烏鎮(zhèn)江南水鄉(xiāng)的詩意生活

China’s water towns， often referred to1 as “Venices of the East，” are famous for their ancient buildings， bridges， canals2， and ways of life that have not changed in centuries. If you want to escape from the hustle and bustle3 of your city life， water towns would be the best choice.

Water towns are also perfect destinations for lovers of photography. The photo opportunities are endless. By taking a small water “taxi，” visitors can take a leisurely4 cruise5 through these villages， getting a different perspective6 on them. The gardens in the villages， although not as well known as the villages in Suzhou， are of the same style and no less grand.

Why take a water town tour? Because life in these water towns seems to have stood still， and visitors can still see the unique traditional folk cultures of Southeastern China. It is easy to fall in love with a place where life still seems traditional and laid-back7. If you take the time to visit these water towns， you will be surprised by what you discover.

Situated in the north of Zhejiang Province， the beautiful water town of Wuzhen is one of those ancient towns. It is a charming place full of ancient bridges， traditional hotels， boutiques8 and restaurants all built around an amazing water network that is part of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal， the longest canal in the world.

Over the past thousand years， Wuzhen has not changed its name， water system， or way of life. It is a living museum for an ancient civilization’s history， food， and traditions.

The buildings of Wuzhen are all a century or more old and built using traditional wood and stone architecture9 with tile10 roofs.

For centuries the local people of this area have been building their homes and markets along the river’s edge. Spacious11， beautiful courtyards are hidden by the thousands in between the buildings， providing a delightful discovery at almost every turn.

In this ancient town there is plenty to do， or nothing at all if your aim is to relax. The place is quiet， yet also offers wine bars， pottery and glass workshops， theaters， and an open-air film pavilion12.

Take in13 the delightful town from the water on a traditional wood boat， and stay in one of the many luxurious14 hotels or guest accommodations15 in residents16’ homes for a true taste of Chinese village life.

What to See

Shadow Plays are put on with folk-art shadow puppets. The puppets are hand-crafted， translucent17 so the light shines through and made with threaded joints18 so the puppets can move freely. Accompanied19 by traditional Chinese musical instruments such as the flute20 and urheen21， shadow plays are very popular.

East Street has been a prosperous22 business center of Wuzhen since ancient times. More than 700 local households are established along this street， most engaging23 in traditional craftworks that visitors can admire and purchase24.

Many interesting exhibition centers are also here， including the Wood Carving Museum and Hundred Bed Museum. Take in the Huagu Opera played on a hundred-year-old stage， or delight25 in the daring26 acrobatics27 and martial arts that are performed on boats just offshore.

Several local workshops and stores that have been operating for over a century also provide glimpses28 into a past life. Check out the Hengyitang Chinese Medicine shop and the historic Wuzhen Post Office.

For a look at the rich silk industry， visit the Yida Silk Store， dating from 1875， to see beautiful brocades29 being hand-woven by skilled craftsmen. Also drop by the Chinese Footbinding30 Culture Museum， which offers a glimpse into a tradition that seems unreal in today’s world. The museum features a collection of 825 pairs of tiny boots and shoes from various regions of China， all beautifully preserved and displayed together with footbinding tools.

If you are familiar with Chinese literature， don’t forget to take a look at the Former Residence of Mao Dun. Mao Dun is a famous writer in modern China， best known for the novel Midnight. His former home is located in the middle part of Guan Qian Street， where he lived during his happy childhood. The home is a traditional Chinese style house built during the Qing Dynasty.

What to Eat and Drink

Delicious seafood is， of course， a staple31 of this water town. Local favorites such as steamed fish shouldn’t be missed; but non-seafood dishes are also popular， like the braised32 mutton.

For dessert， try the delicious and beautifully presented Gusao Cake， served in a traditional red lacquered33 box.

Sanbai wine， a liquor34 distilled35 from rice or sorghum36， is still made by hand in old-fashioned distilleries37 using the same methods that have been employed for centuries. Also try the delectable38 chrysanthemum39 tea that is a specialty of the region.

Wuzhen has plenty of night life as well. Visit Chashi Jie for lively cafes and bars to enjoy your leisure time. For entertainment， take in a show on the ancient Xiuzhenguan Square stage， or the Xizha stage that floats on the water.

With many sites of historical and cultural interest， the poetic town of Wuzhen deserves to be on your first touring destination in China.

中國的水鄉(xiāng)常被稱為“東方威尼斯”。它們皆以古老的建筑、橋梁、運河和數(shù)百年不變的生活方式而聞名。如果你想逃離城市生活的喧囂紛繁，水鄉(xiāng)便是你最好的選擇。

水鄉(xiāng)也是攝影愛好者的最佳游覽地，拍攝機會無窮無盡。只要坐上一艘小小的水上“的士”，游客們就能悠閑地漫游于村莊之間，從不同的角度欣賞美景。村莊里的花園雖沒有蘇州園林名氣大，但其形式并無二致，規(guī)模也毫不遜色。

為什么要游覽水鄉(xiāng)？因為在這些小鎮(zhèn)里，生活靜止不變，游客依然能夠看到中國江南獨有的傳統(tǒng)民間文化。人們很容易就會愛上一個生活似乎依然傳統(tǒng)悠閑的地方。如果能花點時間去游玩這些水鄉(xiāng)小鎮(zhèn)，你將會為發(fā)現(xiàn)到的一切驚訝無比。

