Indulge in the snack jungle of Jiangnan’s famous streets

Jiangnan has been a prosperous place since ancient times, with numerous famous streets, old shops and delicious food. There used to be Shanghai City God Temple, Suzhou Xuanmiao Temple, Nanjing Confucius Temple, Wuxi Chong'an Temple is also known as the four major food jungles in Jiangnan. Of course, there are far more famous streets in Jiangnan than these. In modern times, tastes have changed, eating methods have changed, and traditions have been dismembered by many vicissitudes of life. However, some people still cannot forget those old streets and old shops. In the final analysis, eating is not only about eating, but also about enjoying the environment and enjoying the atmosphere. , Laojie has an inherent advantage in this regard.

People are thinking about these old streets, no matter whether their old appearance is fading away, or whether they appear nondescript under rough commercial packaging. Perhaps we can expect that in people’s diligent pursuit of traditional With the return of culture, these old streets of the past can become more delicate and refined.

Nanjing Confucius Temple, eating in the shadow of oars and lights

Two famous talents in Chinese literary circles once traveled to Qinhuai together in the 1920s, and came back and wrote an article of the same name. "Qinhuai River in the Sound of Oars and Lights", read these two articles together, and you can restore the scene at that time: literary young people looked and felt awkward on the painted boat where geishas gathered, the boatmen were busy making money and could not wait, and geishas and clerks shuttled back and forth. Touting for business... The literati who have been there for nearly a century have been unable to find the poetic and picturesque atmosphere of melodious nocturnes, drunkenness in the middle of the night, and close friends. If there are still many people who are really romantic and elegant, such as The Peach Blossom Fan and other historical memories of the Qinhuai River are gone, and when you come back you can only sigh: Of course the beauty is still there, but the flavor has long been different.

Wuyi Lane, Wangxie Ancient Residence, Kuiguang Pavilion... these names can only exist in people's imagination. The actual Confucius Temple scenic area is centered on Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River is a link, including Zhanyuan, Confucius Temple, Baijizhou, Zhonghua Gate, as well as the Qinhuai water cruise boats and riverside pavilions from Taoyedu to Zhenhuai Bridge. , is a tourist route that integrates historical sites, gardens, boats, streets, pavilions and folk customs. It is also a place where residents and tourists like to shop and taste snacks. Although the entertainment content is far from the elegance of the day, the liveliness is not the same. Not inferior.

The Qinhuai River has a long history. During the time of Qin Shihuang, he dug through Fangshan Mountain to divert the Huai River and ran it across the city, hence the name Qinhuai River. The Qinhuai River is divided into an inner river and an outer river. The inner river is in the city of Nanjing and is the most prosperous place in Qinhuai within ten miles. Tracing back to the most glorious time of the Qinhuai River in Confucius Temple, we can go back to the Six Dynasties period. At that time, the Qinhuai River was very prosperous with people and merchants gathered. Wuyi Lane, Zhuque Street, Taoye Ferry and other places were all inhabited by wealthy families. Place. In the Ming Dynasty, the Confucius Temple was used as the imperial examination room for the Imperial College, and candidates gathered here. Therefore, many service industries were concentrated here, including various restaurants, teahouses, snacks... At the same time, brothels came into being, and from then on, "the sound of lights and the shadows of sex continued for ten miles" on the Qinhuai River. "Singing girls playing with flowers and boats in Zhuobo". Later, there were the informed and intellectual Li Xiangjun and Liu Rushi, and the chivalrous and charming Ma Xianglan and Kou Baimen. The scene at this time is described in "The Peach Blossom Fan", "Pear blossoms are like snow, grass is like smoke, and spring is like smoke. On both sides of the Qinhuai River, there are makeup buildings facing the water, and every house's pink shadow illuminates the cicadas." Li Xiangjun's former residence can still be seen along the Qinhuai River, but a large part of it has been changed into new-style buildings. During the Republic of China, this place was a gathering place for popular songs, Beijing opera, civilized opera, drums, Hollywood movies, new dramas, Pingtan, storytelling, and other various art forms.

