Today’s run was along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal heading south to Hangzhou East Railway Station. The Zheyao Park at the starting point was originally called Shixiang Shipyard. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was opposite the Beixing Shipyard on the other side of the canal. Looking across the river, I don’t know how many cargo ships passing on the river were repaired amidst the clanging sounds.
Gaoting Snow is a scenic spot next to Beixing Pavilion. I only saw the sign of the scenic spot, but not Gaoting Mountain, let alone the snow on the pavilion. Since Niu Gao is from Hangzhou, I can only vaguely guess that the name of Gaoting Mountain should be related to Niu Gao.
Running south to Gongchen Bridge, the Canal Square suddenly became lively. The stone monument beside Gongchen Bridge said it was the southern end of the canal. A couplet on the archway said, "Wugou, Sui and Cao were the great construction of the three dynasties, one water and five rivers." "Thousand-mile thoroughfares of six provinces" describes the profoundness of the Grand Canal from the two dimensions of time and space.
The story of the canal can only be seen after running back and forth to understand the meaning of this conjunction. The Canal Plaza to the east of the archway is a lively business district. The young people who were street dancing at the entrance of the shopping mall last night and the old people on the west bank of the river this morning who were singing red songs and practicing their voices were right next to each other. There was no sense of incompatibility. There is a water bus pavilion at Gongchen Bridge, where several old people who have no time requirements are waiting for the boat to Wulinmen.
I saw a brief introduction here on Dahu Road saying that since the Qing Dynasty, water gates have been set up here, and roads have been set up to collect taxes from passing merchants. Due to the economic prosperity, the tax figures here are quite astonishing, and it is an important part of the Qing Empire. Source of tax.
Go south again until you encounter a branch of a small river that merges into the canal from the east - the Shengli River. Think about it, you just encountered a river called the Hongqi River upstream. You will feel sorry for the imprint left by that revolutionary era, and the charm of the Grand Canal is just like this. In just a few kilometers, you pass through thousands of years of history. This run is long enough.
The food street by the Shengli River is a tourist delicacy created for tourists. The Fuyi Granary by the river was a granary built by Futai officials since the Qing Dynasty. This granary was large in scale and of strategic significance at that time. It is far-reaching and is known as the "granary of the world" together with Beijing's "Nan Xincang". This warehouse has traveled thousands of kilometers.
Xiangji Temple is the last stop of my canal run. The newly built temple feels like the architectural style of the early Tang Dynasty. It is said that this is the last temple before the Grand Canal leaves Hangzhou, and it is also the last stop of my canal run. It’s a temple, if there is any more waves, you will miss the train (face covering)
Going down the river, there are cargo ships walking slowly along the river from time to time. There is an uncle holding a baby in his arms. He is not well-off on the cargo ship. Lounging on the deck; there was an elder sister who took advantage of the still bright sunshine to dry the sheets; there were aunts washing pots and bowls for breakfast on the side; and there were strong workers moored on the shore waiting to load and unload demolition construction debris. In the future, the houses that have been lost should be transformed into antique canal scenic spots, just like the teahouses, B&Bs or various specialty shops on Dadou Road and Xiaohezhi Street now; there are even cruise ships passing by slowly, with people on board drinking tea and watching. On both sides of the Taiwan Strait, we are each other’s scenery. I always imagined that there would be a wormhole of time on this river, and these boats would sail into the Sui and Song Dynasties a thousand years ago or into Tongzhou thousands of miles away. In addition, when we meet again in that parallel space, we may not still be looking at each other from afar, but we will have the intimacy of meeting in another time and space.
Just running in a leisurely manner, the only four kilometers in the Yuepao Circle were turned into the song of the canal. This song, along with the square dance and singing of the aunt on the other side of the river, became part of my daily life. I feel that the west bank of the river is a more simple and authentic residential area. I have no time to experience it this time. Next time I go to the other bank, I will play another song.