Wenchang, December 12 (Wei Xianghui) Built by the port, facing the sea on three sides, Wenchang Puqian Town used to be a commercial and trade port with many sails and merchants, and it can be directly sailed to Southeast Asian countries. On December 10th, in Wenchang, Hainan, the interview group of the "Picturesque Rivers and Mountains" online theme publicity activity (Hainan) came to Puqian Qilou Old Street, which is also the second largest Qilou Old Street in Hainan, second only to Haikou Qilou Old Street.
The old street is located on Shengli Road in Puqian Town, and there are many shops, among which the special snack "dregs vinegar" is even more difficult to find. This kind of taste is like yogurt and wine-brewed juice, plus local fresh sea vegetables, conch, sea crabs, beef offal and other snacks, is a must-have in front of the shop, many tourists at home and abroad come here.
Zhang Guangnong, vice president of the Wenchang Cultural Research Association, introduced to the interview group that the old street in front of the shop, the north and south streets were about 180 meters long, with more than 30 shops, the east and west streets were 354 meters long, the street was 7 meters wide, and there were more than 130 Nanyang-style arcades on both sides.
The picture shows the Nanyang-style building in the old arcade street in front of Wenchang shop. Photo by Chinanews reporter Luo Yunfei
These arcades are self-contained, with different shapes of parapets forming a undulating skyline in a seaside fishing village. The lintel is embossed and varied. Chinese traditional brick carving ornaments, dragon and phoenix pine cranes, lotus lotus roots, plum orchids, bamboo chrysanthemums, back grain circle ropes, plus Western-style vine streamers and exotic flowers and plants, Chinese and Western combinations, ingenuity, forming a unique Nanyang style of arcade in front of the shop, which shows the economic strength of the owner of the arcade back then.
"The old street is in the east-west direction, and it also has the implication of gathering wealth and accumulating things. The street is twisted and curved, like the shape of a bow, and there is an inexhaustible artistic conception of Tibetan wealth. Zhang Guangnong said that at that time, as many as 10,<> Hainan people entered the South Seas from Puqian Port every year. A large number of people and goods enter and leave Puqian Port, making Puqian an unprecedented economic prosperity and becoming a famous hometown of overseas Chinese.
In recent years, the local government has carried out protective and reasonable repairs to the dilapidated arcade building on Shengli Street in front of the shop, improving the living and business environment of residents. However, the changes in the old street leading to the pier can still be seen in the traces of time. Approaching the wharf, the small streets are tortuous, the old buildings are lined up, the moss-covered gables, the broken brick stacks and the exposed fan wood sealing boards, the walls are covered with moss and mildew, the corridors are dilapidated, and the background color is full of vicissitudes.
The picture shows the owner of a barber shop shaving the faces of customers in Qilou Old Street, in front of Wenchangpu. Photo by Chinanews reporter Luo Yunfei
In addition to the dregs and vinegar, there are also grocery stores, barber shops, snack shops, fishing tackle shops, etc., and most of them are dried seafood shops selling mackerel, grouper, black sea bream, hairtail, etc. The intersection is full of people, inside and outside the store, noisy people, full of fireworks.
Perhaps it is because of the sea breeze for a hundred years, and there are still a few arcades with only floor frames, as if they are independent of the street. "This is the soul of the arcade in the last century, and it is the cultural relics of the arcade that we need to seize the day to rescue and strengthen and protect." Zhang Guangnong said. He has lived in Puqian Town since he was a child, and he has a deep affection for the old arcade street in Puqian Town.
With the passage of time and the increasing number of dilapidated buildings, how to repair and properly protect the historical streets has become a matter of great concern to the locals, especially the descendants of overseas Chinese. "We hope to preserve the original appearance of Qilou Old Street as much as possible, and on this basis, reasonably plan tourism resources, so that the history and culture of Qilou Old Street can be inherited."
In 2008, Puqian Town was named "China's Famous Historical and Cultural Town", in recent years, with the opening of China's first Haiwen Bridge across the seismic fault zone, the start of the Hainan Island Tourist Highway, and the planning of 3000,<> acres of Puqian Central Fishing Port Construction, a bridge, a road, a fishing port, jumped out of the Puqian leading to the rural revitalization and prosperity road.
The picture shows tourists playing in the fishing port in front of Wenchangpu. Photo by Chinanews reporter Luo Yunfei
With the goal of building a characteristic coastal town, Puqian Town of Wenchang City seizes the development opportunities of Hainan Free Trade Port, adheres to high-quality integration into the "Haicheng Wending" comprehensive economic circle, accelerates the improvement of infrastructure interconnection, continuously activates new momentum for rural revitalization, and makes every effort to promote the in-depth development of all-for-one tourism and promote the comprehensive development of the town's economy.
Nowadays, the number of tourists visiting Puqian Town is increasing year by year, which has also increased the considerable income of the locals. "The fidelity of the arcade needs unremitting efforts, and I believe that in the future, the old street in front of the sea shop, after further emergency repair and transformation, will let tourists indulge in the rich and mellow Nanyang culture of the arcade, and forget to return." Zhang Guangnong said. (ENDS)