Cui Zengqi: Hometown Trip (6) - Suzhou Trip 1 (Photo)

Cui Zengqi: Hometown Trip (6) - Suzhou Trip 1 (Photo) The third place we traveled to was Suzhou, known as the Venice of the East and known as paradise...

The third place we traveled to was Suzhou, known as the Venice of the East and known as paradise. Suzhou, as its name suggests, the word "Su" under the grass is "fish" and "grain". You can imagine that this place has been a land of plenty and a wealthy city since ancient times. Suzhou can be said to be another hometown of mine, because my current family, my stepmother, my two sisters and one brother have been working and living here. I am very familiar with the streets, scenic spots, humanities and specialties here. The tourist bus arrived in Suzhou in the evening and drove straight to Guanqian Street. Guanqian Street has always been the central business district of Suzhou. It is the New Year's Day holiday and the street is crowded and lively. In the 1940s and 1950s, this street was a cobblestone road, and people rode horse-drawn carriages along it. Later, it was turned into an asphalt road, and buses were used. Since the 1980s, this street has been turned into a pedestrian street, and vehicles are prohibited. The famous Suzhou specialty stores, Caizhizhai, Ye Shouhe, Huang Tianyuan, etc. are still standing there, but McDonald's, Kentucky, and pizza hut have also taken their place. There are many shops on the street, and the colorful neon lights exude an attractive shine, attracting the attention of customers. As I walked around, I saw that almost all of the goods for sale were world-famous brands, high-quality goods, and expensive. Clothes, shoes and hats each cost thousands of yuan. I don’t know where people get such high purchasing power. I saw a middle-aged man, accompanied by two ladies, trying on a set of silk pajamas for 2,400 yuan. The man looked up and down in the mirror and said without hesitation, buy one to wear at home. Such a relaxing sentence, I was stunned for a moment. 2,400 yuan is the current monthly salary of a skilled worker, which is eight times the minimum income standard. This man must have had easy money. Most of the things sold in the market are foreign goods. Chinese people like foreign goods. Foreign goods are easy to sell and have high profits. This is understandable. Aren’t Made in China everywhere in the American market? This should be a natural phenomenon of an open market economy. If we still use the old concepts of "boycott Japanese goods" and "boycott foreign goods" to talk about patriotism, it will be out of date. It's just that foreign goods are sold too expensive, Chinese goods are sold too cheap, and foreigners make money from the brand. Speaking of shopping, another thing worth mentioning is that before the 1950s and 1960s, there was no bargaining when buying things in the Chinese market. Once upon a time, there was probably a small town called Shishi in Fujian that had a nationally famous smuggling market, and bargaining became popular all over the country. I'm not used to this. Buying something is like sitting on pins and needles. First, I have to find out whether it's true or false, and then bargain. I'm afraid of losing money if I pay too little, and if I pay too much, I'm afraid that people will say you don't know what you're doing and they'll give you a look right away. In the old society, people in Suzhou heard that people in Suzhou would buy things at half price, but now someone teaches me to kill 80% first, which is really helpless. Why do business with such mutual deception and distrust? In the developed capitalist and commercial countries of the United States and Western Europe, prices are clearly marked everywhere. Even if the price is reduced by 50%, it is clearly written, so there is no need to be so tired. I didn't want to buy anything, let alone waste my brain, so I just went to the temple to have a look. Xuanmiao Temple is a famous temple on Guanqian Street, which is where Guanqian Street gets its name. It is also the believers who burn incense and worship Buddha that drive the economic development here. The incense of Xuanmiao Temple is still very strong. It is said that the Taoist priests in the temple are knowledgeable and talented. They live quietly in the temple and have insight into world affairs. Many people encounter difficulties and confusions in life and come here to ask for advice, which is very effective. Therefore, there are some fortune tellers setting up stalls around the temple. There may be descendants of old Taoist priests among them, but not many people believe in them. People believe in the silent Bodhisattva more. In the hall filled with smoke, there are old people and young men and women in suits, each with different confusions and wishes, praying for a better day. There are small shops on both sides of Xuanmiao Temple, selling handicrafts from Suzhou. The prices are not expensive. It is a good choice to buy some gifts for friends, but don't forget to bargain.

>Guanqian Street crowded with people

In front of Xuanmiao Guanmen

After dinner, we went on a boat cruise on the Suzhou River. This is the kind of small wooden boat that Emperor Qianlong took when he went to the south of the Yangtze River in the past. It is just that it is driven by a motor. Each boat can seat about 20 people. The river our boat was traveling on was a section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal that the emperor visited during his southern tour. According to data, the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal is 1,747 kilometers long and is the longest man-made canal in the world. It is 16 times longer than the world-famous Suez Canal and 33 times longer than the Panama Canal. It is a world-famous cultural heritage along with the Great Wall. This canal was built in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, that is, in 466 BC. It was opened to navigation in 1293 AD and lasted for 1779. After that, successive dynasties carried out renovations. It can be said that it was formed in the Sui Dynasty, prospered in the Tang and Song Dynasties, was established in the Yuan Dynasty, and was dredged in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Up to now, this canal has promoted cultural and economic exchanges between the north and the south, and is an important part of Chinese culture. In the past, the emperor's trip to the south of the Yangtze River took more than 90 days. He started from Beijing in March and returned in July, which was really hard work for the emperor. Our cruise departed from Xumen and returned to Panmen, which took about an hour. Watching the night view on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, listening to beautiful women playing and singing Suzhou Pingtan, the elegant pipa sound and the beautiful singing make people feel like they have entered a fairyland. The melodious bells of Hanshan Temple can be heard in the distance, waking us up and returning to the human world. As the song goes, "Jiangnan is beautiful, the mountains and rivers of Jiangnan are beautiful, and the rich products and people are even more beautiful." No wonder Emperor Qianlong visited Jiangnan six times, leaving behind endless anecdotes and folklore. But I believe that Qianlong's visit to Jiangnan was mainly for business, otherwise how could the prosperous age of Qianlong have happened? At that time, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces accounted for 20% and 30% of the country's total in silver and grain payments to the court, and their tariffs were half of the country's. Of course, as a leader, we must pay special attention to such an important place.