Danyang is an ancient town, which was a battleground for military strategists as early as the Qin Dynasty, and its prosperity has continued to this day. She is a small town surrounded by Anhui and Jiangsu. An alley separates the two provinces, with Anhui in the south and Jiangsu in the north.
Danyang Town is a land of plenty, adjacent to Shijiu Lake and surrounded by three small rivers. The highway connects Nanjing, its urban area and dangtu county, and is adjacent to Hengshan Mountain, the highest peak in the east. At the foot of the mountain is the ancient temple of the Six Dynasties, a provincial cultural relic "Shimen".
The streets in the town are all bluestone pavements, which have been polished smooth and bright by years. On rainy days, the raindrops falling from the cracks in the ink tiles "click, click" on the bluestone, splashing crystal-clear flowers. Misty rain, picturesque, like a song and a dream, is intoxicating and fascinating.
The width of the small street is about 10 meter, and the length of the east-west street is about 500 meters. In the middle of the east-west street is a north-south street, about 400 meters long. Then, there is a small narrow lane, which is the boundary between Anhui and Jiangsu. The north is the border of Jiangsu. People in the town call Anhui "South Town" and Jiangsu "North Town". What I describe here is "Nan Zhen".
In the 1980s, there were only two modern buildings in the town, namely, the shopping mall of the town supply and marketing cooperative, and the rest were all antique storefronts and houses with white walls and wooden structures.
All kinds of stalls in the small street are dazzling and colorful, mainly snacks and small commodities. Sell fish and shrimp, vegetables, chickens, ducks and geese, clothes, mounted calligraphy and painting, noodles, jiaozi, wonton, fried dough sticks, blacksmiths, tiger stoves, umbrellas, keys, baskets, pigs, cows and sheep, and so on. The air is filled with the smell of human sweat, frying oil, livestock and fish and shrimp, which makes people extremely uncomfortable. Inadvertently, you will find a pool of pig and cow feces, and you will step on it if you are not careful. The crowd side by side makes it difficult for people to walk. At the busiest time in the morning, an empty person can hardly walk. If two people want to stand and talk, they need each other's voice to be loud, and they may even be dispersed. At night, the street was deserted, except for the shouts of kung fu movies from the only video hall not far away.
My second uncle invited me to dinner regularly to fulfill my friendship and responsibility as an uncle. The house he lives in is very small, with the bedroom at the back, the hall and kitchen outside, and the small coal stove, dining table and stool outside. In order to prevent dust, my uncle pasted various patterns on the dark brick wall. Looking up, you can clearly see the small dark tiles like watermelon skin. The low beam is wrapped with cobwebs. Every time I go to eat, I am careful, for fear of stepping on the creaking wooden floor or stepping on it. My uncle's coriander is delicious, and so is mutton noodles. Unfortunately, it can only be eaten in autumn and winter.
My uncle works in the town government, and his two rooms are in a small "two-in-one yard". There lived an uncle's family of four in the front yard, and another government worker lived opposite; There is also a government official living in one of the two rooms in the backyard, opposite my bedroom and kitchen. There is also a buried well in the yard. The road to and from my uncle's house is a seven-bay eight-turn road. In the alley, it is easy for strangers to get lost. At that time, there were no street lamps, and every household lit incandescent lamps with lower wattage. I'm afraid of rain and can't walk out of the muddy path. I have to jump on the road in rubber shoes, or my feet will be covered with mud.
There is a small river in the west of Danyang town, and the town name is "Xihe"; In the east, next to the town, people call it the "East River"; One kilometer further east, there is another river called "Mountains and Rivers". The east-west river hugs the town tightly, just like the moat of that year, protecting the town in the middle. In the 1980s, the small bridge on the East River was like the old man's bony arm. It ran across the provincial highway 3 14, carrying small vendors from east to west on its shoulders and welcoming guests around them. After years of erosion, this small bridge still stands tenaciously and firmly. This is a blue stone bridge, with a straight bridge deck and crescent-shaped bridge holes, which are covered with moss and some highland barley plants. The guardrail of Qingshiqiao has been polished smooth and supple by time, as if to show off its vicissitudes to the years and witness the coldness of the world. The bridge is about ten meters wide and twenty meters long. Below is the dirty river that is connected with the Yangtze River and does not dry up in all seasons.
Danyang town has a history of more than 2200 years. From Qin Dynasty to Tang Dynasty, it was ruled by counties, and the county was abolished in the first year of Tang Zhenguan. Danyang Town, with a long history, is an important commercial town in Jiangdong, with developed economy, prosperous culture and merchants. Since ancient times, it has been the commercial center of the southeastern border of Anhui, "one foot in two places, two crows in two provinces". Known as "Jiangdong Town" and "Jinling Gateway"; Now it is an important window for Anhui Province to face economically developed areas such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai.
Danyang Town has profound cultural heritage and numerous cultural landscapes. The famous Huangmei opera "The Fairy Couple" is based on Danyang, and Dongshan Village is the legendary hometown of Yong Dong.
Danyang Town belongs to Bowang District, Maanshan City, Anhui Province, located at the southeast end of Anhui Province, within the Yangtze River Delta Economic Circle, Nanjing 1 hour Metropolitan Circle and Mawutong Economic Circle. It is a national pilot town for the construction of small towns and a demonstration town for the comprehensive economic development of small towns.
During the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, Danyang Street has undergone earth-shaking changes. Qingshiqiao disappeared, and the East River disappeared, replaced by wide asphalt roads and shops and houses lined with high-rise buildings on both sides; The center of the street has also disappeared, such as the white walls of Mowa, the alley-like streets and bluestone pavements, and the creaking old wooden floors under your feet. Now the streets are several times wider than before, and the cement pavement is uniform; Antique street lamps stand quietly like loyal guards. You don't have to worry about stepping on mud or animal droppings when you walk in the street on rainy days or at night. Various stalls on both sides of the street are also stationed in spacious and bright shops, where tourists and consumers can stop and watch at will.
Walking on the street of a small town, you don't feel that kind of oppression, and you don't have to worry that something will fall from the crumbling window. Don't worry, you won't be pushed into the store by the surging crowd. There is no disgusting mixed smell in the street. Opposite is the farmer's market, which is rich in people's livelihood materials and low in price. People who come to town will buy some products they need, and traveling is worthwhile.
I remember when I came here as a teenager, the smell of coal smoke all over my nose made people sneeze. The narrow road was covered with black mud. Nowadays, in addition to the 3 13 and 3 14 provincial roads connecting Danyang town, there is also a four-lane highway with better greening facilities, which bypasses Danyang town, making it more convenient and faster for vehicles to go out. The east, south and west are the industrial development parks of Danyang Town, which provide the best environment and places for investors.
Now, my second uncle also has a house and a facade. Although my uncle died of illness, the town government still gave welfare housing care, and the elegant two-story building also allowed my aunt to enjoy her old age. If my relatives lived there for a few days, they wouldn't disturb me as much as they did at school. Adults can only use curtains to separate everything that has nothing to do with me when drinking.
When you go to Danyang town again, you don't have to queue up or squeeze two or three buses a day, and you don't have to ride a bike for half a day. There will be a bus to and from the city or county in a minute or two. Or, if you are in a hurry, just reach out and call.
Small towns are changing with each passing day, reflecting the prosperity of the motherland, the prosperity of the country, the safety of the people and the prosperity of the country.