江南古鎮(zhèn)：西塘介紹
西塘古鎮(zhèn)位于浙江省嘉善縣，江浙滬三省交界處。古名斜塘，平川，距嘉善市區(qū)10公里。是吳地漢文化的千年水鄉(xiāng)古鎮(zhèn)，江南六大古鎮(zhèn)之一。西塘全鎮(zhèn)總面積83.61平方公里，其中古鎮(zhèn)區(qū)面積1.04平方公里，人口近8.6萬(wàn)。西塘被譽(yù)為生活著的千年古鎮(zhèn)。已被列入世界歷史文化遺產(chǎn)預(yù)備名單，中國(guó)首批歷史文化名鎮(zhèn)，國(guó)家AAAA級(jí)景區(qū)。歷史文化西塘歷史悠久，是古代吳越文化的發(fā)祥地之一。早在春秋戰(zhàn)國(guó)時(shí)期就是吳越兩國(guó)的相交之地，故有“吳根越角”和“越角人家”之稱。
唐、宋時(shí)期就已形成村鎮(zhèn)，到了元、明朝時(shí)，西塘憑借魚米之鄉(xiāng)，絲綢之府的經(jīng)濟(jì)基礎(chǔ)和水道之便，發(fā)展成一座繁華、富庶的大集鎮(zhèn)，窯業(yè)、米市、食品、制陶業(yè)等行業(yè)日益興旺。在唐開元年間就已建有大量村落，人們沿河建屋、依水而居；南宋時(shí)村落漸成規(guī)模，形成了市集；元代開始依水而市漸漸形成集鎮(zhèn)，商業(yè)開始繁盛起來；明清時(shí)期已經(jīng)發(fā)展成為江南手工業(yè)和商業(yè)重鎮(zhèn)。“春秋的水，唐宋的鎮(zhèn)，明清的建筑，現(xiàn)代的人”，是對(duì)西塘再恰當(dāng)不過的形容。后弦的《唐宋元明清》也是在古鎮(zhèn)西塘?xí)r有感而發(fā)而寫的。
西塘古鎮(zhèn)還有以提倡民族氣節(jié)，推翻封建的清王朝，建立民主共和政體為志的南社，是在孫中山領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的中國(guó)同盟會(huì)革命浪潮洶涌澎湃的激蕩下，于1909年11月在蘇州秘密成立的。南社的發(fā)起人是吳江著名詩(shī)人柳亞子，他在西塘發(fā)展南社社員18人，較為著名的有余十眉、李鐘麒、郁佐梅、沈禹鐘、江雪塍等。南社是一個(gè)革命團(tuán)體，它主要是以文字鼓吹反清革命，與同盟會(huì)互相呼應(yīng)，成犄角之勢(shì)。一時(shí)京、滬、蘇、浙、湘甚至南洋等地不少報(bào)紙，都為南社社員所掌握。“欲憑文字播風(fēng)雷”（柳亞子語(yǔ)），為反清民族民主革命大造聲勢(shì)。后來，南社在大革命的浪潮中也四分五裂，但西塘的一班詩(shī)友，又組織了胥社，宗旨不變，人員不變，成為南社在西塘的延伸組織。胥社成員的詩(shī)文絕大多數(shù)保留了下來，這些詩(shī)和他們的“宗師”柳亞子在西塘留下的90首詩(shī)文一起，并且共同成為西塘的千古絕唱。西塘現(xiàn)狀在西塘，你可以細(xì)細(xì)品味這里的慢生活，可在茶樓里品茶聽曲，或等夜晚的西塘披上驚艷外衣后，乘上搖櫓船看水中的各色倒影，也可以去酒吧坐下來找一點(diǎn)兒古樸中的現(xiàn)代感。即使是站在橋上俯視川流的木船、遠(yuǎn)眺整片屋檐，或在廊棚下漫無(wú)目的地閑逛也是一種樂趣。古鎮(zhèn)內(nèi)住著不少本地居民，你會(huì)看到常有阿婆在河邊洗衣、阿公在廊棚下下棋，生活氣息相當(dāng)濃郁。
Xitang：
I wouldn't normally associate a haunt like Xitang with the toothy gleam of Hollywood royalty. It's hard to imagine high-octane players like Tom Cruise kicking back in an ancient Chinese water-village and much easier to picture the place filled with decadent opium dens and people idling on sampans. But incontrovertible proof was there to see: up on the wall in a restaurant - and it will soon be seen by many more on silver screens worldwide.
