Chapter 4 Chapter 2 The Philosophy of Suzhou People

Everyone says their hometown is good, everyone says their hometown is beautiful, but when I talk about Suzhou, I often feel that my pen is not enough. This is because the changes in contemporary Suzhou are difficult to describe and filter in a few words and chapters. Clear.Even the fathers and villagers who live and fight in this hot land sympathize with me on this point. What is contemporary Suzhou?Some people say that Suzhou is a model, some people say that Suzhou is a kind of spirit, and some people say that Suzhou is the road and direction of China's socialist modernization.In fact, from the day when Wu Zixu built the "Hechang City", Suzhou was destined to be a unique, a culture, a spiritual home engraved with China's unique culture and progressive pursuit.

The meaning of "paradise" mentioned by people is probably the spiritual home and destination of this unique oriental culture and striving pursuit. The term "heaven" has existed since ancient times, and it is the highest state of life pursued by the Orientals.We now use "well-off society" as a pursuit goal in this life. "The people are tired, and they can be well-off." There is. "Well-off" is a longing goal of the oriental people for the present life, and "heaven" is a kind of dream pursuit of the oriental for the future world. "Well-off" and "heaven" contain all the life philosophy pursuits of the oriental people for the present life and the afterlife.

Suzhou has been called "paradise on earth" in ancient and modern times, and contemporary Suzhou is a model and model of the first "moderately prosperous society" under the characteristics of Chinese socialism. The development history of Suzhou in the past 30 years may be a masterpiece. Someone said to me: You should write about the history of education development in Suzhou.I set foot a little, and found that Suzhou in this area was so dazzling yesterday and today. Yesterday’s education in Suzhou can be said to be star-studded. There is Sun Wu, an ancient military educator, whose thirteen chapters of "The Art of War" have been handed down for thousands of years.It is said that the king of Wu at that time wanted to test whether Sun Wu's art of war was effective in actual combat, so he ordered him to train the maids. As a result, when Sun Wu ordered the flag to come out, the two concubines of King Wu laughed and fought, and Sun Wu immediately killed them. They had no military knowledge at all. The ladies of the palace immediately practiced solemnly, and their military appearance was neat.Sun Tzu's Art of War has been famous all over the world since then, and has been used by Chinese and foreign military academic circles.As a native of Suzhou yesterday, another educator I admire is Fan Zhongyan, a great thinker, statesman, and writer in the Song Dynasty.Fan Gong's famous saying "worry about the world's worries first, and enjoy the world's joys later" is the motto of the ages. When he was an official in Suzhou, he chose a place to set up his family. After seeing it, Mr. Feng Shui saw it and said, "This is the dragon head. As a treasure land, the descendants of the Fan family will be high officials for generations."When Fan Zhongyan heard this, he immediately changed his mind. He funded the construction of a Confucian temple and a school, creating the first county school in China to cultivate high-level talents at that time, and thus creating the beginning of the style of study in Suzhou. "I, Su, have the best county in the world, the best learning in the world, and the best talents in the world, that's great!" Fan Zhongyan praised in "Sujun Confucianism Xingxiu Ji".Since then, the style of study in Suzhou has been "the best in the world", so Suzhou talents have emerged in an endless stream, and it has become the cradle of outstanding Chinese talents.The style of education in Suzhou in the later dynasties was even more prosperous. Famous educators such as Kuang Zhong in the early Ming Dynasty, Feng Menglong, the designer and literary educator of the Forbidden City in Beijing, Kuai Xiang, Tang Bohu, an architectural educator, and medical practitioners in the Qing Dynasty Educator Ye Gui, literature educator Yu Yue, Suzhou embroidery educator Shen Shou, and more modern educators, such as Gu Jiegang, Ye Shengtao, Yan Wenliang, Xia Jianbo, Tan Jiazhen, Shi Jun, Qian Weichang, Zhang Guangdou... …a long list of celebrities.Their existence has made the style of study prevail in Suzhou, a rich land.When I was young, I often heard a word taught by adults, which is called "schoolbag turning over", which means that only by going to school can you liberate yourself and achieve your ideals.Emphasizing education and talents is the consistent concept of Suzhou people, and it is also an eternal truth that Suzhou has been able to prosper for thousands of years.In interviews in other places in recent years, I always heard a rhetoric: no matter how hard it is, children cannot be poor, and no matter how poor they are, education cannot be poor.That’s not what Suzhou people say. Suzhou says: No matter how rich you are, you have to study hard, and if you are poor, you have to study hard.In the past dynasties, it is needless to say that Suzhou scholars were famous and became officials. In the old days, the number one scholar in Suzhou has always been the top in the country. There are even several families like Weng Tonghe who have two or three number one scholars.In contemporary times, academicians from Suzhou are also the region with the largest number.Such as the famous founder of China Radio Li Qiang, "two bombs and one satellite" meritorious service Wang Ganchang, Wang Daheng, Cheng Kaijia and chemical expert Zhang Qinglian, physicist He Zehui, water conservancy expert Lu Youmei, electronics scientist Wei Yu and Nobel Prize winners Li Zhengdao and Zhu Di Wen and the great architectural designer I.M. Pei are all from Suzhou.According to a survey conducted by relevant departments in Suzhou in 2005, it was found that among the 125 academicians from Suzhou at that time, most of them were from poor families, and they were all children of ordinary families. So it has become a model of "school bag turning over".

I know that in the eyes of my old family, having money in the pocket is not something to show off, but if there is a child who studies well in the family, it can be a big show off.In the mouths of cadres, your DGP is not a famous capital, but your school is well built, you have a lot of "champions", and your college entrance examination scores are higher than the average level in the provinces and cities, but you can be very prominent.There is another thing that can be distinguished among Suzhou cadres, and that is the collection of books at home.There is a personal book collection exhibition in Suzhou every year, which is basically a spontaneous non-governmental activity. At that time, everyone can report the treasures and the number of books in their home collections, and then the judges of the "Book Club" will evaluate them.When the leaders of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and the chief and deputy directors of the Propaganda Department talked about this matter, they could talk to me for hours, and they danced and danced, because they are all top book collectors.Propaganda Minister Xu Guoqiang is a scholar, a book collector and a teacher, so it goes without saying that the Suzhou reading activities initiated by him.He said that if you are a cadre in Suzhou, if you don't advocate reading, no matter how high your GDP is created by your leader, someone will scold you.Suzhou people value education and knowledge far more than money.The name Zhu Yongxin is well-known among Chinese education circles and young students. He is now a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and vice-chairman of the Democratic League Central Committee. Before that, he was the deputy mayor in charge of education in Suzhou for more than ten years.I have been with him for many years, and I have a strong feeling that this mayor who is a doctorate student is obsessed with education, especially the "new education method" he invented and advocated. : "When you are an official, there is always an end, but when you are engaged in education, you will find that there is no end, and it is a lot of fun." Zhu Yongxin did this. When he was the deputy mayor, he and his colleagues led the education of the whole city of Suzhou on the one hand. At the same time, he kept writing books and giving lectures all over the country to promote his "new education revolution". Now there are hundreds of thousands of his "children". He is the "Minister of Civil Education of China".

