綠樹碧水、古樸石橋、粉墻黛瓦、廊棚水閣……無不透露出烏鎮(zhèn)這個江南古鎮(zhèn)的萬千神韻?！疤拼y杏宛在，昭明書室依稀?！泵┒茉凇犊蓯鄣募亦l(xiāng)》中如是寫道，對于家鄉(xiāng)烏鎮(zhèn)的深情懷念躍然紙上。讀過茅盾的《林家鋪?zhàn)印?、《春蠶》等小說作品，我們便會深信，每一個作家的故鄉(xiāng)，永遠(yuǎn)是其創(chuàng)作的靈感與源泉。

柔碧而靈動的江南水是烏鎮(zhèn)的靈魂，而一座座古橋、一條條小巷便是烏鎮(zhèn)的筋脈，古鎮(zhèn)的四肢百骸就這樣生動起來，秀麗而溫情。小橋流水的意境，在烏鎮(zhèn)被表達(dá)得淋漓盡致。

舊時的烏鎮(zhèn)，百步一橋，連綴著兩岸人家。其中“姐妹橋”最為著名，這是通濟(jì)橋和仁濟(jì)橋的合稱，拱形結(jié)構(gòu)，高大雄偉，當(dāng)?shù)厝朔Q之為“橋里橋”。這通濟(jì)橋以西原是吳興烏鎮(zhèn)地域，橋東則是桐鄉(xiāng)青鎮(zhèn)地界，所以有則橋聯(lián)這樣寫著：寒樹煙中，盡烏戍六朝舊地;夕陽帆外，見吳興幾點(diǎn)遠(yuǎn)山。

置身于姐妹橋，無論站在哪一座橋邊，都可以欣賞到橋里有橋、橋里套橋的奇特景觀。雙虹臥波，交相輝映。看那清澈的江南水碧波粼粼，心靈會頓時溫柔起來。此時，或許你會不經(jīng)意間看到一個探出水閣打水的江南女子，一襲藍(lán)印花布的服飾，盈盈一水間楚楚動人，仿佛走入了唐詩中的江南。

在這樣的江南古鎮(zhèn)，是適合談情說愛的，千年情愫、百年緣分因江南古鎮(zhèn)的浪漫風(fēng)情而充滿了詩意的懷想。由黃磊、劉若英、李心潔主演的《似水年華》就是在這樣小橋流水的古鎮(zhèn)拍攝而成的，這部23集的電視劇展現(xiàn)了詩畫江南之美。在這幅醉人的水墨畫卷中，能有緣相聚便怦然心動，在烏鎮(zhèn)和臺北之間上演了一場刻骨銘心、永恒思念的愛情童話。

烏鎮(zhèn)名揚(yáng)海內(nèi)外，不僅僅是因?yàn)樾沱惖慕巷L(fēng)光，更重要的是因其獨(dú)特的文化蘊(yùn)涵。小街兩側(cè)鱗次櫛比的小樓幾乎是清一色的烏檐青瓦，走進(jìn)一條條蜿蜒細(xì)長的小巷，踩著斷簡般的石板路，感受著江南小巷漫長而悠遠(yuǎn)的意境，元曲中那種幽深飄渺的韻味便彌漫開來。

茅盾故居就坐落在一條名叫“觀前街”的巷子里，面街南向，是磚木結(jié)構(gòu)的江南民居，主體是四開間兩進(jìn)深的二層樓房，有茅盾以《子夜》的稿費(fèi)親自設(shè)計(jì)、翻修的書齋。在這書齋中，茅盾創(chuàng)作了中篇小說《多角關(guān)系》。庭院里，植有棕櫚、天竺、冬青、扁柏等花木。其中，一棵棕櫚的枝干已超過七米多高的院墻，天竺郁郁蔥蔥，枝繁葉茂。據(jù)說，這是茅盾親手種植的。明媚的陽光映照著棕櫚、天竺以及其他的花木，顯得生機(jī)無限。

