Cultural trip to China | Reading ancient buildings awakens old neighborhoods – Essays on visits to the ancient charm of urban and rural areas in Zhejiang – Xinhuanet client

Feel the prosperity of “the sound of the city and the red mist of the sea” in Qinghefang, taste the mist of “clear water under hundreds of buildings” in Nanxun Ancient Town, explore the hustle and bustle of “the front village and the back Guo water are connected” in Nianbadu, and visit Longquan West Appreciate the beauty of “the garden is full of spring scenery and can’t be closed” on the street…

Since ancient times, literati have not hesitated to praise Jiangnan and left famous poems in the ancient towns and streets of Zhejiang. As time goes by, on World Book Day, reporters walked into these ancient buildings and old neighborhoods that have come from the long history, and quietly “read” the ancient charm of Zhejiang’s urban and rural areas.

Stepping into Chongren Ancient Town in the west of Shengzhou, Shaoxing, the bluestone slabs and ancient houses are quiet and pure, with the mottled walls exaggerating the smoke and dust of the past. In the center of the ancient town, an ancient stage stands among the square patios. On the stage, the music is long and the steps are flying.

As a cultural province, Zhejiang has 20 famous historical and cultural cities, 94 famous towns, 218 famous villages, and 107 historical blocks. The number of famous cities, towns, and villages ranks first in the country; it has 11,063 historical buildings, ranking first in the country in number. There are 85 national-level historical and cultural towns, villages and blocks, ranking second in the country in number, forming a multi-level protection system of “historic and cultural cities – historical and cultural towns, villages and blocks – cultural relics protection units and historical buildings”.

Many places in Zhejiang practice the principle of “minimum intervention” and promote the integration of historical culture and modern life on the premise of retaining the spatial scale of historical and cultural buildings and the “original flavor” of the landscape environment.

Songyang, Lishui, was founded in the Eastern Han Dynasty and is known as “the last secret land in the south of the Yangtze River”. In recent years, an “Old House Saving Operation” has revitalized more than 100 local ancient villages and more than 300 old houses. More than 1,200 traditional buildings have been listed for protection. More than 200 ancestral halls and more than 20 ancient covered bridges have been repaired. Digital empowerment builds a full-chain protection and utilization pattern of “supervision-repair-use-experience” for old houses.

When ordinary people live in historical districts, they retain not only the physical form, but also the living scenes.

In Nianbadu Town in Jiangshan, Quzhou, this “cultural enclave in the mountains” has a unique architectural style. It not only has complete ancient streets of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but also a fusion of Zhejiang style, Hui style, Gan style, and Northern Fujian Hakka. and other ancient buildings of various styles. The ancient streets retain their original appearance as much as possible, condensing the merchant culture, immigrant culture, and dialect culture that have lasted for hundreds of years.

The concept of “preserving old houses and retaining old residents” has also brought back the wanderers of the ancient town who have left their hometown.

“Standing on the Meicheng Taiping Bridge, you can see the beautiful river at your feet, and looking to the south is the majestic Chengcheng Gate Tower. At that moment, my wandering heart finally fell to the ground.” Seeing the Jiandemei District in Hangzhou that has been completely renovated after many rounds of comprehensive renovations In the ancient city of Chengdu, Qian Min, a young man who had been wandering outside for many years, returned and opened an independent coffee shop in the ancient city.

Cultural genes activate the charm of old streets and drive the prosperity and development of the humanistic economy.

In late spring, at the foot of Wolong Mountain and beside the Huanshan River in Shaoxing, the characteristic shops in the Cangqiao Zhi Street historical district retain the “most Jiangnan” atmosphere of the city. In the ancient town cluster in Nanxun District, Huzhou, traditional customs such as silkworm flower rolling and damask silk production vividly present the daily production and life of the aborigines, and cultural heritage is moving towards beauty in the living inheritance.

The texture of the city and streets is being reorganized bit by bit; houses, stone monuments and ancient wells are being rediscovered; old stories and new business formats are being integrated…

Continuing its historical context, Zhejiang continues to explore various systems – conduct a detailed census of historical and cultural resources, establish and improve a list of protected objects and a “one map” of distribution, and accelerate the implementation of special plans and implementation plans for the protection and inheritance of historical culture. All counties (cities, districts) are covered. In addition, Zhejiang will also promote the “revitalization of old houses” through renovation and upgrading of historical and cultural blocks, and promote the revitalization of historical buildings.

More than five thousand years of Chinese civilization have given ancient towns and streets lasting vitality, and the “two-way rush” of cultural heritage protection and urban and rural construction has allowed the ancient charm of urban and rural areas to continue to write a glorious chapter in the land of Zhejiang.

Reporters: Wang Junlu, Duan Jingjing, Tang Tao

Editor: Jia Zhen, Liu Zitong