Someone told me that you should also write about the changes in urban construction in Suzhou.In fact, this is a question that is not in dispute at all.In the words of Professor Ding Zhaozhong, a Nobel laureate: “The shape of the old city of Suzhou has not changed, but the content has changed. Outside the old city of Suzhou is the new city of Suzhou, and the new city of Suzhou is the successor and innovator of the old city of Suzhou. Suzhou outside the city has long been an extremely beautiful city." These words sounded a bit convoluted, but Professor Ding gave an overview of the city of Suzhou today.

The current Suzhou City and the "Helu City" built by Wu Zixu more than 2,500 years ago have greatly changed in terms of area and style. This is an inevitable historical development, but it is fortunate that Suzhou has been protecting the old city in recent years. The effort and investment put in are unprecedented. If you have the opportunity to visit Suzhou, you will find this.The protection of the ancient city is a big question, especially for a world-famous tourist city like Suzhou. On the one hand, it is a city whose overall style needs to be protected according to the regulations issued by the State Council. At the same time, it has to cooperate with the modern The integration of civilized society, protection and transformation have become a arduous task for Suzhou people.The attitude adopted by the smart Suzhou people is: the old does not move, and the immobility does not mean that it is absolutely the same. To maintain the original state, one must work hard when "moving".In order to "move" and "not move", the leaders of the recent Suzhou government have used their brains and even been under various pressures.However, the effect of this pressure is the beauty, profundity and charm that we can let the world see in the ancient city of Suzhou today, flowing between tradition and modernity, antiquity and innovation—of course, it has the characteristics of an oriental water city. A smooth flow of culture and folk customs charm, profound and beautiful.They are still Guanqian Street, Ganjiang Road, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Forest, Tiger Hill Pagoda, folk houses with white walls and black tiles, alleys with fragrant flowers and trees, and the moon reflected in the pavilions and gardens in our memory...

Birds sing and flowers fall to the west and east of the house, and the cypress smoke and green taro are red. The human way is that I live in the city, and I suspect that I am in the mountains. One day I was standing on the overpass at the intersection of the old city and the new city in Ximen, Suzhou, and I couldn’t help but think of this poem written by the famous monk Shi Weize in the Yuan Dynasty. Will the future Suzhou people have the feeling of "I live in the city as a human being, but I suspect that I am in the mountains"? The current Suzhou City has become one city and three bodies, that is, the original ancient city, the "New Suzhou" integrated with the East and West Mountains, and the "Old Suzhou" with the Suzhou Industrial Park as the center bordering Shanghai on the east.They have three different characteristics of ancient, Chinese and foreign, which constitute the style and appearance of Suzhou City today. Its area is hundreds of times larger than "Helu City", and it has completely changed compared with Suzhou City 20 or 30 years ago.Residents living in Suzhou today are particularly happy. They can not only enjoy the charm of classical scenery, but also breathe the atmosphere of modern cities, and can also integrate with the most perfect material civilization scenery in the world today.If you want to revisit the old scene of Gusu’s city, you can take the free bus to Renmin Road, and then take a light stroll on Guanqian Street; Car or drive to the embankment of Taihu Lake next to the Sun Wu Pavilion, where you can return home at night and enjoy the romantic atmosphere at half an hour and one afternoon; of course, if you are young, it is best to go to Jinji Lake in the east, where the shore The famous Times Square and water yachts can make you passionate...

The historical changes of Suzhou City are in the past 20 years. This change is both physical and content, but there is only one thing that has not changed, that is, the protection of the ancient city.For this reason, the price paid by Suzhou people is also extremely expensive.Because the connection, protection, and reconstruction of history and reality are actually full of contradictions and oppositions, a Suzhou official told me that the people of Suzhou have a strong sense of affection and protection for the old city. , a piece of tile, he will directly write to Beijing Zhongnanhai to sue you.I heard that there was a secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee who was in office for three years and was scolded by the people for three years of "demolition".Later, the secretary left, and after the renovation of the old city and old streets that he advocated to transform, the common people often talked about his kindness.This incident made me deeply understand the true meaning of "it is not easy to be a cadre in Suzhou".

The last sentence of "It is not easy to be a cadre in Suzhou" should be: Suzhou cadres must be good. The former is not easy, the latter is more difficult. However, the cadres in Suzhou rely on Deng Xiaoping's theory, the important thought of "Three Represents" and the scientific outlook on development as their guidance, and have perfectly completed the task of governing one stick after another, and one stick is stronger than one stick. . From the mid-to-late 1970s to the early 1990s, Suzhou achieved a great leap by vigorously developing township enterprises and created the famous "Southern Jiangsu Model".However, with the continuous deepening of reforms and the rapid rise of China's private economy, especially after the emergence of the "Wenzhou Model", the economic model of Suzhou's township enterprises has been greatly challenged, and even almost reached the point of "annihilation". The incident happened in the mid-to-late 1990s, and Suzhou people at this stage were extremely painful.There are two paths in front of them: either continue to stick to the collective economic form dominated by the development of township enterprises for the last struggle, or abandon it and take a new way to take off.Sticking to the old road is obviously to be prepared to accept the reality of backwardness, and re-entering the new road may also face the fate of "death", because Suzhou has been at the forefront of national economic development before and has formed a well-known "Southern Jiangsu model".

It was a metamorphosis.A transformation that implies necessitating self-denial.A metamorphosis that means starting from scratch and starting all over again. Whether the phoenix can be nirvana or not, the mountains and rains are about to come in and out of Gusu city... "Whoever dares to touch our machines, we will smash their skulls!" At that time, it coincided with the major adjustment of the national textile industry, and the state issued an order to "smash" tens of millions of spindles of textile machinery and equipment. Textile enterprises are the areas that bear the brunt of "smashing" textile machinery.Armed with shovels and hoes, hundreds of workers in a certain township blocked the factory gate and stood guard for three days and three nights. They wanted to fight to the death with the cadres who came to smash the ingots, and declared that they would "defend the achievements of socialism with their lives and blood"!