Not far ahead is the Confucius Temple. The Confucius Temple is the common name of the Confucius Temple. It was originally a place to worship and worship Confucius. Interestingly enough, the Confucius Temple was the seat of the city government during the Republic of China. The adjacent Qinhuai River was a feasting, prosperous and prosperous place that once caused the city government a great loss of face. There are currently 1,034 rockeries with different styles in the scenic area, which are relics of the Ming Dynasty. Bailuzhou Park is said to be the East Garden of Zhongshan King Xu Da. There are scenic spots such as Ou Xiang Ju, Yan Yu Pavilion, waterside pavilions, and rockeries in the garden, among which bridges are the most distinctive feature. There are as many as 15 small bridges in the garden that look like ribbons. The Zhonghua Gate is the south gate of the Ming capital city. It was called Jubao Gate in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the most majestic gate in Nanjing and the largest and most complete fortress urn city in existence in my country. The city gate is large in scale, ingeniously designed, and has a complex structure. It has four gates, three urns, 27 caves for hiding soldiers, and a horse trail to climb the city on horseback. It occupies an extremely important role in the history of city gate architecture in my country. status.

Gongyuan West Street is a must-go. Here you can find authentic Nanjing snacks: salted duck, steamed buns, crispy sesame cakes, duck blood soup, etc.

Nanjing people are fond of eating ducks, and osmanthus duck is the most famous. It is named because it is made every year during the blooming season of osmanthus. According to the "Baimen Cookbook": "During the August period in Jinling, salted duck is the most famous. Everyone thinks that the meat has the fragrance of osmanthus. "The salted duck gizzards are refreshing and the duck blood soup is refreshing. They are all favorite snacks of gentle and beautiful Nanjing girls.

The snacks and snacks of Confucius Temple seem to have been born to satisfy the hunger of the people who sang and sang in the Qinhuai Boat Boat in the middle of the night. The snacks of the seven snack shops are famous for their fine craftsmanship, beautiful shapes, exquisite selection of materials, and unique flavors. They are Kuiguang Pavilion’s five-spice tea eggs, five-spice beans, and Yuhua tea; Yongheyuan’s Kaiyang dried shreds and crab shell yellow sesame cakes. ; Qifangge’s assorted vegetable buns, dried shredded oil, and duck fat pancakes; Liufengju’s tofu dumplings and scallion pancakes; Jiang Youji’s beef soup and beef hotpot; Zhanyuan Noodle House’s thin-skin dumplings and fried fish noodles in red soup ; Lianhu Dessert’s sweet-scented osmanthus-filled Lantern Festival and five-color cake dumplings.

Huang Shang once said in "Five Chapters of Jinling": "The crowded crowds, the prosperous market, and the unique atmosphere are unique to Confucius Temple." This is true.

Hangzhou Hefang Street, enjoy the flavor of the ancient city

Hangzhou’s business has become increasingly prosperous since the Tang Dynasty. After the operation of the Wuyue and Southern Song Dynasties in the Five Dynasties, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Qinghefang was the The central radiation forms a unique commercial district. The exact location of Qinghefang is at the four corners where today's Zhongshan Middle Road and Hefang Street intersect. At that time, there were Kong Fengchun Fragrant Powder Store, Mi Dachang Dry Tobacco Store, Wanlong Nanrou Ham Store, Tianxiangzhai Tea and Candy Store, Zhang Yunsheng Department stores, Fangyuhe North and South Goods Stores, Wenglongsheng Tea House and other famous time-honored brands are the preferred shopping places for Hangzhou residents living at home and foreign tourists passing by in a hurry. The most noteworthy thing is that Hu Xueyan, a wealthy red-top businessman, built the "Qing Yu Tang" Chinese medicine dispensary here, which echoes the "Tong Ren Tang" in Beijing; Bohe has a history of more than a thousand years and did not close until 1956. Tang Pharmacy is also located at the entrance of Huaguang Alley on Hefang Street in Hangzhou. According to legend, Xu Xian, who had a love affair with White Snake, once worked as a waiter here... In those days, Hefang Street was not only the imperial root of the capital Hangzhou, but also the capital city of Hangzhou. The cultural center and economic and trade center of the Southern Song Dynasty. Known as the "Wuhuaer Center", it was the most prosperous business center in Hangzhou until the 1980s.

