Travel Notes to the Southeast | Wenzhou: A city of rich people but not rich people

A picture of a jade-faced talented man suddenly peeled off the stumbling back, restoring Zhu Ziqing's true body.

I used to hear about Wenzhou, mostly with labels such as "Chinese Jews", "Wenzhou real estate speculators", "Wenzhou business street", "Wenzhou farmers bring sacks to the bank to collect the euros remitted by relatives overseas". Naturally, you will think of Wenzhou. It's a place where rich people gather.

But when I walked into Wenzhou City, I felt even more that Wenzhou is actually quite down-to-earth.

1.

From entering Wenzhou from Yongjia on the evening of the first day to leaving two days later, I walked around casually, went to Jiangxin Island, Wenzhou Museum, visited the old town of Wenzhou, and accidentally entered Zhu Ziqing's former residence and Nanxi Opera Museum. I had a meal with a Wenzhou girl in Nantang, a place where small bridges, flowing water, fashion and romance are combined. I listened to her talk about children’s education, mom’s square dance, Wenzhou dialect, and Wenzhou cityscape... Wenzhou is beyond imagination. So wealthy.

The probability of seeing luxury cars on the street is the same as that in other second- and third-tier cities. There are no fashionable and modern urban buildings, nor are there deliberately decorated old towns. Compared with Ningbo, which is taking great strides to pursue high-tech and new developments, Wenzhou appears to be very pragmatic. Ancient towers and buildings, commercial streets from the Republic of China, alleys from the early liberation period, row houses from the 1980s and 1990s, or modern residential areas all coexist together.

I wanted to go to Jiangxin Island in the morning. I knew the ferry terminal was not far away, but I thought it would be best to ask when I was about to leave the hotel. So we turned around and asked at the front desk. The young man in a suit but still a bit student-like asked us politely if we needed anything. We want to know how to get to Jiangxin Island. The young man said casually without thinking: "Jiangxinyu? I don't know!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the middle-aged man who had just said "Good morning!" to us at the door immediately scolded us: "How do you get to Jiangxin Island? Why don't you know what I told you!" He turned to us, The route and time for walking to the pier were explained in detail.

The manager, or boss, then continued to lecture his employees even though we were still in the lobby.

He said: "When guests ask you, you must know. You must remember what I tell you. It takes about ten minutes to walk from here to Jiangxin Island. Go out to the intersection, turn right, and walk all the way to the river. Turn left After a short walk, you will see the pier. You can also take bus No. 28. The bus stop is..." He then taught the young man at the front desk in detail, "If the guest asks where to go in Wenzhou, you can introduce Wenzhou Museum and Wenzhou Museum. Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, Nantang Impression Style Street..." Then how to take the bus and so on. Until we went out, the manager was still teaching us.

2.

Walking along Jiefang Street towards Oujiang, you will see the old city along the way, continuing the tradition of Wenzhou's private economy. The first floor is full of shops, selling clothing, shoes, glasses, auto parts, catering, lighters, beauty and hairdressing supplies, etc. Business.

At an intersection, I saw signs for "Zhu Ziqing's Former Residence" and "Southern Opera Museum" and turned around to take a look. After walking for a while, there were daily shops on both sides, and inside there were several modern residential areas close to each other. It didn't look like the former residence of a celebrity. First, I asked for directions at a low snack shop. An old lady with curly hair, a pearl necklace, and lipstick pointed in the direction.

We continued walking, but still felt something was wrong. Ask people again. Looking into a dark auto parts store, a middle-aged man, wearing a gray fur vest and tie underneath, looking neat and respectable, also pointed there.

JF and I both lamented that the people here are quite concerned about their image. Maybe I heard before that "Wenzhou people go shopping in pajamas" is an exception.

Finally, I saw Zhu Ziqing’s former residence, a small courtyard with a low ancient building surrounded by several emerging residential areas. Teacher Liu, who has a passion for literature, was very happy to come here. I visited this small courtyard carefully, and later I heard from him that he wrote a long article after the visit that night with great enthusiasm and thoughts. Unfortunately, there was a problem with his mobile phone - the long article was not saved. , Tuliu sighed.

3.

Although Mr. Zhu Ziqing only stayed in Wenzhou for one year. But the people of Wenzhou actually kept this small house for him, and kept it neat and elegant. They also used pictures and texts to show Mr. Zhu's life, and focused on the experience of "Mr. Zhu and Wenzhou".

