busy life
always need a quiet time
Slow down, live a slow life
Looking for a small town full of ancient charm
Read a book, drink tea, be in a daze
Swim slowly, taste carefully, think quietly, feel deeply
…
These domestic ancient towns carved by time
Each one is so beautiful and timeless
Take time to walk one by one
—— Jiangnan——
Tongli Ancient Town
A veritable water town in the south of the Yangtze River
Tongli is a dream, a green dream. Countless hasty and slow footsteps only light up the hard stone road, but they can’t startle the thousand-year dream. No need to stare, just a glance, and that glance will end the world…
△Photography/Chen Jiantan
She is on the bank of the canal, the continent of five lakes; she has deep rain lanes, and Wu songs are played softly. Her fields are criss-crossed, and the fertile fields are like silk; her house is near the water, and every household is connected by boat. She holds the sleeve of Gusu with her left hand, and the willow of Xizi with her right hand; she has the loyalty of the Yangtze River and the beauty of Taihu Lake…
Zhouzhuang
The beauty of the water town, oriental Venice
Wu Guanzhong said: “Huangshan gathers the beauty of mountains, while Zhouzhuang gathers the beauty of water towns.” Nowadays, water towns in the south of the Yangtze River are everywhere, but since Zhouzhuang can firmly occupy the throne of “China’s first water town”, it has its own unique features .
Looking at the small bridge and flowing water, listening to the squeaking of the oars, and a song of Wu Song, the picture scroll of Zhouzhuang is slowly opened.
Wuzhen
White walls, black tiles, small bridges, flowing water
Wuzhen, a beautiful water town, unique food and delicacies, and profound cultural heritage present a fascinating historical picture. Take a walk in the alleys in the early morning, count more than 30 ancient bridges in the ancient town, and be in an ancient time.
Sit by the river at night, people live on small bridges and flowing water. At that moment, there was even an illusion, as if Wuzhen had been waiting for thousands of years just to wait for our appearance.
Xitang
Misty Rain Corridor, the essence of Xitang
“The water in the Spring and Autumn Period, the towns in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the buildings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the modern people” are the most appropriate descriptions of Xitang. Overlooking the water town, the white walls and black roofs, the shadows of boats, and the light of the boat are like a light-colored rice paper painting under the smudge of the mist; entering the ancient town, the corridors and sheds are old, the alleys are deep, and it seems to have entered a long history…
Under the Misty Rain Corridor, listen to the sound of rain ticking, in Shipi Lane, look for the original romance, or take a boat, of course…
Nanxun
Ninety-nine ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River are not as good as taking a walk in Nanxun
Nanxun, like many ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River, has a typical water town style. The difference is that it is the one that can endure loneliness the most.
Zhouzhuang has Fangyuan Shuangqiao painted by Chen Yifei, Luzhi has Wansheng Rice Shop written by Ye Shengtao, Wuzhen has Lin’s shop written by Mao Dun, and Nanxun in Huzhou, Zhejiang silently waits for her rich cultural accumulation, waiting to truly understand Her visitors have no complaints.
Jinxi Ancient Town
Traveling close at hand requires boats
Jinxi Ancient Town is located on the bank of Dianshan Lake in the southern suburbs of Kunshan, Jiangsu. It is a thousand-year-old Jiangnan water town. The ancient town is not big, but there are various folk collections. You can go to the Ancient Brick and Tile Museum, Zisha Museum, and Potware Museum to see antiques, or go to the Cultural Revolution Collection Exhibition Hall to relive the history.
There are also various snack bars on the old street, where you can taste Jinxi special sock sole cakes, Chimelong moon cakes, crabapple cakes and other snacks, as well as Jiangnan special delicacies such as Gorgon fruit cake, pork and hooves.