The spinning machine still needs to be smashed, and it is smashed to pieces... The workers wailed. Another scene of workers crying bitterly: a group of workers angrily tore up their new work permits, shouting the slogan "Become a working class worker in a socialist enterprise, not a stinking coolie under the whip of a capitalist".They couldn't figure out why the system was changed, and they couldn't figure out why the factory they had built with decades of painstaking efforts became an enterprise under the name of someone overnight, especially they couldn't figure out that yesterday they were "the factory director of the Communist Party", but they suddenly became a company with many shares. The "capitalist" of... "Transformation!" "We must set a time and set a task to change the system!" The municipal party committee's death order.A death order from the county government.Dead orders in the town, dead tasks to be completed even when businesses and factories close their doors! Heh, in those days, Suzhou was like a big ship floating on the sea, suddenly broke its mast and sail, and sailed in circles on the turbulent sea... "Come on, take a look and see if you can go swimming in this small river..." "Come on, you guys smell why the river is smelly, and see if there are any fish swimming in the water..." "Come on, let's see why this peach blossom is no longer red and pink, but looks like it has been painted with ashes..." The cadres patiently led the people who used to be farmers who are now township enterprise workers to the riverside and the embankment, so that they can experience what they should pay attention to while developing and getting rich. A polluted river can be cured, ash-painted peach blossoms can be resplendent and fragrant after rain, small fish can still swim happily when the rivers and lakes are cleared, but the products are wrong, the capital cannot be turned over, and the factories will close. This is the real self. Take death! The cadres and masses in the whole city of Suzhou had to let go of the halo on their heads and began to reflect painfully... "Private enterprises in Zhejiang are very popular. Why are our products becoming more and more problematic, while others' enterprises are becoming more and more prosperous? What is the secret?" "There's no mystery, people's surnames are private, our surnames are public, the difference in one word, the benefit and efficiency are ten times and a hundred times different. The competition in the market economy is so fierce, it's no wonder we are undefeated!" Some people have "quietly revolutionized" in private - slowly decomposing the rigid enterprise distribution system and property rights system into collective, individual, and business owners, and even a complete private contracting system and a partial rental system ... The wind was blowing from the southeast corner, and it was blowing harder and harder.There was a strong "Wenzhou taste" in the wind, and it first blew to Shengze, the hometown of silk where Suzhou's township enterprises are at the forefront. "Across the river, their raw materials, their sales costs are low and low, and their profits are several times higher than ours, and the boss can pay cash on the spot, and even the sale of hundreds of millions of cash is not against regulations or discipline. But for us, the factory manager invited the merchants to a meal because there was no invoice, but he was said to be corrupt! I had no choice, and I was captured by the Zhejiang people under such circumstances..." A land in Suzhou Having been cheated for 15 years as the factory director of a township enterprise, he couldn’t bear the temptation of Zhejiang’s 50,000 yuan annual salary. He took more than 10 backbones across a small river of about 10 meters and set up camp in a private textile factory in Jiaxing, Zhejiang. The factory director received a "dividend" of 200,000 yuan, and the more than 10 key workers also received a "bonus" of 40,000 yuan per year. A small river can separate two operating systems, but it can never separate the ears of ordinary people.So another ten or hundreds of people from Shengze crossed the provincial border of the ten-meter-wide river and came to Jiaxing and Huzhou in Zhejiang Province. They either joined the ranks of local private owners, or simply rented a few houses and started working on their own. get up... "How is it? Which is better than the collective benefits here?" "Needless to say! In the past, we did it for 'everyone', but now we do it for ourselves. If you do better than pay the tax, which one do you think is better?" the people crossing the river said to the people on the other side of the river. Then, another batch of Shengze people crossed the river.This time it was no longer from Shengze, but from Zhenze, and even Kunshan, Changshu, Zhangjiagang and Laowu County outside of Wujiang. Suzhou felt an unprecedented crisis and severity.This crisis and austerity are not only reflected in the state of internal division, but also in the outside machine-gun attack and controversy on the essence of the development of township enterprises. Radical negation is idealistic.Suzhou township enterprises have grown from scratch until