The distance from my hometown to Lizhuang, Yibin, Sichuan, always makes me feel far away, even though it's only 200 kilometers. The wine and bamboo sea of Yibin make me feel like it's a big city from an incomplete understanding. Lizhuang in this big city is a place I have heard about many times but visited for the first time.
When I first arrived in Lizhuang, I entered through its back door, which was quaint and charming.
The perfect combination of architectural style and beautiful natural environment once made Lizhuang a prosperous and bustling millstone. It had many outstanding merchants and ancient architectural masters. Wisdom and craftsmanship built magnificent and culturally rich buildings, allowing people to appreciate the beauty of traditional aesthetics and cultural heritage here.
The Jialing River flows swiftly, winding along the edge of the city, adding a low saturation of soft colors. The hills and mountains surround this hidden place, which was once an ancient dwelling place of the Boso people during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
From afar, the beauty of the distant mountains and the elegance of the greenery are unique. Visitors come from the secluded path by the river, and the flowing feathers knock on the small door. The Yangtze River, like a white steed, runs through the entire town, connecting Lizhuang with the world.
Lizhuang shares similarities with 95% of ancient towns in China. They have many similarities, with blue bricks, white walls, and green tiles. The newly built antique-style buildings carry too many unrealistic dreams of getting rich through tourism.
A row of brand new antique villas by the river, and a quiet business, all endorse this ancient town with a high "plagiarism rate."
But the existence of the "Architectural Society" adds a deeper rhythm.
Known as the "ISO9001" derived from the Northern Song Dynasty, the "Construction Method" was discovered by Zhu Qiqian, an official of the Beiyang government, in the Jiangnan Library in Nanjing. He then gave it to his friend Liang Qichao, who later sent it to his son Liang Sicheng, who was studying in the United States.
In 1928, Liang Sicheng returned to China and founded the Department of Architecture at Northeast University. Later, due to the Japanese invasion of Northeast China, he moved to Beijing and joined the Chinese Architectural Society founded by Zhu Qiqian.
In 1940, with the relocation of institutions such as Tongji University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to Lizhuang, the Chinese Architectural Society also came here. These special historical periods during the resistance against Japan provide Lizhuang with a deeper meaning and connotation.
Lin Huiyin once sketched here, using her brush to depict the taste and atmosphere of Lizhuang, carrying her foresight for this small town. Liang Sicheng used his duck-billed pen and ink lines to draw "A History of Chinese Architecture."
The former site of the Architectural Society is a short distance from Lizhuang. Originally, I was somewhat disappointed with Lizhuang, but seeing the restored site made me fascinated again. It turns out that we are not against renovation, but we dislike tasteless decorations. It turns out that we don't dislike uniform food, but we don't like modified "garlic pork."
The old site of the Architectural Society is beautifully restored, with straw roofs made of metal, creating a dynamic feeling in the breeze. The moon field in front of the door can be called landscape art, without losing its practicality, making me believe that this is the aesthetic of Lin Huiyin, the famous lady of that year.
In the river of development, we inevitably follow the path taken by most people, but it doesn't affect us from retaining our own characteristics. Lizhuang is a town full of elegance and romance, with elegant and ancient buildings, beautiful and magnificent natural environment, the accumulation of ancient culture, and the mark of historical significance. They all come together not as a chaotic pot, but as a Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Facing the Yangtze River, a sense of ancient and desolation arises, with a natural and free emotional freedom and profound inner melancholy.
Lizhuang is a quiet and profound cultural heritage, a peaceful and elegant old world, a town that can remain eternal despite the ever-changing world.
This town has always been built within our cells, so I say it is different from the rest in the uniformity, and it is outstanding among the standardized ancient towns.