Discovering Jiangnan - 'South of the River'
Tourism has seen the opening of some quite beautiful, indeed tranquil teahouses and cafes whose terraces overlook the waters where boats carrying visitors were gently being pushed along. Locations I could easily sit watching the activities and of people heading over a nearby arched stone bridge again as a boat drifted underneath. Many of the bridges date from the Ming and Qing Dynasty, with little alteration over the years. It was interesting also seeing how locals in such towns still retain their traditional waterside lifestyles, including fishing from the stone canal side steps. Such places are perfect for writers, poets or I my case, photographers! Indeed the famed painter, Liu Haisu described Jinxi as the "most beautiful town in Jiangnan!' From what I saw that afternoon, I could agree.
I would also visit equally appealing Qiandeng, whose name historically referred to 'one thousand lamps'.The town actually has a museum displaying 1000 lamps, spanning more than five thousand year from the Neolithic Age to modern times. Qiandeng is the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera.
Arriving at an area alongside the Shanghu River, I looked across beyond a classic, stone arched bridge towards Qinfeng Pagoda. Minutes later, standing in a large square directly below the tower, I gazed with curiosity along narrow alleys lined with small shops. Soon I was diving into a 1500 metre long stone-paved narrow street dating back to Song Dynasty (420-479). With 'water parallel to land, and street adjacent to river' this was the kind of historic landscape I was looking for. An opportunity to spend time, both on that street and along the riverside studying the idea of a life living abreast with water.
On the road back to Suzhou, there was a stop at Xiemaqiao. This, a small water town with maturing rice fields on its edges. Quite different from the other towns earlier visited, it was not a major tourist destination. Instead it represented tranquility within a community where much work had obviously been undertaken to improve living conditions for the local people.
A lovely ending to an excellent, indeed unforgettable day amidst a traditional landscape of 'water, rice and fish'.
Bruce Connolly was in Suzhou on 'A Date with China' organized through China Daily.
