江南古镇：西塘介绍

江南古镇：西塘介绍

西塘古镇位于浙江省嘉善县，江浙沪三省交界处。古名斜塘，平川，距嘉善市区10公里。是吴地汉文化的千年水乡古镇，江南六大古镇之一。西塘全镇总面积83.61平方公里，其中古镇区面积1.04平方公里，人口近8.6万。西塘被誉为生活着的千年古镇。已被列入世界历史文化遗产预备名单，中国首批历史文化名镇，国家AAAA级景区。历史文化西塘历史悠久，是古代吴越文化的发祥地之一。早在春秋战国时期就是吴越两国的相交之地，故有“吴根越角”和“越角人家”之称。

唐、宋时期就已形成村镇，到了元、明朝时，西塘凭借鱼米之乡，丝绸之府的经济基础和水道之便，发展成一座繁华、富庶的大集镇，窑业、米市、食品、制陶业等行业日益兴旺。在唐开元年间就已建有大量村落，人们沿河建屋、依水而居；南宋时村落渐成规模，形成了市集；元代开始依水而市渐渐形成集镇，商业开始繁盛起来；明清时期已经发展成为江南手工业和商业重镇。“春秋的水，唐宋的镇，明清的建筑，现代的人”，是对西塘再恰当不过的形容。后弦的《唐宋元明清》也是在古镇西塘时有感而发而写的。

西塘古镇还有以提倡民族气节，推翻封建的清王朝，建立民主共和政体为志的南社，是在孙中山领导的中国同盟会革命浪潮汹涌澎湃的激荡下，于1909年11月在苏州秘密成立的。南社的发起人是吴江著名诗人柳亚子，他在西塘发展南社社员18人，较为著名的有余十眉、李钟麒、郁佐梅、沈禹钟、江雪塍等。南社是一个革命团体，它主要是以文字鼓吹反清革命，与同盟会互相呼应，成犄角之势。一时京、沪、苏、浙、湘甚至南洋等地不少报纸，都为南社社员所掌握。“欲凭文字播风雷”（柳亚子语），为反清民族民主革命大造声势。后来，南社在大革命的浪潮中也四分五裂，但西塘的一班诗友，又组织了胥社，宗旨不变，人员不变，成为南社在西塘的延伸组织。胥社成员的诗文绝大多数保留了下来，这些诗和他们的“宗师”柳亚子在西塘留下的90首诗文一起，并且共同成为西塘的千古绝唱。西塘现状在西塘，你可以细细品味这里的慢生活，可在茶楼里品茶听曲，或等夜晚的西塘披上惊艳外衣后，乘上摇橹船看水中的各色倒影，也可以去酒吧坐下来找一点儿古朴中的现代感。即使是站在桥上俯视川流的木船、远眺整片屋檐，或在廊棚下漫无目的地闲逛也是一种乐趣。古镇内住着不少本地居民，你会看到常有阿婆在河边洗衣、阿公在廊棚下下棋，生活气息相当浓郁。
Xitang：
I wouldn't normally associate a haunt like Xitang with the toothy gleam of Hollywood royalty. It's hard to imagine high-octane players like Tom Cruise kicking back in an ancient Chinese water-village and much easier to picture the place filled with decadent opium dens and people idling on sampans. But incontrovertible proof was there to see: up on the wall in a restaurant - and it will soon be seen by many more on silver screens worldwide.

It takes about 90 minutes to drive down to Xitang from Shanghai; from a 21st-century megalopolis to an altogether dreamier slice of history. This Ming and Qing dynasty backwater is achingly photogenic - a quality not missed out on by the producers for Mission: Impossible III. It was rumoured locally that they'd stumped up 100 million Yuan to film in this tiny village for a few days - a shade over £7 million - but it's possible for the casual visitor to get the picture on a somewhat more modest budget. A ticket for you or me to enter town costs about 40p.

To call this lovely water-village an oriental Venice would be wildly over the mark, yet it shares similarities with its more famous Italian counterpart. Canals dissect twisting narrow lanes and pathways, rendering the community traffic-free and boat friendly. Worn stone steps lead down to the waters and hopelessly pretty bridges span them. But Xitang is on an altogether smaller, happily domestic scale, and no matter how hard it tries, tourism is mercifully still in its infancy.

Even though the place is small, it's chock-full with museums, temples and places of historic and cultural interest. This is all the more amazing since Xitang suffered badly during the Cultural Revolution. Some of the permanent exhibitions seemed a little eccentric: the anorak within me was particularly taken by the Root Carving museum and the Brick and Tile Display Hall. The Drunk Garden - so-called after the intoxicating effect its views are alleged to have on those visiting - is gorgeous (although I remained sober) and the West Garden, famed for its poetical connections, is a classical baroque tumble of stones, pagodas and pools.

I noticed that the guidebook boasted "some old residences exhibit stone-inscriptions of celebrities". But I'm willing to wager that it's not Tinsel Town's glyptography they're bragging about, but those of long dead dignitaries.

Rustic wooden pistols seemed to be the toy of choice in the scattering of tourist shops signposted with scalloped flags. They also flog bric-a-brac and are only worth a cursory once-over. But the minuscule noodle and dumpling stores and local inns are well worth seeking out.

Guesthouses cost 100-150 Yuan a night for some of the most romantic rooms I've come across. Pierced screens and paper walls surround exquisite carved beds with marble inlays; they are begging for secret trysts or idle nights. The views through the geometric windows across tiled rooftops to the canals below are unbeatable. At night, red lanterns dotted along the eaves reflect in the water, doubling the prettiness, but I don't think Tom and his famously betrothed girlfriend, Katie Holmes, succumbed to these simple charms.

Like Venice, Xitang is a place that does washing - a bunting of knickers and vests was strung all over the place. Skipping is the preferred exercise, and half-a-dozen jumping women did their utmost to dodge the laundry.

Fishing junks are still in everyday use - easily identified because they're covered in cormorants - and jostle alongside the myriad tourist boats. They're the source of local delicacies, including Fenhu Lake crabs, shrimps, eels, clams and turtles. Legs of pork hung in an open shed, were ready to be steamed on lotus leaves and served up with trotter sauce.

One of the better places to eat is at the Qiantang Hotel in the centre of the village on a junction of three waterways. The veranda houses a simple bar and eating area with antique curved seating that allowed women of a bygone era to repose gracefully. It also housed the photographic proof of uber-stardom. A grinning Mr Cruise can be seen grappling with the rather po-faced owner.

I also spotted Meryl Streep on the Qiantang Hotel wall of fame. She, too, was hugging the proprietor. Meryl came as something of a surprise as she's not featured in the movie. Perhaps Xitang is where the triple A-listers go to chill out of the limelight.

Even though Xitang is small, it's something of a centre for the arts. In summer, traditional folk operas, concerts and a local cinema play by the waterside in the open-air. And all year-round, young artists from the cities come to paint the alleyways and canals.

Local legend has it that a walk with your loved one over the Songi Laifen bridge increases fertility. Inevitably, Tom and Katie couldn't resist the stroll across it.