Qiandeng Ancient Town
Stepping on bluestone slabs, a line of sky above your head
Qiandeng in Kunshan is an ancient town with a history of 2,500 years. It faces Shanghai in the east and Suzhou in the west. The curling Kunqu opera originated from here, and it seems to be the artistic conception of a water town. The Qingshi long street stretches far and wide, the sound of water from the small bridge is trickling, the air is moist and beautiful, the stone tiles are covered with moss, and pedestrians walk through the rainy alley with umbrellas. People who live here get up early to enjoy fishing, and go to teahouses after fishing. How comfortable it is…
Qiandeng Ancient Town has four major attractions, one is the longest stone street in Jiangsu Province, the other is Yanfu Temple, the third is the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, and the fourth is the hometown of Gu Yanwu.
Luzhi Ancient Town
Known as “the first town in China’s water town”
Luzhi Ancient Town is the place where the story of Ye Shengtao’s “Overcharged” in the middle school Chinese textbook took place. Like Zhouzhuang and Tongli Ancient Towns in Suzhou, it is a typical Jiangnan water town. Although it is not as famous as the two, it is quieter and more comfortable. The ancient town is built near the water, with long water, curved bridges, deep alleys, long corridors, whitewashed walls, sunken black tiles, thousands of households, hundreds of merchants, and more than 2500 years of history. rare.
Luzhi in the early morning is surrounded by ancient rhyme, distant, dignified, and profound water town culture. The white walls and black tiles, small bridges and flowing water are like a poem, stained by dense pen and ink.
As night falls, the night is straight, the lights are dim, and rows of red lanterns, sheds, and eaves are reflected on the river. The time is shallow, warm and quiet.
Mudu Ancient Town
Known as “the first town in Wuzhong, the most beautiful town in the south of the Yangtze River”
Mudu in Suzhou is the only ancient garden town in the south of the Yangtze River. It is known as “the first town in Wuzhong, the most beautiful town in the south of the Yangtze River”. It is said that the Yan Family Garden was the residence of Teacher Qianlong back then. It is exquisite and unique, and it is indeed a place for scholars.
Suzhou Pingtan, which is clean, graceful and elegant, takes Mudu as its holy place; Wu Nong’s soft accent, which people love to talk about, is also the most authentic in Mudu; the famous Suzhou embroidery also originated in Mudu. From these points, it can be seen that Mudu culture has a profound heritage.
—— Anhui——
Xidi
There is a family in the peach blossom garden
Xidi Village is currently the most well-preserved Huizhou architectural complex. It has the reputation of “the most beautiful village in the world” and has been included in the World Heritage List.
The Hui-style buildings are well-proportioned, dotted with bricks, wood, and stone carvings. They are rare in ancient residential buildings in China.
Xidi’s magnificent courtyards, exquisite gardens, and magnificent archways all tell tourists what a peach blossom garden is.
Hongcun
Pink and ink scrolls under Huizhou architecture
Hongcun, known as the “village in Chinese painting”, is famous both at home and abroad for the Oscar-winning movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Historically, it is a place where Wang surnames live together.
Hongcun is built by the mountains and lives facing the lake. The mountains are verdant and misty, sometimes elegant and sometimes dense. There are clear springs gushing, streams gurgling, every family has clear springs, and villages have lakes reflecting them… In front of you is an ancient ink painting soaked in rich Hui culture for thousands of years.
She County
A lifetime of infatuation, no dream to Huizhou
She County has a history of more than 2,200 years. It is one of the birthplaces of Huizhou culture. There are countless ancient towns. , as if stepping into a beautiful landscape gallery, but also as if entering a museum of classical architectural art.
Tang Xianzu’s eternal swan song “I have been infatuated in my life, I have never dreamed of going to Huizhou” tells that the fairyland on earth was originally in Huizhou, which is quiet and peaceful, and the years have been peaceful.
—— Yunnan——
Yunnan Yi Ancient Town
The first place named “Yunnan”
An ancient town without a soul cannot bear the weight of a thousand years. In terms of time, Yunnan Yi was the first to use “Yunnan” as a place name, which is the origin of the name of Yunnan Province. In 1918, Yunnan County was renamed Xiangyun County due to the same name of the province and county. Only “Yunnan Station” has retained the name “Yunnan” for more than 2,000 years.
