Zhou Zuoren
Zi Rongjun:
After receiving the handwritten letter, I knew that you were going to my hometown and asked me to give you some guidance. To be honest, my hometown, where I really feel nostalgic, is not there; But because I grew up there and lived there for more than ten years, I know a little about it, so I write this letter to tell you.
what I want to tell you is not the local customs there, which is inexhaustible, but you will understand it when you go there, so you don't need to go into details. What I want to say is a very interesting thing, and this is a boat. You usually take rickshaws, trams or cars in your hometown, but there are none in my hometown. Except in the city or on the mountain, you usually take a boat instead of walking. There are two kinds of boats. Generally, they are all "Wupeng boats", while those with white tents are mostly used for sailing. It is also very interesting to go to Xiling by night boat, but it is always inconvenient for you to sit, so I can stop talking about it. The big awning boat is "Siming tile", and the small one is also called a boat for foot rowing. But the most suitable is the "three roads" in the middle, which is Sanming tile. The awning is semi-circular, woven with bamboo pieces, with bamboo poles in the middle and black oil on it. Between the two "fixed awnings", there is a sunshade, which is also semi-circular, with small fish scales embedded in it, which is about one inch in diameter, quite transparent, slightly like glass and durable. This is called Ming tile. Sanming tile, that is, there are two in the cabin, and there is a Ming tile in the back cabin. There are about two oars at the stern, and there are bamboo poles at the bow to book the ship. The bow looks like a tiger, but it seems to be smiling, which is quite funny and not terrible, except for the white-covered boat. The height of three canopies can make you stand upright, and the cabin width can put down a square table, and four people can sit and fight horses.-I'm afraid you have learned this, too? The boat is really a flat boat. You sit on the bottom seat, and the top of the canopy is two or three inches away from your head. You can put your hands on the left and right sides, and you can also show your hands outside. In this kind of boat, it's like sitting on the water. When you get close to the beach, the soil will be close to your eyes and nose. In addition, if you encounter the wind and waves, or sit a little carelessly, the boat will turn upside down and be in danger, but it is also quite interesting, which is a feature of the water town. But you don't have to go there. You'd better take those three boats.
if you go out by boat, you can't be as impatient as a tram, and you can't wait to get there at once. If you go out of the city and walk thirty or forty miles (the mileage in our place is very short, one mile is only one-third of the mile), you always have to prepare for a day's journey back and forth. When you are sitting on a boat, you should have the attitude of traveling around the mountains. Look around. You can see mountains everywhere, sapium sebiferum by the shore, Polygonum cuspidatum and white apples by the river, fishing houses, and various bridges. When you are sleepy, sleep in the cabin and take out your essays, or make a bowl of green tea to drink. I like the Jianhu area outside the partial gate, Hejiachi, and the pot near the left, or go to Lougong port to visit Lanting by donkey (but I advise you to walk or ride donkey or it is not suitable for you), and it is quite interesting to come to the east gate of the city when it is dusk. If the road is not calm, you can sail in the afternoon when you go to Hangzhou. The scenery at dusk is the best, but unfortunately I have forgotten the names of these places. Sleeping in the cabin at night, listening to the sound of water sculling, the greeting of ships coming and going, and the barking of dogs and chickens in the country are also very interesting. Hiring a boat to go to the countryside to see the Temple Opera can help you understand the true interest of China's old operas, and you can move freely on the boat, watch whenever you want, sleep whenever you want, and drink whenever you want. I think it can also be regarded as an ideal method of eating, drinking and enjoying. It's a pity that these plays and receptions have been banned since the Reform. Middle-class imbeciles should not build "sea-style" theatres in places such as the Cloth Guild Hall, and please buy tickets to see the cat and child play in Shanghai. You must not go to these places. I'm afraid no one knows you when you come to my hometown. I'm sorry and disappointed that I can't accompany you to play, take a night boat and talk about idle days because I'm teaching. Mr. and Mrs. Chuan Dao are now at the foot of the mountain and could have introduced them to you, but I'm afraid they will have left their hometown when you get there. At the beginning of the cold, be kind and cherish yourself.
On the night of November 18th, 15th year (November 1926), I was in Beijing.