茅盾原名沈德鴻，字雁冰，早年喪父，而他的母親是一個堅(jiān)強(qiáng)而有文學(xué)修養(yǎng)的女子，這從她為丈夫所撰寫的挽聯(lián)上可窺一斑：幼誦孔孟之言，長學(xué)聲光化電，憂國憂家，斯人斯疾，奈何長才未展，死不瞑目;良人亦即良師，十年互勉互勵，雹碎春紅，百身莫贖，從今誓守遺言，管教雙雛。

就是這樣一個偉大的母親，終于把茅盾兄弟培養(yǎng)成才，烏鎮(zhèn)有了沈家，文氣氤氳而雋永。

在與茅盾故居一橋之隔的中市觀后街“夏同善翰林第”，我們一樣可感受到文化的巨大力量。這個清代翰林夏同善是烏鎮(zhèn)蕭氏家的外甥，因自小在外婆家生活、讀書，進(jìn)士及第后，獲欽點(diǎn)翰林，知恩圖報的夏同善便把皇帝所賜的“翰林第”匾額懸掛在了蕭家廳中。作為清光緒年間平反的清代“四大奇案”之一——楊乃武與小白菜冤案的關(guān)鍵人物，夏同善充分發(fā)揮了江南文人的智慧與卓識，與浙江籍京官共同聯(lián)函奏請刑部，為蒙冤的楊乃武與小白菜翻案，終于力挽狂瀾，撥云見日。夏同善是“學(xué)而優(yōu)則仕”的代表，他的名字與傳說注定要讓古鎮(zhèn)后人津津樂道。

烏鎮(zhèn)文化底蘊(yùn)之深厚，可以追溯到梁代昭明太子。昭明太子名蕭統(tǒng)，兩歲時立為皇太子，他隨老師沈約來到烏鎮(zhèn)讀書，并建有書館一座。蕭統(tǒng)自幼好學(xué)博聞，通古博今，以編輯《昭明文選》而名世。現(xiàn)存昭明書館遺跡，是明朝萬歷年間所建的一座石坊，題有“六朝遺勝”、“梁昭明太子同沈尚書讀書處”的匾額。盡管千百年來風(fēng)侵雨蝕，昭明太子讀書遺跡猶存，古鎮(zhèn)文脈流傳悠遠(yuǎn)。

2006年，旅居美國紐約24年之久的烏鎮(zhèn)游子木心回到家鄉(xiāng)定居，這位漂泊海外的“文學(xué)魯賓遜”，一卷《哥倫比亞的倒影》旋即成為我們這個時代的閱讀經(jīng)典。2013年1月，木心的《文學(xué)回憶錄》問世，從中可以讓人充分領(lǐng)略廣闊無邊的文學(xué)世界。富有意味的是，木心故居與茅盾故居處在同一條街上。如果喜愛文學(xué)，只要沿著這條古鎮(zhèn)老街，從街頭的茅盾故居走向街尾的木心故居，你走過的就是中國現(xiàn)當(dāng)代文學(xué)史流光溢彩的一個歷程。

木心與茅盾，文學(xué)上是存在淵源的?？谷諔?zhàn)爭時期，孫家少爺三日兩頭要去沈家老宅——茅盾是木心的“伯伯”輩，戰(zhàn)亂時他輾轉(zhuǎn)各地，但老宅書屋里的藏書十分豐富，凡是木心中意的書，他都“一批批拿回家來朝夕相對”，從此開了眼界。木心晚年時回憶起這段經(jīng)歷，稱茅盾書屋是他“得以飽覽世界文學(xué)名著的福地”。盡管木心、茅盾的文學(xué)意趣、文化旨?xì)w及創(chuàng)作成就等各有千秋，然而他們都是下凡烏鎮(zhèn)的文曲星，這是毫無疑問的。

沉靜儒雅的木心，氣質(zhì)與稟賦卓異。他是中西方文化蘊(yùn)育的才子典范，他的隨筆、詩歌、小說，他的繪畫、音樂，都洋溢著古典的才子氣，優(yōu)雅的貴族氣。歷經(jīng)人生磨難的木心，無比豐盈的文化給了他以尊嚴(yán)和高貴，他的眼神始終如少年般純真與清澈。2011年冬，臨終前的木心看到了木心美術(shù)館的設(shè)計(jì)圖，念叨著：“風(fēng)啊，水啊，一頂橋?！薄词剐袑⑼拘囊廊煌嘎冻霾环驳膶徝琅c骨子里的潔凈。

