千年臺州府 老街仍年輕

文 /于 露

在臺州臨海紫陽街，使人難以忘懷的遺存之一便是祖先創造出來的“坊”。In Ziyang Street, Linhai city, a county-level city in Taizhou city, one of the most memorable historical legacies is the fang (or quarters) created by ancient Chinese.

穿過江南長城彎月形的甕城，半藏在星巴克門店身后的紫陽老街便遙遙在望了。

青磚黑瓦，黃發垂髫，臺州府城昔日最為繁華的商業街仿佛依舊是數百年前的模樣。花白頭發的老爺爺拿著草扇坐在店門前乘涼，笑容真摯的大娘從壇中倒出新鮮的酒釀，街上往來的是步伐閑散、衣衫素樸的居民，依次入目的是里坊形制、外表斑駁的酒樓茶肆。

紫陽街位于臺州府城之中，始建于晉，成于隋唐。臺州府東臨東湖，北環北固，南臨靈江，山水秀麗，城廓雄險，素有“江南八達嶺”之美譽。臺州府城墻又稱“江南長城”，自明朝倭寇襲擾頻發，臺州府成為了守護邊疆的重鎮，民族英雄戚繼光曾在此處練兵12年，抵御外侮，鎮守一方。如今，行走在歷經鮮血洗禮的歷史遺跡中，金戈鐵馬聞征鼓仿佛仍在耳邊激蕩，戚家軍鴛鴦陣法之玄妙仿佛也仍在眼前變幻，然而在一片人聲鼎沸之中驚醒，古城已恢復了往日的盛世之貌。

2022年7月16日，臺州府城文化旅游區榮升國家5A級景區。此前，臨海市將紫陽古街高品質步行街改造提升與“智慧商圈”改造提升相結合，計劃打造具有歷史文化展示、體驗旅游、特色商業、文化創意、時尚休閑和慢生活特色的歷史街區、智慧街區，這一努力已然獲得階段性的成果。

1.5元一個的海苔餅、6塊錢一杯的仙草糊、10塊錢一盒的烏飯麻糍和蛋清羊尾……如此物美價廉的購物體驗常常使游客們感到不可思議。事實上，對于這里的居民來說，紫陽老街就是他們家門口的“小吃攤”，石板路兩邊，既是商鋪，又是民居。“紫陽街這些商鋪后面基本都是店主自己平時住的地方，”臨海市政府工作人員金櫻子介紹說，“游客買東西的地方也是這里居民們買東西的地方，所以價格都不會特別高。這是和其他景區很不一樣的。”

當地新晉網紅咖啡店的特色咖啡。A cup of coffee made in a popular local coffeeshop at the Ziyang Street.

香氣四溢的臨海海苔餅剛出爐。The freshly made seaweed cakes.

紫陽街因道教南宗始祖、紫陽真人張伯端得名，是目前國內保存較為完整的一條歷史街區，也是公認的“活著的老街”—一代又一代臨海人在這里安居樂業、發家致富，臨海傳統美食和文化也在不斷創新之中重新煥發活力、吸引著八方來客。歷史與現代、生活與商業交織在這條1080米的長街上，既不會讓人覺得破落不堪，也不會顯得過分雕琢。

王天順海苔餅是紫陽街最出名的百年老店之一，也是省級非物質文化遺產代表性項目。四代人接力傳承，從1887年王懷富創始，時至今日已是第135個年頭。從一天僅賣百余個海苔餅開始，到如今已然可以日銷數千個。“不是工作日的時候來要排很久才能買到。”臨海市人民政府新聞辦副主任汪貴說。

王天順店鋪的門臉并不顯眼，門前印著店名的紅邊黃旗微微褪色，店內則是略顯昏暗的白熾燈和老舊的壁掛式電風扇。然而店門的上方卻掛著一面氣派的巨幅匾額，上面用金黃色的大字寫著“臺州府城傳統小吃”，遙遙招攬著慕名而來的游客。

海苔餅是獨具臨海特色的地方小吃，金黃的餅皮上是粒粒分明的白芝麻，第一口酥酥脆脆，而細嚼片刻便是綿密的海苔鮮香，咸甜交織的豐富口感在剛剛出爐時即是最佳賞味期。除此之外，售賣烏飯麻糍、蛋清羊尾等傳統小吃的店鋪也生意火爆，是過往游客絕對不會錯過的打卡美食。

而在新晉網紅咖啡店18RESERVA（簡稱18R），臺州傳統小吃則與咖啡相遇，在傳統與現代間碰撞出了奇妙的火花。

桂花酒釀拿鐵，在咖啡中加入甜酒釀和桂花蜜；姜汁拿鐵，將臨海人最愛的姜汁體現在咖啡里；老酒拿鐵，把臨海靈江夢泉8年陳黃酒與紅糖一同熬煮后加入咖啡……在店內菜單中的“我們的創意”一欄，每一種咖啡都是臨海特色。