Yunnan Post has preserved many historical relics and cultural landscapes from the post station period: the quaint town features composed of dwellings, shops, hotels, stables, etc., the road relics of the ancient silk tea horse post road, the old site and relics of the American Flying Tigers during the Anti-Japanese War and many more.
Shaxi Ancient Town
The Millennium Ancient Town on the Ancient Tea Horse Road
The ancient town of Shaxi around Dali is simple, quiet and exquisite. Stroll along the red sandstone slabs in the ancient street, climb up the ancient stage, take a look at the pavement and horse shop in Sifang Street, walk around the Yujin Bridge on the Heilongjiang River, and experience various schools in Xingjiao Temple The temple where Buddhism is integrated into one, listen to the ancient music of the Shaxi Cave Scriptures, and experience the charm of the ancient music of the ancient nation…
The night in the ancient town is very quiet and beautiful. It is also a kind of comfort to live here for two days in a daze.
Heshun Ancient Town
It is like a “idyllic town in heaven and earth”
The TV series “Beijing Love Story” was filmed in Heshun Ancient Town, which is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. The small river flows around the village, and the ancient houses are built around the mountains. Ancestral halls, archways, and ancient houses in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are all over the ancient town. There is a flat river in front of the town. Qingxi surrounds the village, weeping willows blow on the bank, creating a harmonious pastoral scenery.
Sleep lazily here until you wake up naturally, slowly stroll to the food stall at the entrance of the ancient town to eat a bowl of famous local Dajiujia, bask in the sun at the laundry kiosk by the river, and feel the leisurely leisure of the locals…
Shuanglang Ancient Town
Xiaguan Wind Shangguan Huacang Mountain Snow Erhai Moon
The beauty of Dali is neither the soft beauty of a small town in the south of the Yangtze River, nor the flashiness of Lijiang. It is like a pure and natural girl next door, reserved, plain, and authentic. In Dali, I went to Cangshan Mountain and went down to Erhai Lake. I saw the flowers in Shangguan, the wind in Xiaguan, rode around the sea road, and stayed in a daze in the inn. And this is exactly what Dali looks like that I can’t do without!
Shuhe Ancient Town
A quiet town inhabited by the Naxi people
Shuhe Ancient Town is one of the earliest settlements of Naxi ancestors in Lijiang Bazi, and it was also an important post on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Shuhe Ancient Town is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with well-arranged houses and gurgling water in the alleys. The environment is simple and quiet.
—— Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei——
Nuanquan Ancient Town
In the dream, Weizhou does not want to return
Nuanquan Ancient Town is located in the west of Yuxian County, Hebei Province. It is a famous historical and cultural town in China. The ancient town is named “Nuanquan” because of the spring water with the same temperature throughout the year. The ancient town has a long history and is famous for springs, markets, ancient buildings and folk culture. This is also the shooting location of “Bright Sword” and “The Devil Is Coming”.
In Nuanquan Ancient Town, you can wander around in the streets and alleys. There are many buildings inherited from the Ming and Qing Dynasties on both sides.
Luanzhou Ancient Town
Known as “Little Jiangnan in the North”
Luanzhou in Tangshan is an ancient town in the north with a history of 3,000 years. The ancient buildings in Luanzhou are simple and unique, with gentleness flowing out of majesty, and firmness in gentleness. Emperor Qianlong once wrote the quatrains of “a millennium in Luanzhou”.
The small bridges and flowing water change the scenery step by step, and the beautiful courtyards are well arranged. From the style of the gatehouse, screen wall, and hanging flower gate, to the stone, brick, and wood carvings in the courtyard, all of them reveal the prosperity of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Yongnian Guangfu Ancient City
One of the best preserved ancient cities in North China
The ancient city of Yongnian Guangfu in Handan was built in the Spring and Autumn Period. It is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in North China, the only dry land water city in northern China and a world-famous Tai Chi holy place. The city is full of government offices, half of the temples, four main streets, eight alleys, and seventy-two small turns, implying the flexibility of Chinese philosophy. There are still a large number of ancient residential courtyards in the Ming and Qing Dynasties preserved in the city.
