Hekou Ancient Town

河口古鎮(zhèn)

Hekou Ancient Town has been serving as an important ferry port on the upper reaches of the Yellow River since ancient times. It was not only a key town on the ancient Silk Road， but also a border pass and a water transportation hub for ancient dynasties over the centuries. This small town houses an illustrious history and a rich culture in Lanzhou City， Gansu Province.

Hekou Ancient Town has some well-preserved ancient buildings dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties， including three ancestral temples built during the Qing Dynasty， over 200 ancient residences， and many historical sites ranging from ancient trading wharves， strategic fortresses to transportation infrastructure. The town also still retains many historical relics， including over 100 gauze lamps.

The town is a living fossil for the study of Ming and Qing architecture in northwest China. In particular， the ancient residences in Hekou are some of the most intact? in Lanzhou City， offering both important historical and cultural value. They provide evidence of the evolvement of traditional Chinese society， and offer rare historical insight into the study of traditional agrarian societies.

自古以來，河口古鎮(zhèn)一直是黃河上游的一個(gè)重要輪渡口。它不僅是古絲綢之路上的一個(gè)重鎮(zhèn)，而且還是幾個(gè)世紀(jì)的古代王朝的邊境關(guān)口和水運(yùn)樞紐。這個(gè)位于甘肅省蘭州市的小鎮(zhèn)有著輝煌的歷史和深厚的文化底蘊(yùn)。

河口古鎮(zhèn)有一些保存完好的明清時(shí)期的古建筑，包括清代建造的三座祠堂、兩百多座古民居，以及許多歷史遺跡，有古代商業(yè)碼頭、戰(zhàn)略堡壘和交通基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。這座古鎮(zhèn)還保留了許多文物，包括100多盞紗燈。

該鎮(zhèn)是研究明清時(shí)期中國西北建筑的活化石。特別是河口古民居，它們中有些是蘭州市保存最完好的古建筑，具有重要的歷史和文化價(jià)值。它們提供了中國傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)演變的證據(jù)，并為傳統(tǒng)農(nóng)業(yè)社會(huì)的研究提供了珍貴的歷史參考。

In recent years， local authorities have launched a range of restoration projects to protect the wealth of ancient relics and residences. At the same time， the locals have established a range of businesses and activities.

Among these activities， the large-scale nightly water-dance show tells the tales of ancient legends through the use of cutting-edge sound and light technology， providing a visual feast for visitors. Whats more， the tourist spot offers “Script Killing”， an interactive game experience that aims to tell local history and culture.

In addition， many cultural events and festivals are often held in Hekou Ancient Town， such as drama performances and photography competitions， attracting tens of thousands of visitors there. In 2014， the town was selected as one of the famous historical and cultural towns in China. After the final phase of renovation work， it was listed as one of Chinas national-level tourism and leisure blocks in 2023.

近年來，當(dāng)?shù)卣畣?dòng)了一系列修復(fù)項(xiàng)目，以保護(hù)眾多的文物和古民居；與此同時(shí)，還開展了一系列商業(yè)活動(dòng)。

在這些活動(dòng)中，大型夜間水舞表演通過運(yùn)用先進(jìn)的聲光技術(shù)，講述古代傳奇故事，為游客提供一場(chǎng)視覺盛宴。此外，該旅游景點(diǎn)還提供“劇本殺”，這是一種旨在講述當(dāng)?shù)貧v史和文化的互動(dòng)體驗(yàn)游戲。

此外，河口古鎮(zhèn)還經(jīng)常舉辦許多文化活動(dòng)和節(jié)日慶祝活動(dòng)，如戲劇演出和攝影比賽，吸引了成千上萬的游客。2014年，河口古鎮(zhèn)被評(píng)選為中國歷史文化名鎮(zhèn)。經(jīng)過最后階段的改造工作，該鎮(zhèn)于2023年被列為中國國家級(jí)旅游休閑街區(qū)之一。

Word Bank

illustrious /?'l?stri?s/ adj. 著名的；卓越的

The composer was one of many illustrious visitors to the town.

relic /'rel?k/ n. 遺跡；遺物

intact /?n't?kt/ adj. 完好無損

cutting-edge /'k?t??'ed?/ adj. 尖端的；先進(jìn)的