[Jinxi–the,Town,of,Bridges]the rest of

　　 　　Jinxi Town is located in the south- west corner of Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. It lies 8 kilometers from the famous ancient town Zhouzhuang. It is surrounded by lakes – Dianshan Lake to its east, Cheng Lake to its west, Wubao Lake to its south and Fanqing Lake and Bailian Lake to its north.
　　An old poem described the beautiful scene that “the golden waves of Dianshan Lake reached far while the jade- like tides in Cheng Lake went even”. Therefore Jinxi is famous for its “golden waves and jade-like tides”. According to the historical records, when the Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Lin’an (today’s Hangzhou), Emperor Xiaozong’s consort Lady Chen liked the landscape of this place. When her time came to the end, she showed his will of being buried here. Emperor Xiaozong followed her will and buried her in Jinxi, whose name was changed to Chenmu(the Tomb for Lady Chen). This name was carried on for about 880 years and the name Jinxi was not restored until 1993.
　　There was a stream flowing through this town. Both banks of the street were filled with trees and flowers. The sun casts a golden carpet on the stream, filling this area with a glorious and gorgeous sight. That’s how the name Jinxi was originated. The present-day Jinxi has so many places of interest that a lot of visitors come here to watch its painting-like scenes.
　　The water-surrounded Jinxi Town is a famous place of interest. “Boat is needed for the trip between two places even several meters away” – this is the best description of Jinxi. Water lanes, river piers, arch bridges, corridors and streets fully present the features of this water town. Famous litterateur Shen Congwen compared this town to “a maiden falling asleep”. Poet Feng Yingzi thought that “both brilliant or simple decorations match this town”, while famous painter Liu Haisu said that it was“the most beautiful town in the area south of the Yangtze River”.
　　 History of Jinxi
　　Early in the Neolithic Age, this place was inhibited by human beings, who created the brilliant prehistoric culture. In and Spring and Autumn Period, He Lu, lord of the State of Wu, ordered his general Wu Zixu to build a city outside Suzhou City, which was the prototype of Jinxi. Ma Yuan, a famous general in the Han Dynasty who gained his fame by helping Liu Xiu the Emperor Guangwu defeat usurper Wang Mang, once organized and trained his soldiers here; Zhang Zhao, a famous minister serving Lord Sun Quan in the ThreeKingdom Period, was buried here when he died. The famous painter Gu Kaizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, refused to assume any official positions in his old age and lived in seclusion there. Then, when time came to the Song Dynasty, Emperor Xiaozong’s consort Lady Chen was infatuated with this town’s scenery and refused to leave after her arrival. She was also buried there after death, which gave this town another name.
　　The long history of this town gave Jinxi a lot of features peculiar to the area south of the Yangtze River. That’s why it could be favored by famous poets, writers, artists and even the king’s beloved. There are a lot of buildings in this town built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The town has plenty water resources, numerous ancient buildings and thick cultural accumulation. In addition to improving fundamental devices, the tourism in this town thrived, attracting many foreign and Chinese visitors.
　　 The Town of Bridges
　　Jinxi is famous for its “thirty-six bridges and seventy-two brick kilns”. There are thirty-six ancient bridges in this town, with the density of bridges much higher than Suzhou, which should be more famous than Jinxi. Most of these bridges were built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and they remain complete despite hundreds of years’ erosion. The steles, columns, piers, and carvings on the bridges are still visible to visitors. These bridges varying in shape, color, age and style not only are the precious historical and cultural heritages of this ancient town, but also make this place“the town of bridges”.
　　Among the 36 bridges, eight enjoy the largest fame, which are respectively Tianshui Bridge (Heaven Water Bridge), Taiping Bridge (Peace Bridge), Shiyan Bridge (Ten-eye Bridge), Shuang Bridge(Double Bridge), Zhong’an Bridge(Mass Security Bridge), Puji Bridge(Broad Aid Bridge), Puqing Bridge(Universal Celebration Bridge), and Lihe Bridge (Internal Peace Bridge). Among them, Tianshui Bridge is commonly called Northern Bodhisattva Bridge. It was initially built in the 5th Year of Yongle Period of the Ming Dynasty. After 600 years, it still retains its original shape and gives the visitors an elegant and quiet view.
