[休闲娱乐]Look for watery village in Dream

Look for watery village in Dream
　　MoLi
　　
　　Looking for her among the mass for many times
　　Perhaps,pople in Guangzhou can recite the poem about the Peart River”it is much joyful in than on the banks,and green hills and clear rivers are the homes .”For this reason,one should know the Guangzhou has been having very good relatiationship with the water,Among those olb pictures hanging in the Minghui Building,there is one about Henan Island,It is the whole present District,In that place till the late Qing Dynasty people lived on the water the boats and rivers making the wonderful sceneries of watery regions in the southern China.bud now Guangzhou I face every bay is a metropolis full of tall buildings .People can only make up the image of the watery regions by pictures,texts and imagination.
　　I heard the name of Xiaozhou Village in the radio program for the first time,Xiaozhou Village is named as the old village with most characteristics of the watery region in the southem China by the government,The leaders of the Village told me about Xiaozhou Village in datail whit one kind of pride.What I was mostly impressed by his words was that there was an ancestral temple with 99 doors,At that time I could not help but marveling,and I imaged how wonderful it would be!
　　On a very clear and sunny weekend,with a will of looking for the watery village in the southern China,after consulting the electronic map and finding out the approximate of Xiaozhou Village,Iset out.I wandered in Haizhu District and stopped the for several times to ask others for the way ,I seemed to feel that “it was too difficult to find it out ”,when I felt a little bit disappointed,the sign of Xiaozhou Village suddenly appeared in front of me.At that moment,I was so surprised and pleased.Then,I met the fragrance of mud from the field and numerous green fuit trees.The red persimmons were standing on the tops of the trees ,and countless starfruist were hanging on all branches of the trees.In the distance some milch cows were eating grass under the shed…
　　I went into Xiaozhou Village through a small bridge,Under the enthusiastic guidance of the villagers,I started my visit of Xiaozhou Village .
　　I hesitated to move on.The sounds made out by the shoes hitting the stones were very pleasant.Theywere so different from the sounds by the shoes hitting the cement and marble floor.I even imaged that it would be so nice if I had one pair of wooden clogs,and it could surely make out the music as “the rain hitting the banana tree”.
　　The narrow stony lane,the floating muddy waterway,the stylishly-dressed villagers,the abandoned small boat,the indistinct bark of dog ,the quietness-breaking motorcycle sound,the newly-built modem houses,the ordered firewood,the fashionable barbershop,the stores full of commodities,the broken and old doors and windows…all these,things with so many contradictions in this village with most characteristics of the watery region in the southern China were mixed up and combined together incidentally by the history.
　　
　　Simple folkways
　　We walked along the narrow and crooked watercourse,going through the village.Xiaozhou Village is forned by the alluvium of the sea,and so there are many river courses in it.Where these is a river,there is a bridge.There are scores of bridges in Xiaozhou Village.They are all quite old,smiple and crude.Some are even made only by connecting two stones.
　　One bridge is very special with some shout stone guardrails.It is the Hanmo Bridge with a with a history of more than 200years.There is “one”tree,where a longan tree and a banyan tree grow together as one tree.The village call this two-in-one tree”lover tree ”.It is said that bridegroom and bride must go around the tree and then pass the Hanmo Bridge when they hold the wedding,It is said that this can bring good luck and harmony forever.
　　The park in the village is called Ying Garden.There are various trees and flowers frequendly seen in the southem China:kapok trees,banyan trees,Chinese redbud and fernletaf hedge bamboo,etc…Bacause it was weekend,the busy atmosphere,was the same as that in the parks of Guangzhou.Some children were playing ball in the open space.Some were playing under the banyan tree,which stong branches became very nice slide and teeter-totter.Some roots of banyan tree came out of the ground,and formed very nice works of art.The dranches hanged over the riverbanks.The green and fine leavers fluttered in the breeze.
