books44 Chapter 371 Stepping Out of the Ivory Tower
Chapter 371 Stepping Out of the Ivory Tower
Song Tingnan first went to Chuansha Street, an area designated as a historical and cultural preservation zone by the Shanghai Municipal Government. Chuansha Old Street can be described as a red old street, containing the underground transportation station at No. 45 Zhongshi Street, the childhood school of Soong Ching-ling at Nos. 36-38 Zhongshi Street, and the former residence of Huang Yanpei on Xinchuan Road.
There are some foreigners here, but it's not what Song Tingnan expected. When she arrived, she found that she had no use for them at all.
These foreign friends were all in teams, accompanied by dedicated staff and two translators, so the students could only stand aside.
Unlike the other students, Ting Nan had a great attitude. Since she was already there, she decided to calm down and take a look around as well.
Both translators spoke fluent English, and she had never actually been to these places before, so it was definitely worth it. Following the translators, she listened as she walked, comparing her notes with the information she had compiled, and thoroughly enjoyed herself with the foreigners.
Chuansha Street has many attractions. Its architecture mainly consists of wooden arcade buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties and buildings combining Chinese and Western styles with brick-concrete structures.
The street is lined with shops on both sides, and some old shop names have been preserved, such as the state-run Gongnong Restaurant located at No. 10 Qiaojia Lane, which was founded in 1905, and Daoxiang Food Store located at No. 5 Qiaojia Lane, which has a combination of Chinese and Western architectural styles and was built in 1956.
South Market Street runs parallel to North Market Street, running north-south, and forms a cross shape with Central Market Street. However, strangely, after South Market Street reaches Central Market Street, it continues northwards into Qiao Family Lane instead of South Market Street.
This intersection is the center of Chuansha City. At the crossroads stands a memorial archway. This archway was built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty when Qiao Tang was awarded the rank of fifth grade for his meritorious service in resisting Japanese pirates. The archway is inscribed with the words "Qiao Tang, who was awarded the title of Fengzheng Dafu and granted the honorary title of Golden Silk Crown and Belt for his meritorious service in resisting Japanese pirates at the end of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty".
It is said that the people of Chuansha also built the "Father and Son Jinshi Archway" to commemorate the successive success of Qiao Tang's sons Qiao Mu and Qiao Gongbi in passing the imperial examinations. The archway is inscribed with the words "Wenwu Weixian" (meaning "civil and military affairs are the constitution"). During the War of Resistance against Japan, the plaque with the inscribed words "Wenwu Weixian" was looted by the invading Japanese army.
I learned a lot along the way. In the following days, I followed Nan to the Huangpu River, saw the color of the sea, and saw sailboats of all sizes shuttling back and forth on the river.
They sampled a variety of delicacies, such as savory tofu pudding, flatbread, fried dough sticks, glutinous rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, white cakes, chicken and duck blood soup, fried dumplings, as well as sweet and sour pork, stir-fried three delicacies, and salted pork and tofu soup... Many snack shops on the street had a fairly uniform name, all called "Cooperative Canteen." After eating their way through the area, Ting Nan felt like she had gained two pounds.
Tingnan also visited four famous ancient temples: Longhua Temple, Jing'an Temple, Jade Buddha Temple, and Zhenru Temple. Among them, the unassuming Zhenru Temple surprisingly houses a 700-year-old Yuan Dynasty hall.
The tranquil and serene atmosphere allows one to find peace and tranquility; yet it is also lively and vibrant, with koi swimming in the release pond and pigeons cared for by the temple, making one feel the equality of all living beings and harmonious coexistence; it is also particularly bright and lively, with two ginkgo trees that are hundreds of years old, their trunks tied with dense red prayer ribbons, which complement the golden leaves, making one feel beautiful and positive.
Of course, at these attractions, Song Tingnan could only play the role of "accompanying the tour." The other students, after a quick look around, returned to school and continued their "ivory tower" studies.
Ting Nan thought this wouldn't do; he had to test the waters himself. If there was no opportunity, he would create one.