Jinxi Town

 

 

Known as Chenmu (陈墓, The Grave of Concubine Chen) in the past, Jinxi (锦溪) is one of the most attractive water town in eastern China. It is located 23 kilometers to the southwest of Kunshan, where lies east of Suzhou. In 1163 Song Dynasty Emperor Xiaozhong brought one of his concubines, Chen, to travel around Jinxi Town. Chen was so attracted by the charming beauty here with deep affection. She decided to stay here forever. After her death, she was buried in a grave which built on an middle lake island in the scenic Wubaohu Lake (五保湖). The tomb is a symbol of history in Jinxi.

In fact the history of the ancient town has about five thousand years. It is one of the places that Liangzhu culture (良渚, Liangzhu is a small ancient town in northwest Hangzhou) flourished. At that time there were people doing agriculture and fishing. This is testified by the excavation of tools and utensils used in Neolithic Ages. During the Spring and Autumn Period Jinxi had become a small urban town and in the Han Dynasty it was quite prosperous already. In the Southern Song Dynasty Jinxi was an area of military importance.

In addition to Wubaohu Lake, Dadongchang Relic Site (大东厂遗址) had been claimed as cultural protection unit by Jiangsu provincial government in 1956. Zen temples and monasteries in the town are invaluable architectural heritage. Since the Ming Dynasty, this ancient town had been famous in kiln manufacturing, which was traditionally the mainstream industry. About 15 kiln factories are still found nowadays.

Today there still has 26 ancient stone bridges exist in Jinxi. They are mostly from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The urban layout of the town is dependent of the rivers that flow here. The residential houses are built along these rivers and the beautiful bridges are easily seen. "The rhythmic sound of water flowing can be heard at night and the scenic rivers are seen when people open their house doors" has been a traditional saying to describe Jinxi. The 6-kilometer causeway along the water is long and winding, stairs and shoals are juxtaposed with complex patterns.