Visiting the Qinhuai River on a rainy night
Enter the brothel in the slanting wind and drizzle,
The King of Jinling accompanies the prince.
There is no moon on the Eighth Qinhuai Bridge,
The ten-mile-long river is intoxicating and melancholy.
The hairpin-headed phoenix is ??lost in the Qinhuai River
The hairpin-headed phoenix
The shadow of Qinhuai lanterns
People are as old as ever,
The lights are like day, and the nine dragon walls are paved with brocade.
New pavilions and pavilions,
old ponds and pavilions,
studded with stars,
like a waning moon on a hook.
Lonely! lonely! lonely!
Red peony root,
snuggled with Yi Xiao,
The wind is ten miles away from Yangzhou Road.
The appearance of the flowers and the moon,
The sound of the flute,
the rolling bead curtain,
sleep once in ten years.
Wonderful! wonderful! wonderful!
Qijue·On the Qinhuai River Author: Wan Hesong
Pingting's painting of the boat shakes the autumn,
The bright night is drunk with dusk clouds.
A song rises from under the bridge,
Poor it’s not Li Xiangjun.
Prose and poetry "Nanjing Travel Notes--Qinhuai River"
Qinhuai River, a place that once fascinated me. When I was a child, I read the poem "The smoke is in the cold water, the moon is in the sand, and I stay in Qinhuai at night, close to the restaurant." When I grew up, I watched "The Peach Blossom Fan" and got to know Li Xiangjun and the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai. This romantic and prosperous place, gentle and wealthy land has been deeply imprinted in my mind.
In September 2013, taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, our family of three took the train to Nanjing. The first stop is to visit the Qinhuai River that I have missed for a long time. We set the hotel on Jingjiangfu Road by the Qinhuai River just to appreciate the cultural scenery here at any time.
Standing by the Qinhuai River, my excitement slowly cooled down. The scene before me was a bit unbelievable to me. The river is very narrow and can only accommodate two or three small boats abreast. There are small gray bridges across the river, with mottled marks on the cement bridge surface. Next to it is the Confucius Temple Leisure Street, which is also a nationally famous attraction, but there are only a few pedestrians at this time. The road was being repaired, revealing potholes, like a dirt road in the countryside. The surrounding buildings are not tall, are a bit old, and have a few gray tones, giving people a desolate feeling.
Standing on the bridge, my wife couldn't help complaining. If she had known this, she might as well have stayed at home and watched the Yangtze River and Han River. At least it's more majestic and spectacular than this. I knew in my heart that this was the resentment caused by not letting her go to Xiamen. But looking at the scenery in front of her, she had no words to comfort her, so she had to accompany her back to the hotel angrily.
After eating, the fatigue of the journey came over me, and I fell asleep with my head covered. When I woke up, my wife said she was hungry, so I said okay, the snacks at Confucius Temple are pretty good, let’s go shopping together. So, we came to Qinhuai River again.
The Qinhuai River at night, with the lanterns coming on, is full of people. The red lanterns hanging on the small buildings were fluttering in the wind; the painted boats with colorful lanterns shuttled in the river; there were all kinds of tourists on both sides of the river. Male, female, old, young, tall, short, fat, thin; there are also a few foreigners holding SLRs and taking pictures; children are chewing candied haws in their hands; Young lovers hug each other and lean on the stone bridge by the river; they hold their wives and sit quietly on the stone bench to watch the night view.
I started to feel better. It turns out that Qinhuai requires a night tour, which is like looking at beauties under the lamp, even more charming! There was also a smile on my wife's face. I know she likes food the most. Not far away is an old shop that specializes in Lao Ya Vermicelli Soup. It is said that Nanjing people have a grudge against ducks and like to eat ducks. What about salted duck, sweet-scented osmanthus duck, duck blood vermicelli soup~
The duck blood vermicelli soup in the old store is probably very famous, and there is a long queue at the door. After finally getting in line, I saw that others were eating soup with rice crackers, so out of curiosity, I ordered one too. What Nanjing people call crispy rice cakes is similar to the fried rice cakes in their hometown. A little browned and fragrant. Soaking in the delicious old duck soup makes it even more delicious.
That’s all. Let’s continue shopping. In front is the Xiangjun Memorial Hall. There is a couplet at the door: "Beautiful face and jade, chivalrous and ice-hearted". Xiangjun, who has caused countless people to lament that "the fate of peach blossoms is poor, and the bottom of the fan is falling", used to live here. When Kong Shangren wrote "The Peach Blossom Fan", he once lamented that if a man has the ambition to be fragrant, the bright moon will not be afraid of the cool wind. Although Xiang Jun is a weak woman, she has no integrity in the national justice, but she makes the men of the world feel ashamed~
When it comes to men, I can't help but think of Hong Chengchou's fortune-telling story. Hong Chengchou was originally an important minister in the late Ming Dynasty. After the defeat of Songshan, he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. He made many contributions to the new master by advising him. It is said that in his later years, in his spare time, Chengchou asked his fortune teller to ask about his fortune and longevity. The gentleman replied: "You have achieved great success at a young age, and you are a very popular minister. It is a pity that you died young, which is a pity."
Chengchou laughed and said, "Sir, you are wrong! I am over sixty years old. Why did you say you died young?" The teacher replied: "You should have died at that time, but you didn't want to die, so what can I do?" These words hurt Chengchou's heart, and he died in depression. Later Emperor Qianlong included it in "History of the Qing Dynasty: Biography of Erchen". It can be seen that those who have been traitors since ancient times will not end well. He was scorned by the world when he was alive, and he will be infamy for eternity after his death!
While I was deep in thought, my wife pushed me. It turns out that she took a fancy to the fans sold in front of Xiangjun Memorial Hall.
Is this the Peach Blossom Fan?
Now that we have come to Qinhuai River, how can we not take one back with us? Accompanying my wife and children, we walked along. I saw row upon row of handicraft shops on the street, followed by restaurants. The cultural atmosphere is very strong. It is a wooden antique building with couplets engraved on the dark pillars. A wooden plaque hangs across it. There are those who wrote "Wanqing Tower" and some who wrote "Xianheng Hotel". There was also a bronze statue standing next to the Xianheng Hotel. He was wearing a long cloth gown and a braid hanging from the back of his head. His face had a vicissitude of life. I recognized it at once - "How many? Not many!"; Isn't this Kong Yiji? It's a pity that I can't ask him for advice on the nine ways to write the word "fennel"!
Next to the Xianheng Hotel is Wuyi Lane. Liu Yuxi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote the poem "Wuyi Lane": "There are wild grasses and flowers beside the Suzaku Bridge, and the setting sun is setting at the entrance of Wuyi Lane. In the old days, the swallows in front of Wang Xietang, Flying into the homes of ordinary people."
Nowadays, Zhuque Bridge has long been buried in the memory of history; only an ancient well remains in Wuyi Lane, telling the story of the prosperity of the past. Walking in front of the Wang Xie Memorial Hall, I think of Wang Xizhi’s elegant gathering in the Orchid Pavilion and the meandering water drinking wine; I think of Xie An’s calm words when he heard the news of victory during a game with his friends: “Young children have broken thieves!”
The nostalgia for the past lingers in my heart. Occasionally I got inspiration and composed a song called "Niannujiao" - A Tour on the Qinhuai River.
The treasures of nature are endless, and the romance has flourished through the ages. Beside the Suzaku Bridge, Wang Xie Pavilion, it is difficult to recognize the new swallows flying in. Don't be afraid of Mr. Daoxiang. Peach blossoms are short-lived, so ask about your husband's eyebrows.
Life is like a dream, so much love and hate in ancient and modern times~~~~