The picture shows the ancient city and new city of Quzhou. Photo by Xu Jun (Image China)
In Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, the ancient streets of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Songyang County are protected and repaired in accordance with the method of “repairing the old as the old”, which not only brings convenience to the lives of local residents, but also adds a strong historical and cultural atmosphere to the ancient streets; The historical and cultural district of West Street in Longquan City combines the activation and utilization of the old street with cultural activities to benefit the people, and is full of vitality; In the ancient town of Twenty Eight Cities, Jiangshan City, Quzhou, the original historical appearance is preserved, and the residents of the ancient town enjoy a better life.
From “static preservation” to “dynamic preservation”, so that ordinary people can live a modern life in the streets and alleys, so that history and culture and modern life can be integrated. Recently, the reporter visited the ancient town of Zhejiang Laojie and deeply felt that the local use of “embroidery” kung fu to carry out micro-transformation of ancient buildings and ancient houses with the principle of minimum intervention, not only protects the building itself, but also protects the traditional pattern, spatial texture, historical style, cultural ecology and landscape environment, so that history and culture shine in modern life.
Repair the old as before, revitalize and utilize
An ancient street winds and deepens, and on both sides of the street, the wooden buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties are in good order, as if the picture scroll of time is slowly unfolding, showing a simple and elegant street market scene.
The ancient street of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Songyang County, Lishui City, began in the Tang and Song dynasties, flourished in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, went through wind and rain, fell into disrepair for a long time, and the locals called it “Old Street”. After careful protection and restoration, the old street has been revitalized and revitalized, and it has become one of the better-preserved ancient blocks in Zhejiang Province.
“Some of the building decoration components are damaged and incomplete, and there are certain potential safety hazards; There are also concrete and brick buildings, which are not consistent with the architectural style of the wooden structure of Lao Cai. Wang Shubin, deputy director of the Old House Office of Songyang County’s famous city and ancient village, introduced that in the process of protecting the old street, Songyang County adheres to the principle of “repairing the old as before”, does not adopt abrupt transformation or one-size-fits-all methods, but adopts the least, most natural and most casual artificial intervention to ensure the organic continuation of urban development Chinese and spiritual, and present the true historical situation of each period.
At the corner of the old street, a homestay called “Yuan Pu” is a vivid example of the restoration and revitalization of the old street. Previously, it was a Qing Dynasty ancestral hall with a history of more than 200 years. Songyang County organized more than 30 traditional craftsmen to repair by hand, and added a reversible steel frame structure to the location of the patio, which not only protects its original main structure, but also meets the business needs of the homestay.
Since the start of restoration and protection work in 2012, the restoration area of the ancient streets of the Ming and Qing dynasties has exceeded 10,000 square meters, and more than 100 houses have been repaired, restoring the past style and becoming an important window to show the history and culture of Songyang.
Brown flakes are drawn, brown ropes are made, and brown wires are pressed…… Huang Weibing, a resident of Lao Cai, has been engaged in palm board processing for decades. A pair of calloused hands, inheriting and continuing traditional handicrafts.
In addition to Huang Weibing, there were many other craftsmen on the ancient streets of the Ming and Qing dynasties.Person. Blacksmith, goldsmith, tailor…… Traditional handicrafts not only bring convenience to local life, but also add a strong historical and cultural atmosphere to the ancient street.
Authentic and inherited culture
In Longquan City, Lishui, the ancient Longquan West Street precipitates the ancient cultural charm of sword porcelain Longquan and records the historical origin of the city.
In the criss-cross layout, narrow alleys and alleys are winding and quiet, and old houses on both sides are lined up one after another. In the Song Dynasty, the local people led Longquan River to build the Yunshui Canal, which flowed along the street from west to east, forming a unique scenery accompanied by streets and canals.
However, as the years passed, the overall construction of the neighborhood and the facilities and roads became dilapidated.
In 2018, the West Street Historical and Cultural District began to be renovated and upgraded. Focusing on the goal of creating “the memory of the elderly, the fashion of the young, the nostalgia of the people who go out of Longquan, and the must-visit place for tourists who come to Longquan”, Longquan City has done a good job in planning, construction, management and operation, and gradually repaired and revitalized, so that the old street will not fade and the charm will always be there.
