Wulin Gate North Market

During the Wuyue Kingdom, the north gate of Hangzhou was called Yuhang Gate, which was later changed to Wulin Gate (the place name still exists today, but the city gate is long gone), commonly known as "Baiguan Gate". Some people think that "Baiguan" is a mispronunciation of "Beiguan". However, I believe in another explanation: In ancient times, new officials in Hangzhou would enter the city through the north gate along the Grand Canal, and all civil and military officials had to greet them at the designated pavilion. The common people jokingly called it "Baiguan Gate". There were also two water gates, "Tianzong" and "Yuhang", at the north gate, which allowed navigation. Ships from the Grand Canal could directly enter the city. Hangzhou was originally a water city with crisscrossing rivers and convenient navigation. Names like Salt Bridge and Vegetable Market Bridge still exist today, indicating that goods could be directly brought into the city. Unfortunately, many have been silted up or filled in, and even the sites of these two water gates are hard to find now. Since the completion of the Grand Canal to Hangzhou in the sixth year of Daye during the Sui Dynasty, it has been over thirteen hundred years. Before the development of road and rail transport, for over a thousand years, the transportation of various agricultural products, silk goods, and the travel of merchants and travelers all depended on this north-south passage, which has been indispensable to the economic development of our country. However, historians after the Tang Dynasty always criticized Emperor Yang of Sui for the construction of the canal, which was labor-intensive and costly. The late Tang poet Pi Rixiu disagreed with this view, writing in a poem: "They all say that the Sui dynasty was destroyed because of this canal, but to this day it relies on its waves for a thousand miles. If it weren't for the dragon boat events at the water palace, Yu the Great would not be considered to have accomplished more." This is a practical and realistic comment on the historical merits and demerits. The southern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is just outside Wulin Gate, naturally forming a bustling commercial area with "dense crowds and gathering merchants". Therefore, during the Yuan Dynasty, one of the "Ten Scenes of Qiantang" was named "North Gate Night Market". The "West Lake Records" contains a very vivid description: "When the setting sun is on the mountains, the masts and sails are moored, and goods are brought to the market. Therefore, the market does not operate at midday but often lasts until midnight. And since it is outside the city, there is no prohibition by the Jinwu guards, and the bonfires and candles shine as if it were daylight. Many who return from West Lake gather here. The bustling crowd and mixed shadows are no less than the Lantern Festival night market, truly a scene of prosperity at that time." Poets of the Ming Dynasty also wrote poems about the North Gate night market, vivid and lively: "The evening market in the north city is like a forest, a tradition that has continued to this day. The green ramie trees sway in the wind under the moonlight, and the red gauze lanterns illuminate the dark greenery. Behind the buildings, drinking companions link arms, and those returning from the lake disperse with drunken collars.------" It can be seen that a unique canal culture has formed here. The area around North Gate is not only enchanting at night, but also has its own special daytime scenery. According to the "West Lake Tour Records", there are also beautiful scenes such as "Halfway Spring Red", "River Bridge Evening Rain", "Steep Gate Spring Flood", and "White Waves Smoke Village". Wang Hong wrote about Halfway Spring Red: "The overnight rain swells the spring flow, and the morning sun turns a thousand trees red. How many times have I come to seek flowers with wine, only to encounter the spring breeze. There is a way to the Weak Water and Peach Blossom Spring, if only they would teach me the path. Nowhere can I see the willow threads of West Lake, but the ground is full of wind-blown catkins." The place name Halfway Spring Red still exists, allowing us to imagine the scene of flowers blooming all over the path back then.