Charming Zhenjiang, a millennium-old Jingkou

Zhenjiang, formerly known as Jingkou and Runzhou, is a national historical and cultural city. Its main attractions are 'Three Mountains and One Ferry', namely Jinshan, Jiaoshan, Beigushan, and Xijindu. Here lies the legend of the White Lady flooding Jinshan, Su Shi's beautiful verse 'But wish people long-lasting, a thousand miles share the beauty of the moon'; Sun Quan's historical record of 'losing his wife and soldiers'; Xin Qiji's verse 'Where to look at the divine land? Full of scenery, Beigu Tower. How many ups and downs in the past? Long. The Yangtze River keeps rolling.'; The sigh of 'Lian Po is old, can he still eat?'; This general poet from the hometown of Confucius and Mencius dedicated his life to the cause of recovering the Central Plains, lamenting his unfulfilled ambition, expressing his endless desolation and loneliness at the end of his heroic journey; Wang Changling was slandered and demoted in his later years, serving as the county magistrate of Jiangning in a foreign land, and his poignant feelings when seeing off his friend returning home can be imagined. What he entrusted at parting was only the ice heart in the jade pot to reveal his inner feelings. 'Cold rain connects the river and enters Wu at night, sending guests to Chu Mountain alone in the early morning. If friends and relatives in Luoyang ask, there is a piece of ice heart in the jade pot.' Across the millennium, one can feel the poet's reluctance to part with his friend and his concern for his distant relatives as he looks at the distant mountains across the river, and his moral self-encouragement in the face of life's difficulties with the ice heart in the jade pot, remaining true to his original aspiration despite adversity. Wang Anshi was summoned to Beijing, passing through Jingkou and heading north along the canal. When he passed through Guazhou, he was moved by the scenery and wrote the famous 'Boat Mooring at Guazhou' 'Jingkou Guazhou is separated by a river, Zhongshan is only separated by several mountains. The spring breeze turns the south bank of the river green again, when will the bright moon shine on me again', showing Wang Anshi's joyful mood and political ambition through the scenery. Xijindu Ancient Street is a 4A scenic spot, which has witnessed the evolution of Jiangnan civilization. Every brick and tile on the ancient street carries a heavy cultural and historical heritage, telling the past glory and vicissitudes. Xijindu Ancient Street is the area with the most, most concentrated, and best preserved cultural relics in Zhenjiang, and is the 'cultural vein' core area of Zhenjiang's historical and cultural city. Li Bai, Meng Haoran, Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Lu You, Marco Polo, Qianlong and others have all waited for boats or landed here, leaving many poems for later generations to recite. Xijindu Ancient Street has witnessed the rise and fall of Zhenjiang, and also embodies the local long-standing cultural memory. The ancient street is about 1 kilometer long, with ancient buildings from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties on both sides of the bluestone-paved street. These buildings have unique shapes, with flying eaves and corners, and the mottled walls tell of the long history. The traditional houses built with blue bricks on both sides of the street show traces of history and vicissitudes, taking visitors into the scroll of a thousand years of history. The 'Zhaoguan Stone Tower' in the ancient street is said to be the earliest existing street-crossing stone tower in China. Its shape is like a large bottle, also known as the 'Bottle Tower', which is a historical witness of Zhenjiang. Xijindu used to be close to the Yangtze River and was an important passage between the north and south of the river. With the changes of the times, the river has moved eastward and is now away from the bank of the Yangtze River. But the modern Xijindu Ancient Street still maintains a simple and leisurely atmosphere, and also retains authentic local snacks, such as the famous 'Zhenjiang Yorou' and 'Pot Lid Noodles', which are loved by locals. If you have the chance to come to Zhenjiang, don't miss this ancient 'cultural vein' block. Walking on the stone-paved road of the ancient street, feeling the historical imprint of this city, is fascinating. The ancient block, in its unique way, calls on tourists from afar to appreciate its unique charm. Zhenjiang, a millennium-old city, with a long history and culture, stands at the mouth of Xijindu, with distant mountains and wide rivers, blending sky and water, with clouds and mists rolling, evoking feelings. The low-key ancient city of Zhenjiang is worth a visit!