01
Falling in love with a city because of a road. Pingjiang Road is one such road.
Pingjiang Road is a historical old street in Suzhou. It is a small road next to the river. It still retains the historical pattern of "water and land running parallel, river and street adjacent". On one side of the road are old houses with green bricks, black tiles and whitewashed walls. On the other side is the Pingjiang River, with small bridges, flowing water and stone embankments.
I recently stayed in Suzhou for a week and went to Pingjiang Road several times. The first time was at dusk, when the lanterns on Pingjiang Road were first lit. In the swaying lights, the dead vines and old trees, the small bridges and flowing water, the old walls and stone embankments, and the deep houses and far alleys all seemed so quiet and peaceful, like a dream. The third time was specifically to search for Sai Jinhua. The house that was once the number one scholar has now become an ordinary home.
The second time I went to Pingjiang Road was in the morning. It was past ten o'clock, and all the shops on Pingjiang Road were not open yet. There were few pedestrians on the street, and it seemed deserted and lonely. The bluestone road, wooden lattice windows and partitions have been polished by time and eroded by wind and frost, and have long since faded from their showy color, showing an ancient appearance, giving people the illusion of being in ancient times. Occasionally, three or two groups of people walk in the deep alley in the distance, as if they have come from ancient times and are going to the depths of time and space.
At around 11:30, Pingjiang Road was already crowded with tourists. Pingjiang Road, which was deserted just now, suddenly became active. It was as if people had been hiding in the alleys on the left and right, just waiting for the general order, and then rushed to gather together.
02
On Pingjiang Road, I was attracted by a store sign called Xingxing. A bicycle tire and several gears form a creative pattern of a clock. There are two big characters below - "Walking" and a line of small characters - "Walking on Pingjiang Road, traveling through the old time and space of Suzhou".
Through the glass wall, the first thing I saw was the tire structure at the door - a bicycle without a front wheel and a spigot. Time has already stripped off its coat, and there is not a single mark on it. I walked into the store and studied it carefully for a long time before I found a vague phoenix pattern on the car seat.
At Zhongjia, I saw an old-fashioned West Lake sewing machine. Although it had been baptized for half a century, it was still in good condition. Looking at it, I seem to see my mother sitting busy in front of the sewing machine; I also seem to see myself and my sisters sitting around my mother, busy cutting the hems of trousers, locking button holes, and nailing buttons. Even my younger brother has to participate. Decades passed in a flash, and it felt like a world away.
An old Shanghai gramophone model with a pure copper loudspeaker sits quietly on a small wooden box. Looking at this old-fashioned gramophone, the melody of "Shanghai at Night" seemed to be heard in my ears. For a moment, the neon lights flashed and the dance sleeves fluttered. In front of me was the Paramount of old Shanghai.
In the south chamber, I saw a well-preserved old loom. The warp of the white silk thread on the loom has been laid out, but where is the weaver? What about the Mulan who "chirps again and again, weaving all day long"? Did she step down from the loom, join the army for her father, and "go to war thousands of miles away"? No, no, what about that "daughter of unknown origin" who is full of wisdom? When she stepped off the loom, was she going to get scissors to cut the cloth and persuade her husband who was going on a study tour but wanted to give up halfway?
…
When I was in the walking house, looking at those elderly things, I didn’t know where I was in this world for a moment.
03
When I walked into Cat’s Sky City concept bookstore, I was immediately surrounded by a very bourgeois atmosphere.
The decoration here is elegant and leisurely. Find a seat, order a cup of silk stocking milk tea, hold a roll of paper, and before you know it, you will spend the entire afternoon sleeping.
The warm afternoon sun shines through the wooden lattice windows in the study room. The bookshelf, the desk, the books, and the little girl's delicate face were all covered with warm, soft yellow light. The room is full of warmth and calmness, tranquility and leisure.
Maokong’s treasure, a fat black cat, is sleeping lazily on its couch in the corner, a soft sofa chair, enjoying itself very much. Very bourgeois!
This is a good place for reading. The quiet and peaceful environment allows you to wander through ancient books, travel through time, and interact with ancient people.
This is a good place to think about your thoughts. You can think whatever you like about things or people you don't usually have time to think about or people you don't have time to think about at this moment. No one will bother you, and no one will hold you accountable.
This is a better place to let yourself go. You can think nothing, do nothing, and just stay quietly. Put aside everything worldly for the time being, relax yourself, and let your mind settle.