The current Hefang Street connects Yan'an South Road and Zhongshan Middle Road. After the overall planning and layout, the house has a completely new look. Although this "repair the old as before" approach seems stiff and dull because there is no cultural heritage accumulated over time. It's thin, but those time-honored old houses still have some reservations and are worth a visit.

The three-story building with a Western-style terrace on the southwest roof at the fourth corner is the Kong Feng Chun Fragrance Powder Shop. The founders were the three Kong brothers during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The three brothers recognized the beauty of Hangzhou women. Psychology, with its front store and back store, produces goose egg powder, hair growth oil, cream and other cosmetics. It was in its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to regular customers in Hangzhou, a large number of pilgrims came to Hangzhou to burn incense every flood season. Most people also want to go to Kong Fengchun to buy some cosmetics to take home, and the counter is often crowded.

Mi Dachang Pharmacy is across the street from Kong Fengchun. It was founded in the 8th year of Tongzhi (1869). It buys tobacco leaves with pure color and thick flavor from Xinchang, the place of production. It comes from Xiaoshan and Shaoxing areas and carries goods for customers. The gathering of ships in the river port is extremely spectacular, and its mail order range is all over the country. In the early 20th century, when foreign cigarettes were dumped in the Chinese market, Mi Dachang always maintained a prosperous sales momentum and was known as the originator of the nationally famous "Hangzhou Cigarette" .

Wengshenglong Tea House, adjacent to Mi Dachang Cigarette Shop, was founded in the third year of Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty (1725) and is famous for selling high-quality Longjing tea from West Lake. This is a five-story bungalow with a registered trademark of hydrangea on the lintel. Weng Shenglong Tea House must pick the first tea when buying tea. It is carefully processed and has a collection of famous teas. It was very popular back then.

The five-story bungalow opposite is Fang Yuhe, a North and South goods store. The founder, Fang Yangfeng, was a giant businessman in Shanghai. He saw that tourists from the West Lake were constantly visiting this place all year round and would buy local specialties before leaving Hangzhou. Therefore, he specialized in general merchandise such as "Snow Boat Legs", candles, dried fruits, candied fruits, etc., and his reputation was indeed growing.

Wanlong Nanrou Ham Shop northwest of Four Corners sells authentic Jinhua ham and other sauce duck, bean curd meat, sausage, drunken melon, etc. Fang Huichuntang Pharmacy, located next to Kong Fengchun, is a typical traditional building in the south of the Yangtze River during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has a blue brick and stone door wall outside, a tall and luxurious business hall, a pharmaceutical workshop, and the owner's house.

Zhang Yunsheng Department Store is the earliest department store in Hangzhou. It is said to have a history of more than 200 years. It has a front store and a back store. It produces and sells silk threads, hats, etc. The main source of goods comes from Shanghai. It also sells Shanghai Invincible tooth powder, toothpaste, butterfly cream and other stores in other cities. joint.

The Zhu Yangxin Ointment Pharmacy, Wang Lao Niang Wooden Comb Shop, and Zhang Xiaoquan Scissor Shop in Dajing Alley not far from the fourth corner also have hundreds of years of history. Hu Qingyu Guoyao, owned by the giant businessman Hu Xueyan, is even more famous. Shao Zhiyan Brush Shop on Zhongshan Middle Road sells all kinds of brushes, brushes and the four treasures of the study. Jiuzhizhai is a time-honored food store, selling pastries, moon cakes, preserves, etc.

You can also find an old-fashioned house in Ancestral Lane, Hefang Street, Hangzhou. It is the former residence of Yu Qian, who is also known as the "Three Heroes of West Lake" together with Yue Fei and Zhang Cangshui. The former residence consists of an entrance space, a main courtyard, an inner courtyard and ancillary rooms. The entrance is on the west, and the entrance is the foyer. On the wall facing the building is Yu Qian's "Lime Yin" poem handwritten by the famous contemporary calligrapher Sha Menghai. Passing through the small gate is the main part of the former residence, including Zhongsu Hall, Yu's ancient well, etc. Zhongsu Hall faces north and faces south, with a simple and solemn style. From the main courtyard to the east, go through the round hole gate and enter the inner courtyard, which is a small garden with a pool, a piano platform and a Sixian Pavilion. It is a courtyard garden with Jiangnan characteristics.