2015年11月15日，木心美術(shù)館落成開館。就在這年的央視春晚，木心的詩《從前慢》演繹成一首歌，郎朗的鋼琴、呂思清的小提琴與劉歡的歌唱，豪華組合的視聽盛宴，把人們拉回到了樸素的舊時光，靜下心來聆聽：“從前的日色變得慢，車、馬、郵件都慢，一生只夠愛一個人……”聽著聽著，不覺淚流滿面。從前的時光再慢，已回不到過去——（當(dāng)時）木心已去世四年多了，那個孫家老宅里的少年孫璞，那個以“木心”名世的烏鎮(zhèn)少年，一生的情人唯有繆斯，他把自己交給了文藝女神，他說過，“全靠藝術(shù)生活”。

木心還說過：萬頭攢動火樹銀花之處不必找我。如欲相見，我在各種悲喜交集處，能做的只是長途跋涉的歸真返璞。多么孤傲，多么決絕，又是那么可愛！

如今的烏鎮(zhèn)，除了世界互聯(lián)網(wǎng)大會，還有烏鎮(zhèn)戲劇節(jié)，這是國際戲劇交流的文化地標(biāo)，是促進(jìn)中西方文化融合的舞臺。只要走進(jìn)烏鎮(zhèn)，江南文化的韻味便會芬芳馥郁地襲來。倘若你走得累了，可以在岸邊的美人靠坐下來，面對清澈的江南水發(fā)呆，想心事，洗滌身心的塵埃，或者走進(jìn)臨街的茶館歇腳、喝茶、聊天，體驗(yàn)市井風(fēng)情。茶館“訪盧閣”因?yàn)椴枋リ懹鸲?，在烏?zhèn)中市應(yīng)家橋南堍，背倚車溪市河，面向中市大街，俯臨東市河，遙望觀前街風(fēng)情世態(tài)，一邊悠閑地喝著茶，一邊品嘗著烏鎮(zhèn)的名點(diǎn)姑嫂餅，任時光流逝而去，心底怡然自如。訪盧閣，姑嫂餅，在古鎮(zhèn)民間都流傳著充滿情趣的歷史傳說，洋溢著親切動人的文化韻味。

來過，不曾離開。劉若英的烏鎮(zhèn)形象代言，具有穿越時空的感染力。烏鎮(zhèn)把江南水鄉(xiāng)的懷舊元素與人文內(nèi)涵水乳交融在了一起，便有了故國家園的情愫，絲絲柔柔地纏繞著每一個行人的腳步，從此讓你的心靈再也離不開這江南的水鄉(xiāng)——烏鎮(zhèn)了。

Wuzhen： Natural Beauty， Cultural Splendor

Wuzhen in northern Zhejiang is a typical canal town in Jiangnan or the south of the Yangtze River Delta. Mao Dun （1896-1981）， a native of Wuzhen， portrayed his birth place splendidly in his short stories. Nowadays， Wuzhen offers more than tourism attractions. Crisscrossed by rivers and bridges， the scenic river town now doubles as the venue for World Internet Conference and hosts Wuzhen Theater Festival.

In good old times， Wuzhen had more bridges. It is said that there was a bridge every 100 steps. Of all these bridges， the best known are Tongji Bridge and Renji Bridge nicknamed as sister bridges. In the past， west of Tongji Bridge was Wuzhen， part of Wuxing county whereas east of Tongji Bridge was Qingzhen， Tongxiang county.

Though Wuzhen has a long history and prospered in the past thanks to the canal that connects Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south， it was in the shadow of history for a very long time in the 20th century. It was not until 2002 that a 23-episode television romance called Remembrance of Things Past brought spotlight on the ancient canal town. It was the first time in the past decades that the poetic beauty of Wuzhen was viewed thoroughly and romantically by the national audience.