If you are willing, you can also imitate children and play their patented game "Send to the Future". Choose an interesting postcard, write your heartfelt words, and send it to your loved one, or to yourself. On the day you want the other party to receive it, put the postcard in the date-marked box on the postcard wall - estimate how many days in advance your trip will be, and the clerk will send it out for you on that day.
I actually chose two postcards for myself at the Maokong main store at No. 25 Pingjiang Road.
The pattern on one picture is a cat, and there is this text: "Sometimes you have actually worked very hard, but the final result is still a fart!"
Isn't it? , our efforts are not always rewarded accordingly. I wrote this to myself: "But, we still have to grit our teeth and swallow with tears, then gently wipe the blood from the corners of our mouths, raise our heads bravely, and continue to move forward. What if it comes true? "I randomly placed it in a certain month on the postcard wall.
There is another one I wrote: "Ai Ling said: 'Life is a gorgeous robe covered with fleas.' So don't pursue perfection too much, learn to let go, maybe it's the moon. Mingfengqing is here!"
Looking at the content on the back of the two postcards, I couldn't help laughing. Why did he suddenly join the world and become a Confucian scholar? If we add a little bit of Buddhism's Four Elements of Nothingness, wouldn't we be able to calmly chat with Su Zizhan about life?
04
I want to visit every shop on Pingjiang Road. Each one of them is stretched out in an ancient style, and they all have a nice or even poetic name.
Pingqiao drinking wine has nothing to do with wine.
Moli’s family doesn’t sell tea either. The front hall sells foreign trade clothing, and a rattan-carved clothes rack in the store is impressive. There is a small tea room at the back, which is said to be a place where the owner meets friends over tea. Visitors and photos are not allowed.
There is a couplet at the door of Peach Blossom Spring. The right side is "Ask what time is it now, I don't know the Han Dynasty, regardless of the Wei and Jin Dynasties"; the left side is "Support yesterday's drunkenness, or fear of singing, don't worry about the passing of time." You can't guess what it's for, can you? There is a note next to the name of the store: "Smell the fragrance and look for the taste in dreams." No wonder "the peach garden is nowhere to be found", it turned out to be moved to Pingjiang Road.
In the Fuxi Guild Hall, you can taste tea, listen to the piano and listen to Kunqu opera, which is so elegant that you don’t need it. Alternatively, it is also a good choice to go to Hongzhen to eat a marijuana ball and listen to Pingtan. Or, with a cup of tea in Pingjiang Garden, you can feel the Zen in tea and the fragrance of tea in Zen in peace, quietness and ease.
Do you still remember Hua Wuque, the descendant of Yihua Palace? He ran to Pingjiang Road and started a business of dried flower handicrafts.
It’s a place to visit, reminisce about old times, and Taohuawu. You can only avoid being deceived by its name if you go in and take a look in person. By the way, don’t miss meeting the cat around the corner, the sunshine in the alley, and there are surprises when you enter the store.
One of my favorite store names is Qie Ting Wu Ge. It should be a private customization club for cheongsam. The reason I like it is that I think the creative idea of ??the store name, which uses Wu Ge as a metaphor for cheongsam, is just right. Isn’t Wu Ge’s gracefulness, softness and elegance in line with the temperament of cheongsam? Unfortunately, her name has been changed now, and her name is Wu Suotianyi. Is he eager to tell people that his family sells clothes? What's the rush?
05
While walking, I was attracted by a poetic name - Lilac Lane - and then I thought of the poems of the poet Yuxiang:
Holding an oil-paper umbrella, alone
Wandering in the long, long
and lonely rain alley
I hope to meet
like a lilac
The girl with sorrow and resentment
I also wanted to look for the lilac girl with sorrow and resentment, so I walked into Lilac Lane.
The alley is long, narrow and deep, quiet and peaceful. The repaired whitewashed walls on both sides are now mottled, and the wooden lattice windows are sometimes covered or opened. Withered yellow vines hang freely in front of the windows. Just waiting for the call of the spring breeze, they will put on green clothes at any time, gather friends and company, and come in groups to cover the wooden grilles of these flowered windows and protect the depths of the busy city. The tranquility of the Wu family.
I walked silently...
However, I did not meet the Lilac girl after all. Probably because the weather was fine and the sun was shining brightly, Miss Lilac refused to come to my date. Moreover, according to textual research experts, the Rain Alley in Mr. Wang Shu’s poem is not actually the Lilac Alley on Pingjiang Road, Suzhou.
In the gentle and deep alleys, soft singing of Wu songs can be heard from time to time.
The lilac girl was nowhere to be found, so I retreated to look for the large lilac tree that gave Lilac Lane its name.
