Nanxun Town through Centuries

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  Nanxun Town is located east of Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It is the center of Nanxu District, which is quite close to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. It is also very close to Taihu Lake, one of the largest lakes in China.
  Nanxun Town was a famous town throughout the centuries in the world. A long time ago, it was famous for its rice and aquatic products. From the Southern Song Dynasty, Nanxun Town became a famous place for the merchants and craftsmen to sell their products at a good price. In the first World Expo in London in 1851, the silk that originated from Nanxun Town was chosen as the only product from China displayed at the Expo and won both a golden and a silver medal.
   History of Nanxun Town
  Nanxun was only a small village at the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time it was called“Xunxi Village”. Then, after more than one hundred years’ development, the small village gradually became a town with booming commerce during the Ming Dynasty, as its silk industry became more and more prosperous.
  The silk industry in Nanxun Town during the Ming Dynasty included the breeding of silk worms, the planting of mulberries and the collection and processing of silk. Around 1383, the residents of Nanxun Town improved the technology of collecting and processing silk several times, from which Nanxun Town gradually grew its reputation as a“Town of Silk”. The silk from Nanxun Town was very popular among nobles in the area south of the Yangtze River.
  In 1842, the Qing Dynasty was defeated by Great Britain in the Opium War and was forced to open Shanghai as a treaty port. As a town which is close to Shanghai and is famous for its silk products, Nanxun became a center for the silk trade in the area south of the Yangtze River. The residents here compiled books on the standards about processing silk and the quality of silk products. With these observable standards, the silk industry in Nanxun Town had an unparalleled opportunity for development and the trade volume had an enormous increase. At the end of Qing Dynasty, about 60% of residents in Nanxun Town lived on silk and 70% of the major silk stores in Shanghai bought silk products from Nanxun Town. From 1847 to 1870, the famous Maritime Silk Way was formed, through which the silk from Nanxun Town was exported to foreign countries from Shanghai.
  Throughout the past 100 years, i.e. from the beginning of the Republic of China to now, the silk industry was no longer the only industry in Nanxun Town and the whole region of Nanxun, though it still played an important role. Presently, tourism and the service industry gradually make more contributions to the economy of Nanxun.
   Tourism Guide
  As mentioned before, Nanxun Town lies close to Taihu Lake and thus it is a famous water town. Aside from that, it enjoyed the name as a “Town of Rice and Fishes”, “Place of Silk” and“State of Culture”.
  When Nanxun was only a small village in the Southern Song Dynasty, the town was famous for its proximity to water and mountains and was considered an ideal place for traveling as well as an important place for military defense. When it became a town in the Ming Dynasty, the prosperous economy and business in the area attracted a lot of merchants and tourists.
  In the Qing Dynasty, people in the area south of the Yangtze River said that “a city in Huzhou cannot compete with Nanxun Town”, showing the prosperity of this town. Also in the Qing Dynasty, people in Nanxun Town dug several canals for the convenience of transportation and life. Presently, these canals lie across Nanxun Town and divide the place into several blocks. The houses with the typical styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are standing along these canals, showing the prosperity of Nanxun Town in those times. Nowadays, the old buildings in Nanxun Town are well preserved by the local government, making it a good place to go.
  The tourism area is divided into three blocks. The first block includes Nanshi River, as well as Nandong Street and Nanxi Street along the river. In this block, visitors can see a lot of famous people’s residences. The second block consists of Little Lotus Manor, Jiaye Hall and some other scenic spots. This block represents the culture and gardens of Nanxun Town. The third block lies in the northeastern part of Nanxun Town and has a lot of buildings whose potentials as tourist spots need to be developed. In 2003, Nanxun Town was enlisted as a candidate for the World Cultural Heritage event.
   Famous Scenic Spots
  