　　The ancestor tenple with 99doors was not found.The rusted ancestor temple by the side of the park made people get a glimpse of charm.As soon as my feet touched the stoue plates of the ancestor temple,sanctity spontaneously came out from my heart. The tall column of the ancestor temple and the building of impressive style gave me an invisible implication:I should face the things with one kind of feeling of pilgrimage or preparation of devotion.
　　We could only image that the ancestor temper used to be so important in the hearts of the villages:people gathethe in the ancestor temple whenever there was an important festival or activity,offering sactifices to gods and ancestors and discussing about the administrative matters in the village…
　　It was completely empty in the ancestor temple.perhaps historical stories were written on all walls.One could image the great and vigorous gesture in those years from the hall eaver of the ancestor temple.
　　Some simple folkways reman in the village.When the dragon boat competitiom is held every year,People organize a team caiied “Yingzhou Flying Dragon”to take part in the competition.The burning incense is still continuously curling upwards in those ancestore temples and shrines,which are still used by the villagers.The villagers looked at us with very friendly eyes.We also smiled at them,askings things about the village as if they were our family members in the homeland.
　　
　　Quiet embroidering girls
　　In those ancient stores,the needlework is the required course for girls.But we can not do that any more now.We are used to buy the finished commodities.
　　There are many handork workshops in Xiaozhou Village.The technical art called embroidery still remains.
　　The middle age women were sitting on the riverdank,quietly making a wonderful picture on the thin silk cloth pearls and pearl flat pieces.We talked with them for a while.While talking to us calmly,their fingers were holding the embroidering needles all the times,shuttling on the cloth regularly.The shuttles of hands seemed to make out a lot of beautiful rainbows.
　　
　　Final oyster shell house
　　The most peculiar building is the oyster shell house in the village. Its main materials of construction are the oyster shells.The oyster shells from the sand dike are arranged in two rows,and mixed with the yellow mud.Thus,in that way houses are built.At least the oyster shell houses have a history of 500-600years.They are the evidence of the “changing history”of the southern China.They may prove that the place Xiaozhou Village is located now used to be a vast expanse of water.
　　The oyster shell houses are hidden among the numerous old and now houses.It is said that there were more than 100houses before.Under the guidance of Mr.Ling,one villager,we found one.We were puzzled and asked him:”why could not these beautiful house be repaired?”He said with some regret:”the houses are private.If they want to pull them down and build new house,no one can oppose. ”
　　The oyster shell house in front of us was the only one survived.Being eaten away by the wind and rain for so many years,all the oyster shells were exposed outside full of bumps and hollows.But the whole house gawe people one kind of very special shock.People one kind of very special shock .People could feel the wisdom of the ancestors of the village.They lived in such a natural house,where it was warm in winter and cool in summer,taking a life of farming and fishing according to the sunrise and sunset.All these seemed to be in a critical situation like the final oyster shell house,and finally they could only become the memory.
　　
　　Watery village in dim dream
　　The ares of Xiaozhou Village is quite big with green and luxuriant old trees.The roads are paved by the blue stone bars,conneting all the lanes.The village is surrounded by the waterways,in which small wooden boats anchor.The water in the river beats the old jetty for so mary years…Comparing with other famous scenic spots for tourism.Xiaozhou Village seems to keep silent too mush ,Is this one kind of loftiness or freedom?I think people come here for a visit will have their own decision.
　　It should be an elegant and quiet of small bridge,floating water,blue brick and tiles.But the newly houses,which are so much unharmonious,are added to it ,I felt very disappointed.We hope to see more old building and culture with the southern characteristics,But as to the villagers,they should make progression.Their lives should not remain as thouse old buildings for us to come and enjoy the sight.How one Kind of ancient civilization and culture exist and develop is really worth our thinking over.
　　When we left the village,we found out a duck farm in the wide river.The ripples in the water seemed to leave me some feeling for Xiaozhou Village.The water rippled for a long time,and seemed to bring me back to the watery village in the dim dream.
　　
　　(<CHINA TOUR&SIGHTSEEING> MONTHLY JUNE.2003)