As a scholar studying modern and contemporary literature in East Asia, I have touched the Jiangnan texture in Lu Xun's works countless times through the lines of "Social Drama" and "Storm". And when I truly stepped onto the bluestone road of Wuzhen, amidst the ripples sliced by the oars, I could only vaguely see the phantom of a young man named Run Tu chasing after him with a steel fork - this ancient town that sleeps by the water, weaves literary imagination into the fabric of reality with the sound of oars in the morning mist, the sound of Pingtan in the teahouse, and the fluttering blue printed cloth in the dyeing workshop.
Day 1： The Ink Scroll in the Morning Light: Searching for Lu Xun's Childhood Password in the Literary Homeland
07:30-09:30 | Stage of "Social Drama" in the Morning Mist - From Andufang Pier to Zhaoming Academy
At six o'clock in the morning, Wuzhen had not yet awakened. Following the image of Lu Xun's "light black undulating mountains", I boarded a rowing boat at the Andufang dock. The rhythm of the boatman's oars overlaps with the "sound of the gurgling bow of the boat splashing water" in "Social Play". As the boat crosses Tong'an Bridge, the sound of children reciting "From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Bookstore" suddenly comes from the shore. Abandoning the boat and landing on the shore, stepping into the Zhaoming Academy, the corridor of the Southern Liang Prince's study area displays a bound edition of "New Youth" edited by Lu Xun in the 1920s. The ink on the yellowed pages of the "Madman's Diary" contrasts with the bamboo shadows outside the window.
Literary Easter egg:
The academy holds a themed lecture on "Lu Xun and Jiangnan Academy" at 9:00 every day, and can receive a limited edition "Wuzhen Manuscript Collection" as a gift
On the third floor of the library, there is a dedicated shelf for the "Lu Xun Book List", displaying the classics he mentioned, such as "Dream Memories of Tao'an" and "Night Sailing on a Boat"
10: 30-12:30 | Metaphor of "Storm" in Blue Printed Flower Cloth - Handmade Experience at Hongyuan Tai Dyeing Workshop
Turning into the drying field of Hongyuan Tai Dyeing Workshop, over 3000 pieces of blue printed fabric cascading down like a waterfall, surging into an indigo sea in the morning light. When the master of the dyeing workshop demonstrated the "Nine Palace Grid Sandwich Dyeing Method", I suddenly remembered the description of the seven pound sister-in-law's "blue cloth cover" in "The Storm" - this technique of using soybean powder and lime to prevent dyeing is exactly the daily aesthetics of the Jiangnan people in the era of Lu Xun's "Braid Storm". When experiencing tie dyeing with my own hands, I printed Lu Xun's poem "Facing a Thousand Fingers with a Cold Cross Eyebrow" on a cloth surface using the reverse hand technique. However, when it was air dried, it coincidentally matched the pattern of "Xianheng Hotel Customized Edition" in the dyeing workshop's account book from a hundred years ago.
Cultural details:
The dyeing workshop retains the old weaving machines from the 1930s, and visitors can book a comparison experience of "spinning wheel and fountain pen"
Open the "Republic of China Cloth Merchant Role Play" activity every Wednesday, using abacus to calculate the cost of dyeing cloth
14: 30-17:00 | The True Story of Ah Q in a Teahouse - Visiting Hengyitang Teahouse and Listening to Pingtan
Sitting in the water facing private room of Hengyitang Centennial Teahouse, a pot of Hangbai Chrysanthemum has not yet been brewed, and the sound of three strings has already broken through the air. When the pipa girl sang 'I'll beat you with a steel whip in my hand', the old man at the neighboring table suddenly started with the words in Wuzhen dialect. Amidst the laughter of the tea guests, I seemed to see the scene of Ah Q being mocked by the Short Clothes Gang at the Xianheng Hotel. What's even more wonderful is the "Spiritual Victory Package" brought by Tea Doctor: fennel beans paired with yellow wine, accompanied by a bamboo wine stick engraved with the words "Son Beats Laozi", and the bottom of the cup was pressed with Zhang Fanhuang's "Morning News Supplement" clipping - in 1921, Lu Xun serialized a report on "The True Story of Ah Q" here.
Immersive Experience:
The teahouse provides a "Wu language Pingtan Learning Singing" service, where students can learn to sing selected passages from "Kong Yiji"
The "Republic of China Tea Party" is held on the 15th of each month, and those wearing long coats and jackets can enjoy a 20% discount on tea money
19: 00-21:00 | "Night Boat Voyage" on the Water Pavilion - Rafting Night tour in the Literary Corridor
When the sunset gilded the White Lotus Pagoda, I boarded the night cruise ship "Lu Xun Literature". When the boat crossed the bridge, the holographic projection projected the text from "Morning Flowers and Evening Picking Up" onto the water screen: "Not to mention the green vegetable beds..." As they walked to the water stage, the actors wearing water sleeves suddenly walked out of "Social Drama" and performed the amusing story of young Lu Xun stealing beans with Shuangxi and Afa. After disembarking and strolling through the water pavilion, I suddenly saw warm yellow lights shining through the window frames of a certain household. The old man inside the window was writing the ending of "Hometown" with a pen, and the ink fragrance and river mist intertwined into a poem.
Day 2： Literary genes in the depths of the market: slices of the Republic of China from sauce gardens to pharmacies
08:30-10:30 | "Kong Yiji" in Sauce Fragrance - Exploring the Ancient Techniques of Xuchang Sauce Garden
The next morning, following the salty fragrance, we entered the sun drying field of Xuchang Sauce Garden. Thousands of pottery jars lined up like soldiers, and the Douban sauce in the bamboo plaque was amber in the morning light. When the old master demonstrated the technique of "Sanfu sun drying sauce", I suddenly remembered the scene where Kong Yiji "used nine wen big money" to demand anise beans - this technique of using bamboo plaques to spread sun drying is exactly the taste memory of Lu Xun's "How many? Not many". When participating in the experience of "raking and turning sauce", the sound of the wooden rake stirring the sauce jar surprisingly matched the rhythm of Sister Dan Si pounding medicine in "Tomorrow".