Mao Dun was the penname of Shen Yanbing， one of the best known novelists of the first half of the 20th century in China. The writers former residence in the town stands for his reputation. The main component in the courtyard is a two-story house where Mao Dun wrote some of his best know novels and novelettes. The study was decorated in a Japanese architectural style， with copyright royalties of Midnight， one of the best known novels by Mao Dun. The seven-meter-tall palm in the garden is said to have been planted by the writer.

Mao Dun isnt the only celebrity Wuzhen is proud of. Not far from Mao Duns former residence is a grand residence named after Xia Tongshan （1831-1880）. Xia grew up in Wuzhen with his maternal grandmother. He later came out as Jinshi in the imperial examination in 1865 and became Hanlin， a member of the Imperial Academy， handpicked by Emperor Xianfeng. The emperor gave Xia a plaque with Hanlin Residence handwritten on it. The plaque was placed at the house in Wuzhen. The house later was redecorated with the imperial approval. Xia had a brilliant career at the imperial court， but he is best known among ordinary people as a judge that successfully reversed a wrongful verdict in a case in the 1870s.

The best known cultural legacy of Wuzhen is what Xiao Tong （501-531） did at Wuzhen. Xiao， best known as Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty （502-557）， came to Wuzhen with his tutor Shen Yue. He was personally tutored and had a library built in the river town. The prince is celebrated in the history of Chinese literature for Zhaoming Anthology， the first collection of poems and prose in China. Wuzhen now boasts a building named after the prince， erected in the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）.

Another cultural celebrity of Wuzhen is Mu Xin， the penname of Sun Pu （1927-2011）， a poet and essayist and painter who lived in America from 1982 to 2006 before he came back home in Wuzhen. Sun Pu in his childhood years knew Mao Dun and checked out books from the celebrated writers library many times. The books he read in Wuzhen opened his eyes to the world. Though Mu Xin wrote in a style totally different from that of Shen Yanbing， the two writers are remembered endearingly in Wuzhen. Mu Xin Museum is now a landmark in Wuzhen unveiled in November 2015.

The World Internet Conference， inaugurated in 2014， is now an annual event held in November. The first conference attracted prominent figures from nearly 100 countries. That was Chinas first internet conference of this kind and on this scale and an unparalleled event globally. The Wuzhen Theater Festival is an annual event in the ancient water town， co-founded by Chen Xianghong， Huang Lei， Stan Lai and Meng Jinghui， and organized by Culture Wuzhen Co.， Ltd. The festival， one of the premier festivals in China and Asia， attracts international troupes and stages eye-opening shows.

A grand celebration of the art of performance and a hub for cultural exchange amidst the stunning backdrop of ancient canals and alleys， Wuzhen Theater Festival consists of various inter-related parts： the Specially Invited Plays， the Emerging Theatre Artists Competition， the Outdoor Carnival， and the Wuzhen Dialogues， etc. During the festival， the entire town of Wuzhen， which has a history of more than 1，300 years， is transformed into a stage， and theater lovers all over the world are invited to enjoy this tantalizing feast of the theatrical arts.

One of the unique qualities of the Wuzhen Theater Festival is the charm and variety of all of its theater spaces. Within walking distance of each other， there are over ten indoor venues that sport widely differing characteristics--all exuding the charm and beauty of the old town. There is a large amphitheater， and several outdoor plazas suited for performance. These striking venues create a theater cluster that is not only unique in China， but in any theater festival in the world.

For average tourists， however， the internet conference and the theater festival are all the hustle and bustle they avoid. In their eye， Wuzhen is a river town suggesting a traditional lifestyle that goes back to the depth of history and culture and to many centuries ago. One can wander aimlessly in the town， hang out at a riverside teahouse， or visit historical and cultural landmarks casually. This is a town of serenity and peace， a place where a visitor can relax and unwind and can have a good time comparing what one sees in present-day Wuzhen with forgotten past of Wuzhen one can image and let everything of the river town become memories that one can take away and keep in heart.