China News Service, Changde, March 24th, Title: River Street in Changde, Hunan: Various scenes in the market interpret a realistic version of "Along the River During Qingming Festival"
Author Zhang Xueying Yin Liuqing
Walking into Changde River Street, where Hunan's thousand-year-old canal crosses the Purple River, you will see shops on both sides of the granite road, and you can vaguely see the grand scene of theaters, foreign companies, guild halls, teahouses, and inns in those days; on the antique stage, Changde silk strings, Han opera high tunes, and Li Folk folk arts such as Zhou Huagu were performed in turn... just like a real-life version of "Along the River During Qingming Festival".
On March 11, 2024, many citizens made tea around the stove in Changde River Street. Photo by Pan Jinglin
Changde River Street was first formed during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. It was a prosperous wharf described by celebrities such as Yang Sichang and Shen Congwen. As the wharf culture declined due to the development of land transportation, River Street gradually retreated into the depths of history. In 2016, Changde City restored the style of Laohe Street and built Changde River Street based on the river streets of the old Changde period to create a memory ancient street that integrates tourism, commerce, culture, and history.
"It is not only necessary to repair its shape, but also to give it its interior." Wang Changjiang, director of the Changde City State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Office, said that while Changde introduced new business formats to He Street, it also promoted 57 non-standard projects such as tiger-cutting flowers, Lizhou drums, and Changde silk strings. Heritage projects have settled in the neighborhood, opening a new window for the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.
The studio of Pan Nenghui, the inheritor of Pan's artistic wood carving in Changde, is located on He Street. In the studio, a 25-meter-long ink-and-wash original design drawing is particularly eye-catching. The Wind and Rain Bridge across the Zi River, the Book Cave in Yuanling, and the Diaojiaolou in Fenghuang Ancient City are all vividly displayed on the paper.
"This is a drawing based on Shen Congwen's "Xiang Xing Xian Ji"." 53-year-old Pan Nenghui said that he wanted to create a wood carving work that could represent the cultural context of Yuanshui, so he took Changde River Street as the starting point and went against Yuanshui. On the way up the water, we passed through Changde Taoyuan, Xiangxi Fenghuang, Huayuan and other places. Along the way, we collected materials such as traditional customs and wooden buildings from various regions and drew them into one picture.
"It is planned to take 10 years to use a deep hollow carving method to carve this 'Xiang Travel Notes' onto a giant red chrysanthemum sunken wood weighing 10 tons, 10 meters long and 1.8 meters in diameter, and display it to the outside world in a panoramic manner. The humanistic features of the water basin." Pan Nenghui said.
Not far from Pan Nenghui's wood carving studio, Li Jianying, who has long hair and a long cotton and linen skirt, is painting on a hemp canvas with colored hemp powder. I saw the pencil drawing the lines, applying white glue, sprinkling red and pink hemp powder on the glue surface, shaking the bottom board, and when the hemp powder jumped, a peach blossom bloomed on the linen cloth.
"I have created more than a hundred works focusing on the old appearance of He Street and its changes." Li Jianying is the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage hemp paintings in Wuling District, Changde City. She hopes that through her works, more people will "see See Nostalgia”.
On the evening of April 30, 2023, the "May Day" holiday in He Street, Changde, Hunan was packed with people. Photo by Pan Jinglin
In Changde River Street, traditional intangible cultural heritage is coming to life, attracting citizens and tourists. Li Yao, who lives near Chuanzi River, often hangs out on River Street with relatives and friends. "Intangible cultural heritage and making tea by the fire provide young people with new consumption and social scenarios. Old Changde delicacies such as osmanthus jelly candy and eye-piercing dada also make people linger."
Among the many Changde delicacies, Li Yao prefers the intangible cultural heritage delicacy Lei Cha. Use a beating stick to grind peanuts, tea leaves and ginger into a dough, place it in a bowl and brew it with boiling water. The taste will leave a fragrant aroma on your lips and teeth. Li Yao said that Leicha, which originated in the Han Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, is still the first choice for Changde people to entertain guests.
In order to enrich night tourism projects, Changde River Street has also improved and innovated night lighting, and promoted the diversification of Changde's night economy by carrying out special cultural and tourism consumption activities such as live performance shows, trendy entertainment, and folk intangible cultural heritage.
"If you don't come, the boat won't sail. Waiting for you to sail into the sky..." The theme song of Changde's purple river series of style shows "If you don't come, the boat won't sail" is being sung on the river street, as if a thousand years of time have never gone away, and the ancient city Still, the nostalgia is still there. (over)