Indeed, cities, like people, have their own personalities. Some are rough, some are beautiful, some are heroic and some are warm. So, just as people like to judge people, people also like to talk about cities. Otherwise, there won't be so many "urban folk songs", but just like some people have distinct personalities and others don't stand out, not all cities will be concerned. After all, there are too many cities in China, many of which are similar. Obviously, only people with distinctive personalities will get attention, because distinctive personalities will attract people.
There are many charming cities in China.
1998, Guangzhou New Weekly published an album entitled "China City Charm Rankings", which listed 17 cities that they thought were the most attractive: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lhasa, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xi 'an and Hangzhou. In addition, 8 "promising" cities and 10 "most worthwhile" small cities are listed. They are Mianyang, Zhangjiagang, Beihai, Sanya, Jiujiang, Wanxian, Huizhou, Suifenhe and Lijiang, Pingyao, Yan 'an, Fenghuang, Xichang, Turpan, Pingxiang, Zedang, Maduo and Xingcheng. As we know, by May 1997, there were 666 cities in China. "New Weekly" selected 35 cities out of 666 cities and commented that it is inevitable to miss them. For example, some charming cities, such as Kunming, Harbin, Urumqi and so on. , failed to go public; As border towns, Kashgar and Yining may be more "worth visiting" than Turpan. Turpan is certainly worth a visit. However, the most worth seeing in Turpan is not in the city, but outside the city, such as Grape Valley, Thousand Buddha Cave, Gaochang and Jiaohe Ancient City. Kashgar and Yining have their own charms as cities. I really can't blame New Weekly. There are so many attractive and readable cities in China that no matter who does this topic, it is impossible to tell them all.
1982 the State Council announced the first batch of 24 famous historical and cultural cities. They are: Beijing, Chengde, Datong, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Quanzhou, Jingdezhen, Qufu, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Jiangling, Changsha and Guangzhou. Guilin, Chengdu, Zunyi, Kunming, Dali, Lhasa, Xi and Yan 'an. 1986 released the second batch of lists, namely Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Chongqing, Nanchang, Baoding, Pingyao, Hohhot, Zhenjiang, Changshu, Xuzhou, Huai 'an, Ningbo, Shexian, Shouxian, Bozhou, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinan, Anyang, Nanyang and Shangqiu. The third batch of published lists are Zhengding, Handan, Xinjian, Daixian, Qixian, Harbin, Jilin, Ji 'an, Quzhou, Linhai, Changting, Ganzhou, Qingdao, Liaocheng, Zoucheng, Linzi, Zhengzhou, Xunxian, Suizhou, Zhongxiang, Yueyang, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Meizhou, Leizhou, Liuzhou and Qiongqiong. In this way, among the 666 cities in China, there are 99 famous historical and cultural cities, namely "Great Shun on June 6th" and "Double Ninth Festival".
We have every reason to believe that these cities are undoubtedly very attractive. Their history is so long and their culture is so ancient, how many stories can tell us that even a small "young", such as Shanghai, is so rich and extraordinary. However, the attractive cities are far more than that. Some ancient cities, such as Taiyuan, are not on the list. Jinyang, the predecessor of Taiyuan, was built 3000 years ago. It was once the capital of Zhao, and it was also the "land of Longxing" where Li Yuan, Li, Shi Jingtang and Liu Zhiyuan made their fortune in the Five Dynasties. Later, it was flooded by the fire in Zhao Guangyi, Song Taizong, and was completely destroyed. Now Taiyuan City, rebuilt in the north of Jinyang Site, has a history of 1000 years, and there are places of interest such as Jinci Temple. It should be said that the ancient charm still exists. Other emerging cities, such as Hong Kong, Taipei, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, such as Lanzhou, Changchun, Daqing and Shihezi, have another temperament and style. There are also beautiful coastal cities Dalian and Xiamen, mysterious border cities Hotan and Jinghong, quiet mountain cities Jishou and Duyun, rising new cities Zhangjiagang and Huizhou, and so on. Who can read all the cities in the world and all the cities in China in spring is endless.
So, how about a quick summary first?
