Xiaohe Street historical and cultural block is centered on Xiaohe Street, and the overall features and spatial characteristics of houses and shipping facilities distributed along canals and rivers are still basically preserved, which has a certain scale and should belong to one of the blocks with relatively complete overall traditional features of Hangzhou historical and cultural block. The neighborhood truly reflects the living environment of the lower class people along the canal in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, and retains a certain number of historical buildings. Its architectural features, street features and canal shipping remains still retain unique features. This area has been an important area along the canal since the Song Dynasty. After the prosperity of the Republic of China, there are many types of historical sites and rich historical and cultural connotations.
Xiaohe street historical and cultural block is one of the important historical and cultural blocks reflecting the cultural life, productive labor culture and canal shipping culture of urban civilians in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. It is a historical and cultural block with the functions of maintaining traditional residence and commerce, continuing Hangzhou's local traditional culture and displaying the canal shipping culture, and integrating business, residence and leisure.
On both sides of the ancient Grand Canal, there are still some ancient traces of streets and lanes. Xiaohe Zhijie is a famous modern Jiangnan water town with a long ancient charm.
As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, Xiaohe area was a material distribution center, a river and road transshipment place and a material reserve place. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the river port wharf was full of vitality. In the middle and late Qing dynasty, it began to develop again, and restaurants, refreshments and department stores gradually emerged. Brewing workshops, blacksmiths, salt shops, rice mills, candle shops and other industries have taken root in Xiaohe area. As the most valuable historical information, the traditional residential buildings and shop buildings left by Xiaohezhi Street at this stage are also the most important cultural elements.
As a typical water town residence built in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, Xiaohe residence belongs to the canal commercial port culture, that is, the pattern of one river and two streets, with the first floor facing the street as a shop and the second floor as a residence, which is a typical building under the store. These houses are located on both sides of Xiaohe street, along the southeast of Xiaohe to the junction of the river port. There is a large row of wooden buildings, about 300 meters long, with narrow streets and lanes sandwiched in the middle. Some residents along the river still have some public or private river docks.
The historical origin of Xiaohezhi Street can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty. The existing streets and lanes were rebuilt during the Republic of China, with a width of four or five meters and a length of several hundred meters.
With its unique geographical environment and humanistic customs, Xiaohe folk houses mark the historical information and life interest of Hangzhou, a famous cultural city.
Go north along Hushu North Road, cross Guan Qiao, and see a two-story building with white walls and black tile doors and windows, and you will arrive at Xiaohezhi Street.
The street is not long, about 1 km, but the market is full of flavor, which is the charm of Xiaohezhi Street. Most of the residents of Xiaohezhi Street were engaged in transportation and shipbuilding related to canal shipping. Most of the houses and storefronts along the street served the needs of boatmen at that time, such as pickles shops, barbershops and grocery stores.
This comprehensive renovation, Xiaohezhi Street retains the traditional mode of "going to the store and going to bed" in the architectural appearance, and restores old brands and stores such as sauce garden, rice shop and incubator garden.
When we went, there was a folk exhibition in the street, which was very lively, blowing sugar people, pulling large films, doing magic and weaving Hangzhou baskets. Go ahead, the hoop worker is making rice barrels by hand. When old people come here, they must stop and look at strangers. There is a big word "sauce" written at the door. It is an old sauce garden with a row of vats for storing sauce. In the future, the sauce garden will reproduce the process of making sauce. Soy sauce, bean paste, pickled radish and pickled melon can also be bought here.
In order to continue the traditional folk customs, Xiaohe Zhijie implemented the policy that the aborigines freely chose to move back. Yin Yafen, secretary of the community, said: "There are 285 indigenous families in Xiaohezhi Street. According to the survey, at least 60% residents want to move back. As soon as next year, a batch can stay 10. "
Chen and his wife, who are in their 70s, just want to go back to Xiaohezhi Street. Chen Laobo's transition room is in Bingxiang, not far from Xiaohe Street. "I will go for a walk when I have time. The feeling now is the same as when I first lived more than 40 years ago, and it is very different. "
Similarly, the houses on the street are still made of wood, and the ground is still slate. Through the wing, the back door is next to the laundry room Taomi River pier paved with slate or pebbles, which is the familiar smell of the old house.
The difference is that the facilities in the house have improved. Although the width of each wing below is less than 3 meters, it is eight or nine meters deep, which is found in the living room, bathroom and kitchen.
"In the past, neighbors basically poured spittoons or toilets; When it rained heavily, the whole street was flooded. In the future, we will bid farewell to that history forever. "
On September 30, rice, tea, sauce, wine and traditional crafts from the people were reunited in Xiaohezhi Street. The news of the opening of Xiaohe Street aroused great interest of the relocated households, who all came to see their new homes. Mr. Zhang, 55, found that the rice shops, cocoon shops, cloth farms, incubators, sauce gardens and other shops on both sides of the street still retain the style of a hundred years ago.
The history of Xiaohezhi Street can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty. Xiaohe area prospered due to canals and became an important transshipment place for land and water goods. By the Qing Dynasty, the Xiaohe area was very prosperous, with many hatcheries, restaurants, rice shops and warehouses. Now, all the buildings here were rebuilt during the Republic of China, with typical characteristics of Jiangnan water town and preserved the complete folk customs of Hangzhou. In order to protect the reconstructed Xiaohezhi Street, half of the original 286 households have moved into high-rise buildings, and the other half can return to their original residences recently. The renovation of Xiaohezhi Street adopted the repair method of "wrapping the old with the new", which preserved the old appearance of the house as much as possible. On the basis of the old building, the facade was restored and strengthened as it was, and architectural elements such as carved wooden columns, lattice windows and wooden stairs were retained.
Grandma Zhao, who once lived under the Donghe River, told the reporter: "I used to collect toilets by sanitation trucks every morning and empty them every day. When there is a typhoon, we are worried that the rain will leak and the house will fall down ... "A family of five has lived in a house of less than 50 square meters for 40 years. She said, "Now, we can live in a new house." When the reporter walked into the transformed grandma Zhao's house, he found that the old dilapidated house had become a two-story building with wooden structure. Under the condition that the total area remains unchanged, the internal structure has been completely transformed, with newly buried sewage pipes, decorated bathrooms and kitchens, and the fire safety, heat insulation and moisture prevention, ventilation and exhaust of the old house have also been considered.
The residential buildings in Xiaohezhi Street belong to the canal commercial port culture, maintaining the pattern of one river and two streets, that is, the first floor of Mianjie Street is a shop, and the second floor is a residential building, which is a typical building under the store. Nowadays, customs museums, canal culture showrooms, restored teahouses, restaurants and other shops have become characteristic tourist areas along the canal. In the future, tourists can take a boat to Xiaojiehe Wharf to visit the local customs here. You can also come here by car and take a walk in the alley.