烏鎮(zhèn)位于浙江省北部，這個美麗的水鄉(xiāng)就是眾多古鎮(zhèn)之一。這個迷人的地方滿是古老的橋梁、傳統(tǒng)旅店、精致的精品店和飯館，全都依著一片美麗動人的水網(wǎng)而建。而這片水網(wǎng)便是世界上最長的運河——京杭大運河的一部分。

在過去的一千年里，烏鎮(zhèn)從未改變過它的名字、水系或是生活方式。它是一座活生生的博物館，記錄著一段古老文明的歷史、美食和傳統(tǒng)。

烏鎮(zhèn)所有的建筑都有上百年歷史。它們是傳統(tǒng)的木石結(jié)構(gòu)，屋頂被瓦片覆蓋。

數(shù)百年來，該地區(qū)的本地人沿著河邊建起了住宅和集市。數(shù)以千計寬敞而美麗的庭院藏身于房屋之間，讓你幾乎每次轉(zhuǎn)彎都有驚喜的發(fā)現(xiàn)。

在這座古鎮(zhèn)里，可做的事情很多，或者你也可以什么都不做——如果你只想休閑放松的話。這個地方寧靜祥和，不過也有酒吧、陶器和玻璃作坊、戲院以及露天電影場。

你不妨乘一艘傳統(tǒng)的小木舟沿水路游覽這座討人喜歡的小鎮(zhèn)；還可以住在某間豪華賓館或是當?shù)鼐用竦目头坷铮鎸嵉伢w驗一下中國的水鄉(xiāng)生活。

觀光攻略

皮影戲用民間藝術(shù)中的皮影木偶進行表演。這些手工制作的木偶是半透明的，光線能穿過它們；木偶的關(guān)節(jié)則由線連起來，讓其能夠自由活動。皮影戲由傳統(tǒng)的中國樂器如笛子和二胡等伴奏，非常受歡迎。

東大街自古以來就是烏鎮(zhèn)一個繁榮昌盛的商業(yè)中心。超過700戶本地人家沿街而住。大多數(shù)人家都從事傳統(tǒng)工藝品的制作，可供游客欣賞和購買。

許多有趣的展覽中心也坐落于此，包括木雕陳列館和百床館。你還可以欣賞在有著百年歷史的舞臺上演出的花鼓戲，或是岸邊小船上表演的驚險雜技和武術(shù)。

本地一些作坊和商店已經(jīng)經(jīng)營了百余年，能讓人們一窺過去的生活。不妨參觀一下恒益堂藥店和具有歷史意義的烏鎮(zhèn)老郵局吧。

想一覽興盛的絲綢工業(yè)，可以去參觀始創(chuàng)于1875年的益大絲號作坊，看看由熟練技工手織的美麗錦緞吧。

此外，順道拜訪一下三寸金蓮展館，這里能讓你一窺在今天看來似乎完全不真實的傳統(tǒng)。該展館展出來自中國不同地區(qū)的825雙小靴子和小鞋子，全都保存完好，與纏足工具一同展出。

如果你熟悉中國文學，不要忘了去參觀茅盾故居。茅盾是中國現(xiàn)代著名作家，因小說《子夜》而聞名。他的故居坐落于觀前街中部。他在這里度過了快樂的童年時光。這座居室是一座建于清朝的傳統(tǒng)中式建筑。

美食攻略

美味的海鮮自然是這座水鄉(xiāng)的招牌菜。當?shù)刈钍軞g迎的美食，例如蒸魚，是絕對不容錯過的；不過非海鮮類美食也很受歡迎，譬如紅燒羊肉。

至于甜點，不妨試試可口又好看的姑嫂餅，這些餅會被盛在一個傳統(tǒng)的紅漆盒子中端上來哦。

三百酒是一種由大米或高粱蒸餾而成的酒。在老式釀酒廠里，人們?nèi)匀灰约兪止さ姆绞桨磾?shù)百年沿襲下來的方法釀酒。

你還得試試甘美的菊花茶，也是本地特產(chǎn)哦。

烏鎮(zhèn)同樣有豐富的夜生活。到茶市街那些熱鬧的咖啡廳和酒吧享受休閑時光吧。要找娛樂消遣則可以到修真觀的古戲臺，或是到西柵水上戲臺看表演。

烏鎮(zhèn)這座充滿了詩意的小城擁有眾多歷史和文化景觀，值得成為你中國之旅的第一站。

注釋

1)refer to 稱……為

2)canal n.運河

3)hustle and bustle 熙熙攘攘

4)leisurely a.悠閑地

5)cruise n.乘船游覽

6)perspective n.觀點，看法

7)laid-back a.懶散的

8)boutique n.精品店

9)architecture n.建筑

10)tile n.瓦

11)Spacious a.寬敞的

12)pavilion n.大帳篷，亭

13)take in 參觀，游覽

14)luxurious a.奢侈的，豪華的

15)accommodation n.住處

16)resident n.居民

17)translucent a.半透明的

18)threaded joint 絲扣接頭

19)Accompany v.陪伴，伴奏

20)flute n.笛

21)urheen n.二胡

22)prosperous a.繁榮的，興旺的

23)engage in 使從事于，參加

24)purchase v.購買

25)delight in 以……為樂

26)daring a.大膽的，勇敢的

27)acrobatics n.雜技

28)glimpse n.瞥見，一瞥

29)brocade n.錦緞，織錦

30)footbinding n.纏足

31)staple n.主要產(chǎn)品

32)braise v.燉，燜

33)lacquer v.用油漆涂

34)liquor n.酒，燒酒

35)distill v.蒸餾

36)sorghum n.高粱

37)distillery n.釀酒廠

38)delectable a.宜人的

39)chrysanthemum n.菊花