The most attractive cities in China can be roughly divided into eight types, namely, ancient capital, famous city, holy land, border, coastal city, important town, commercial port and special zone. Of course, this classification has only a relative meaning. For example, Datong is not only the "important town in the north" outside Yanmenguan, but also the famous "coal capital", a famous historical and cultural city with many places of interest, a northern border where Mongolian and Han brothers live in peace, and a communication channel between the Central Plains and the grassland. There are many cities that "have several jobs". Our classification is only for the convenience of explanation.
Among these cities, the most striking are the six ancient capitals of Xi, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Beijing.
The charm of the ancient capital is of course beyond doubt. As the political and cultural center of the Millennium Empire, they are often the essence of our national culture. Although the gathering of these essences is caused by royal privilege, gathering itself is an indisputable fact. These essences are getting thicker and thicker due to the accumulation of history, and more and more brilliant due to the polishing and washing of years. Even if they are scattered on ordinary streets, wandering streets and dusty streets in broken walls, their value will not be devalued. Therefore, in these cities, there are often too many traces to be found, too many stories to tell, too many sites to mourn, and too many clues to daydream. Even the folk customs there will have an ancient and lasting charm.
Famous cities also have such cultural connotations. The so-called "famous city" is also an ancient capital with a slightly poor qualification. For example, Jiangling was originally the capital of Chu; Datong was once the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Chengdu is actually an imperial city. It's just that those regimes are either "orthodox" (such as Gongsun Shu's "Dacheng") or "unified" (such as Liu Bei's "Shu Han"), so they can't squeeze into the series of "ancient capitals" and have to condescend to be "famous cities". Literally speaking, the so-called "famous city" is a "famous city". A city will be famous as long as there are things, people or events that are world-famous, but it is not necessarily a "famous city". For example, "Su San left Hongtong County" and Shangrao left the concentration camp. These are quite famous, but they are not widely known as "famous cities". The "famous cities" mentioned here mainly refer to those "historical and cultural cities" (including the six ancient capitals). They all have extremely splendid cultures and a very long history, such as Yangzhou in 3000, Jiangling in 2600, Suzhou in 2500 and Jingdezhen in 1700. One of the best is Shaoxing. Since the city was built at the southern foot of Longshan Mountain in Shaoxing in 490 BC, it has not moved once in 2400 years, which is really a miracle in the history of urban development.
The reason why a city becomes a "famous city" is obviously not only because of its old qualifications and long history, but also because of its unique style. There are some world-famous things, such as the water in Changsha, the lake in Kunming, the porcelain in Jingdezhen, the gardens in Suzhou, the fried rice in Yangzhou, the flower carvings in Shaoxing, Luoyang Bridge in Quanzhou, butterfly spring in Dali, Yungang Grottoes in Datong, the summer resort in Chengde, and of course. These things don't necessarily represent these cities. These cities are not just these things, but the most popular ones. In fact, the fame and style of these cities are almost known to everyone. Who doesn't know that "you can only drink Changsha water and eat Wuchang fish", "you can ride a crane to Yangzhou" or "you can bid farewell to Bai Di Caiyun and return to Jiangling one day" as long as you carry "Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, go to a passenger ship at midnight bell" (Suzhou), "The small building listens to the spring rain all night, and the deep alley sells apricot flowers in the Ming Dynasty" (Hangzhou) and ".
The Holy Land is actually a famous city. Among the 24 famous historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council, there are four holy places, namely Zunyi, Yan 'an, Qufu and Lhasa. Zunyi, which "saves the revolution and the party", Yan 'an, which gave birth to the new China, is a revolutionary holy land, Qufu is the birthplace of Confucianism that has influenced the Chinese nation and China culture for more than 2,000 years, and Lhasa is a paradise for Tibetan people. In Tibetan, "La" is God and "Sa" is the earth, so "Lhasa" is the earth or holy land of God. Of course, the styles of these holy places are also different. The majesty of Zunyi, the simplicity of Yan 'an, the elegance of Qufu and the mystery of Lhasa constitute their unique charm. Interestingly, apart from Qufu, they are also border ports and important towns. For example, Zunyi, which borders Loushan in the north, Wujiang in the south, controls five cities and overlooks the Eighth Five-Year Plan in the distance, has always been an important town in northern Guizhou. The song "Xiongguan Road is as iron as iron, striding forward now" not only sings the lofty sentiments of Zunyi, but also the lofty sentiments of China people.
