Anchang Ancient Town

Now comes the dog days

Summer is too long for us to get used to

Looking for a cool place

and listening to a kind of melodious singing

may be

or should be a reason for you to go out on the hot days

Built along the river, Anchang Ancient town

would like to brush off the fidget brought by the scorching sun

and make you feel cool in summer

Endless green fills your eyes with cool

Anchang Ancient Town was built along the river.

Banks of the river are lined with trees,

full of infinite poetry.

Sunlight filters through the green leaves,

down to the earth,

which is the most dynamic ornament for this ancient town in summer.

Natural light highlights the charming scenery,

Green river is enveloped in thick fog.

The ancient town is thickly wooded,

forming a natural place to enjoy the cool.

Whether you’re walking on a stone path,

or sitting on a stone bench in the shade of the trees,

you won’t be exposed to the sun.

With cool and refreshing,

you’ll feel comfortable and pleasant.

The river runs through the ancient town,

leaves a mirror in the shade of the trees,

reflecting the landscape on both sides.

Sitting down in the shade of the trees and seeing the glistening light of waves,

you’ll feel the heat of summer and boredom in your heart have been blown away by the wind.

Looking for the peace in the ancient town to cool off physically

Looking for the peace in Anchang Ancient Town,

is like reading a gentle and graceful lyric poem.

Rich flavour of watery regions,

and infinite tenderness of regions south of the Yangtze River,

looks like a mirage in a green gauze,

making us forget it is the dog days now.

Overhang buildings are well-arranged in the ancient town.

The wooden ceiling shields pedestrians from the hot sun,

to resist the scorching heat.

All the streets are made of Shaoxing's local green slate,

it doesn't burn your feet when you step on it in summer,

and you’ll feel very comfortable.

In local people’s memories,

there are few air conditioners and electric fans in summer.

Their memories are about adults getting together after dinner and chatting about family matters

about grandpa and grandma sitting on wicker chairs waving cattail leaf fans and talking about legendary stories of their generation,

about children eating ice candies and leaning their heads to listen...

Now in Anchang Ancient Town in summer,

The old generation is still continuing the most simple way to cool off.

If you’re looking for a place to escape the heat,

why don't you come here and experience it this way,

to find the beautiful summer in your memory.

Reading a book or drinking a cup of tea to cool off from your heart

Since ancient times, scholars and calligraphers “Read Books” to reliever in summer.

It’s a way to find the inner peace,

that’s the so-called “So long as one keeps calm, one doesn't feel the heat too much”.

Elegant study room,

is like a stream of fresh water flowing into people’s heart,

washing away all vanity.

Sitting in a corner of Tianguan Library in the ancient town,

you can open a book

to feel its secrets,

practice your mind,

and find a way to cool off physically.

“The trees are green and the summer is long,

The towers reflect themselves into the pond.

Poems of the Tong-Song period is like the breeze on our face,

bringing us cool air spontaneously.

In the ancient town, you won’t feel hot in summer if you have books with you.

Reading and drinking tea have been closely related since ancient times. One people read one book and drink one cup of tea.

Don’t talk about affairs related to princes, generals and ministers, nor daily necessities.

Just come to this ancient town to read books and drink tea, appreciate the beautiful flowers and feel the cool summer here.

Xu Bo, a famous scholar during the Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty, said in Ming Tan:

Drinking tea is the most relaxing thing; if there is no good incense in the burner, you’ll find it less interesting.

Choose a teahouse in the ancient town, light a pot of clear tea and burn a fine fragrance.

The most ordinary days will become a poetic life, and you’ll feel cool naturally.

Eating cold food to cool off your tongue

As night falls, the long street in the ancient town become a food paradise.

There is rice wine ice candy, rice wine milk tea, Mulian jelly, popular drinks and other cool food.

Just take a bite, you’ll feel cool spreading from the tip of your tongue,

and the dry and hot disappear immediately.

People are busy all day.

Finally, they have a rest here,

and invite a few friends to talk, laugh and drink

by the banks of the river in this ancient town.

Night wind blows gently across the river,

taking away the weariness of the whole day,

blowing away the heat of the summer.

All that remained is the drunken people and pleasant feeling of the cool summer in the ancient town.

As the dog days starts, the annoyingly hot summer arrives

This summer

beyond the hot summer and the noisy city,

wish you find a cool paradise,

and your inner desires.

May someone share happiness with you~