River maples and fishermen's lights, within and beyond Gusu

Usually, I climb mountains by myself and rarely accompany the 'leader'. This holiday, I decided to travel with her. The 'leader' wanted to go to Hangzhou, but I suggested Suzhou since we had been to Hangzhou many times, and she agreed happily. We bought the last train tickets to Suzhou, leaving us plenty of time to catch the train, but unexpectedly, the traffic was terrible! It wasn't until we passed Wangguanzhuang that the traffic sped up. After getting off the train, we both ran wildly to the platform, just as the train was about to depart. We arrived at Suzhou North Station at eleven o'clock at night, the subway had stopped running, so we had to take a taxi to the city center, and by the time we finished checking into the hotel, it was already past midnight. The first day, we went to Tiger Hill first. The 'leader' suggested we walk there and stroll along Shantang Street. Shantang Street starts from Changmen Ferry in the east and extends to Wangshan Bridge at Tiger Hill in the west, about seven li long, commonly known as the Seven-Li Shantang to Tiger Hill. The street is described as 'goods piled like mountains, shops with hanging signs, brilliant as brocade, red railings and tiered buildings, willow fluff and the sound of flutes'. Cao Xueqin referred to the Shantang area as 'the foremost place of wealth and romance in the mortal world' in 'Dream of the Red Chamber'. Emperor Qianlong also had a special fondness for it, mentioning Shantang in nine of his poems. Legend has it that three days after the burial of King Helü of Wu, a white tiger was seen lying on his tomb, hence the name Tiger Hill. The poem says: 'The forest is full of greenery, spring is coming to the west stream; the field is vast and the birds are quiet, the wind is gentle and the flowers are urging'. Tiger Hill is mysterious and enchanting, with its ravines and cloud springs, making people linger and forget to return. Emperor Kangxi visited Tiger Hill four times during his six trips to the south of the Yangtze River. Su Dongpo said: 'Not visiting Tiger Hill when in Suzhou is indeed a regret!' From Tiger Hill to the Humble Administrator's Garden is about six kilometers. The 'leader' suggested we walk there too, to see the sights along the way. The Humble Administrator's Garden, along with the Lingering Garden, the Summer Palace in Beijing, and the Mountain Resort in Chengde, are known as the four famous gardens of China. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the censor Wang Xianchen, who returned home disillusioned with officialdom, named his garden after a phrase from Pan Yue's 'Ode to the Idyllic Life' during the Western Jin Dynasty: '...being filial and kind, friendly to brothers, this is also the governance of the clumsy'. The Humble Administrator's Garden is known for its water features, natural elegance, scattered courtyards, whitewashed walls and black tiles, small bridges over flowing water, and ancient deep forests. The Humble Administrator's Garden is about four kilometers from the hotel where we stayed, but the 'leader' insisted on walking back. I joked with her: 'You usually can't walk much in a day, but today you walked twenty kilometers without feeling tired. It seems that you can walk, it's all about the mood!' 'That's right! A free tour guide, go wherever you want, play as long as you want, and someone to serve you, how can the mood not be good? Accompany me more in the future!' The next day, we first took the subway to Suzhou Station, then transferred to a long-distance bus at the station square to go to Tongli. The ticket price was one hundred yuan, but if bought together with the bus ticket, the discounted price was eighty yuan. After getting off at Tongli, surrounded by modern buildings, the 'leader' kept asking where the ancient town was. I said it was in the northwest direction, just follow me. I thought to myself: I climb snow mountains, cross grasslands, and often wander in deep forests, so this kind of place is a piece of cake for me! What are you worried about! Hehe! Tongli has beautiful scenery, with every household facing the water and accessible by boat, Ming and Qing architecture densely arranged, and Song and Yuan bridges well preserved. Fifteen small rivers divide the ancient town into seven islands, which are connected by forty-nine bridges. The layout of small bridges, flowing water, and households has earned it the reputation of the 'Venice of the East'. The ancient town is quiet and beautiful, with few tourists. While strolling leisurely, suddenly there was a loud gong and drum, it turned out to be a dragon dance. The dancers were all women, which felt quite fresh, so we stopped to watch for a while. Later, we rented a boat, and the 'leader' had a great chat with the pretty girl rowing the boat. After disembarking, we found a specialty store by the river and ate the 'Three Whites of Taihu Lake'. On the way back, we bought a sugarcane, eating it while walking, and halfway through, the more than six-pound sugarcane was finished. On the third day, we went to Hanshan Temple and Maple Bridge. In the early Tang Dynasty, the famous monk Hanshan Zi came here and lived in a thatched hut; during the Kaiyuan era, the renowned Zen master Xi Qian founded a monastery here and named it Hanshan Temple. Next to the temple are Jiangcun Bridge and Maple Bridge. It became famous because of Zhang Ji's poem 'Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night'. To avoid the An Lushan Rebellion, the poet came to Suzhou. On a deep autumn night, mooring his boat at Maple Bridge, the quiet beauty of the autumn night in the water town inspired the traveler to write a poem with a clear and distant artistic conception: 'The moon sets and crows cry as frost fills the sky; river maples and fishermen's lights accompany my troubled sleep. Outside Gusu city, Hanshan Temple, the midnight bell reaches the passenger boat.' The 'leader' has always kept a respectful distance from temples and retreated before even entering the temple gate, so I didn't insist. We walked along the ancient canal to Jinghong Crossing, surrounded by water on three sides, with vast smoke and waves, and the sound of crashing waves.