Hankou,a Kaleidoscope of Memories

Hankou,a Kaleidoscope of Memories

When looking back on the history of Wuhan, all of us will feel its grandeur and glory.

I could almost hear Ye Diaoyuan, a poet in Qing Dynasty standing on the bank of Yangtze River, chanting his rhythmic Zhuzhici Lyrics(folk lyrics)“Grasses on the expansive land are eternally green; A gust of lake wind carries the tune playing.”His folk lyrics are acute observations of the local life of Hankou in Qing dynasty, a multi-perspective view of the colorful Chu cultures, as well as an emotional episode of the vernacular flavor; the vintage and nostalgic Cheongsam reminds us of the life in the Concessions in Hankou, where slender figures with elegant gestures and oriental ingredients greet our eyes; the ship “Zhiyinhao” sailed down the river into the vivacious downtown areas where are dotted with dancers and singers, while gramophones babbling about the secrets of local life in the Republic era…

Chi Li, a woman novelist in Wuhan,once wrote, “The city encompasses us in all aspects with the passing of the years. This is my city.” The traditional yet exquisite folklores have long been merged into the city life, bearing witness to its prosperity and cultural charm. As local residents in Wuhan, we inevitably grow up with the advancement of city. In an age when progress is overstressed, we are committed to creating a city of cultural diversity,merging the East with the West, and juxtaposing the old with the new.

“Wuhan exists not just in our memories;it is planted in our soul and flesh.” Wuhan locals are steretyped as careless and casual type. It seems that they are likely to trash talk their hometown. Yet they also cherish it at the bottom of their heart. These unspeakable emotions or whatever they are calling are deeply ingrained in their minds,who will continue telling the stories of Wuhan, though in different ways.

每每翻開武漢的歷史，都會不自覺地感慨她的厚重與悠久。

江邊依稀傳來葉調元“平蕪芳草碧于煙，一陣湖風送管弦”的低唱淺吟，平仄富有韻律的竹枝詞，是對清代漢口市井生活的細微觀察，是對楚文化不同風姿的多面展示，是對地方情緒的傾情訴說；古雅風韻的旗袍裝飾了漢口租界歷史，讓我們記住一個個端莊靚麗又盡顯東方神韻的美麗背影；“知音號”順江而下，繁榮街市，歌舞升平，舊式留聲機咿咿呀呀訴說著民國年代的心事……

武漢作家池莉曾寫道：“隨著歲月前行，它們立體交叉在我的身周，這就是我的城。”那些古老而又精致的民俗風情，早與這座城市融為一體，見證這里的星耀繁榮，彰顯漢文化的巨大魅力。而我們作為武漢人，不聲不響地陪著這座城市共同成長，在強調發展的新時代，我們致力于打造一個古今共存，融匯中西的多元江城。

“武漢不用懷念的，武漢本來就在我心中，就在我身體里。”武漢人總是大大咧咧，吐槽最多的是自己的家鄉，愛的最多的也是它。那些不與言說的感情，那種可以被稱之為情懷的東西，深埋在每個武漢人的心底，以另一種方式繼續講述武漢的故事。

流光溢彩的漢口記憶

策劃|劉冬莉