The so-called "Bincheng", as its name implies, is also a "city by the water". There are two kinds of bincheng. One is the cities along the river, such as Wanxian, Yichang, Yueyang, Huangshi, Jiujiang, Anqing, Wuhu, Nantong, and of course Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai. The other is coastal cities, such as Dalian, Yantai, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Shantou, Zhanjiang, Beihai and Sanya. These cities are either ports, gateways, fortresses or both. This makes almost all these cities have the functions of throughput, attack and defense. Wartime is the front line, peacetime is the front line, and always "walk in front of the trend." Therefore, once the national policy of reform and opening up is implemented, they are often the first to become active. They are the unique darling of China city.
Most of the cities near the water are also beautiful. As the saying goes: "Jiao is not charming, look at the suspension bridge; Beauty is not beautiful, look at Xiushui. " People close to water tend to love beauty more; Coastal cities are often more attractive. "Yun Qi fog falls and covers Yueyang" is a kind of meteorology; "Lujiang sings bright fishing fire, South China Sea sings stars" is another charm. Beauty is always desirable, and these cities are world-famous. Especially those most beautiful coastal cities-Dalian, Yantai, Qingdao, Xiamen and Sanya-have always been the best contestants in the China City Beauty Contest. In fact, they are also tourist attractions and good places for vacation and leisure. Here, we can get the widest vision, breathe the cleanest air, enjoy the best moments and experience the most relaxed mood. Because there is no shelter, no pollution, only sunshine, beach, waves and cactus, only eternal blue sea and eternal blue sky.
Of course, thanks to Jiang Hai. Sea, tolerance is great; Jiang, the flow is endless. Therefore, Bincheng is often also a commercial port. There are also two kinds of commercial ports. One is established, such as Guangzhou, Ningbo and Yangzhou, which were the three major ports open to the outside world as early as the Tang Dynasty; On the other hand, Quanzhou was once a world trade port as famous as Alexandria in Egypt. In addition, Suzhou, which sells dragon lotus roots in the night market and continues to lead the way in the spring, and Foshan, which was once called the "four famous towns" with Hankou Town in Hubei, Jingdezhen Town in Jiangxi and Zhuxian Town in Henan, are also. These cities are often the hubs of north and south, where land and water meet. Naturally, there are groups of horses and chariots, ships and boats, traders running around and merchants gathering. The other is the cities that have opened ports since modern times, such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. Their construction and development are entirely out of commercial needs. Therefore, as soon as it went public, it quickly overwhelmed and overshadowed those "time-honored brands" (perhaps only Guangzhou can barely compete with them) and became a leader among China cities.
If the ancient capital is a "city", then the commercial port is a "city". No city is more like a big market than Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Almost all these cities are mainly composed of financial institutions, commercial centers, star-rated hotels and skyscrapers, office buildings, offices, trading halls and auction houses, fashion shops, boutique houses, cafes and seafood cities, neon lights, overpasses, famous streets and chain stores, and countless banks, companies, shopping malls and supermarkets. It is not difficult to imagine that if one day, there is no night market, no stocks, no advertisements, no signboards, no opening, no closing and no bargaining, what will these cities have left?
Therefore, when you enter these cities, you will encounter a strong business atmosphere. In fact, when people walk into these cities, they mostly go shopping instead of traveling. There are not many interesting places in these cities, but there are endless streets and things to buy. As long as you have money, you can buy almost anything here, including the latest products and the most thoughtful service. It doesn't matter if there is not much money. Because they also provide cheap goods and services. As a standard commercial port, the goods and services here have always been multi-level and all-round. Everyone can willingly empty their pockets and return with a full load.
This is almost a feature of the SAR. As a special economic zone, Shenzhen and other cities have taken the market economy as their own economic model quite consciously. This is also the reason why we regard special zones and commercial ports as two types of cities: traditional commercial ports are the inheritance of history, and emerging special zones are the product of reform and opening up. Especially when Shanghai once became the vanguard of the planned economy, after the reform and opening up, it was even more "half-shot", and this division was more obvious. In a word, the special zone (I mainly refer to Shenzhen here) is a brand-new city different from the ancient capital, important town and commercial port. These brand-new cities also include some "star cities" without the names of special zones, such as Shunde, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Dongguan and Huizhou, and Foshan, which is also a famous historical and cultural city. Their common characteristics are high level of economic development and good urban public facilities, which show the bright future of China's urban modernization.