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A typical Chinese riverine town, Jiaxing is famous for its picturesque sce
neryand rich historical sites. The Qiantang River Tidal Bore at Haining, t
he North-South Lake at Haiyan, the ancient town of Xitang at Jiashan a
nd the Jiulongshan (Nine-Dragon Mountains) Beach at Pinghu constitute Jiaxing's major tourist resources
which are characterized by the scenes of wave, river and sea and by the numerous
historical sites and cultural relics. The city has a provincial-level scenic resort,
a municipal-level scenic resort, a state-level forest park and two provincial-level
towns of historical and cultural interest. Within the city there are 23 star-rated
hotels and 28 domestic and international travel agencies which may provide tourists
with excellent services.
[South Lake]
The South Lake in Jiaxing together with the West Lake in Hangzhou and the East Lake
in Shaoxing constitutes the three major lakes in Zhejiang. Located in the southern
part of Jiaxing city, South Lake is composed of two parts the eastern lake and the
western lake which look like a pair of mandarin ducks tumbling merrily about. Therefore,
South Lake is also called Mandarin Ducks Lake. The lake was first formed in the period
of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960). When the king of the Wuyue Kingdom
built water conservancy projects. At the lakeside, there used to be an ancient and
elegant building with double-eaved roof, which took its name "Yanyulon" (Tower
of Mist and Rain) from a line of poem by Du Mu, a well-known poet in the Tang Dynasty.
Su Dongpo, a great poet in the Song Dynasty once wrote a poem describing the lake as:
" The snow white moon is reflected in the clear water of the Mandarin Ducks Lake, a pair
of Mandarin ducks are startled to flying by a solitary boat being moored to the side.
" During the reign of King Jiaqing in the Ming Dynasty, an island was piled up with mud
and debris when the city moat was dug. A perfect garden including a building imitated
from the ancient Yanyulou was built on the island. From then on the lake was enclosed
on all sides by gardens and the island was draped in a veil of mist. During his six
tours to the southeast China, King Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty paid 8 visits to South
Lake. Back to Beijing, King Qianlong ordered his men to build another Tower of Mist
and Rain at the Mountain Hamlet for Escaping the Heat in Chengde, which is replica
of that at South Lake, Jiaxing. In July 1921, the first congress of the Chinese
Communist Party was held on a pleasure boat on the South Lake in Jiaxing. The
Communist Party of China came into being at the South Lake, Jiaxing. Therefore,
the South Lake became the starting spot for the ship of Chinese revolution. A
pavilion-like boat, a replica of the original, is moored in the lake for people's
visit. By the lake stands the "South Lake Revolution Museum", the name of which is
in the handwriting of Deng Xiaoping.
In recent years, four parks, namely the parks of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter
have been built around the South Lake, Jiaxing. Featuring the rural scenes of
riverine towns of Southeast China, the South Lake Tourist & Scenic Resort, which is
centered on the South Lake and crisscrossed by many streams and pools, is being perfected.
[Qiantang River Tidal Bore]
Being the greatest tidal bore in the world, the Qiantang River Tidal Bore is formed
by the combined attraction of the moon and the sun for the sea and the special
topography of Hangzhou Bay. Known for its high tide, numerous twists, turbulent
waves and thrilling scenes, the tidal bore is acclaimed as a wonder of the world.
Yanguan, Haining is the best and most famous place to view the Qiantang tidal wave,
hence it is also called Haining Tidal Bore. On the 18th day of the eighth month by
the Chinese Lunar calendar every year, thousands of tourists from other parts of the
country as well as from other countries gather in Haining to view the spectacular
sight of the tidal bore. In 1992, Haining Tidal Bore was listed among the ten best
tourist resorts in Zhejiang Province. Viewing the tidal bore at Haining is highlighted
by the so-called "one tidal bore viewed at three different places" or seeking pleasure
in chasing after the tidal bore along the seawall for a distance of 20 kilometers.
One may first watch the "confronting Bore" at Babao 7 kilometers away from Yanguan,
and then watch "a line of waves" at Yanguan and lastly watch the "Returning Bore" at
Laoyancang. Viewing the bore by the moonlight is totally a new experience. The sky and
the land merge in one color by the dim moon. A snow-white line of waves dashes over.
In a twinkling, the moon breaks and the cloud disperses. A cold shiver comes upon
people. Rolls of drums and rounds of cheers rise from all directions. The sea tide
joins the current of the river. At this moment, one may feel merged with nature and
thus will get an endless enjoyment of beauty. At Yanguan, the scenic spots available
for sightseeing are Zhan'an Pagoda, the Temple of the Sea God and the former residences
of Wang Guowei and Chen Ge.
