When mentioning Jiangnan, I suddenly think of Mr. Jin Yong's "White Horse Roaring in the West Wind". At the end of the story, the girl rides a white horse slowly towards Jiangnan where the apricot blossoms are drizzled.
There are willows, peach blossoms, swallows, and goldfish in the south of the Yangtze River... There are many handsome and brave young people among the Han people, suave and unrestrained young people... But this beautiful girl is as stubborn as the ancient Gaochang people: "Those are all very, very good, but I just don’t like it.”
The words contained a bit of stubbornness, a bit of melancholy, and perhaps a hint of unnoticeable hope.
/ Spring River Plumbing Duck Prophet /
In the past few years, I have been staying in Lingnan, where the vegetation is lush and the four seasons are like summer, with little sense of seasonal change. I came to Jiangnan around the misty Qingming Festival, and finally felt the breath of spring in a solid way. I saw flowers, enjoyed the scenery, visited the lake, and spent the spring. My eyes were full of green and my heart was full of joy.
Let's look at the flowers
Spring is the season of flowers, and there are so many great places to enjoy flowers in Jiangnan. Although I only went to Yangzhou and Hangzhou, I also lingered at lakeside, canals, gardens, temples and other places. There were blooming flowers everywhere, red, pink, white, yellow, green.
/ Red Bitao near Dongguan Street, Yangzhou /
/ Red Biteach Hangzhou Bazi Bridge /
/ A little withered white peach, Wuguitan, Hangzhou /
/ Chrysanthemum Peach Yangzhou Slender West Lake /
/ A kind of cherry blossom, Faxi Temple, Hangzhou /
/ Another kind of cherry blossom, Hangzhou Turtle Lake /
/ Tulip Yangzhou Slender West Lake /
/ There are quite a lot of wood hydrangea planted in Slender West Lake, but it was a pity that it was not in flower season yet /
/ Qionghua is the city flower of Yangzhou that I didn’t see in Yangzhou, but I saw it in Hangzhou /
/ Chicken claw maple Hangzhou Wuguitan /
/ Chicken feet maple Yangzhou Geyuan /
/ Red sorrel Hangzhou Turtle Lake /
/ February Orchid Yangzhou Slender West Lake /
/ Huang Muxiang by the West Lake in Hangzhou /
/ Slender West Lake View Paeony Pavilion. In addition to Qionghua, Yangzhou also has another city flower, peony. In ancient times, "Guangling peony" was as famous as "Luoyang peony" /
/ Willows by Slender West Lake/
There are many waterways in the south of the Yangtze River. It is a unique experience to sit on a boat and enjoy the spring when the cold wind that is not yet gentle blows in your face. This time I experienced the Slender West Lake cruise, Hangzhou water bus and West Lake cruise, which greatly satisfied my boating addiction.
1. Slender West Lake Cruise
There are several types of cruise ships in Slender West Lake. The most common one is the large antique cruise ship operated by the official of the scenic spot. It can seat about 10 people and has a fixed route. I chose the route from South Gate to Twenty-Four Bridge Pier. The scenery on both sides of the river is excellent. However, the cabin windows are closed, the viewing and photographing angles are limited, and the driving time is only about ten minutes. Really not able to enjoy it to the fullest.
According to observations, there are also antique cruise ships and modern boats (the most common ones in the park) in the scenic area. You can compare and choose according to your needs. In addition, there is also a cruise service on the Yangzhou Ancient Canal. We did not arrange it this time. I will try it next time.
/ Semi-enclosed large cruise ship, the experience is slightly worse /
I have seen a guide to Hangzhou water buses in the "Xiyou Travel Guide" before. The most recommended one is Line 7, which is long (about 1 hour), cost-effective (3 yuan), and has a good experience (open style). Cabin, few people, good scenery on both sides), so I happily went.
/ Hangzhou Water Bus Line 7 operating time and stops /
I originally thought this was a niche travel route, but when I arrived at the starting station of Baziqiao more than 10 minutes early that afternoon, there were already 8 people waiting in front of me. If you miss the 4 o'clock boat, you can only wait for another hour. The boat will depart on the hour. Each boat can carry up to 8 people. It is best to get on the boat from the starting station and wait in advance. In addition, the route may sometimes be temporarily adjusted. It is recommended to follow the "Canal Water Bus" WeChat article to keep up to date with the latest information to avoid missing out.
/ This is the kind of boat we ride on /
Although it was already dusk, the rain was lingering, and the wind was quite cold, it was very interesting to enjoy the spring scenery and observe the various aspects of life during this hour. On the shore there are people running for exercise, walking their dogs, taking photos, and picking up their children to go home from school. The river is quiet and the boat is moving slowly, as if falling into a hazy dream.
/ Passed many bridges along the way /
/ Crossing a bridge, looking forward to the scenery on the next journey /
There are too many different kinds of boats on the West Lake, and the prices are also different. I heard that some of them can be negotiated, so I checked various guides the day before, and finally came to the conclusion - you must take a small boat! It turns out that this is correct.
/ The kind I am riding on seems to be called a rowing boat /
The official self-operated boats are generally large boats. With hundreds of people crowded together, the experience is definitely not as good as a small boat with a few people. Although the boat is rickety, it has an excellent view. If you meet a talkative boatman, you can also act as a half-tour guide. 50 minutes is enough to visit various scenic spots and wander around half of the West Lake.
/ It’s a hand-cranked boat, there’s no canopy on the top, it’s probably very sunny in summer /
The boat also has a higher degree of freedom. We were able to get a closer look at the stone tower of Three Pools Reflecting the Moon. I heard the boatman said that this stone tower was knocked down by a cruise ship a few years ago and cost nearly one million, so now cruise ships cannot get too close.
"The West Lake on a sunny day is not as good as the West Lake on a rainy day." Although it is not raining, this hazy scenery is in perfect contrast with the scenery of the lakes and mountains.
/ Cross a bridge and see the scenery on the other side /
This is how spring should be spent, go see flowers, go swimming, and relax in a green environment. Even if there are few sunny days, the scorching sun in the long summer is enough to make up for it. Let’s go out while the spring is still good~
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