they have become "half of the country". No one who is seeking truth from facts can deny the profound and intuitive accumulation and contribution it has brought to the country, the collective and the broad masses of the people. The small western-style buildings in the past, the muddy rural ridges in the past have become concrete roads extending in all directions, and the public welfare undertakings such as schools, hospitals, and libraries have been greatly improved. Could it be that gold and silver fell from the sky in exchange for these? No, nothing would be possible without a thriving, bustling, and fruitful township enterprise economy! Suzhou people know it well.People outside of Suzhou later realized that "heaven on earth" is not given by God, and that heaven also depends on people's struggle and hard work. But at this time, Suzhou people are more aware of another point: any kind of innovative product will become rigid sooner or later, and sooner or later it will go to the opposite side.Only by continuing to innovate can we maintain our vitality forever.The achievements of ideological emancipation can only achieve sustainable development through continuous ideological emancipation. The "Southern Jiangsu model" is the same, and so are other models. All models are just a signpost on the way of development.Self-denial of reality does not mean complete denial of history, but more respect for history and responsibility for the future. "It's time for township enterprises to reinvent themselves! The market competitiveness that does not separate government from enterprises, does not allow private capital to enter the production field, and does not pay attention to products are all obstacles to an open market economy. We need to adjust and continue to innovate." The leaders of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government are clearly aware that the world industrial revolution after the 1990s has shown obvious characteristics of a globalized economy, and openness is its main feature. Then perish and perish. Since it is open, our development direction cannot simply grasp a "panacea", that is to say, we want Zhejiang's private economic model, but we also need to absorb a large number of foreign-funded enterprises and take the road of export-oriented economy! "Opportunities always favor the prepared mind." Einstein, the founder of the theory of relativity, said so.Smart Suzhou people are at a severe historical turning point, and they are clearer and better than others: on the one hand, they have sent thousands of cadres to help the township enterprises to fully transform; Economic projects... Clenching two fists in such a way, with the momentum of lightning, in just a few years, more than 98% of the township enterprises have been transformed, and enterprises of a certain scale have been concentrated in industrial parks above the township level , and at the same time adjust the industrial structure, shouting in a high-profile way that "we need not only gold and silver mountains, but also green water and green mountains".This is a lesson learned by Suzhou people in the process of developing township enterprises, and it is also a hidden pain that has been black-painted in the halo of the "Southern Jiangsu Model"-only pain can learn from it.Preventing environmental pollution and protecting land resources are two major problems in Suzhou's rapid development process. The huge economic aggregate and the influx of labor force make Suzhou people more and more "unable to be safe despite being rich".For this reason, they set an iron rule for themselves: 3.8 million mu of basic farmland protection is a red line that no one can touch, and then they put forward the experience that was later passed on to the whole province and even the whole country - the concentration of industries in parks and the population in cities and towns The "three concentrations" of centralization and residential concentration in the community.Therefore, there is a rigid indicator of "land investment intensity" in attracting investment: the investment on each mu of land must reach more than 5 million, otherwise there is no way to get started. "Green Suzhou", "Ecological Suzhou", "Cultural Suzhou", "Safe Suzhou" and "Sexy Suzhou" were proposed one by one under such circumstances, and each one was actually made. Greening and gardening are the traditions and specialties of Suzhou people. With their unique intelligence and wisdom, Suzhou people once again use classical gardening skills to lay out a new layout of the modern economy. This new territory of Suzhou was fully formed in 2004 and 2005: In 2004, Suzhou was selected as the top ten most dynamic cities in the country and won the only annual award.By the end of this year, the green coverage rate of urban Suzhou will reach 40%, and the per capita public green area will reach 8.6 square meters.Residents in the ancient city can walk 350 meters to find a small amusement park; the city has built two provincial nature reserves, 19 scenic spots above the county level and 5 forest parks above the county level, and the area of ​​protected areas accounts for 10% of the city's area , the comprehensive index of environmental