ZHANG Song.
Core Reading. The architecture, landscape and lifestyle of the ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River intuitively reflect the idea of "the unity of heaven and man" in the traditional Chinese values, making it the spiritual home of the ancient literati, giving birth to a large number of literary and artistic works, and having a profound impact on the economy, society, culture and aesthetics of modern China.
To further promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the protection and utilization of ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River is an important part.
From the landscape poems of the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang and Song poems, Jiangnan is the theme that has been recited repeatedly. In our impression, there is a dense water network composed of lakes and rivers widely distributed here, connecting the city and the countryside, developing silk and other handicraft industries, and a large number of towns have risen and prospered here, thus forming an ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River with a typical town pattern and production and life characteristics. The architecture, landscape and lifestyle of the ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River intuitively reflect the idea of "the unity of heaven and man" in the traditional Chinese values, making it the spiritual home of the ancient literati, giving birth to a large number of literary and artistic works, and having a profound impact on the economy, society, culture and aesthetics of modern China.
In the early 80s of the last century, under the influence of Chen Congzhou, a famous Chinese ancient architecture and landscape artist, and Dai Fudong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Ruan Yisan, who was teaching at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University at that time, began to take the ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River as a teaching and scientific research topic, and compiled books such as "Nanxun Ancient Water Town", "Water Town in the South of the Yangtze River in China" and "Ancient Town in the South of the Yangtze River". In the process of teaching, he combined fieldwork, architectural surveying and mapping, graduation design and other practical links to compile the protection plan of the ancient town for the local government, which contributed to the overall protection and tourism development of a series of ancient towns in the south of the Yangtze River such as Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Nanxun, etc., and brought economic and cultural vitality to the ancient water towns.
In April 2001, in order to show the beauty of the historic water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, the State Post Bureau issued a set of special stamps and a booklet of "Ancient Water Towns". The stamps were planned and written by Ruan Yisan, designed by Zhejiang designer Huang Li, and selected the six representative towns in the south of the Yangtze River, including the commercial town of Kunshan Zhouzhuang, the garden town of Wujiang Tongli, the temple town of Wuxian Luzhi, the cultural town of Huzhou Nanxun, the Langjie town of Jiashan Xitang, and the Hejie town of Tongxiang Wuzhen. In 2003, the Jiangnan Water Town Ancient Town Conservation Practice Project won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Heritage Conservation.
In 2015, under the guidance of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, it was decided that Suzhou City would take the lead in the preparation for the application of the ancient water town in the south of the Yangtze River as a world cultural heritage. Based on the previous research results, the declared heritage sites are located in Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and Shanghai Municipality, and are composed of 11 ancient towns, namely Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi, Wuzhen, Xitang, Lili, Jinxi, Shaxi, Zhenze, Huishan and Xinchang.
In ancient times, Jiangnan was not a habitable place, and the "poetry and painting of Jiangnan" was the result of thousands of years of transformation and utilization of nature by working people.
How to recognize the value of the ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River actually includes people's multiple cognitions of the heritage value and humanistic significance of the human settlements in the south of the Yangtze River.
The poems in Tang and Song poems about the picturesque beauty of Jiangnan may make people today think that Jiangnan is a gift of nature, purely created by nature. In fact, Jiangnan in ancient times was not a habitable place, and today's Jiangnan is the result of thousands of years of working people transforming and using nature. In order to prevent floods and floods, people have built sea ponds, transformed the poor natural conditions of coastal lowlands into agricultural production areas, and continuously transformed artificial rivers, forming a living environment that lives by water.
The ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River have witnessed the adaptation of human beings to environments such as lakes and wetlands, and the continuous transformation of them until they become habitable areas. The continuous optimization of the Tangpu polder system in the Taihu Lake Basin and its unique land use pattern are the basis for the development and prosperity of the ancient water towns and the "city-town-village" settlement system in the south of the Yangtze River, and demonstrate the wisdom of human beings in transforming the natural environment.
People sleep on the river" and "there are many small bridges in water lanes", which is the unique charm of the living environment in the south of the Yangtze River. The unique custom and tradition of using the river as a transportation artery and public activity space is a model of harmony between man and nature. The bridge is the landmark of the town, and the flowing water shapes the market. Most of the towns are surrounded by outer lakes, inland river structures, waterfront streets, and houses are built along the water. The pink walls and tiles are elegant and clear, making people calm. Creating a poetic place in daily life reflects the people's pursuit of a better life.
Although the ancient towns such as Zhouzhuang and Tongli have gone through thousands of years, they still have preserved a relatively intact town pattern and traditional features. The ancient town retains residential buildings, courtyards and gardens from the 15th century AD, which fully reflect the continuity of Jiangnan culture. Historically, most of the ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River were trading places for agricultural and sideline products and handicraft raw materials, and a few were distribution centers for local handicraft specialties. These specialized towns have continued to grow, especially in the silk-specialized towns.
What's more valuable is that these ancient towns still retain distinctive folk culture and Xi customs, and the plain and gentle town life conveys the humanistic care in the historical accumulation, reflects the perfect combination of natural ecology, town art and life philosophy, and reflects the inclusiveness and peace of the culture of the ancient water towns in the south of the Yangtze River.
The protection of water towns and towns is of great significance to the protection of the uniqueness and diversity of regional culture in the south of the Yangtze River.
As a unique example of China's ancient human settlements, Jiangnan Water Town reflects the planning idea of "harmony between man and nature" and mature construction techniques of traditional towns, and has an important position and value in the history of China's planning and construction and regional culture. Only by looking at the "Jiangnan Water Town Ancient Town" as a whole as a regional culture can new discoveries be made in its value analysis and evaluation.
As a living heritage formed in the long historical years, the ancient town of Jiangnan Water Town is first and foremost a residential community. Sustainable human life cannot be achieved without sustainable local communities, so the maintenance, management and planning of historic towns should be considered from the perspective of sustainable development.
The ancient water town is an environmental landscape of the poetic culture of the south of the Yangtze River. "People sleep on the river" is a way of life in which man and nature coexist in harmony, and at the same time, it has formed the regional humanistic characteristics of gentleness and agility, diligence and wisdom, respect for literature and business, exquisite and elegant, open and innovative, and diligent and strong. The environment is closely related to people's lives. It is necessary to rediscover the charm of the river, adapt to update and enhance the riverside waterfront environmental landscape, comprehensively improve the quality of the living environment, and give full play to the comprehensive value of the river, settlements and buildings that constitute the urban cultural landscape.
As a regional empirical case showing the achievements of Chinese civilization, the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River have attracted worldwide attention. Today, when we focus on improving the soft power of urban development, many excellent elements of Jiangnan culture are undoubtedly important contents of building a value system that is healthy, civilized and recognized by residents. The protection of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, represented by Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi, Nanxun, Xitang and Wuzhen, is of great practical significance for the protection of the uniqueness and diversity of the regional culture in the south of the Yangtze River.
The author is a professor at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University).
Typography: Zhao Siru.