Ancient town of Zhao Jialou, Li Geng

Take the subway from Shanghai to Shen Du Expressway, then transfer to Minhang 10 bus, and you will soon arrive at Zhao Jialou, the ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River, which is closest to the international metropolis. In front of the large archway with hexagonal cornices, the yellow word "Zhao Jialou" on the red background in Fan Ceng is even more dazzling in the warm autumn sun. It turns out that Zhao Jialou area is the earliest land for farming and reclamation. According to legend, Tan Lun, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Industry of the Ming Dynasty, built a bell tower to encourage villagers to get up early to farm. In the morning, the bell kept ringing, "smoke from miles away, and the bell rang several times", hence the name "Zhao Jialou". People are diligent in Tian Feng and attach importance to farming, and the atmosphere continues to this day.

When I entered the archway, I saw an alley paved with stone slabs washed away. The arched stone gates and hemp yellow stone slabs were laid in a regular and seamless way, so I couldn't help feeling the exquisiteness of modern stonemason's stone carving technology. But without the trace of artificial axe chisel, I always feel that something is missing, and my heart is cold. Fortunately, a row of red lanterns on the eaves, which read "Call the house", added a touch of warmth to the alley and warmed the mood a lot.

Out of the alley, it is the bridge of gratitude. Standing on the bridge, you can see the panoramic view of the water town, but you can see weeping willows, white walls and tiles on both sides of the river, and houses and boats stretching for miles! In particular, I saw several white walls separated by several families, and the walls were as elegant as the Chinese cursive script on the blue tile along the streamline. This is the famous "wall riding". "Riding on the wall", also known as "wind-fire wall", is a typical Huizhou architectural style. Ancient Huizhou merchants went out to do business all the year round, and their whereabouts were erratic and their return dates were uncertain. "Meet immediately without paper and pencil, and leave a message to report peace!" Women do housework at home and take care of the elderly, the weak, the young and children. The feeling of missing is beyond words: "Before the lotus seeds bloom, people spread word in Phoenix Mountain", so they built high walls to prevent theft and fire. I can't help but sigh the wisdom of Huizhou merchants, even the prevention of thieves is so artistic!

While I was thinking, a Wu Peng boat was rocking on the river. As the saying goes, "relying on mountains to eat, relying on water to eat", local people rely on the scenery of a bay river and water towns along the river to pick up some tourists every day and earn some extra money. This is a new model of "ritual agriculture". From the couplets carved on the "Ruihui Square" standing on the shore, we can imagine the prosperity of the cruise ship industry in the water town: "Liu Si wears beautiful language and the boatswain sings cheerful songs." The oars and lights are blurred, and the beautiful boatswain is nearby, suspected of being a prostitute!

Under the small bridge, it is a long alley. There is a stone tablet at the mouth of the alley: "Advocating courtesy, righteousness and morality will make you realize something", and there is a slogan on the wall: "No good words to scold, no good punches to fight". It is an example of "ritual agriculture".

At the moment, the autumn sun is shining, and the alley is already noisy and lively. All kinds of zongzi and rice cakes are filled with desks, and the smell of glutinous rice comes to the nose, attracting tourists to eat in the street. Zhao Lou has three treasures, Daqu mutton and braised hooves, especially "Gu Dasao hooves". When I came here, I saw a beautiful woman in her forties. Her desk is bright red, crisp and fragrant, surrounded by tourists, and her business is booming. It's time to "tear down the hoof for beauty". Jiaozi is fragrant, hoof flower is crispy, delicious, a paradise to eat!