Cui Zengqi: Journey to Hometown (Seven) - Trip to Suzhou Part 2 (Picture)

Cui Zengqi: Trip to Hometown (Seven) - Trip to Suzhou Part 2 (Picture) It was almost half past nine when I got back to the hotel in the evening. My brother and sister had been waiting for me there for a long time. We just...

It was almost half past nine when I got back to the hotel in the evening. My brother and sister had been waiting for me there for a long time. We just got together for a short time. Afraid that we would be cold, they brought us woolen hats and some snacks. Since we had to leave at 7:30 the next day, we had to agree to go home and meet again after the tour, and then left in a hurry. The only restrictions on this tour group are that they are not allowed to leave the group midway during the trip, otherwise they will be fined US$100, and they must "attend all courses and are not allowed to drop out midway." The next morning, we visited Suzhou Gardens and the tour guide took us to the Lingering Garden. Suzhou is world-famous as the "City of Gardens" and "Paradise on Earth". There are countless large and small gardens, and more than 60 of them are now intact. There is the Liuyuan Garden, which is famous for its exquisite layout; the West Garden with five hundred Arhats and a thousand-year-old tortoise; the Humble Administrator's Garden, which was established by the peasant leaders as the Palace of Prince Zhong; The Lion Grove, which is made up of piles of strange rocks (I loved to hide and seek there when I was a child); the poetic Canglang Pavilion; the petite and exquisite Wangsi Garden and the Tiger Hill Garden with profound Wu culture; these are all places I am very familiar with. I believe that if I were a Suzhou The tour guide of the garden will definitely tell more exciting stories than the current tour guide. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces were home to a large number of literati. They were the places with the largest number of imperial examinations. Many people succeeded in the exams and became officials in Beijing or were appointed as local officials. After completing their terms, they returned to their hometowns in glory. The wealthy ones built gardens. This is the historical reason why there are so many gardens in Suzhou.

The scenery of Lingering Garden

The Lingering Garden is the most exquisite work of Suzhou gardens. It is known as the crown of Suzhou gardens. It was first built in the Ming Dynasty. Xu Taishi, the Shaoqing of Chaotaipu Temple (equivalent to the current deputy minister, in charge of horses and transportation), returned to Suzhou to build a private garden residence (mansion) after he was dismissed. In the Qing Dynasty, he bought it for a high-ranking official named Liu and expanded it to its current size. Later generations used its pronunciation to rename it "Liuyuan" without the need to adjust it. According to the investigation, the owner of Nuo Da Garden was a corrupt official. It is said that there were 17 family members and more than 100 servants and servants living in the garden at that time. The garden is centered on the "Hanbi Villa", with pavilions and ancient trees and crystal clear lakes. In the east is the Quyuan which is full of ancient calligraphers' inscriptions. The west part of the cloister is full of rockery and rocks, and the north part shows a unique pastoral scenery through the arches of another village. When walking along it, there is a sense of reality that "there is no way out, but there is a dark willow and a bright flower". I really envy the superb skills of ancient architects and skilled craftsmen. , using the technique of shrinking the scenery in a limited space, the garden is arranged so elegantly and beautifully. The scenery changes with every move, and the ladies can still enjoy the beauty of nature in this limited space all day long without getting bored or suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Suzhou's landscapes, gardens, and Suzhou's climate have shaped the personality of Suzhou people. Suzhou people are generally thin, of medium height, with fair skin and delicate features, while Suzhou women are petite, beautiful, and charming. Of course, this is just a general rule. He pointed out that due to the improvement of life and overnutrition, there are many people who are fat and fat. The people in Suzhou speak in a cooing voice, which is similar to Shanghainese, but with a soft accent added, which makes it sound particularly pleasant. People often say, "I would rather listen to the people in Suzhou quarreling than the people in Ningbo talking." I really see it. When Suzhou people quarreled in the street, it was like listening to a concert. Influenced by the garden style, Suzhou people's crafts are small and exquisite, their embroidery and brocade are exquisite, and their work is meticulous. Suzhou has produced 45 literary champions since ancient times, accounting for 100% of the country's literary scholars. 7:6. Suzhou has cultivated Nobel Prize winner, physicist Wu Jianxiong, architect I.M. Pei, educator Ye Shengtao, and two bomb masters Wang Ganchang and other cultural celebrities and scientists. However, Suzhou has no military champions and no famous generals. We cannot rely on Suzhou people to fight.

As mentioned earlier, the shortcoming of this tour is that the tour time for such beautiful scenery as the Lingering Garden is only scheduled for one and a half hours. While people are in love with the picturesque artistic conception, the tour guide has already urged us to get in the car and go to the Suzhou Silk Research Institute. Another thing that makes people feel uncomfortable is that there are too many people visiting the garden. The small garden is crowded with visitors. The tour guides all use loudspeakers to explain, each one is louder than the other, completely losing the elegant atmosphere of the garden. This is also a common problem in many tourist spots in China. The purpose of going to the Silk Research Institute is to briefly introduce us to the production process of silk and cotton products, and more importantly, to promote their products. A complete set of silk cotton bedding costs US$1,500. When I was a child, I learned to make silk quilts from adults at home. I didn’t expect it to be so expensive now, and the climate in Phoenix doesn’t require silk quilts, so I just waited there. Unexpectedly, I have been waiting for nearly three hours to have lunch here. An interesting story from the lunch is worth telling. The institute’s lunch includes a famous Suzhou dish called ‘squirrel fish’, which is a whole fish fried into the shape of a squirrel and topped with sweet and sour sauce. It is crispy and fragrant. Its pronunciation happens to be similar to the Taiwanese pronunciation of "Song Chuyu". It was the eve of Taiwan's presidential election, and everyone was worried about Ma Ying-jeou and feared that Chuyu would disrupt the situation. When our Taiwanese friends at the table saw the 'squirrel fish' being served, they told us to kill him quickly (eat the fish) to prevent him from causing trouble, which made people laugh. (to be continued)