After traveling for 5 years, I've been to Shaoxing 7 times and my heart still flutters

In the 5th year of traveling, I visited Shaoxing 7 times, averaging once or twice a year. I love the Jiangnan region, but I love Shaoxing even more. I've always been fond of Jiangnan since I was young, and as soon as I grew up and could travel on my own, I went to Jiangnan countless times, but it was always Hangzhou and Suzhou, never Shaoxing. It wasn't until the autumn of 2017, while sitting on the high-speed train from Yiwu to Hangzhou, that I passed by a city with pink walls, black tiles, and small bridges over flowing water, which struck my heart. I quickly took out my phone to check the map - where was this place? The map showed it was Shaoxing. From that moment on, the initial image of Shaoxing took root in my heart. Three months later, I made a special trip to Shaoxing. As the year was drawing to a close, the winter in Shaoxing was misty with drizzling rain. Walking on the stone-paved roads with an umbrella, looking at the old residential buildings on both sides of the river, I felt a warm and familiar sensation, as if I had been there before. Ah, this is the Jiangnan in my heart. I had been searching for Jiangnan in Hangzhou and Suzhou, not realizing that the real Jiangnan was in Shaoxing. Pushing open the wooden door of the homestay I had booked in advance, the decoration of the old Shaoxing residence greeted me. The flower and pot on the table, the dim light... I seemed to have walked into the old times of Shaoxing. Holding a pot of warm, fine Shaoxing yellow wine given by the owner, I took a sip. It warmed my heart and stomach, and my first date with Shaoxing began amidst this tender warmth. For the first time, I visited Shen Garden, exploring the love story of Lu You and Tang Wan. During my studies, I had shed tears over their love and hate several times. Now, walking among the grass and trees of Shen Garden, I imagined their feelings and appearances back then. For the first time, I visited the former residence of Lu Xun, the Sanwei Study. Finally, I arrived at the master's hometown. It was so beautiful. Although Lu Xun's writing was powerful, his family home was so gentle and graceful. For the first time, I visited Kong Yiji's tavern, chewing on fennel beans and revisiting Kong Yiji's articles, imagining the scenes of that time, and feeling deeply moved. For the first time, I visited the Orchid Pavilion, seeing where Wang Xizhi wrote the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion. Reading the Preface inscribed on the Orchid Pavilion stele, although I had read it countless times, this time was different. The artistic conception was profound. For the first time, I visited the ancient town of Anchang. The festive atmosphere of the town amazed me. Rows of cured meat, soy sauce ducks, and the extended market along the river with a dazzling array of New Year goods suddenly brought back the atmosphere of celebrating the New Year in my childhood. It was wonderful. For the first time, I tasted Shaoxing cuisine and couldn't stop ever since. Endless nostalgia, my favorites are drunken chicken, drunken shrimp, and 'Shaoxing Three Delicacies.' I eat them every time I go. I love Shaoxing cuisine so much, the aftertaste lingers. For the first time, I tasted Shaoxing's pastries, sticky and sweet, with a rich variety. Truly a paradise for heavy sticky food lovers. For the first time, I tasted Shaoxing's yellow wine popsicle, only then realizing that popsicles could be spiked with alcohol. The taste was incredibly unique, quite intoxicating. For the first time, I took a ride on Shaoxing's black-awning boat, slowly swaying between the rivers, watching the black and white old buildings on both sides, immersed in the misty rain of Jiangnan, romantic feelings surged, making one unable to resist expressing them in words. For the first time, I walked through Shaoxing's old alleys, seeing the coal stoves outside the pink-walled and black-tiled old houses, watching the old grandmother washing clothes in the river, observing the handwritten signs of the yellow wine shops, and the time-honored pastry shops. This is the lively atmosphere of old Shaoxing, seeping into one's heart. For the first time, wearing a cheongsam and holding an oil-paper umbrella, I took my first set of retro photos on the old alley's bluestone road, which reminded me of Dai Wangshu's 'Rain Alley' and the girl with the oil-paper umbrella. Shaoxing encapsulates the scenery of Jiangnan, the misty rain of Jiangnan, the poetic charm of Jiangnan, the grace of Jiangnan, the small bridges and flowing waters of Jiangnan, the stories of Jiangnan. Once I came here, I could never let go of Shaoxing. Until the 7th visit, my feelings for Shaoxing remained as before, as fresh, curious, and affectionate as the first time I stepped into Shaoxing. The 7 times are not the point, I will come again~