| Shaxi 沙溪 古镇沙溪 |
|
|---|---|
| — town — | |
| 沙溪镇 | |
| view in day and night of Shaxi | |
| Shaxi | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Province | Jiangsu |
| Prefecture-level city | Suzhou |
| Country-level city | Tacicang |
| Established | Yuan Dynasty |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town government |
| • mayor of town | 陈顺葆 |
| • deputy mayor of town | 陈玉碧，梁华祥，梁冬晓，黄振球 |
| • party secretary | 胡永康 |
| • chairman of People's Congress | 胡永康 |
| • secretary of discipline inspection comittee | 李周亮 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 132.41 km2 (51.1 sq mi) |
| Regional dialect | 沙溪话 |
| License plate prefix | 苏E |
| Website | http://www.shaxi.gov.cn/zhengwu/leader_list.aspx |
Shaxi (Chinese: 沙溪; pinyin: shaxi) is located in the middle of the city Taicang in Jiangsu province in China. The total population is 91,000. It is about 50 kilometers apart from the Shanghai Hong Qiao Airport. As a rare ancient town, Shaxi has a long history and distinctive sightseeing and rich specialties. To praise and memorize its amazing scenery, there is a folk saying that “eighteen towns in South-East, Shaxi is the first” floating around the region. Thank to its amazing attractions, tourism has become a new economic growth point.
In the increasingly modernized society nowadays, more and more natural places are ruined. So it's rare that Shaixi can be protected in such a good condition. Due to that, Shaixi gained many titles and high reputation all over the country.[1]
| Time | Title |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Jiangsu historic culture town |
| 2005 | Chinese historic culture town[2] |
| top ten tourist town in Suzhou | |
| township of Chinese folk art | |
| 2008 | national dancing town[3] |
| national dance training base[4] |
Contents |
The history of Shaxi can be dated back to Yuan Dynasty. According to historical records, around Dang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, the town had been existed but at that time, it had another different name. Until Yuan Dynasty, it started to be called Shaxi. For the reason that its location is near a lake, Qipu, it was also called Qixi.
Since entered the Koji years in Ming Dynasty, the town was becoming more and more prosperous. Many ministers wth high ranks in the court all chose Shaxi as the site to build their magnificent mansions in succession. Thank to these ministers's arrival, the street and alleies sharply became booming and busy day and night.
Then come the Ming and Qing Dynasty. At that times, foreign advanced culture and technology started coming in and quietly ruined Chinese traditional life pattern. With the development of business and commerce, many people involved themselves in this field. As a result, numerous businessmen sprung up in the streets and lanes and they badly call for a fixed place to carry on various activities incluing cultural communication and many commodity economic activities. So many constructions were built beside or over the Qipu Lake and an historic stone bridge was finished across the Lake. Since then, these unique constructions become Shaxi's eye-catching views. What's more, Shaxi is one of the important bithplaces of Chinese national industry and it is the key industrial town among the region of Taicang. In the Guang Xu thirty-two years in Qing Dynasty, the first textile industrial plat of Jiangsu province was established in this small town, Shaxi.
Ancient town Shaxi actually has a nickname "the second Zhouzhuang", but that doesn't mean the landscape in Shaixi is inferior to Zhouzhuang. In fact, each of the two towns has its special flavor. We cannot clearly who is better and every person has his or her own standard of judgement. I am going to introduce Shaxi's three main features differing from other towns.
The old residences which can go back to Qing Dynasty are sitting at both sides of Qipu Lake. The whole length is approximately 1.5 kilometers. The window of the house is a highlight. Each pane has unique patterns and the only similarity is that they are all so delicate. The accessment between house to the river is stony steps. To conclude, the water mansions, which present the simple and elegant posture, are treasured cultural heritages.
In the old street, from east to west, there are three parallel old bridges built in Ming or Qing Dynasty across Qipu Lake. From the distance, we can see that the arch bridge combines with its shadow so that a circle is formed. In the river, several boats decorating by red latterns are always casually floating with the wind. All the objects make the town seem more peaceful and harmonious.
Although we have come inti the modern society, in Shaxi, an old street still remained almost perfect. The old street is parallel to the Qipu Lake and it is 1.5 kilometers long. At each side, the constructions display quaint and elegant style. Whether the rooves, the windows or the doors, they all have fine caved patterns. The space between houses and houses constitutes a long narrow lane. In recent days, on account of the investigation by the town government, some bronze persons who have different gestures are standing in the street. Almost every tour group coming here will choose to take photos with these vivid bronze persons. Nowadays, this old street has become a symbol of Shaxi without doubt.