Regarding Mr. Zhu Ziqing, those of us who have gone to school are all impressed by his "Night in the Lotus Pond" and "Back View", but we have little imagination about the author of this textbook-level article. I even compared his image to the stumbling "father's figure". "Back" are confused together. However, a picture of a jade-faced scholar in the middle of his former residence suddenly peeled off the stumbling back and restored Zhu Ziqing's true body.

Teacher Liu said, why is Zhu Ziqing's cause of death listed here as stomach disease?

I said: "Perhaps, talking about people dying of starvation is not in line with today's values." Nowadays, the world is friendly and helps each other. Isn't it pedantic to not eat one's salary or receive assistance?

Mr. Zhu's former residence is a typical building in southern Zhejiang, but the adjacent Nanxi Opera Museum is a Western building from the Republic of China. The carvings on the door are reminiscent of the Great Water Method of the Old Summer Palace. The Southern Opera Museum is also carefully decorated, with pictures, texts, videos, and some physical objects (outfits, masks, puppets, musical instruments, books) telling the story of Wenzhou's status as the birthplace of Southern Opera. The next day, I talked about this place with my little sister from Wenzhou. She even called her mother, who loves to listen to opera, and asked if Ruian was the real birthplace of Southern Opera in Wenzhou, because she thought the Wenzhou dialect with the Ruian accent was the gentlest. In Wenzhou dialect, even quarrels are pleasant to listen to.

There is also a small stage set up in the courtyard of the museum, with a glass ceiling above it. There may be some small performances or educational demonstrations from time to time. Today's museums are no longer limited to static or audio-visual displays, but also pay attention to interactive activities.

4.

Before arriving at the riverside, we turned into an old Wenzhou alley called "Shuomen Street". The alley is very small, and only two or three people can walk side by side in the narrow part. On both sides are low-rise buildings that are a mixture of old and new. Some of the shops on the first floor have been opened, including original design clothing stores, vintage shops, bars, pastry shops, incense and candle shops, etc.

There are also many unopened shops with half-open small doors, allowing passers-by to accidentally catch a glimpse of the scene inside: a dining table, a rice cooker on the table, white walls and white tile floors, clean. The alleys are also clean. Generally speaking, although Wenzhou's old town is bustling with business or trivial life, the roads are clean.

It was past ten o'clock in the morning, and Shuomen Street was still quiet. Many small shops had not opened yet, but several connected board game shops were already accepting customers. A group of teenagers sat around and played games attentively. It is sighing to think about how their parents started from scratch and worked hard from dawn to dusk.

At the end of the alley, I was waiting for Teacher Liu who was walking behind, observing and meditating, to come out... I finally saw the old man's figure, looking very happy, saying that he had just discovered an interesting text, and it was written on the door of a bar: "When girls come in, I leave." , I harass girls when they stay, I beat when girls are tired, I chase after girls when they retreat." The name of the store is "Pick-up Bar". We are really in an era where authority is no longer there. We have made a joke out of Chairman Mao’s Sixteen-Character Policy. Teacher Liu sighed.

5.

There is not much to say about Jiangxin Island, but I don’t know why many travel books recommend it.

There is a Jiangxin Temple, two pagodas from the Song Dynasty, and it is also a world-famous lighthouse. There are also several bungalows built during the Republic of China, which have now become the location for wedding photos taken by newlyweds in Wenzhou. There is also a garden with various bonsais placed in it, which is a bit like the bonsai garden in the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou. In addition, uncommon flowers such as camellias and hydrangeas were planted. Compared with Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, Jiangxin Island is more like a park for citizens to walk, with square dancing for aunts, Tai Chi for adults, and a water park for parents and children.

In the evening, after dinner with the Wenzhou sisters, we took a walk in Impression Nantang. This is a commercial street dotted with small bridges, flowing water and parks. There are so many people walking here at night. Looking around, the restaurant is basically full. I heard in the past that Wenzhou's urban architecture was in shabby condition, and the wealthy people only came back during the Chinese New Year. Why does Wenzhou now look so clean and full of culture and leisure?

Wenzhou is a place where any movement can easily make headlines. For example, the housing property rights expiration case that just came out really dropped an atomic bomb on the Chinese real estate market. Therefore, officials who come to Wenzhou only want peace and security, promotion or retirement at the end of their term. A few years ago, a magistrate of Chen County came to Wenzhou. He liked parks and built many parks. Including Impression Nantang, the dilapidated private houses and factories have now become a good place for Wenzhou citizens to relax. I don’t know if he took a big step and was transferred away. It is said that some educated people in Wenzhou still miss him very much.