The Chen Gong Bridge is no less important to Hangzhou than the West Lake. The sky and clouds of the West Lake are symbols of Hangzhou's humanistic atmosphere, and the canal years of Chen Gong Bridge are a portrayal of economic changes.
The Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, which has been flowing for thousands of years, has nurtured the city and nourished the Qiantang literati. Half of my trip to Hangzhou was on the canal, and the Chen Gong Bridge was the first scenic spot.
The canal runs through Hangzhou from south to north, and the location of Chen Gong Bridge is the end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal to Hangzhou. In ancient times, merchants in Hangzhou drifted for many days, and even when they saw this bridge, they returned to their hometown. In this way, perhaps the most common thought of businessmen at night is not the West Lake, but the bridge.
The history of Chen Gong Bridge is much later than that of Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. It was built in 163 1 year. Emperor Chongzhen had just ascended the throne for four years, but the young emperor, who was only 20 years old, made great efforts to save the declining Ming Dynasty in the west, but ultimately failed.
The bridge was built by Zhu Huafeng, a juren at that time. It is 98m long and16m high. The middle part of the bridge deck is slightly narrower than 5.9 meters, and the width of piers at both ends is 12.2 meters. At this time, Hangzhou has become a key node of the Canal, with masts towering like forests and Yun Fan covering the sky. The Chen Gong Bridge connects the two banks of the canal, further prospering the commerce on both sides of the canal.
Chen Gong's name, according to textual research, comes from The Analects of Confucius. Confucius said, "Governing the country by virtue is like Beichen, where it lives and the stars are * * *". This word evolved from "Gong" and "Chen".
The completion of the Chen Gong Bridge has made the surrounding businesses particularly prosperous. Qiaoxi formed a lively market, which was called "Beiguan Night Market" in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
In the Qing dynasty, it was further prosperous. Six lines, namely Mihang, Fish Line, Paper Line, Wine Line, Chai Line and Foreign Line, and six halls, namely, tobacco hall, teahouse, theater, restaurant and gambling hall, were all built along the river, which once presented the grand occasion of "the river is thousands of miles long, the bridge is dense and people are dense".
From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, the canal was blocked by war, and the function of water transport declined day by day, but the prosperous business in the west of Qiaoxi never subsided.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Gongchenqiao area became an important origin of modern national industry in Hangzhou and even Zhejiang. The earliest national industrial enterprise in Zhejiang-Uni-President Yarn Factory was born here. Running a factory requires electricity, so Chen Gong Bridge became the earliest place to use electricity in Zhejiang.
1August, 89615th, the world silk reeling factory introduced the most advanced DC power generation equipment at that time, so the first electric light in Zhejiang was lit in the west of Chen Gong Bridge.
Not only the first electric light, but also the first theater, the first cinema and the first newspaper in Hangzhou are all related to qiaoxi district. The Chen Gong Bridge has been accompanied by the canal for nearly 400 years. When the mission of the canal came to an end, it quietly opened the curtain of modern industry in Hangzhou.
This ancient canal flows slowly and silently. I stood on the shore and looked at the three-hole arch bridge. This bridge is magnificent and elegant, just like Changhong lying on the waves, drawing a beautiful arc. When applying for world cultural heritage, China Grand Canal was one of the first 58 heritages.
Nowadays, Qiaoxi Historic District has withdrawn from its mission, and pedestrians walking on the Chen Gong Bridge have become tourists and passers-by.
Ancient bridges and streets, burning with traces of the times, have become places for tourists to remember the past and present. Modern industrial workshops have also become museums-China Umbrella Museum, China Fan Museum and China Knife Museum.
The museums in Hangzhou are as gentle and chivalrous as this city. There is both the tenderness of a paper fan and an oil umbrella and the loyalty of a cold sword and a machete, which makes people half love and admire. This is really a special city.
You can go to all three museums, each with its own merits, and you don't charge admission. I like the Umbrella Museum best. Pale ink painting with white walls and black tiles has great oriental aesthetic charm. Along the way, all kinds of umbrellas, such as feather umbrellas, bamboo umbrellas, silk umbrellas, paper umbrellas and modern umbrellas, abound, dazzling and dazzling.
The alleys in Qiaoxi block also have elegant charm. Narrow alleys crisscross under Huizhou architecture, and Qingshi Road is polished by rain. Walking in the alley, it seems that a girl with an oil-paper umbrella will appear at the end at any time, but she still doesn't appear in the end.
I believe Dai Wangshu doesn't often meet girls when he strolls in the alley. Dreaming is the most beautiful poem, and a person is more lonely.
Turn out from the rain lane, and you will see many Chinese medicine museums, all of which are old brands in Hangzhou. Many people come to get medicine every day. It seems that Chinese medicine in Hangzhou is very famous, and there is also a drugstore-Qingyutang in Hefang Street, which was the best in the south of the Yangtze River in its heyday, and its owner was Hu Xueyan, a wealthy businessman in the late Qing Dynasty.
Although there are not many historical sites left in Qiaoxi block and most of the houses are newly built, it is still the best place to see Hangzhou Canal culture. If nothing else, the Chen Gong Bridge alone is worth it.
Address: intersection of Qiaonong Street and Dachuan Temple, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, free of charge.
Transportation: Take Metro Line 5, get off at Grand Canal Station and walk eastward 1 km.
Author: Lin, a famous traveler! Feel the magnificent mountains and rivers with me and appreciate all kinds of life.