[South-North Lake]
Located in Haiyan County on the northern side of Hangzhou Bay, the South-North Lake
was designated by the Zhejiang Provincial Government as one of the first batch of
scenic resorts at the provincial level. With a total area of 30 square meters, the
resort is divided into five sections, namely Hutang, Yingkeding, Tanxianling, Sanwan
and the Beach. Integrating the features of hill, sea, lake and garden, the resort
enjoys a unique, natural and wild environment with enchanting scenery, hence being
praised as "a piece of land with the real features typical of the Southeast China".
In ancient times, the South-North Lake was named "Yong'an Lake". By the Song Dynasties,
it earned the name "Lesser West Lake" for the reason that people around the lake liked
to go sightseeing and enjoy themselves around the lake. With a surface area of 1,800mu,
the lake is divided by a causeway into two parts, the northern part and the southern
part, hence the name "South-North Lake". In the northern part of the lake lies the
tree-covered Egret Island" on which one can look afar. By the northern part of the
lake stands a hill called Yingkeding on which one may see the sun and the moon rising
at the same time. The southern part of lake abuts the sea where the world famous
Qiantang River Tidal Bore is formed. In this scenic resort there are over 20 scenic
spots, such as the thousand-year-old Yunxiu Temple, Tanxian Stone Town known as "No.1
town under the heaven", the ancient Golden Cow Cave, Listening to Fishing Pipe at Wumen,
Viewing Mirage at Shifan and Feeling the Pine Wind at Chamo.
[Nine-Dragon Mountains]
Standing in the east suburb of Port Zhapa, Nine-Dragon Mountains have nine peaks
extending continuously from west to east by the sea, like nine dragons lying under
the blue sky, hence the name. Around the area there are many islands. The
half-moon-shaped Dongsha Bay lasting for a distance of 1,400 meters is an ideal seaside
resort.With an exquisite scenery, the Nine-Dragon Mountains Resort integrates the
features of mountain, sea, island and beach.
[The Ancient Town of Xitang]
Xitang is an important town in the northern part of Jiashan. It was named Xietang
in ancient times. During the reign of King Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty (713-741),
there appeared several villages. By the Song Dynasties, a large village was formed
on the basis of these small villages, which was divided by the Jiehe River into two
parts, the east part named Hushouli and the west part named Xietangli. By the end
of Yuan Dynasty, the two parts were collectively called Xietang. According to "Notes
of Fallowing" by Tao Zongyi of the Yuan Dynasty, "In Xietang there lived a big and
rich family of Song that owned a vast area of fields". In the Ming Dynasty, a town
was established and was named "Pingchuan" (meaning level land) for the reason that
the area was flat. Legend has it that in the Period of Spring and Autumn, General
Wuzixu once camped here and dug ponds and ditches to draw water into the area. Hence
there is still a pond called Wuzi Pond or Xu Pond.
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Located on the great of Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou, Xitang enjoys flat land,
crisscrossed rivers and quiet environment. In the ancient town, there are many
well-kept buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. All the streets and houses were
built along rivers. So it is famous for its multitudes of bridges, lanes, corridors
and ancient houses. The major scenic spots in the town include the Hall of Holy Luck,
the House of Xue Family, the Temple of the Seventh Lord, the Holy Hall, the Western
Garden and Shipi Lane.
[The Riverine Town of Wuzheng]
A famous riverine town in Tongxiang county, Wuzheng Town has a network of ponds and
waterways with streets lying along. Bridges stretches over the streams. The ponds are
surrounded by green trees. People enjoy boating on the rivers. Chatters and laughter
resound through the markets. With a long history, Wuzheng Town boasts of many famous
historical cultural sites. There grows a thousand-year ginkgo tree which was planted
in the Tang Dynasty.Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty once studied here and left
behind some relics.Since the Southern Song Dynasty, some rich and powerful families
began to build houses and gardens in Wuzheng Town. Even today there left some houses
with the architectural style of buildings in the late years of the Qing Dynasty and
the early years of the Republic of China. Wuzheng Town is most famous for being the
hometown of Mao Dun, a great literary master ,in modern China. Mao Dun's former residence,
a building of the Qing Dynasty, is located in the middle of Guanqian Street in Wuzheng
Town. In 1984, it was rebuilt after the original. In 1988, it was listed by the State
Council as a relic under the special protection of the State. Also available here are
Yuanyuan Hall, the former residence of Feng Zikai, Juntao Art Museum, and Hou Bo and
Xu Xianbin Photography Art Museum, forming the unique cultural and tourist resources.
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