quality of the entire city of Suzhou reached 87%, ranking among the best in key cities across the country. In the eyes of ordinary people in Suzhou, there is another new scene of development: buildings have been converted into small villas and small manors.The river began to bottom out, the fish were playing on the water again, egrets were flying all over the pond... That year, the US "Newsweek" published an article, recommending nine emerging technology cities in the world that are considered to be important players in the information age. They are Oakland, Omaha, Tulsa, Huntsville, Akron, Campina Grande in Brazil, Barcelona in Spain and Suzhou in China and the Côte d'Azur in France.Coincidentally, the "New York Times" shortly afterwards also named the top ten cities with the most competitiveness and best investment in the world, and Suzhou was also listed. At this time, many overseas media evaluated Suzhou as the first place in the investment environment of Chinese cities. In 2005, Suzhou was even more remarkable: the city's GDP exceeded 400 billion yuan, equal to the national total in 1982.As soon as the total GDP statistics of this year were released, Suzhou's ranking among large and medium-sized cities in the country jumped from seventh to fourth.The total output value of industries above designated size has jumped from the sixth place in the country to the second place in the country (after Shanghai), and the net income of farmers is the first in the country... The "Southern Jiangsu Model" seems to have not cooled down, while the "Suzhou Phenomenon" has once again become the focus of the country and attracted worldwide attention. "Suzhou is developing well. It should take the lead in realizing a moderately prosperous country and basically realizing modernization in the whole country." The two general secretaries Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao respectively issued orders to Suzhou in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Comrade Li Yuanchao, who was the Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee at the time, got the order, and in the past two years, in order to guide Suzhou's "two firsts", he ran to Kunshan no less than seven times. "Suzhou has the ability and strength, so it should take on this mission!" Li Yuanchao always emphasized this sentence every time he came to Suzhou. The Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Li Yuanchao are practical. "Two take the lead" in their hands is not a simple slogan, but a rigid "4 categories, 18 items and 25 comprehensive indicators", the first category of which is economic development. Indicators, which specifically include per capita GDP, the proportion of the added value of the secondary and tertiary industries in GDP, the level of urbanization, and the registered urban unemployment rate. "The core issue of realizing a well-off society in an all-round way is to improve the quality of life of the people. We must give priority to enriching the people, take the people's personal experience as the basis, and take the broad masses of the people's satisfaction as the standard." This is clearly stated in the provincial party committee document, and Li Yuanchao said it more bluntly. Resolute: "Farmers whose net income is less than 8,000 yuan will be vetoed by one vote!" Suzhou people lived up to the expectations of the party leaders and superiors.By 2008, the city's GDP reached 670.1 billion yuan, fiscal revenue 66.8 billion yuan, per capita disposable income of urban residents 23,867 yuan, and per capita net income of farmers 11,680 yuan. Such a series of numbers may not feel much in the eyes of ordinary people, but if you are a ruler or leader of a place, you know its weight.Take Suzhou's GDP in 2008 and compare it with the GDP of other places, and you will be shocked to find that the GDP of some provinces and cities in the country lags behind a prefecture-level city like Suzhou.Comparing Suzhou's fiscal revenue in 2008, you will also be surprised to find that some provinces and cities in the country have less annual fiscal revenue than Suzhou. What is a contribution to the country?What is the creation of a nation?What is the great spirit of the times? Suzhou is.The development of Suzhou contains all the signs of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Suzhou's contribution, creation, and spirit of Suzhou are just like today's China's contribution to the development of the world economy and its role in the progress of human civilization. You cannot ignore it, nor can you not be impressed by its brilliance and greatness.However, many people don't really understand Suzhou, or what the "Suzhou spirit" is. They only see Suzhou as a simple "good place" - good natural conditions, smart people, and many opportunities. I know that these "good natural conditions", "smart people" and "plenty of opportunities" in Suzhou are not created by nature, but are exchanged by the sweat of Suzhou people, even bloody sacrifices, and thousands of years of trials and setbacks. It is the self-cultivation, spirituality, culture and philosophy that surpass others that have been cultivated in such thousands of years and thousands of times