Suzhou ancient city is a famous water town in the south of the Yangtze River. Suzhou's water ports and streets crisscross. Shantang Street Shantang Street starts from the only bridge in Nagato in the east and ends at Wangshan Bridge in Huqiu Mountain, a famous scenic spot in Suzhou, with a total length of about seven miles. Therefore, there is a saying in Suzhou, "Qili Shantang to Huqiu". Shantang Street has a long history. Built in the Tang Dynasty, it has been 1 100 years. Legend has it that it was built by Bai Juyi, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty. Shantang Street is known as "the first street in Gusu".
Shantang Street, because of its unique geographical location and superior land and water transportation conditions, was once one of the most developed commercial and cultural blocks in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and was the window of Wu culture. The street is in a parallel pattern of land and water, adjacent to the river street, with exquisite and elegant architecture and many shops and halls on the street, which reproduces the prosperity of Shantang Street. Someone sang, "There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. Hangzhou has West Lake, and Suzhou has mountain ponds. Two beautiful places. " This is a vivid portrayal of Shantang Street.
Shantang Street has experienced 1 100 years of vicissitudes and has been repaired many times since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Especially 1985, under the principle of keeping the original style as much as possible, the Suzhou municipal government has carried out a large-scale transformation. Now, we can drive to Suzhou Tiger Hill. I think if we can walk slowly along Shantang Street, we will fully appreciate the special charm of Jiangnan water town and Suzhou streets. At the same time, it is also a dialogue between reality and history, and it must have a special flavor.
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Shantang Street is located in the northwest of Nagato, the ancient city of Suzhou. It starts from the first crossing monk bridge on Changxu Road in the east and reaches the Xishan Temple Bridge in the southwest of Huqiu Road in the west. Shantang Street is 3600 meters long, about 7 Li Long, and 2-6.8 meters wide. Shantang Street can be divided into east and west sections. The eastern section is from the only bridge in Nagato to Bantang Bridge, and the western section is from Bantang Bridge to Huqiu Mountain.
There are many rivers and bridges in Shantang Street, which fully embodies the street characteristics of Suzhou, a water city. Its rivers meander parallel and extend to Tiger Hill for seven miles. Most of the houses in the eastern part of the mountain pond are built by water, and the pavilions of the waterside pavilion are supported by wooden stakes. Hexi section is wide and spacious, with flowers and trees on both sides. An ancient bridge across the water, either flat or arch, or single or three holes.
The ancient buildings on both sides of Shantang Street, mostly in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, are buildings composed of several steps, criss-crossing. Its single facade types are: Shikumen, Gate, Hanging Gate, Short Tart Gate, Sparrow Gate, etc. There are three to five entrances to the building, such as entrance hall, sedan chair hall, flower hall and balcony. Some houses have seven entrances, and the front and rear lanes are connected.
On the vertical line, the buildings in Ming dynasty were similar, but in Qing dynasty, with the improvement of economic strength, people began to advocate luxury, so there were three roads and five roads. These facilities are set on criss-crossing roads and are often separated by facilities. Alleys are not only access roads before and after buildings, but also play a role in fire fighting between roads.