Wuyuan Lizhuang Trip

 　　Walking along the paddy field ridges and upstream along the stream, you'll see a stone archway inscribed with "Lizhuang." In the misty rain, the white-walled, black-tiled houses are faintly visible, creating a tranquil and idyllic village atmosphere.

　　Tourists stroll in long queues, umbrellas in hand, passing the octagonal pavilion at the village entrance, the waterwheel hut, and the welcoming pavilion.

　　The stream accompanies you along the way, its murmuring whispering tales of bygone days—telling stories of a bride welcoming a bride and a scholar bidding farewell to a scholar in this village…

　　Before you know it, you're on the stone path, immersed in the village. You'll see more bridges spanning the stream: moss-covered stone arches, rows of interconnected wooden plank bridges, and small stone bridges marked with footprints. You'll see children playing by the stream, waiting for bamboo rafts to float on, and village women washing clothes. You'll also see more and more small shops opening their doors to customers, one after another, including Li's Tea House, Cha's Winery, Yuelai Inn, and various workshops. Of course, like other tourist areas, you'll find more tourists, shoulder to shoulder, bustling and noisy.

　　The roads in Lizhuang follow the stream; where there's a road, there's a stream; where there's a stream, there's a bridge; where there's a bridge, there's a house. The houses are in the Huizhou style, with white walls and black tiles, and multiple layers of gable roofs. The doors of the houses are quite elaborate, generally with brick or bluestone carvings. Wealthy houses have plaques above their gates and triple-tiered steps, showcasing a unique style and advocating the ideal of "all other pursuits are inferior, only studying is noble."

　　The stream flows past the gates of the wealthy houses, continuing its story of the past. The bride's bridal sedan chair entered the village along the stone-paved road, carried across the arched bridge amidst the sound of firecrackers, and joyfully entered the bridal chamber. A few years later, the scholar left this family, carrying a camphor wood chest, and went alone to a distant land…

　　The rain drizzled intermittently. Unknowingly, we arrived at the center of Lizhuang. Here stood the T-junction, the T-shaped stream, the stone arch bridge, and the Shenming Pavilion. The Shenming Pavilion was a square, double-eaved Ming-style structure with steps on all four sides, a beautiful woman leaning against it, exquisite and unique. The village's everyday affairs, the nation's major and minor events, all gathered at the Shenming Pavilion, before flowing into the various alleys and courtyards of Lizhuang.

　　Listening to the converging streams from two directions, time flowed by. The bride's forehead was now streaked with autumn frost. Leaning against the Shenming Pavilion, gazing into the distance, I wondered if the scholar, far away, was doing well. Do you remember someone watching over their hometown...?

　　Behind the village rises hills covered in lush forests and bamboo groves. Standing on the high ground in the rain, gazing into the distance, the village's white walls and dark tiles stretch as far as the eye can see, layer upon layer, quite a magnificent sight. Surrounding the village are vast fields and tea plantations. Unfortunately, the rapeseed flowers have already faded this season, but the lush greenery will still soothe your soul and leave you mesmerized. You'll feel that Lizhuang, hundreds of years ago, is still the same Lizhuang, still the bride in the wind, the scholar in the rain, the wandering stranger, the hometown of your dreams...