of tempering and setbacks. In fact, the self-cultivation, spirituality, culture and philosophy possessed by Suzhou people have already begun to appear from their ancient ancestors—— It's hard to imagine, if the brothers Bo Tai and Zhong Yong didn't come to the wetlands in the south of the Yangtze River because of humiliation and bearing the burden of humiliation, how would the great era of Wu come?What is "broken hair tattoo"?It was because at that time Wu land was full of wild and barren waters, and long hair floating was not conducive to work, so I had to "cut my hair".At that time, Wudi, which was close to the sea, was often flooded. People in the ignorant age thought it was a "water monster", so they tattooed patterns on their bodies and dressed up like monsters, trying to resist the attack of water monsters with poison.Botai and Zhongyong were originally princes of the royal family, but they also wanted to "break their hair and tattoos" and waded in the fields with the people all day long, bleeding and sweating, which shows their hard work.Legend has it that Zhongyong had a little granddaughter named Nvhong, who was sewing in the inner room next door that day. Hearing that his grandfather Zhongyong was discussing with the villagers how to reduce the infection and death caused by "tattoos", he accidentally punctured the needle. Fingers, blood dripped on the cloth, in order to cover the blood, Nuhong embroidered a plum blossom on the blood with silk thread, unexpectedly, this accident gave her a sudden inspiration: why not embroider the pattern tattooed on the body on the clothes? ?Touched by her own inspiration, Nvhong embroidered a patterned dress with multicolored silk threads for seven consecutive days and nights.It was her grandfather Zhong Yong who tried on the embroidered clothes.Putting on the embroidered clothes, Zhong Yong couldn't wait to jump into the water to see the effect. It is said that the water snakes and others ran away in fright when they saw this beautiful "monster". Instead of tattoos, embroidery has flourished in the Wu Kingdom since then, and no one is afraid of the "water monster" phenomenon of ebb and flow.The earliest "Su embroidery" was born in this way, and the former embroidery lady was also called "Nvhong".Regarding the birth history of "Su Embroidery", there is another saying in Suzhou's first local chronicle "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" written by Zhao Ye of the Han Dynasty: "Yu Nai climbed a mountain, screamed to the sky, and suddenly fell down. The man in embroidered clothes calls himself the envoy of Xuanyi and Cangshui." This article tells that Dayu, who came to Wu before Botai and Zhongyong brothers, had to run around naked all day long in order to mingle with the aborigines. Dayu had to think hard about the solution. One day Dayu lied that he had dreamed of an envoy sent by God wearing dragon pattern embroidered clothes.The superstitious ancients learned what they heard, and the angels began to wear embroidered clothes, replacing the previous tattoos.It seems that no matter who invented embroidered clothes to replace tattoos, the birth of "Su embroidery" has a price of blood and tears. It's hard to imagine, if Wu Zixu didn't suffer the pain and shame of killing his father and family, how could he, as a famous general of his generation, be able to lose his soul and become a beggar on the streets of Wu State?It is precisely because of the important use of King Wu that he wrote a letter "To build a strong country, you must first build a city", and spent seven years "similar to the soil and taste the water, like the sky and the earth", and built the "Thursday, Eleven Li, Twenty Steps". Two feet, eight Lu gates, the second has buildings. The "Wu Dacheng" of the eight water gates is the ancient city of Suzhou, also known as "Helu City".Why is Gusu City, which lasted more than 2,500 years, still admired and praised by contemporary people as the best "Oriental Water City" in the world?It is because its design is full of "advance and retreat", "offensive and defensive" and the architectural classics that are convenient for life and extend in all directions.Wu Zixu is not actually an expert in architecture, but his strong desire to strengthen Wu and avenge Chu made him devote himself to Suzhou far beyond the wisdom and art of any great architect.Those who are interested can still experience the superb art of making the most of the situation when Wu Zixu built the city when he is walking on the streets of Suzhou. "Chess stands in squares and cities, and bridges stand side by side."Neighborhoods and rivers in the old city of Suzhou are parallel, one street and one river, streets, alleys, bridges, shops, temples, houses, ports, yamen, etc. People boarding the boat "people walk on the stone street in front of the gate, and boats travel on the river behind the house", which is a unique water town scene of the "double chessboard" pattern that is often heard by Suzhou people.This kind of "double checkerboard" pattern of water town buildings is the only one in China, and later played a role model for Suzhou and even the entire Jiangnan water town buildings. "Twenty-eight city gates