咖啡店木質結構的二層小樓倚在灰墻中間，玻璃門內已是人滿為患。“臺州限定：烏飯麻糍千層”的海報張貼在門口最顯眼的墻壁上，正中是一角可可色的千層蛋糕—軟糯麻糍的綿密觸感、香甜細膩的豆沙風味、烏飯葉縈繞口腔的清爽香氣—將本土食品進行創作和升華，正是18R獨特的經營理念。“能夠在星巴克百米外的地方開下來，你們知道有多難嗎？”金櫻子笑道。

18R對本土元素的創新是紫陽老街最具代表性的案例之一，紫陽老街的升級改造也并未犧牲生活的美妙意趣和歷史的傳統韻味，而是在生活與商業、歷史與現代之間找到了一個絕佳的平衡點，從生活中煥發活力，從歷史中汲取未來，讓紫陽街真正成為一條“活著的老街”。

金櫻子出生于臨海，對紫陽老街有著說不盡的喜愛。一路走來，街邊鱗次櫛比的各色商鋪她都如數家珍，與她相熟的店主也會揮手招呼她進屋小坐。和她同行的我們同樣受到了老板娘的熱情招待，也因此得以在37攝氏度的高溫中悠然享受了一碗冰冰甜甜的酒釀。

“每年四月份的時候，這里的櫻花也很美。”金櫻子莞爾一笑說到，“如果有機會，一定要再來一次老街，來逛一逛我們的夜市”。

櫻花花謝又花開，市集人往又人來。紫陽街闌珊的燈火在夜色中畫上了斑斕的一筆，依稀還是舊時的繁華景象。千年前街邊的叫賣聲仿佛仍在耳畔，似乎是在回應千年前先人們對子孫后代生活富足的企盼。

Ziyang Street: A Thousand-Year-Old Street Reborn

By Yu Lu

Centuries-old eateries and small shops line closely side by side. Plain-clothed residents pass them by leisurely. A gray-haired grandpa sits in front of his shop shaking a hand-made straw fan to enjoy the cool, while a smiling aunt pours out sweet wine from a mottled porcelain jar and serves the guests. After years of changes,the most prosperous commercial street in Taizhou’s history seems to remain unchanged.

Ziyang Street is the central axis of the Ancient City of Taizhou, located in Linhai, a county-level city in Taizhou city,East China’s Zhejiang province. It wasfirst built in the Jin dynasty(265-420) and completed in Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907)dynasties. Surrounded by Beigu Hill and Lingjiang River, the majestic city walls earned the reputation as the “Badaling Great Wall in the South”.

In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the frequent harassment of Japanese pirates turned Taizhou into a military fortress guarding the southeast frontier of China. Qi Jiguang (1528-1588), widely regarded as one of China’s most prominent national heroes, once trained troops in the city and repelled the pirates.

On July 16, 2022, the Ancient City of Taizhou became a national “5A” level scenic spot, with Ziyang Street serving as one of its centerpieces, where tourists can see history on display, take part in cultural events and enjoy a leisurely life. The effort has already achieved good results.

A mere 1.5 yuan for a piece of seaweed cake, 6 yuan for a cup of grass jelly drink, 10 yuan for a box of black glutinous rice cake and egg-white bread … Such cheap prices andfine shopping experience often make tourists feel incredible. In fact, for the locals,Ziyang Street is exactly the “snack street” in their doorway, since the buildings alongside the street are both shops and dwellings.

“The shop owners on Ziyang Street usually live here too,” said Jin Yingzi, a resident who works at a government agency. “As they are not only catering to tourists, but also serve residents. The prices are quite reasonable, which is very different from many other scenic areas.”

Ziyang Street is named after Zhang Boduan, the founder of the Southern Lineage of Taoism, known as “Immortal Ziyang”. It is a well-preserved historical street and is recognized as a “living ancient street”. Generations of Linhai people live and work here,and the local traditional cuisine and culture are rejuvenated through continuous innovation, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Wang Tianshun Seaweed Cake is one of the most famous shops on Ziyang Street, and the cake itself is also a representative item of provincial intangible cultural heritage. Founded by Wang Huaifu in 1887 and inherited for four generations, the shop is 135 years old now.

“You have to queue for the cake and it takes a long time to get one on non-working days,” said Wang Gui, an official with the local government.

The appearance of the shop is not striking. The red-edged yellow flag with Wang’s name has already faded slightly. Inside the store are dim incandescent bulbs and an old wall-mounted electric fan. The plaque, which reads “Traditional Snacks of Taizhou Prefecture” in large golden characters, attracts tourists from afar.

The seaweed cake is a local snack with unique feature of Linhai. With white sesame seeds sprinkled on the crispy crust, it is very crunchy on thefirst bite, and then the aroma of seaweed will quickly spread out. The combined taste of salty and sweet is the best to enjoy when it just comes out. In addition, shops selling traditional snacks such as black glutinous rice cake and egg-white bread are also popular, which are the delicacy that tourists will never miss.

Born in Linhai, Jin Yingzi has an inexhaustible love for Ziyang Street. Along the way down the street, she is familiar with almost every shop, and shopkeepers who know her well will also invite her to come in and have a chat.

“Every year in April, the cherry blossoms here are also very beautiful,” Jin said. “The old street is worth visiting time and again, and our night fair is quite fantastic as well.”