   I. Guanghui Palace
  Though its name includes the word“palace”, it is actually a Taoist monastery. It was built in the Northern Song Dynasty. At the end of Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng, leader of a peasants’revolt in the Yuan Dynasty, once took the monastery and appointed himself as Lord there. Therefore, the monastery was also called the Temple of Lord Zhang. The monastery was destroyed and built again several times. It was destroyed during the Anti-Japanese War in the 1940s. In 2003, the government of Nanxun Town restored it to its original appearance.
  Inside the monastery the statues of three Taoist deities – Grand Emperor Cishan, Immortal General Wang and Great Immortal Huang – are enshrined and worshipped. At the beginning of each Chinese New Year, many Taoist believers come here to donate incenses and tributes to the deities and pray for fortune and health. In front of the monastery’s front gate there is a bridge named Guanghui Bridge, next to which two stone lions are standing. These two stone lions have strange shapes and stand quietly by the river, watching people walking into and out of the monastery.
  
   II. Qiu Shu Li
  Qiu Shu Li is the name of a villa built by Liu Chenggan, a famous tycoon in Nanxun Town in the Republic of China. It was built in 1930 and is the representative of the buildings in Nanxun Town that combine Chinese and western architectural styles. Its name,“Qiu Shu Li”, which literally means “a building for the mercy”, shows its owner Liu Chenggan’s indifference towards fame and money.
  The villa is divided into three parts, all of which are connected to each other by lanes. Upon entering the villa, one will see a western-style gatehouse. Four characters meaning “living as a hermit by the stream” are carved on its arch, around which there are several toadshaped carvings. The hall of the villa is now used to display the photos shot by famous photographer Liu Chengdong, who was also Liu Chenggan’s younger brother. The last part of the villa is the garden, in which flowers, trees and rockworks can be seen everywhere. The front door of this garden is built in the traditional style of Shanghai. Several brick carvings are placed behind the door. A small house stands in the garden. It was used as a place for Liu Chenggan to rest. One can see other scenic spots in Nanxun Town on the second floor of this house.
  
   III. Liu Shi Ti Hao
  Liu Shi Ti Hao is called “Red House” by locals. It was built by Liu Tiqing, a government official in the Qing Dynasty and the third son of the richest man Liu Yong. The building was established in the 31st year of the Guangxu Period of the Qing Dynasty(1905). The name Ti Hao was taken from Liu Tiqing’s nickname.
  The house is famous for its red exterior. It is a combination of western and eastern architectural styles – its roof is covered by traditional Chinese blue tiles and the windows have typical French styles. Several parts of this house were burnt by Japanese invaders during the Second World War. The central part of the remaining house consists of Chinese-style halls, chambers and wing rooms. However, the buildings in the southern and northern parts have obvious Romanesque styles. The whole construction looks like a palace, matching the identity of its owner.
   IV. Little Lotus Manor
  Any visitors coming to Nanxun Town must not miss the Little Lotus Manor. It was the private garden for Liu Yong and was built in 1924. Liu Yong spent 40 years building this garden. The garden covers 17400 square meters. Liu Yong named it after Lotus Manor which was built by famous painter Zhao Mengzhao from the Yuan Dynasty.
  Since its name includes “lotus”, lotuses can be seen everywhere in the garden. In addition, bridges, rockworks and other plants add more charm to the garden. The southeastern corner is the inner garden, in which one can see various kinds of rockworks. Next to this is the outer garden. The most important scenic spot in this garden is the lotus pool, which is full of lotuses. Around the pool are pavilions and platforms for visitors to rest and watch the lotuses.
  The Little Lotus Manor is extremely beautiful in autumn. The green pines and red maples complement each other. Walking along the twisting paths in the garden, visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery and the lotuses’ fragrance at the same time.
   V. One Hundred Buildings
  This scenic spot consists of dozens of houses on the banks of a river. It was said that these buildings were residents for servants of a government office in the Ming Dynasty and that once there were one hundred houses. That’s how the scenic spot got its name.
  These houses share the same shape and look orderly standing along the river. People who are interested in the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty should pay a visit to this area.
  Locals in Nanxun Town are very friendly and hospitable. They like to show visitors the way or tell them about which places are worth a visit. Nanxun Town is a place where a lot of scholars and government officials of ancient times were born and grew up. The residents of today’s Nanxun Town inherited their ancestors’ wisdom and knowledge and continue to develop their hometown.
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