opened the way, and five thousand soldiers and horses led the banners."There are eight gates in the ancient city of Suzhou, which played an extremely important role in restraining the invasion of foreign enemies and reaching the four directions to help the people and strengthen the country. Yangliu Changmen Road, the long and sloping water bank. Take a boat to the mountain temple, and wear shoes to the fisherman's house. The poetic and picturesque feeling of "little bridges, flowing water, and people" that the ancient city of Suzhou can leave to people today will never be forgotten, which is a kind of eternal object culture and flowing philosophical meaning.Every river, every city gate and every street brick in it contains the traces of profound years of honing and the joys and sorrows of the world in Vientiane. Most people only think that Suzhou, a water town in the south of the Yangtze River, only has water and bridges, or only rivers and lakes. In fact, there are many mountains in Suzhou. Although these mountains are not comparable to the five sacred mountains in China, almost every mountain in Suzhou is full of spiritual beauty.For example, Wushan Mountain by the Taihu Lake is not high, but it stretches for dozens of miles. Because it is located on the edge of the Taihu Lake waters, it is often reflected in the vast lake water, as if it is a painting made by heaven. No wonder Liu Zongyuan sighed: "The cigarettes are sold out. There are no people at sunrise, but there is a sound of green mountains and rivers." The Lingyan Mountain in the northwest of the famous town of Mudu may be a representative of the mountains in Suzhou. Qingming, Qingming and other mountains, from south to east, there are Hengshan, Huangshan, Shishan, and Lengjia Mountains. peak". Many mountains in Suzhou grow in the water of the lake. For example, there are seventy-two peaks in the vast 800-mile Taihu Lake.It is so beautiful that you can only know its indescribable beauty by sitting on a boat on the lake or sitting quietly by the fishing dock at dawn and dusk. Some people compare the seventy-two peaks of Taihu Lake to green snails floating in a crystal plate, which is an excellent and superb metaphor.Just imagine, you are sitting on a boat in the lake, close your eyes, and then open them suddenly, and you can see the rippling Taihu Lake under the blue sky and white clouds like a huge crystal plate, and the peaks are verdant and green. The big ones are like snails, the small ones are like snails, one here, one there, adsorbed on this plate, how pleasing to the eye, how poetic!If you can stick to it day and night, you will also find that the "green snail on the plate" is moving and changing, sometimes high in the sky, sometimes hiding on the ground, sometimes fluctuating with the waves, and sometimes solidified into the lake itself... … This is Miaoshan, the spiritual peak of Suzhou.It looks silent, but it often brings us unexpected and unpredictable changes; it seems quiet and dull, but it suddenly surges with passion, moving and shocking the world. "Mountains use water as their blood, vegetation as their hair, and smoke and clouds as their spirit. Therefore, mountains are alive with water, lush with vegetation, and beautiful with smoke and clouds. Water takes mountains as its face, pavilions as its eyebrows, and fishing as its精神，故水得山而媚，得亭榭而明快，得渔钓而旷落。此山水之布置也。”我的祖先这样品评苏州的山与水之间的关系，故而有“天下之山，得水而悦；天下之水，得山而止。”有山有水，山水相依，才能有醉人的胜境。 苏州的山正是如此。于是苏州的山让我想起了苏州的一位先人，当然是兵法创造者孙武。 孙武，字长卿，后人尊其为孙子、孙武子。出生于公元前535年。在伍子胥到吴国前，孙武一直隐居在太湖边的虎丘一带的山林之中。后与伍子胥一起帮助吴王阖闾灭楚称雄于中华。但后来的新国君夫差不听伍子胥规劝，被越王勾践的十年卧薪尝胆而反灭。孙武冷眼时势，尤其是对好友伍子胥的惨死而痛楚不已，从此彻底隐居于深山数十年。也正是这样的孤独、清消的磨砺，孙武潜心对过去所写的13篇兵法重新修订，使其更臻完美，也使孙武自己成为中国春秋时代与孔子、老子齐名的三位最伟大的思想家而光耀千秋。 我常想，人们都说苏州人的性格是水做的，是水的柔性与地之肥沃及阳光的充足而熏陶出来的，似乎做什么事都能成功。难道真是这样的吗？其实否也，听了孙子的故事，也许你会有另一番了解苏州的聪明之处是何处而来。 《孙子兵法》的伟大之处在于它充满着朴素的唯物论和辩证法。孙武不仅相信世界是客观存在的，更认为世界上的一切事物都在不停地运动和变化着的，强调战争中应积极创造条件，发挥人的主观能动性，从而促成对立面朝着有利于自己的方向转化，这是人类在远古时代就具有的何等高超的思想艺术！我们最熟悉的孙武“知彼知己，百战不殆”的著名论断，其深刻的哲学思想和辩证法，不仅是军事学说，而且是能够运用于各种人类社会活动中的法宝。美国著名经济学家霍吉兹在《企业管理》一书中这样指出：“《孙子兵法》中所揭示的许多原理原则，迄今犹属颠扑不破，仍有其运用价值。”日本企业家大桥武夫在《兵法经营大全》中指出：“采用中国的兵法思想指导企业经营管理，比美国的企业管理方式更合理、更有效。”自孙武传授兵法的几千年来，世界各国之间的军事、外交、经济、文化之间的各种争战，很多都是用《孙子兵法》来化解的实例。 苏州人是孙武的后代，他们对先人留下的兵法之道是最能吃透、理解和熟用，掌握了这样本事的人群，即使碰到再大的困难，也会战无不胜。 我还想起了另一个苏州的伟大先人，他就是宋代改革派思想家、文学家、军事家、大清官范仲淹。 公元1014年，迷信道教的宋真宗率领百官到亳州去朝圣太清宫，浩浩荡荡的车马路过南京，整个城市轰动，人们争先恐后去看皇帝，惟独有一个学生闭门不出，仍然埋头读书。同学见状呼他：“快去看呀，这是千载难逢的机会。”可这位埋头看书的学生随口说道：“将来再见也不晚。”便只管继续读他的书。果然第二年这位学生得了进士，见到了皇帝，他便是后来成为宋朝一代名相的范仲淹。范仲淹是苏州人，他的曾祖父、祖父和父亲都是吴越国朝中的官员。由于父亲早逝，范仲淹小时候生活十分艰苦，在襁褓时就随改嫁的母亲到了山东。寄人篱下的小范仲淹进取爱学，后来当官后一直不忘百姓之苦，并力主改革旧端和根治国家之弊病，所以才有了“先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐”的伟大理想与胸襟，他“不以物喜，不以己悲”的崇高人品和闪光思想在那篇传世之作的《岳阳楼记》中淋漓尽致地得到了扬洒…… 吴国之地的苏州，历史上出过无数伟大的思想家，他们的产生与存在，注定了这块沃土的富饶与强大、丰收与壮美。 继承，可以使并行者比别人多一份智慧和聪明。而不断的创新与追求更使同行者有比他人更多超然的本领与持之以恒的耐力和勇气。苏州人属于这种人，属于这样的一个群体。他们因此总比别人走得快些，攀得更高些，并且永不歇劲地奔走在前面——几千年来始终如一…… 不像二三十年前从京城回一趟老家要走一两天，现在两三个小时就能抵达，借助手机和网络、电视的帮助，如果想了解故乡的每一天情况和每一个进步与业绩，极其方便和快捷。因此像“小安小富，不满小胜，不守不成”这样的话，我常能在这些年中听老家的干部和群众说。何谓“小安小富，小满小胜，不守不成”？言下之意是：现在的苏州是追求的大富、大胜和大成。 呵，大富、大胜、大成者苏州也。 呵，大富、大胜、大成者自然是苏州，自然是我的那可爱、可敬的父老乡亲！ 然而有谁将苏州人的大富、大胜、大成者的品质与品质来源真正挖掘与总结出来了呢？ Have.但似乎又很不够。 新中国成立以来，特别是改革开放三十多年来，苏州的发展与进步举世瞩目，有人也对此总结和提炼出了诸如“苏南模式”、“苏州精神”、“苏州之路”等闪耀之词，可什么是真正的“苏南模式”、“苏州精神”和“苏州之路”的灵魂与核心呢？