　　The Ten-eye Bridge is the most famous bridge in Jinxi that visitors cannot miss. The Ten-eye Bridge was built in the Ming Dynasty. It formed the landscape of the famous Gulian scenery area (Gulian means ancient lotus) with the Gulian Pool, Wenxing Pavilion, Long-dam Twisted Corridor and Peach Garden.
　　The bridge is 52 meters long. It is supported by nine piers, which figure out ten arches. That’s how its name Teneye Bridge comes out. The bridge has a classic and unique shape that is hard to see in Jinxi Town and surrounding areas. Therefore, local people call this bridge“Precious Belt Bridge”.
　　
　　 The Town of Brick Kilns
　　Brick kilns are another feature of Jinxi Town. It is also called the “town of folk museums in China”. The first and only “China Ancient Tile and Brick Museum” is located there. Inside the museum exhibits the bricks, tiles and other similar components. The 2300 exhibits cover all kinds of construction tiles, bricks and components from the Qin Dynasty to the Republic of China, making a long and detailed depiction of China’s architecture history.
　　Visitors will be greeted with different kinds of tiles and bricks after getting into the museum. The window bricks with flower carvings, the tomb brick that remains intact after ten centuries, the golden brick fired for 100 days and saturated with oil… Every piece of exhibit could reflect the intelligent and artistic fruits of Chinese people.
　　The “musical instrument brick” interest the visitors a lot. It is known that this brick was originally used to build tomb chambers in the Western Han Dynasty. Then, it was used to support Chinese traditional music instrument like the zither. The hollow brick can arouse the resonance with the sound of the musical instrument, making it more melodious.
　　Apart from the bricks, the tiles exhibited in this museum also have their own features. The eave tiles, which were developed based on traditional tiles, are an important part of the Chinese construction. They were placed under corrugated eaves that extend outward from the eaves, functioning as both ornaments and supporters for the eaves. They have different names according to their shapes. The tile arching upward is called Dishui (literally dripping) and the one arching downward is called Yantou (literally eave edge). These special tiles represent the brilliant architecture of ancient China, which could be thoroughly viewed in Jinxi.
　　 Delicious Cuisines in Jinxi
　　The five lakes surrounding Jinxi bestows this town with abundant aquatic products. Compared with other water towns in China, the aquatic products in Jinxi have their own features. The spiral shells have their meat fully grown and the fish are at their best time for eaters.
　　In spite of their own features, the aquatic products cannot be considered the special food Jinxi has, since so many water towns in China are famous for aquatic food. Actually, the snacks mentioned below are peculiar to Jinxi.
　　1.Changlong Moon Cake. It was launched in 1898. It has the features of Suzhou-style moon cake but the process of making is vastly different. Without leavening agent added, the flour cover is saturated with oil and thus it looks glossy and tastes crisp. No water is added into its stuffing, extending the quality-guarantee period of the moon cake.
　　The stuffing has its own story. With bean pasta, nuts, rose and lotus as the main ingredients, the moon cake is famous in the area of Zhejiang and Jiangsu and once won several awards in China and foreign countries”.
　　2.The Sauced Meat. It is the trademark dish of Hongxing Restaurant, a well-established restaurant in Jinxi. It has a long history and gradually upgraded from ordinary dish to the royal cuisine. The materials and cooking methods are selective. The meat should be streaky pork with fat and lean meat, which are sliced into cubes measures 4*4 inches. The meat cubes are firstly placed in the pot and stewed with big fire, before small and gentle fire is used to soften the meat skin.
　　Since it is called Sauced Meat, the sauce plays an important role in this dish. Soy sauce cannot be used here. Neither can other edible pigments. The sauce is completely made by boiling white sugar. This takes a long time but could add better color and flavor to the meat. In addition, it is good for health. The Sauced Meat is delicious and nutrient and is favored by people at different ages.

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