Luzhi

Luzhi Town () is a historic town located in the Wuzhong District, 18 km east of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China.

History

Luzhi was also known as Puli (), after the pseudonym of the Tang dynasty recluse poet Lu Guimeng who retired in this town.

Puli consisted of two districts: Puli () and Liuzhi (), which was pronounced Luzhi in the Suzhou dialect. The name Liuzhi referred to the six straight rivers in the town. At the end of the Qing dynasty, Puli was renamed to Luzhi township of Yuanhe County.

Luzhi is known for its waterways and ancient bridges, with some bridges dating back to the Song dynasty.

The Ming dynasty poet Gao Qi described Luzhi in a poem :

Scene of Puli

Long bridge short bridge with willows

Front stream rear stream with lotus

People watching banner over wine store risen

Seagulls escort boat to home of fishman.

Luzhi is a well-preserved old town. In 2003, it was listed as one of the "Ten Famous Chinese Historical Townships" by the Chinese government. In 2004, Luzhi was awarded a Township Preservation Award by UNESCO.

Points of interest

Baosheng Temple, a Buddhist temple built in the second year of Tianjiang of the Liang dynasty (503 AD). By the Song dynasty, it had 5000 halls and one thousand monks. Its arhat statues, sculpted by Yang Huizhi in the Tang dynasty, are national treasures.

Tomb of Tang dynasty poet Lu Guimong, includes Fare Breeze Pavilion and two of his hand planted ginkgo trees.
Former residence of Shen Bohan ()
Wang Tao Memorial Hall
Ye Shengtao Memorial Hall, at the former site of 5th High School, where educator and writer Ye Shengtao taught from 1917 to 1922.

Food

Puli trotters () and Puli duck (), said to be prepared according to the recipe of poet Mr. Pu-li; he often treated guests with these two dishes.
Luzhi radish (), a radish pickle with a Qing dynasty recipe

Notable People

Lu Guimeng: Tang dynasty poet with the pseudonym Mr. Puli ().
Pi Rixiu: Tang dynasty poet, contemporary of Lu Guimeng
Gao Qi: Ming dynasty poet
Wang Tao: Qing dynasty reformer, writer, newspaper publisher
Ye Shengtao: prominent novelist and educator.

Transportation

Buses between
Luzhi and Suzhou, route 18.
Luzhi and Kunshan
Luzhi and Shanghai.
Steam boats between
Luzhi and Suzhou
Luzhi and Kunshan

References

Bibliography

External links

Luzhi town