Riding the wind of rebirth

The newly restored ancient town is somewhat different from the ancient towns that Zhou Zhi and his friends had experienced before. Zhou Zhi had taken his friends to visit many ancient towns before, but all of them had traces of "evolution." That is to say, in all the ancient towns, there were at least a few buildings that had been "modernized" first. In some towns, there was even half a street that had been modernized. It was like a few drops of glaze used in oil painting were dripped on a traditional Chinese painting, giving people a sense of disharmony.

Even in Huili Ancient Town, which Zhouzhi considers to be the best-preserved, the same is true. Apart from a few completely untouched alleys, there are still a few "oil paint" stains on the main street. Moreover, even those untouched ancient alleys have their problems: many buildings have become dilapidated or even dangerous due to inadequate protection.

Strolling through Zhouzhuang in 1996, you won't encounter these problems. After all, the ancient town was only basically restored two years ago, and the planning is very reasonable. In addition, there are very few people, giving people a very real sense of "time travel".

"I should have worn a skirt too," Zhang Xinyi complained. "You didn't even mention we were coming to a place like this! It's so beautiful!"

"That's fine. She's as beautiful as a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without any artifice." Zhou Zhi was actually quite amazed by Zhang Xinyi's outfit today. The white shirt and jeans showed that youth is her greatest asset.

“I have some cosmetics, Zhouzi bought them for me, do you want to use them?” Mai Xiaomiao suddenly said.

Zhang Xinyi and Ye Xin exchanged a glance: "Yes!"

Mai Xiaomiao didn't use cosmetics much before. It was only after she met Jike Azi and Shamaricong in Lianhe Township that she started to try makeup. It wasn't until she went back to New York with Ikeda Qiu and Zhang Siluo that she became more proficient and finally owned her own cosmetics.

"Wow, Xiaomiao, the cosmetics you use are so high-end!" Ye Xin and Zhang Xinyi were still college students and couldn't afford expensive cosmetics, so they couldn't help but exclaim in amazement when they saw Mai Xiaomiao's "weapon".

The sight of three girls putting on makeup by the roadside suddenly warmed Zhou Zhi's heart, and he raised his camera and started snapping away.

"Don't take pictures that make us look ugly!" Ye Xin picked up her mascara brush to apply mascara, and even glared at Zhou Zhi while doing her makeup: "What's so interesting about taking pictures when we're putting on makeup!"

"Life is like the moon, how many times does it wax and wane?" Zhou Zhi laughed. "It's not just the full moon that's beautiful; the process of the new moon turning into a full moon is also beautiful, let alone three moons."

"You're good at lying," Zhang Xinyi laughed. "Now that there's a seedling, you should tone it down a bit."

“I think what Zhouzi said makes a lot of sense.” Mai Xiaomiao touched up her makeup quickly, a speed she learned from Shamaricong: “But Xinxin and Xinyi are the real moon, I’m just a cloud on the side of the moon at best.”

Zhang Xinyi couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Zhou Zhi was actually the kind of person who was very popular with girls and liked making friends, but being a girlfriend of someone like that would put a lot of pressure on her.

Advising Zhou Zhi to watch his words ultimately stems from a lack of trust in him. However, Mai Xiaomiao seems to have no such concerns whatsoever, which is a sign of absolute trust, or perhaps a pure heart.

For some reason, a phrase suddenly popped into Zhang Xinyi's mind: "Seagulls and egrets forgetting their scheming."

Humans don't use their cunning against seagulls, and seagulls don't use their cunning against humans either. By offering a reminder from the middle, I only make myself look inferior.

Ye Xin understood her best friend's thoughts very well, and also realized what truly attracted Zhou Zhi to Mai Xiaomiao. She felt that girls like her were hard to find, and that it was a blessing for both of them to have met her.

It took another ten minutes or so for everyone to get ready before they could finally stroll around the town.

