ship. More than a dozen small rivers crisscross each other, forming the water system of Anchang ancient town. One of the main rivers runs through the middle of the ancient town from west to east, and countless ancient bridges cross it.
It was noon in September when I went. As soon as I approached the ancient town, I saw a tall single-hole stone arch bridge with "Shi Zhi Bridge" written in the middle of the bridge railing. A few steps later, I saw a "Gao Qiao".
Not far from Gao Qiao, there is a three-hole stone arch bridge called Anchang Bridge. On Anchang Bridge, there is a long corridor with red columns and tiles. The side plaque is engraved with "The First Corridor of Breeze", and a couplet is hung on the left and right wooden pillars, which reads "Daming Hongzhi opens the market, and Anchang is named Sheng Tang Gan Ning." A simple couplet summarizes the origin and prosperity of Anchang ancient town.
Further on, connected with Anchang Bridge, there is a double-hole stone arch bridge called Yangming Bridge. Next to these two bridges, there is a wide river, with residential buildings in the south and markets in the north. The old streets are lined with green slates, but the dilapidated and historic streets are lined with old wooden shops. The shop is a two-story building, tall and cramped, which makes the market look a little cramped. Stepping on the bluestone board is like walking into a deep historical tunnel.
Connecting the house and the market are stone bridges of different shapes across the water. There are dozens of these bridges, including Ankang Bridge, Ying 'an Bridge, Miao Bridge, Hongzhi Bridge, Anji Bridge, Sanbanqiao Bridge, Zhongnan Bridge and Shui Ge Bridge. Each of them has a story.
Standing on these bridges and staring, there is a long river on the bridge, with quaint houses and markets on both sides. It is very pleasant for tourists to take a nap on a bench on the street or sit in a teahouse by the water to drink tea and chat. A Wu Peng boat came slowly from the bridge, drew several ripples on the water, sailed leisurely and disappeared behind another arch bridge.
Wu Peng Boat is a unique scenery in Shaoxing, and it is indispensable in Anchang ancient town. Wandering in the streets of the ancient town, you can always see a row of covered boats moored on the water, or a solitary boat passing quietly on the water.
Walking in the ancient town of Anchang is like walking into a water city. There is water everywhere, and there are bridges everywhere. Small bridges and flowing water set each other off, showing the charm of Jiangnan. It is no exaggeration to describe this place as Venice of the East. Water is the blood of the ancient town, the bridge is the skeleton of the ancient town, and the boat is the soul of the ancient town. Anchang ancient town is lively because of water, convenient because of bridges and smart because of boats.
In Anchang ancient town, the most famous custom in the past was water wedding, which was inseparable from water, bridges and boats. In Ningbo and Ninghai, Shili red makeup is the most famous when getting married, while in Shaoxing, the water wedding fleet is better than Shili red makeup. It is said that in the past, when large families got married, the fleet carrying dowry was vast and stretched for dozens of miles. When the wedding boat passed by, adults and children stood on the bridge to watch. When the children are not looking, they will stand on tiptoe and climb on the railing of the bridge to push forward. When I was visiting the figure-of-eight bridge in the old city of Shaoxing, the tour guide told me that a stone cave on the figure-of-eight bridge was kicked out by children watching the wedding boat.
Because of the development of modern transportation and the change of lifestyle, the vast scene of water wedding may not reappear, and people are now keen to take wedding photos in ancient towns and streets. The ancient sense of history with modern festivals also has a unique flavor.
On both sides of this river, there are many scenic spots, such as the City God Temple, the former site of China Bank, Suikang Qianzhuang, Stone Carving Museum, Folk Museum, Xuanjuan Museum and Stone Page Museum. Each one records the glory of Anchang ancient town.
In Shaoxing, Maotai-flavor products have become a must. In Shaoxing people's kitchens, soy sauce is always indispensable. Anchang Ancient Town has a century-old name-Renchang Sauce Garden, which has brought sauce culture to the extreme. Founded in the 18th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, it has a history of more than 100 years. It still retains the traditional soy sauce making process. Now, when you walk into Renchang Sauce Garden, you can see that there are hundreds of peaked sauce jars in the garden. Renchang Soy Sauce Garden appeared in CCTV's China on the Tip of the Tongue and Gourmet China.
When it comes to Anchang cuisine, sausages are indispensable. In winter, Anchang people began to get busy, chopping the hind legs of lean pork into minced meat, pouring it into the small intestine of high-quality pigs, making sausages and hanging them in front of their own doors or yards. At this time, sausages are hung in front of every household, which has become a unique scenery in Anchang ancient town.
Now there are more and more tourists in Anchang ancient town. Although it was a working day when I went, there were still many tourists wandering around the town, but compared with the six ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, there were still many fewer. Walking in the quaint and deep streets, it seems that you can breathe the taste of history. The shadow of the awning boat is swaying, full of artistic conception of small bridges and flowing water, and the charm of Jiangnan water town is coming.
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Admission: free. The exhibition hall in town needs tickets.
Transportation: Search "Anchang Ancient Town" with navigation software, drive or take a bus, or get off at Shaoxing 1 18, 806, 8 16, special 1028 and walk.