又是什么东西真正形成了这种“苏南模式”、“苏州精神”与“苏州之路”呢？ 答案更加小了。 我是苏州的儿子，苏州是我的故乡，我想寻找这种答案，寻求故乡进步与发展的灵魂与血源—— 什么是苏州的最美？有人会说沃土。有人会说是这块沃土上的历史遗韵和人文胜迹。也有人会说是这里一年寒暖分明的四季，尤其是春天桃花与菜花并开的田野风光。有人还会说是苏州的女人，尤其是那些垂发挥针的绣娘和唱着嗲里嗲气的舞台美眉……干脆有人说是阳澄湖的螃蟹、太湖的鲜鱼和飘香的桂花黄酒。其实苏州的美物，可以写下千行万句，但在我看来，苏州之美，乃是天造之物的江湖河塘之水。 苏州是水育之地。苏州土不露头的时候是一片汪洋之水，苏州的土露头之后仍是水绕水环之地。苏州成为九州富国时也是因为水秀湖色的烘托与孕育之下方显繁荣的。 “川曰三江，浸曰五湖”。我故乡吴地在远古时就有“三江五湖”，司马迁当年登姑苏台眺望美景时就被这里的水色美景所迷住。古时的“三江”是指松江、娄江和东江，该三条大江是吴地最早的排水干路，是吴人身上的主血管。“五湖”指贡湖、游湖、胥湖、梅梁湖、金鼎湖。其实“五湖”是泛指太湖流域一带所有的湖泊，毫无疑问，古“五湖”是我们吴人最重要的胃、肝、脾和肠……没有它们的存在，我祖先的生命就不可能繁衍到今天，也就没有了我和我的父老乡亲。 苏州人要感谢祖先的英士很多，其中最需要感谢的是那些造水、治水和利水的英士。大禹不用说了，他在太湖降龙治水传说不仅表明了人类是可以战胜一切自然灾害，同时也给吴越先民留下了宝贵的治水经验。其后的伯泰、仲雍是以身作则带领土著人破除了“水怪”的骚扰而平安了这块荒蛮之地的野性，最早开凿的“伯泰渎”给这里的庶民带来了灌溉、航运和饮水的多方面利处。还有像春秋时的范蠡、三国时的孙权包括秦始皇、主张开凿大运河的隋炀帝、吴越小国王钱镠、宋朝的范仲淹和赵霖，以及明朝那位以智断“十五贯”冤案著称的况钟、钦差大臣海瑞及在此当了五年官的林则徐等都为我的故乡吴地做过造水、治水的巨大贡献。新中国成立之后的前二十多年里，农民出身的毛泽东是造水、治水最杰出的贡献者。我和我父亲都是他的“水利是农业的命脉”的拥护者和战斗员，我父亲成为一名共产党干部就是因为在水利工程大战中的突出表现，那时他22岁。至于我，就年龄更小了，17虚岁时就在长江大堤上跟着大人们苦战了三个月，那一幕我永远忘不了：江风吹得刺骨疼痛，双脚踩在冰凉的烂泥中要不停地走动，因为肩膀上有一副一百多斤的担子压着……我们少年时是个疯狂的年代，但我常为自己曾经为家乡的水利所作的一份贡献而自豪——因为现在的年轻人不可能有我们那时的这种磨炼了。 人语潮喧晚吹凉，万窗灯火转河塘。 两行碧柳笼官渡，一簇红楼压女墙。 宋代诗人范成大的这首《晚入盘门》勾起我当年的一番在长江大堤参与治水战斗的悲喜交织之情。 回忆可以使经历中的许多断裂联接起来。而一个区域的发展史如果也能像人一样将记忆中断裂的碎片联接起来就非常困难了。苏州人的本事是他们能够完美地将这种断裂的碎片联接起来。 比如众所周知的苏州经济在上世纪80年代的亮点是乡镇企业，90年代之后的亮点是开放型经济，两者似乎是具有机制和体制上的巨大差异，甚至是断裂的、对立的。然而苏州人后来只经过了几年光景，就将这种“断裂”与“对立”很快统一起来，如他们祖先传承下来的那种治水的本领一样，很快将两股完全不同的江与河之水融合在一起，形成巨大的湖塘之流，为整个地区的社会发展积蓄了巨大的发展力量。 苏州的水最多的一块地方是太湖。太湖是苏州的母亲的胎腹，太湖之水是苏州的母亲的胎盘里的洋水。没有了太湖和没有了太湖之水，便没有苏州的生命与生长的可能。 2000年，国务院对苏州城市总体规划的批复中明确苏州是“长江三角洲的重要中心城市”。如何理解这一定位，学问很大。苏州人既不盲目又不自大，他们始终将自己摆在以下两个圈层中的位置：一是苏州在环太湖城市圈的位置；二是作为环太湖城市圈城市在整个长江三角洲区域中的位置。太湖以水为媒，使苏州大地呈现中国最活跃和最具创造力与最具财富积蓄力的中国经济快速发展的板块，毫无疑问，上海是这一区域的龙头。那么苏州在这一区域里是什么呢？是龙身还是龙尾？龙身便应发挥其壮实而巨大的能够影响整个中华民族这条巨龙的能力，苏州似乎还达不到具备如此庞大的躯体；是龙尾？龙尾便应能左右天下风云，执掌巨龙前行后退的方向，这似乎也不是苏州所长、所能。那么苏州是什么？ “我们苏州要在太湖区域中发挥走在先、走在前、走得最好、走得最可持续的典范。”从无锡市长、无锡市委书记来到苏州当书记的王荣，对太湖和环太湖异常熟悉。无锡人一曲“太湖美”，和苏州以外的人开了一个不大不小的玩笑：以为太湖就是无锡，其实太湖水域百分之九的面积属苏州。现在王荣当了苏州“一把手”，从此也就成为真正的“太湖之王”。然而如何当好环太湖之王可不是一件易事。苏州地位突出，但东有大上海，左是无锡，右是湖州，西有常州，北有南通等，东南西北皆是强盛而繁荣之市，这些城市在改革开放的这些年里，各领风骚，你追我赶，谁也不言败。上海不用多说，它自扬巨轮之帆，一路高歌猛进，昂首于东海之滨，在世界大舞台上展尽中国风流。而苏州左右前后的无锡、常州、南通、湖州等城市则如拥簇与挤贴在苏州之四周的一只只猛虎，稍不留神，它们会一声长啸，或吃掉你，或将你远远甩在后面…… 于是苏州人经过反复酝酿和思考，最后将自己定位在与“龙头”的上海对接和错位发展之上。“苏州要永远做上海的'乡下'，苏州才会有自己的发展空间，才永远不会落伍于环太湖各个城市的强势之中。”王荣说。 苏州人一直这样清醒着，一直仰头紧盯“龙头”大上海，一直埋头干好自己分内的活…… 然而，紧跟“龙头”并不能意味着一定就是成功，成功之路需要自己的创造和实践。笔落此处，我想起了李源潮同志在参加“纪念改革开放30周年——苏州实践研讨会”上说的一段话。李源潮同志在任中共中央政治局委员、中央组织部部长之前在江苏工作七年，是江苏省的前任省委书记，用他自己的话说，“我生在苏州，对苏州很有感情”。对苏州的发展，特别是新世纪以来的苏州现代化建设，李源潮不仅熟悉，而且也倾注了许多感情和心血。他在说到“苏州科学发展道路”时这样说：在一个历史阶段里，一种理论的创造是非常伟大的，但实践更伟大，所以我认为苏州在改革开放30年的波澜壮阔的前进中，苏州人民的伟大实践形成了重要作用。“我觉得如果总结苏州的发展的意义，也还要跳出苏州来看苏州，这就和我们跳出苏州发展苏州是一个涵义。”李源潮的这句话，画龙点睛地道出了苏州科学发展之路所具有的经验价值和精神价值的核心所在。 苏州的发展30年，其印痕非常清晰：第一个台阶是在邓小平同志构架的“翻两番”和“小康”思想的影响下，通过乡镇企业走上了工业化道路；第二个台阶是紧紧抓住上海浦东开发开放的历史机遇，大力发展开放型经济，极大地推进了本区域的经济国际化和城市现代化，率先实现了“内转外”的历史性跨越；第三个台阶是本世纪以来，尤其是党的十六大以来，坚持以科学发展观为统领，率先按照江苏省委制定的建成小康社会的新目标而全面发展。30年，三个大台阶，使苏州的发展进入了中等发达国家的水平，这样的速度和进步，创造了世界发展史上罕见的奇迹。 “2002年时，我们全市的财政收入也还在300亿元左右，可到了2008年时，全市的财政总收入已经达到1500多亿元。5年时间，增加了4倍。这样的增幅在世界发展史上绝对是少有的！”一位苏州市领导告诉我。 衡量一个地区的发展水平和速度，财政收入是最硬的指标。苏州奇迹令人感到有些像神话，但它绝非神话，是苏州人民实实在在干出来的。By what? “靠合力。靠苏州各种经济形式、各个县市的城乡经济体的合力。靠苏州社会各界和各个层面的共同奋斗精神与提升素质的合力。”苏州干部们这样告诉我。 “有人将我们苏州的发展视为'苏南模式'。那么'苏南模式'是什么呢？其实'苏南模式'从广义上讲是一种无固定规则的模式，它容纳着各种经验，吸收了各种先进技术，聚集了各种力量，并从自己的本地实际情况出发，将其汇成一种合力，推进着苏州整个区域的发展和向前。这样的力量可想而知其威力……”苏州干部自豪地对我说。 “党的十六大之后，我们在胡锦涛总书记的科学发展观引领下，按照省委要求，迅速作出了实现'两个率先'的决定和四大具体行动计划，它们包括了'提高自主创新能力行动计划'、'推进经济结构调整和转变增长方式行动计划'、'建设社会主义新农村行动计划'和'塑造当代苏州人新形象行动计划'等，这四个行动计划，着重反映了苏州建设自主创新型城市、现代化制造业基地以及加强精神文明建设和统筹城乡等内涵，立足苏州现有发展阶段、城市定位、产业基础和人文特征，明确了苏州发展特色、工作特色的总体目标，同时在时间上既与苏州'十一五'规划纲要配套、衔接，又在空间上按照'大苏州'一体化发展的格局，涵盖了全市各区域、各方面。在实施过程中又高举、发挥了'张家港精神'、'昆山之路'和'园区经验'等苏州发展的三大法宝，使之成为全市奔向新的奋斗目标的合动力，同时紧紧依靠各个区域经济体的自身特点，让国有企业、民营经济、外向型经济实体和私营企业一起发力！这才有了我们苏州在近五年中创造了超常的高速发展。”市委书记王荣和市长阎立都是具有博士学位的学者型领导，他们都很温文尔雅，在言及新时期的苏州发展形势和前景时，充满了底气和力量。 是啊，苏州现有包括昆山、张家港、常熟、吴江、太仓等全部进入“全国百强县（市）”前十名的“五虎”，加上苏州工业园区和苏州高新区这“两头猛狮”；苏州现有上万个外资企业、15万民营企业、30万户个体企业，以及600万勤劳和智慧的苏州人民、600万甘心尽愿为吴地奉献的新苏州人，他们以其各自的优势和力量，汇聚成犹如滚滚东流的大江之水，将苏州经济和社会建设推向一个又一个惊天而光辉的高度，令世人无不刮目相看！ “你们是龙眼啊！闪闪发光的龙眼啊！”突然有一天，一位中央领导来到苏州，当他在环太湖走完一圈后，欣喜地对苏州人如此说。 “龙眼”——多么准确而形象的比喻！ 是的，苏州是“龙眼”，苏州是环太湖高速经济发展区域的“龙眼”，是屹立于世界强林之中的中国巨龙身上的“龙眼”。 画龙点睛，是最精彩之笔。苏州的发展与发展经验难道不就是集中国改革开放三十年之经验与辉煌的画龙点睛之笔？ 呵，滚滚长江，汹涌奔涌，呈现的是一种勇往直前的力量。 呵，浩淼太湖，碧波万顷，呈现的是一种宽阔坦荡的胸襟。 呵，潺潺河流，川流不息，呈现的是一种通达四方的追求。 呵，粼粼塘溪，吸风纳雨，呈现的是一种平和融合的气度。 这就是苏州人。既有江河之势的力量与勇气，又有湖塘之水的包容与平和，还有春雨般滋润大地的涓涓修养。 江河湖塘，组成了苏州人独特而绚丽的性格，那性格既是豪放的，又是柔美的；既是开放的，又是含蓄的；既是粗犷的，又是细腻的。是豪放中的柔美，是柔美中的豪放；是开放中的含蓄，是含蓄中的开放；是粗犷中的细腻，是细腻中的粗犷。因而苏州人自古常胜不败，因而吴地长盛不衰…… 江河湖塘组合在一起，这就是苏州人的性格，它既可是一种奔放，又可是一种吸纳；既可是一种选择，又可是一种决断；既可去冒险，又可是避险。是理性下的激情，是激情中的理性，是激情和理性交融后的理与智、亲与情。 这就是我的故乡苏州。 与苏州人打过交道的人都说苏州不是一个专横跋扈的地方，即使是那些名闻天下的园林与世界文化遗产，也只是含蓄之美。苏州人恪守中庸之道，凡事绝不会太过分。这——皆是江河湖塘交融的水性文化所缘。 “金盆出水耀光芒，玻璃迸破银瓶泻。”有人说，苏州是水做的，苏州就是水神的化身，苏州的灵性来自水的柔与动的搅和。这话没有人深思，其实再往上远考，就会发现苏州“代代收金盆，朝朝银山出”的渊源了—— 不是吗，有人说，你张家港是苏州的，怎么说着软绵绵的吴语干出的事却如气吞山河的山东大汉所为，尤其是那秦振华。君不知，张家港人喝的是汹涌澎湃的长江之水。那一泻千里、滚滚东去的扬子江早已把张家港练就了一身豪气与胆识。 昆山也说软绵绵的吴语，但君不知昆山人一边说吴语，一边喝着阳澄湖水，其性格里早已融进了习惯于跟大海风浪决斗的上海人敢闯的血气方刚。 常熟、吴江、太仓人更不用说，这儿的人种几千年来就是地道的“吴人”，因此其血脉里流淌最多的就是河塘湖水的柔性与厚力。什么叫水的厚力？不复杂，一掬水，柔得你放在手掌之中比丝绸还软，可假如是一江、一湖、一河、一塘之水放在一起，泻——能排山倒海；聚——能顶泰山压顶，故而这几个地方的人说好了是水做的“人中之杰”，说邪了是水造出的“人精”，他使一半心计就可平定天下