Craftsmanship details:
The sauce garden retains the account book from 1910, which records the account of "Mr. Lu Xun ordering three jars of spicy sauce"
Tourists can customize a "Literary Sauce Gift Box" with the "Scream" cover printed on the can body
12: 00-13:30 | Tomorrow in the Fragrance of Medicine - Visiting the Old Pharmacy of Xiangshantang
Entering the Xiangshantang Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop, the scent of agarwood and Codonopsis pilosula in the hundred eyed cabinet intertwined with the mournful voice of Sister Dan Si in "Tomorrow" who said, "It's time for Bao'er to take pills. When the attending physician used a scoop to weigh the "Baby Protection Pill", I noticed that the third drawer of the medicine cabinet was engraved with the words "Rhinoceros Horn" - which was exactly the "quack trick" denounced by Lu Xun in "Father's Disease". What is even more poignant is the dried tangerine peel in the backyard, which may have provided raw materials for a famous doctor's "Baigupi Pill" a hundred years ago.
Cultural comparison:
The pharmacy has specially set up a course on "Identification of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Lu Xun's Writings" to compare the descriptions in "Compendium of Materia Medica" and novels
Monthly "Republic of China Medicinal Formula Calligraphy Exhibition" is held, where visitors can copy Lu Yu's "Tea Classic" and Li Shizhen's handwriting
14: 30-16:30 | "Impermanence" on the Stage - Decoding the Customs of the Ancient Stage at Xiuzhen Temple
While stopping in front of the Xiu Zhen Guan ancient opera stage, I happened to be rehearsing for the "Mu Lian Opera". When Bai Impermanence waved his crimson tongue and sang 'I'll beat you with a steel whip in my hand', I suddenly understood Lu Xun's profound meaning in 'Impermanence' - this soul stirring messenger of 'ghosts and people, reason and emotions' is precisely the ultimate imagination of the people in the water town for justice. In the backstage dressing room, an old artist showed me the 1923 theater troupe's account book, in which the vermilion inscription "Mr. Lu Xun's Silver Appreciation Double" formed a wonderful intertextuality with the description in "Social Drama" that "What I would most like to see is a person covered in white cloth".
Deep Experience:
The stage provides "impermanent mask painting" service, which can draw exclusive ghost faces
Open every Saturday to experience the "Republic of China Opera Troupe Life" and learn how to swing water sleeves and cloud steps
17: 00-18:30 | "Passing Away in the Hundred Beds" - The Hidden Love Code in Jiangnan Hundred Bed Hall
At the end of the trip, in the Jiangnan Hundred Bed Hall, a pull-out bed carved with the words "Butterfly Lovers" attracted me - Lu Xun's criticism in "Shang Shi" that "love needs a material foundation" was interpreted poetically in the carvings on this bed. When the guide opened the hidden compartment to display the marriage book of the Republic of China, the "Lu Xun style" pen handwriting on the yellowed paper page (actually a replica) echoed the excerpt from the "Two Places Book" on the bedside. What's even more intriguing is the carving on a certain "Miss Bed" that hides a distorted pattern of the word "cannibal" from "A Madman's Diary".
Puzzle Easter Egg:
There is a treasure hunt game called "Woodcarving Code" in the museum, where five Lu Xun elements can be exchanged for blue printed flower cloth bookmarks
On the last Sunday of each month, a "Republic of China Wedding Customs Exhibition" is held, where tourists can experience sitting in a sedan chair and crossing a brazier
The Revelation of Wuzhen: When Literature Becomes the Language of Spatial Narrative
Architecture as a Text Carrier:
In the painted ceiling of the Xiuzhen Temple stage, there is a hidden pattern of "mending the sky and N ü wa" from "New Stories"
The architectural form comparison between Mao Dun's former residence and Lu Xun's ancestral home (Shaoxing) constitutes a hidden dialogue of the "twin stars of new culture"
Literary translation of everyday life:
Tea snacks in the shape of "Sanwei Bookstore" in the teahouse, with the word "morning" engraved into Longjing pastry
Dyeing Workshop launches' Anise Bean Color 'tie dye handkerchief, with packaging printed with a fragment of the lost text' Kong Yiji '
Literary Rebirth in the Digital Age:
AR glasses scan the sauce garden to view the dynamic exhibition of the manuscript 'Scream'
The audio guide provides a dual line explanation of "Lu Xun's perspective" and "Mao Dun's perspective"
Practical Travel Guide:
Accommodation recommendation: "Lu Xun Study Suite" at Tong'an Inn (1200 yuan/night), with a desk containing a bound book of "Wuzhen Congtan" and a fountain pen
Transportation plan: Take the Wuzhen shuttle bus from Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport (1.5 hours), and rent a "Lu Xun style" yellow cab within the scenic area
Money saving tip: Hold the physical book of "Scream" and enjoy a 30% discount on tickets. Collect all five literary check-in points to exchange for a limited edition embroidered book of "Morning Flowers and Evening Picking Up"
As the returning high-speed train departed from Tongxiang Station, the gradually distant water town reflected on the car window suddenly overlapped with the illustration of "Social Drama" in my memory. Wuzhen has used an almost stubborn approach to embed Lu Xun's words into every bluestone and every wisp of cooking smoke - this is not a simple "literary tourism", but a dialogue that transcends time and space, allowing every visitor to hear the rustling echoes of steel strokes on paper a hundred years ago amidst the sound of oars.
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