It takes about 90 minutes to drive down to Xitang from Shanghai; from a 21st-century megalopolis to an altogether dreamier slice of history. This Ming and Qing dynasty backwater is achingly photogenic - a quality not missed out on by the producers for Mission: Impossible III. It was rumoured locally that they'd stumped up 100 million Yuan to film in this tiny village for a few days - a shade over £7 million - but it's possible for the casual visitor to get the picture on a somewhat more modest budget. A ticket for you or me to enter town costs about 40p.
To call this lovely water-village an oriental Venice would be wildly over the mark, yet it shares similarities with its more famous Italian counterpart. Canals dissect twisting narrow lanes and pathways, rendering the community traffic-free and boat friendly. Worn stone steps lead down to the waters and hopelessly pretty bridges span them. But Xitang is on an altogether smaller, happily domestic scale, and no matter how hard it tries, tourism is mercifully still in its infancy.
Even though the place is small, it's chock-full with museums, temples and places of historic and cultural interest. This is all the more amazing since Xitang suffered badly during the Cultural Revolution. Some of the permanent exhibitions seemed a little eccentric: the anorak within me was particularly taken by the Root Carving museum and the Brick and Tile Display Hall. The Drunk Garden - so-called after the intoxicating effect its views are alleged to have on those visiting - is gorgeous (although I remained sober) and the West Garden, famed for its poetical connections, is a classical baroque tumble of stones, pagodas and pools.
I noticed that the guidebook boasted "some old residences exhibit stone-inscriptions of celebrities". But I'm willing to wager that it's not Tinsel Town's glyptography they're bragging about, but those of long dead dignitaries.
Rustic wooden pistols seemed to be the toy of choice in the scattering of tourist shops signposted with scalloped flags. They also flog bric-a-brac and are only worth a cursory once-over. But the minuscule noodle and dumpling stores and local inns are well worth seeking out.
Guesthouses cost 100-150 Yuan a night for some of the most romantic rooms I've come across. Pierced screens and paper walls surround exquisite carved beds with marble inlays; they are begging for secret trysts or idle nights. The views through the geometric windows across tiled rooftops to the canals below are unbeatable. At night, red lanterns dotted along the eaves reflect in the water, doubling the prettiness, but I don't think Tom and his famously betrothed girlfriend, Katie Holmes, succumbed to these simple charms.
Like Venice, Xitang is a place that does washing - a bunting of knickers and vests was strung all over the place. Skipping is the preferred exercise, and half-a-dozen jumping women did their utmost to dodge the laundry.
Fishing junks are still in everyday use - easily identified because they're covered in cormorants - and jostle alongside the myriad tourist boats. They're the source of local delicacies, including Fenhu Lake crabs, shrimps, eels, clams and turtles. Legs of pork hung in an open shed, were ready to be steamed on lotus leaves and served up with trotter sauce.
One of the better places to eat is at the Qiantang Hotel in the centre of the village on a junction of three waterways. The veranda houses a simple bar and eating area with antique curved seating that allowed women of a bygone era to repose gracefully. It also housed the photographic proof of uber-stardom. A grinning Mr Cruise can be seen grappling with the rather po-faced owner.
I also spotted Meryl Streep on the Qiantang Hotel wall of fame. She, too, was hugging the proprietor. Meryl came as something of a surprise as she's not featured in the movie. Perhaps Xitang is where the triple A-listers go to chill out of the limelight.
Even though Xitang is small, it's something of a centre for the arts. In summer, traditional folk operas, concerts and a local cinema play by the waterside in the open-air. And all year-round, young artists from the cities come to paint the alleyways and canals.
Local legend has it that a walk with your loved one over the Songi Laifen bridge increases fertility. Inevitably, Tom and Katie couldn't resist the stroll across it.