"It's prettier than Fubao Ancient Town." Ye Xin herself is a resident of the ancient town, and she couldn't help but compare them. Then she hit the nail on the head: "If you ask me, the only difference between the two towns is whether they're rich or poor." The ancient town also has infrastructure. The entire foundation of the ancient town is covered with bluestone slabs. The largest circular dock in the town can accommodate hundreds of awning boats, which is enough to show how lively it was in the past and how wealthy Zhou Town was in ancient times.

“There’s really no way to compare.” Zhou Zhi held a camera in his hand: “The civilization here started much earlier than in Jiachuan. The Liangzhu culture of the Neolithic period was located in this area.”

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Wu raised deer and hunted here, so it was also called Deer City. Later, it belonged to Kuaiji Commandery, Jing State, and Wu Commandery. During the Southern Liang Dynasty, it was renamed Kunshan. After Emperor Wen of Sui, it officially belonged to Suzhou."

“Since the Tang Dynasty, this area has been part of the Yangzhou economic circle, known as ‘Yangzhou first, Yizhou second’; during the Southern Song Dynasty, it began to be included in the Hangzhou economic circle; it has always been one of the most prosperous places in the world.”

“As far as Jiachuan was concerned, it was still within the territory of Rongzhou until the Song Dynasty. Rong was originally a somewhat derogatory term for ethnic minorities. At least until the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Shenzong, Jiachuan was still an ‘enclave’, with ethnic minority areas both upstream and downstream. Upstream, it was Yizhou, and downstream, it was Yuzhou, before it was reconnected to the proper central government’s prefecture. It wasn’t until the Ming Dynasty that it was fully Sinicized.”

"So when it comes to economic and cultural heritage, our ancient town of Jiachuan can't compare to places like Zhouzhuang."

At the dock, Zhouzhi saw a small shop selling round fans, sandalwood folding fans and oil-paper umbrellas, so he went in and picked one of each as a prop for the photo shoot.

After taking a few photos with the ancient town as a backdrop at the stone pier, the first attraction in the town we visited was the Twin Bridges.

The Twin Bridges are also called Key Bridges because there are two adjacent stone bridges here: the arched Shide Bridge and the stone beam Yong'an Bridge.

The two bridges are named for the fact that one resembles a key handle and the other resembles the teeth of a key.

Shide Bridge spans the North-South City River, with stone steps leading into the streets and alleys at its eastern end; Yong'an Bridge is much smaller, spanning a waterway called Yinzibang, with an archway just wide enough for small boats to pass through.

The bridge railings are made of granite, with clear blue water flowing beneath and green trees providing shade on top. Occasionally, small boats can be heard creaking as they pass through the bridge arches.

These small boats were practical awning boats used by local residents for transporting goods, similar to the tricycles commonly used in rural areas. They were practical tools, and compared to the small boats used for performances or to transport tourists in later tourist attractions, Zhouzhi looked much more pleasing to the eye.

Shuangqiao is the place that best embodies the charm of the ancient town. Chen Yifei's "Memories of My Hometown" was actually based on this place, which is why it is so famous. It is also a must-visit "check-in point" for teachers and students from art colleges all over the country and photography enthusiasts who come to Zhouzhuang all year round. As a result, a large number of works have been published in newspapers and magazines, making this place the most well-known place in Zhouzhuang.

Besides the twin bridges, if you stand on the shore to take a picture, you can also include the Taiping Bridge, which is not far away, in the shot. With the green water, ancient trees, and buildings with blue tiles and white walls or wooden walls, it is indeed a very photogenic spot.

The three women lingered here for quite a while and took many good photos.

Coming over the bridge, you'll find a distinctive covered walkway, which is a small street along the river. One side of the street is bordered by the river, and the other side by houses, with tiled roofs for rain protection.

In the old town of Jiachuan County, such public facilities can only be found at the crossroads of the most prosperous Daogucang Market. In Zhouzhuang, the entire riverside street has this layout, which shows the economic strength of the town back then.

Ma Zhiyuan's "Tianjingsha," Dai Wangshu's "Rainy Alley," and Jiang Shan's "Water Town in Dreams" all vividly depict the scene of several girls strolling along the riverside streets of this small town. (End of Chapter)