Shaxi has many beautiful attractions which visitors mustn't miss. Here is going to recommend two main senic spots.
Leyin Park (乐荫园，pinyin：LèYīnYuán) was originally named Leyin Park (乐隐园，pinyin：LèYǐnYuán). In classical Chinese, the word "隐" means hermit. According to a professional book collector Chenjian, in Taicang, he recommends that this park in Yuan Dynasty was a private park. A hermit, Qun Xiaozhen(瞿孝祯)built this park and treated it as his own study. There is a legend circulating in civil. It is said that Qun had great aptitude in each arts like chess, painting, calligraphy and music. Usually, he invited other masters to enjoy the beautiful scenery. While they were addicted in the fantastic views, they couldn't help creating artificial works to express their deep affection to nature. But as Qun's household began to decline, he had to sell the ownership. Since then, the park was damaged little by little and eventually it was deserted. The park we can see now is rebuilt base on the old site. In 1982, the park was officially renamed as "乐荫园". In a word, this park has been so peaceful, quiet and elegant since ancient times and its birth is exactly a reflection of human's pursuit to simple life.
The bounding walls are built by imitating the style of Humble Administrator's Garden. A horizontal inscribed board was hung on the top of the front door. The park's name was written on it and the three characters are the work of Zhu Jizhan, a great master of traditional Chinese pating who have high reputation at home and abroad.
Inside the park, most of the constructions are built beside the water. Rockery mountains, greenwoods, bamboo groves and lawns are here and there. The park is about 22.5 acres and the region of water covers an area of 5 acres. Across the main water, there is a lotus leaf bridge. The style of the bridge is very unique. The roads are paved by thousands od small rocks. In the north, many delicate bonsais, which are taken care of by an old couple, are quietly showing their beauty to visitors.
In the past, when night fell, boys and girls from fishman family would spontaneously gather in the lake. They sang to each other with deep emotion, which seemed so romantic. The character "荫" of the park's name is the same as another Chinnese character "姻" in pronunciation. The word "姻"，in Chiese, has the meaning of destiny which can bring couples together. So it is said that if you come to this park, you would encountered you fatal spouse.
In Shaxi, there is another scenic spot, a small island called Olive Island in the south. The reason why its name is olive is that the outlook seen from the sky is similar to olive. The island is 1,350 meters long and covers an area of 13,500 square meters. Each time hot season comes, almost every tourist visiting the town won’t miss this spot.
According to the old people living in the town, the island is man-made. In 1956, the government dug out a new Qipu Lake and it is connected to the old Qipu. A small land was left in the middle space. Gradually, this small land becomes the following Olive Island.
In the island, there is a well-known bridge named “Five-Dragon Bridge” (五龙桥，pinyin：WuLongQiao). The bridge also has a magic legend. It is said that in the past, residents held a grand Dragon Boat Competition. The God was touched by people’s spirit so he sent five dragons to man’s world to support this event. In order to memorize this event, people built the bridge. Today’s bridge in Olive Island isn’t the original one. In 2000, town government invests money and energy in rebuilding it. There are many old pavilions inside the island. “listening tide pavilion” (听潮亭) is one. By its name, we can imagine that visitors can hear the continuous tide when they sit in the pavilion. Because this island is set in the junction of new and old Qipu Lakes, in the past, the sound of tides was spread through the whole island. But now, we hardly hear the loud tide, which is a great pity. Another famous pavilion is called “Green Bamboo Pavilion” (晚翠亭). Beside the pavilion, a lot of green bamboo shoots are planted. In the sunset, many birds will fly here. Hearing the twitter and feel the touch of breeze, we will keep calm and peaceful. In addition to bamboo shoots, there are various plants and flowers in it. For instance, may flower and gardenia. As soon as we enter the island, we can feel the fragrant phenomenon. Usually, every summer, residents will come to Olive Island to enjoy the cool.