The ancient city is surrounded by a 5-kilometer-long moat, and outside the river is Yongnianwa, which covers an area of more than 20 square kilometers. It has accumulated water all year round and is in a wetland state. It is the third largest depression in North China after Baiyangdian Lake and Hengshui Lake. It presents a water town scene of “luxuriant reeds, symbiosis of fish and shrimp, clear water, wind and lotus, geese playing and birdsong”. It is known as “Little Jiangnan”.
Zhengding Ancient City
Mr. Yu Qiuyu called it the beauty of the ages
In history, it was once called “Northern Sanxiong Town” together with Baoding and Beijing, and the stone forehead of “Sanguanxiong Town” is still embedded in the south gate. Zhengding is the hometown of Zhao Zilong, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms.
The long history has left the ancient city with magnificent and unique cultural attractions, known as “three mountains are missing, nine bridges are not flowing, nine floors, four towers, eight temples, and twenty-four golden arches”.
—— Shanxi——
Pingyao Ancient City
One of the best preserved ancient cities
One of the four most well-preserved ancient cities in my country, it has been included in the World Cultural Heritage List. Climb up the city wall and you can overlook the whole picture of the ancient city. Among them, the tower at the South Gate (Yingxun Gate) is the most exquisite, and it is close to the dwellings, and you can see the lives of people in the ancient city.
If you have plenty of time, you can walk around the ancient city along the city wall and experience the style and features of the ancient city in all directions. It will take more than an hour. Watching the sunset on the city wall in the evening, the scenery is beautiful.
—— Hunan——
Fenghuang Ancient City
“China’s most beautiful small town” list
Shen Congwen’s hometown is full of stilted buildings on Qingshiban Road, and is known as “the most beautiful small town in China”. In the depths of the stone alley, pay homage to the former residence of Shen Congwen, looking for the fleeting shadows of the master. Go boating on the Tuojiang River and watch the simple and simple Diaojiaolou with Miao architectural characteristics.
When the rain is hazy, stroll in the old streets and alleys of the ancient city. Phoenix is picturesque all year round, and the Dragon Boat Festival is a popular event here every year.
hibiscus town
The thousand-year-old town hanging on the waterfall
“Wang Village” with a history of more than 2,000 years is one of the four famous towns in Western Hunan, together with Liye Town in Longshan, Luxipu Town, and Chadong Town in Huayuan. Later, because the movie “Furong Town” starring Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing was filmed here, it was renamed “Furong Town”.
Furong Town is a “thousand-year-old town hanging on a waterfall”. The ancient town is built on a tall rock, surrounded by green mountains and green waters. A waterfall with a drop of tens of meters hangs at the foot of the ancient town. The Tujia stilted buildings in the town are close to the waterfall. It was built, and the water of the waterfall flows into the Youshui River, which is very spectacular.
border town
The ancient town of “three provinces with one foot”
A cock crow can wake up the people in the three provinces, and the rooster must be in the border town. Biancheng Town, formerly known as Chadong Town, is located at the junction of Hunan, Chongqing, and Guizhou provinces. On both sides of a Qingshui River, there are Hongan Town in Chongqing and Chadong Town in Hunan. They are both connected to Niejia Town in Guizhou. , so it is known as the ancient town of “three provinces with one foot”.
The fame of the border town also benefits from the “Border Town” written by the famous writer Mr. Shen Congwen. , so Chadong Town was later renamed Biancheng Town.
—— Guangxi——
Huangyao Ancient Town
Little Guilin in Dreamland Homeland
Huangyao Ancient Town, one of the ten most beautiful ancient towns in China, is named “Huangyao” because most of the town’s surnames are Huang and Yao. If you have watched a Hollywood movie called “The Veil”, I believe you will be attracted by the charming scenery in the movie, and Huangyao Ancient Town is the filming location of the movie.
Huang Yao came down to earth like a fairy, blowing a faint breath, covering the town in a dream, exuding natural simplicity and tranquility without a trace of dust.