I searched deeper into the alley and passed by a middle-aged man who was handling a motorcycle under the eaves. I asked him, but he said he didn’t know. He turned to the flower window and asked if he knew? The woman inside also said she didn’t know. I didn't stop and continued searching.
In a deep alley, I met a somewhat fairy-like mother-in-law. My mother-in-law said she didn’t know and asked me to go look around. In the alley, under the warm sun, a beautiful picture appeared before my eyes, "Wu is so charming when he is drunk, but who is the old lady with gray hair?" I couldn't bear to disturb their peace and quiet, so I quietly walked away.
Suddenly I remembered, "There is a big lilac tree in Chuan Lane, hence the name." I actually ignored the word "Chuan" and recognized the truth, so I turned around.
In addition to Dingxiang Lane, there are many narrow streets and lanes that are vertically connected to Pingjiang Road, such as Xuanqiao Lane, Zhongzhangjia Lane, Daru Lane, Huxiangshi Lane, Zhuchang Lane... …Each alley has its own celebrity residences, historical anecdotes and beautiful legends.
06
"When I see you in Gusu, everyone is leaning against the river. There is little free space in the ancient palace, and there are many small bridges in the water port (yizuo lane)."
To the west of Pingjiang, old houses are built along the river. Most of them have white walls and are adjacent to the water. Some houses are separated from the river by a green brick or bluestone path. These old houses have been soaked in the wind and frost of time and have witnessed the vicissitudes of life.
An example of a wall with blue bricks, black tiles and whitewashed tiles, with uneven and towering eaves. The wooden grille windows are brown, black or maroon in color and contrast well with the white walls. The whitewashed walls are mottled, with brick cracks of different shades exposed from time to time. The withered yellow vines of the wall-creeping grass cling to the wall. Occasionally, a few small grasses poke out a touch of fresh green from the gaps, so the yellow and green sway together in the wind. Ru Mu Ru Su.
Looking across the river, especially when the lights are on, in those old houses that have lost their former glory, in the wooden lattice windows that are open or covered by the river, the dim yellow, orange and red lights and shadows make people think. It’s a bit messy:
In this window, whose girl used to put on makeup and wash herself by the window?
In that window, which lady once stood in front of the window to take photos of the flowers?
In which window did Sai Jinhua, a famous courtesan in the late Qing Dynasty, become Hong Jun's bride? A romantic story, and thus started her legendary life as an international social butterfly?
In which window did the legendary beautiful boat girl who swung the oar in the Pingjiang River steal her heart?
There is no way to verify much. We can only ask Pingjiang's passionate river water. Has she ever stored those beautiful reflections of those years?
Speaking of small bridges in Pingjiang District, the east-west bridges across the Pingjiang River that I passed include Sipo Bridge, Shouan Bridge, Ice Cream Bridge, Jiqing Bridge, Qingshi Bridge, and Zhongan Bridge. Bridge, Tongli Bridge, reconstruction of Huxiangshi Bridge, etc.
Among these bridges, the most charming one is the Bluestone Bridge. It is an arched bridge. The stone arch of the bridge body and the reflection in the water come together, like a full moon hanging over the river. If you add a rowing boat into the reflection, it feels like the boat is rowing into the moon. Wouldn't you say it's beautiful?
07
“You stand on the bridge and look at the scenery, and the people watching the scenery are watching you upstairs.”
On Pingjiang Road, you can slowly Walking on the bluestone road, you can also sit leisurely on a hand-cranked boat; you can stand on the bridge or sit on the stone railings by the river; you can admire or take photos; you can gnaw on chicken feet. Chicken feet in the corner, you can also be drinking yogurt from Fox's house; you can also be spending time together... In short, no matter where you go or what you are doing, you may become poetry in the eyes of others. Or Zen, you are a landscape.
I don’t know why Mr. Gao Ertai doesn’t like Suzhou. He said he especially doesn’t like Suzhou gardens. If he went to Pingjiang Road, I don’t know if he would change his mind.
I have been to Pingjiang Road several times during the Spring Festival. Although it is winter, it is not desolate. I don’t know what Pingjiang Road is like in spring and autumn. I think, given her temperament, she wouldn't be too showy. Pingjiang Road maintains its tranquility and simplicity, laziness and serenity, leisure and relaxation, tranquility and peace, and its poetic and Zen spirit.
Suddenly a term came to mind, poetic dwelling, and Pingjiang Road is just such a place.
Sioux City, I will come again. Pingjiang Road, please wait for me, okay?