As an outstanding town, many celebrities are born here influenced by its unique human environment. The following table shows several crucial figures in both current and historical times of Shaxi.[9][10] [11]
| NAME | TIMES | POSITION |
|---|---|---|
| Wu Xiaobang （吴晓邦） | in early Republic of China | the founder of China's new dance |
| Lu Jingshi (陆京士) | the Republic of China | former mayor in Taipei |
| Sang Yue （桑月） | historian | |
| Tang Wenzhi (唐文治) | modern history | educator |
| Gong Shumo （龚树模） | astrologer | |
| Gong Jiong （龚炯） | Children's literator | |
| Gu Atao （顾阿桃） | the celebrity of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution |
To add, the former residences of Wu Xiaobang of Lu Jingshi are still in Shaxi town. They have become treasured tourist spots and are absoultely two spots not to be missed. Inside the houses, many articles the celebrities ever used and some crucial stuff which records their contributions in their life time are presented. The precious sites are now being protected by town government.
Gong Wenya （龚文雅） is a great Shaxi woman. Although she is far less famous than the above several celebrities, she is different from common household wives. [12]
She was born in September, 1965. She was ever awarded as "Jiangsu Brilliant Parents", "Jiangsu Excellent Individual of Female Re-employment", "Suzhong Model Worker", "Touch Suzhou Top Ten Mothers", "top ten persons of the thirteenth Taicang New Types of Men and Objects", etc.
Actually, her life time is uneven and is filled with ups and downs. But it is because these harsh difficulties make her who she is now. Of course, the most conclusive factor of her success is her exceptional spirit and will to confront the bad aspects in her life.
In 1988, Gong married to Shaxi from another town in the same city. She became a simple clerk in a shopping mall. During the working time, she learned how to serve and how to simile to welcome costomers. Moreover,she started understanding that only honesty can make one get really successful career. These spirital harvests made large effects on her later success.
Unfortunately, in one accident, her husband was severely wounded and lost the working ability. Trouble never come alone. her baby was examined as congenital disabled. What's worse, the shopping mall she served were facing a great loss and had to dismissed several employees. Gong was right in the list. At that period, Gong's life was completely dark.
But, to support her family, Gong chose to be strong. She decided to quit the job and to start her own business, a poor fast-food stand. She didn't have any rest money so she took all the jobs. She was a boss, also a waitress, a delivery person and a cleaner. She never stopped working until two o'clock in the morning.
The small stand took her many time and energy, but eventually she did it and gained some capital. Gong is eager to have her own storefront. So she opened her first small restaurant, Taihua Restaurant. At the beginning, facing the fierce competition, her restaurant developed slowly. But she didn't give up. Instead, she accelerated the pace to launch new dishes and gradually improve inner management. What's more, she insisted a motto that a qualified restaurant should make every customer at home. Day after day, quietly, her restaurant achieved some fame in Shaxi. In this way, from a little to sensational fame, the scale of the restaurant became larger. In the third year, Taihua Restaurant had three floors and the area was up to about 1,000 square meters. Annual taxes were over 200,000 yuan. In April, 2005, Gong invested over 700,000 yuan in opening the second restaurant, New Taihua Restaurant, which is set meals, lodging and entertainment into one comprehensive restaurant. New Taihua's size is three times larger than the old one. Now, the name Taihua has become an emblem of Shaxi's catering industry.
Rou is one of Shaxi's three treasures. Whether in small canteens or in high level restaurants, we can always find its trace. A restaurant which is famous for a dish called taro stew Rou is quite hot in Shaxi. Almost every customers coming here will order this delicious dish. The way to cook a real Rou is very compllicated. The most important step is picking up a suitable fatter pork.Certain flavours are required to take in some oil。
[13] Salty pig bone porridge is another special dish in Shaxi. The porridge is sweet and warm, fragrant and catchy. Furthermore, it has a effective function of tighting the beauty, so it's many women's best choice.
The ingredients of this dish contain moderate amount of pig bones, four unclear red dates, four portions of preserved duck egg yolk, a few fruit peelings, some ginger, some chopped spring onions, a little salt, chicken slice and a little rice wine.
Wash the pig bone with clean water, marinate the bone with salt then put it to the fridge for a whole night.Put red dates, preserved duck egg yolk, fruit peelings, ginger and chicken slice to the porridge to clay pot together.Use boiled water to evaporate the salted pig bone and add some rice wine to reduce peculiar smell.Put evaporated pig bone to the porridge. Use high heat to boil it. Then simmer it on a lower heat for half an hour. Before eating, add some chopped spring onions on it.
The town government acclerates its pace to construct Shaxi into a modernized town. http://www.tcyfw.com/city/tcnews/2011/0307/22211.html