The stream flows quietly under the Dailong Bridge, the half-moon-like bridge arch reflects in the water, the smoke from the houses on the shore curls up, the ancient banyan opens its arms, quietly watching the old people sipping tea on the steps, and the children running wildly or playing in the water, as if Time freezes here, even breathing carefully, for fear of disturbing the tranquility of this side…
Daxu Ancient Town
The Watcher of the Quiet Time by the Li River
Daxu Ancient Town is one of the “Four Great Fair Towns” in Guangxi. Big”, becoming the most of the four major fair towns in Guangxi.
The ancient Daxu Old Street stretches for 2 kilometers along the Lijiang River. The narrow streets are paved with bluestone slabs, and there are well-preserved old houses on both sides of the slate road.
The residential buildings in the town are low in the south and high in the north, and are built near the river and mountains. Most of them are three-entry and four-entry buildings.
Xingping Ancient Town
A Bright Pearl on the Li River
Xingping Ancient Town is 25 kilometers away from Yangshuo County, and the back view of 20 yuan is in Xingping. The outline of the city wall of the ancient town is still clear, and fragments of ancient bricks, tiles and ceramics can be seen everywhere. It is just that the bustling county town where cars and horses used to come and see people, presents a quiet atmosphere with green hills and a few cottages.
The ancient bridges, ancient ferries, ancient pavilions, ancient theaters, ancient temples, ancient villages, ancient trees and ancient village buildings here have relatively completely maintained the original historical environment. Long and long, the ancient alley is deep”.
—— Sichuan and Chongqing——
Langzhong Ancient City
Zhongtian Building where Fengshui culture gathers
The ancient city of Langzhong, located in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, is one of the four ancient cities in China (the other three are Lijiang in Yunnan, Pingyao in Shanxi, and Shexian County in Anhui). It has been an important military town in Ba and Shu since ancient times.
The folk houses in the ancient city of Langzhong have a unique style, a chessboard pattern, and buildings that integrate the styles of the north and the south, which is a typical example of the “unity of man and nature” in ancient Chinese cities.
Longevity Ancient Town
land of fish and rice
Chongqing Changshou has ancient towns, old streets, mountains, waterfalls, and delicious food. It is known as the “Little Lijiang” of Chongqing. Between the new and old urban areas of Changshou, there is a Ming and Qing street market complex. Commonly known as the Three Turns, the quaint house exudes the smell of human fireworks…
The ancient town of Changshou, 78 kilometers away from the main city of Chongqing, has too many antique buildings, showing Bayu culture and Chinese Shou culture! The ancient town has a big festival every season, a small festival every month, activities every week, and something to watch every day. The air here is fresh, the mountains are green and the water is beautiful, and it is known as “the land of richness, the land of fish and rice” in history.
Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village
Yu Qiuyu: Answer everything with beauty
Mr. Yu Qiuyu gave a very good evaluation of Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village: answer everything with beauty. There are more than ten natural villages built on the mountain here, which is the largest Miao village in China and even the world, and is known as the No. 1 Miao village in China.
Row upon row of wooden houses built on the mountain, layer upon layer, complex but not chaotic, gathered and orderly, giving people a strong shock, a stunning beauty that makes people intoxicated. The unique tranquility and serenity of the mountain village, as if the whole village is a boat drifting in the morning mist, the scenery in front of you has a feeling of going through the tunnel of time and coming to your hometown.
Zhenyuan Ancient Town
Ancient town of ink and wash, beautiful mountains and rivers
The river in Zhenyuan Ancient Town meanders through the city in an “S” shape, forming a pattern similar to a Tai Chi diagram, so it is also called Bagua Ancient Town. The ancient streets and alleys in the city are winding and secluded, the stone bridges and city walls are well-arranged, the clear water and morning mist are full of poses, and the spring river and fishing fire are full of poetry!
Black bricks and black tiles, high-sealed fire walls, cornices and corners, carved beams and painted buildings, every piece of bluestone and every piece of blue brick records historical relics, weeping the vicissitudes of the thousand-year-old town.
appropriate time,
Find a comfortable and leisurely ancient town,
Let the rhythm slow down, even if you are only in a daze,
You can also enjoy yourself leisurely.
— END —
