An ancient village is included in the permanent preservation, is hidden in the Suzhou-Shanghai border, know people but not much

Cheemaqiao Village, located in Jiangsu Province, Kunshan City, Qiandeng Town, Shipu Street, two kilometers south of the border with Shanghai Qingpu District, was once Shanghai Qingpu, Zhao Tun and other surrounding areas of a trade town, Cheemaqiao in the ancient times is very famous and very lively a small town. It is a typical Jiangnan water village hidden in the border of Suzhou and Shanghai, which was selected as the most historical and cultural beautiful village in Kunshan, and successfully selected as one of the third batch of Chinese traditional villages, and in 2012, Xiemaqiao Village was included in the permanently preserved ancient villages.

The stone pagoda at the entrance of Xiemaqiao Village, erected on the airport road connecting Suzhou, Shanghai and Kunshan, is atmospheric and eye-catching, like a door through time and space, and once you walk into it, it is another world.

Cheemaqiao Village, in ancient times, because of the inconvenience of transportation, so become a certain market, the ancient name of the town of Cheemaqiao. Today is an administrative village. The origin of the Xiema Bridge, said differently. Zhishu said: driving the bridge, "driving the stone counting work and become a horse, so it is said that Xiema". Said another: the Southern Song Dynasty, Song and Jin war, Jin general Wanyan Wuzhu with troops into the bridge to Xiema, the bridge on the horse to inspect the terrain. Later generations called the bridge Xiema Bridge. There is also a saying that the Southern Song Dynasty general Han Shizhong had taken troops here to rest, when the water and grass here, the ministry here to rest, in order to facilitate the east and west of the Shipu River to and from the river, built a bridge. It is called Xiemaqiao. The name of the town was named because of the old bridge of Xiemaqiao.

The first stone arch bridge is called "Ding Sheng Bridge", which is a completely new antique stone arch bridge despite its rich legend and symbolic name.

Throughout the north and south of the city is a "dragon-shaped water system", and the villages are laid out in a belt-like space along the river, which constitutes the traditional style pattern of the Jiangnan water towns of "water streets, narrow alleys and deep lanes".

Beside the Ding Sheng Bridge, there is a sculpture of a group of war horses, which commemorates the fact that Han Shizhong, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty, once rested here with his troops, and at that time, when the water and grass here were abundant, his men rested here.

Outside of Han Shizhong Memorial Hall

On the square inside the memorial hall, there is a statue of Han Shizhong, a famous general of the Southern Song Dynasty, riding a horse and shooting arrows.

The remains of the Jiexiaofang (节孝坊), which is surrounded by residential courtyards on the old street of Xiemaqiao (歇马桥), can be entered for a visit as the door to the courtyards is well hidden. The workshop was built in the Qing Jiaqing years, all stone structure, superb carving, the middle section of the engraved "section filial piety Square" stone monument, both sides of the columns have a couplet "Zidao can be envied by the Tongjian HuanCai, pro-enk report not ashamed of the Dan Shi LiuFang", belongs to a typical stone workshop building in the Qing Dynasty. This is the site of the original Jiexiaofang.

In this water village on the border of Suzhou and Shanghai, there is no noise and bustle of the city, no time to catch up and urgency, no barrier between strangers and alienation, to meet you is the original simplicity of the village of Xiemaqiao and serenity!

Cheema Bridge in the 1950s, the old town business is still bustling, when Shipu built the town had plans to set up the town government here, and then canceled the plan because of the inconvenience of the traffic. 80's after the reform and opening up, with the increasingly developed highway traffic, the town gradually fell into the cold, to the 90's, its establishment into the village.

Mr. Jia Pingwa once wrote in the book "Self-existence": "Nowadays, it is easy to find a bustling place, and it is difficult to find a quiet place; it is easy to find a prosperous place, and it is difficult to find a simple and simple place, especially in the vicinity of the big cities, and it is even more difficult to find a place". Fortunately, we are more fortunate, in Kunshan City, Qiandeng Town, Shipu southern suburb met Xie Maqiao village, a deep in the border of Jiangsu and Shanghai in the ancient village of Jiangnan.

There is an old bridge named Zhongshan Bridge at the old street, which is a single span of four spells of stone steps and slabs, east-west across the Xiemaqiao City River.

Like many traditional old villages in the south of the Yangtze River, the old street of Xiemaqiao Village was built near the river. The street is built on the west side of the river and is divided into the upper and lower beaches, with a stone-paved street in the center, which is built in the shape of the river.

In this ancient village, there is a 500-meter-long ancient stone road, preserving about 5,000 square meters of Ming and Qing Dynasty buildings, as well as the Xiema Bridge, which was constructed by Han Shizhong, the hero of the resistance against the Jin Dynasty, and the traditional buildings are mainly located on the two sides of the ancient stone street, which is laid out in front of the river, and it is the typical ancient street of the Jiangnan water town. 2012, Xiemaqiao Village was included in the permanently preserved ancient villages.

The sound of footsteps coming from the stone road is very cheerful, and there are old people who like to leisurely go to the right and left neighboring houses to string doors after having a full meal.

The beauty of Xiemaqiao, rely on simple words is unknown to say, only you into the Xiemaqiao, can really taste. There is almost no trace of commerce here, the aborigines here are ancient, the old street is still preserved more complete Jiangnan water town style.

According to county records, during the Republican period, Xiemaqiao has been the town establishment, was the Shanghai Qingpu Zhao Tun and other surrounding areas of the trade town, until the 1950s, the old town business is still prosperous.

The old street is lined with two-story houses, with stores below and bedrooms upstairs. The road extending out from the old street, paved with ancient stone slabs, seems to interpret the prosperity of the old town in the past.

On the old street, there is a stone tablet embedded in the middle of the two houses attracted me, above the stone tablet is engraved with the word "tai tao", "tai tao" what does it mean?

It's easy to see that it was a prosperous town in the past. In fact, in the history of Xiemaqiao Village, it was famous for its merchants, thriving markets, and developed trade in the surrounding area, and eventually the village became famous for the Xiemaqiao Bridge, which spans 22 maps in Dashiapo's South Kunqu District and 30 maps in the North.

By the side of the gurgling river, the curved stone road, a piece of stone of different sizes by time to smooth the edges, put together a unique delicate Jiangnan; deep narrow alleys on both sides of the pink walled old houses within easy reach, the wooden door and the white walls of the mottled, seems to tell an ancient and beautiful story, so that people can not help but guess about its past life and present life!