“The original historical appearance of West Street is intact, and the most valuable thing is that the original residents and natural ecological businesses are preserved in the block.” Fang Yue, director of the West Street Sub-district Office, said that how to preserve them in their original flavor is the key to the construction of the West Street Historical and Cultural District.
“In order to continue the fireworks in the streets and alleys, we pay attention to the activation and utilization of historical buildings, constantly excavate the practicability of old buildings and old blocks in contemporary times, and combine the activation and utilization of immovable cultural relics, historical buildings, idle public houses and other cultural activities to benefit the people to meet the living needs of residents in the block.” Xiang Minxian, deputy director of the Longquan Famous City Protection Center, said.
In 2019, Longquan City listed the West Street Historical and Cultural District as one of the key projects to improve the quality of the famous city, and the restoration and revitalization efforts were increased again. “Some of the houses here used to be very dilapidated, but after the repair, they are much better, the road surface is clean, and the environment is better!” Ai Mingliang, an old resident who has lived on West Street for decades, smiled.
Last year, Longquan City combined Song Yun culture to create a “Longquan Happy Events Street” in the West Street Historical and Cultural District, integrating marriage registration services, marriage and family counseling, intangible cultural heritage marriage customs display, and cultural and creative wedding customs brands, and became an Internet celebrity check-in point to attract young people.
Today’s West Street, the fusion of classical and modern, the symbiosis of the old street and the new scene, full of vigorous and upward vitality.
The original appearance is preserved and the history is carried away
Hui-style horse-head wall, Zhejiang-style roof ridge, Jiangxi-style eaves rafters, Fujian-style earthen wall…… Located in the deep mountains at the junction of Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, it belongs to the ancient town of Twenty-eight Towns in Jiangshan City, Quzhou, which can be called a “folk architecture museum” without walls.
176 castes live here, 13 dialects have been passed down from generation to generation, and there are still 3,397 households living in it.
On weekends, in front of the puppet show stage in the Twenty-eight Ancient Town Scenic Area, there are circles of young tourists. Silk threads pull the dexterous puppets.It also aroused the curiosity of the children, who were vying to learn about the national intangible cultural heritage project – the Twenty-Eight Puppet Show.
Watch a puppet show, make a cup of soy milk ice cream, and try a gong cake…… After the renovation, the ancient town of Twenty-eight Cities has become “alive” and “fire”, becoming a “new” space for inheriting and carrying forward traditional culture.
58-year-old Ding Qiufang has lived in the ancient town of Twenty-eight since childhood. “When I heard that it was going to be renovated, I was worried about what it would look like and whether it would affect my daily life. Unexpectedly, the street pattern has not changed, the old buildings left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties have not been demolished, and the style of the newly built houses is harmonious and unified. The style of the ancient town has improved, there are more tourists, and everyone’s life is getting better and better, and we old residents are so pleased. Ding Qiufang said.
How to make the ancient town glow with new vitality and vitality? Jiangshan City has gradually shifted from a single type of protection to a multi-type protection from the original single type of protection.
“The focus of the work is gradually inclined to the restoration of ancient buildings, the restoration of ancient scenes, and the display of culture, in-depth excavation of puppet shows, paper-cutting and other characteristic cultures, and actively cultivating theme villages such as Ink Fengxi, Mengli Flower Bridge, and Ancient Yunxunli.” Ding Rijin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Twenty-eight Du Town, Jiangshan City, introduced.
“The mountains in the distance stretched, the clouds and mist were shrouded, the green bricks and tiles nearby, and the smoke curled up, and finally I personally experienced the ‘smoke and rain in the south of the Yangtze River’ mentioned in the book.” Lu Zixing, a tourist from other places, took photos to check in the rain scene of the ancient town of Twenty Eight Cities, and received a lot of likes on social media.
In the ancient town of Twenty-eight Capital, stroll on the stone road, watch the mountains at dusk, listen to the rain hitting the plantains, taste a pot of green peonies, listen to a mountain song, who doesn’t say that the south of the Yangtze River is good?
People’s Daily reporters Li Chinese and Liu Junguo
People’s Daily (2024-04-30 07 Edition)