Chapter 24 Summer in Yangzhou

Summer in Yangzhou Since Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, Yangzhou has been praised by poets and literati. If there are many people who praise it for a long time, most people will follow suit.Until now, if you mention the name Yangzhou to someone, he will nod or shake his head and say: "Good place! Good place!" Especially for those who have never been to Yangzhou but read some Tang poems, Yangzhou is really like a mirage in his heart It is as beautiful as a city; if he has read books such as "Yangzhou Painting Boat Record", it will be even more amazing.But for a person like me who has lived in Yangzhou for a long time, he does not have so many beautiful fantasies. His hatred may cover up his hobbies; he may have been away for three or four years without thinking about it.If so, what do you think he is thinking?Woman; Yes, this seems to be famous, but I'm afraid it's not a woman nowadays, right? ——He can only think about the summer in Yangzhou, although it still has something to do with women.

One big difference between the north and the south, in my opinion, is that there is no water in the north but there is water in the south.It is true that there has been heavy rain in the north this year, and the Yongding River and the Daqing River have even broken their embankments, but this does not count as water; although the Three Seas and the Summer Palace in Beiping are a little watery, they are too flat to be seen at a glance, and the boats are so clumsy.The one with water is still the south.In summer in Yangzhou, most of the benefits are on the water - some people call it "Slender West Lake". This name is really "thin". of.The place where you disembark is the moat, which stretches along and twists and turns until you reach Pingshan Hall, which is a name you are familiar with. There are seven or eight miles of rivers and many tributaries.In fact, this river has no great advantages, but it is winding and quiet, which is different from other places.

The most famous scenery along the river is Xiaojin Mountain, Fahai Temple, and Wuting Bridge; the farthest is Pingshan Hall.You all know Jinshan, but Xiaojinshan is in the middle of the water.Looking at the water is the best there, and watching the moon is also good—but I have never had such a blessing. Nine out of ten people who "go down the river" come here, and there are inevitably too many people.There is a tower in Fahai Temple, which is the same as the one in Beihai. It is said that it was built by the salt merchants who urged the craftsmen overnight when Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River.Fahai Temple is famous for this pagoda; but there is another one, you can't guess, it is braised pig's head.Eating braised pig's head in summer may not be suitable in theory; but in practice, eating it sweating is not bad.As the name suggests, Wuting Bridge is a bridge of five pavilions.The bridge is arched, with the tallest pavilion in the middle and four pavilions on both sides, which are unevenly proportioned; it is best to look at it from a distance or see its shadow.There are quite a lot of bridge openings, and it has a different flavor to walk around by boat.Pingshan hall is on Shugang.Ascending the hall, you can see the pale outlines of the mountains in the south of the Yangtze River; the sentence "whether the mountains are beautiful or not" is just right in my opinion, and it is not wrong.There are fewer tourists here, and you can sit in the hall for a long time.The scenery along the road is also better than silence.Disembark from Tianning Gate or North Gate.The winding city wall reflected dark shadows in the water, and the boat passed leisurely, as if there was no noise on the shore.

There are three kinds of boats: large boats are specially used for banquets and tours, and can carry prostitutes or play cards.When I was a child, I often went with my father and listened to the records of Moudeli Matheson in the boat.There are probably fewer boats like this now, right?The second is the "little boat", which is really like a piece of watermelon, supported by a man or woman with a penny.If there are too many people on board, you can hire two, and use small stools to straddle them: this can also be regarded as an "ark".Later, there was another kind of "foreign boat", which was smaller than a big boat and bigger than a "small boat", with a cloth awning on it to cover the sun and rain. There are more and more "foreign boats" and fewer big boats, but "small boats" are always in demand.This is not only because the price is the cheapest, but also because it is smart.Sitting alone in the boat, let a person stand on the stern and support it with a penny. It is like a Tang poem or a landscape painting.And some young people with good deeds are willing to punting by themselves, and they must be "little boats". Although "small boats" are cheap, there are some differences.For example, as you can imagine, it is always more expensive for women to punting; naturally, it is even more expensive for girls to punting.These women punting the boats are what some people call "boat girls on the Slender West Lake".There are probably many stories about boat girls, but I don't know much about them.It is said that those who are dressed in rough clothes with messy hair and are naturally funny are the winners; middle-aged people who are funny are still considered good.But at the beginning, it was just a play on the occasion, or it didn't hurt Lianhui; later, when there was a price, it didn't mean anything.

The area outside the north gate is called Xiajie. There are many "tea houses", often facing the river.When the ship passes by, tea drinkers and passengers can greet and talk casually.If the people on board are happy, they can also ask for a pot of tea or one or two kinds of "xiaolong dim sum" from the teahouse, and drink, eat and talk in the river.When you come back, you will hand over the teapot, the so-called small cage, and the price to the people in the teahouse.The punters are all familiar with the teahouse, and they are not afraid that you will eat for free.The Xiaolong dim sum in Yangzhou is really good: I have traveled to seven or eight places, large and small, after leaving Yangzhou, but I have never eaten such a good dim sum; this is actually worth remembering.The place of the teahouse is generally good, and the name is quite good.Such as Xiangying Gallery, Luyang Village, and Hongye Mountain Villa are all still remembered.The guise of Lvyang Village is hung on the Lvyang trees, blowing in the wind, reminding people of the famous saying "Lvyang City is Yangzhou".There are also small ponds, clumps of bamboo, and thatched pavilions inside, and the scenery is the most secluded.The teahouses in this area are well-organized, far from being comparable to the teahouses in Shanghai and Beijing.

"Going down the river" is always in the afternoon.When I came back in the evening, I went ashore in the twilight, folded my coat and put it on my wrist, waving the fan slightly with one hand; in this way, I entered the North Gate or Tianning Gate and walked back home.At this time, you can read the poem "Have a half-day leisure in a floating life again". (Originally published in Issue 4 of "Baihua Xunkan" on December 11, 1929)