South of the Jishui River, a thousand-year-old spring city: Baihua Zhou

In the central area of the ancient city of Jinan, there is such a historical and cultural district named Baihua Zhou, whose name dates back to the Northern Song Dynasty. The staggered buildings of Baihua Zhou stand by the lake, with their gray and white tones and exquisitely carved windows, exuding a unique charm. In the fifth year of Xining of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1072), the famous literati Zeng Gong was appointed as the governor of Qizhou (now Jinan), and he built the Baihua Dike on Daming Lake, and the small island was thus named Baihua Tai. The island was full of blooming flowers and the scenery was pleasant. Zeng Gong praised it in his poem 'Baihua Tai': 'Smoke and waves share the wine with the guests, the wind and the moon take the whole family on a flower-picking boat. Do not ask how far the flowers in front of the platform are, just see how it resembles the Wuling tour.' To the west is the Qu Shui Pavilion, where the ancients held banquets and all the distinguished guests arrived. Cups filled with wine were placed on trays and let to float down the water. Where the tray stopped, the person sitting by the river would pick up the cup to drink and compose poetry on the spot. This grand event was known as 'Qu Shui Liu Shang' and remained popular until the Qing Dynasty. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Li Panlong, the leader of the 'Later Seven Masters' of the Ming literary world and a native of Jinan, resigned from his position as the deputy academic commissioner in Shaanxi and returned to his hometown. He built a three-story building on Baihua Zhou and lived in seclusion, named Baixue Lou. At that time, the building was on an island surrounded by water on all sides, with no bridge for access, only a small boat to ferry back and forth. Visitors had to report their names on the shore first. Li Panlong could see the visitors clearly from the building; he would not meet any officials, but if they were like-minded friends, he would welcome them by boat. After Li Panlong's death, Baihua Zhou's Baixue Lou changed owners several times. By the time the poet Wang Xiangchun bought it during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, only a few thatched cottages and a plaque reading 'Baixue Lou' remained. Today, this Baixue Lou has become a public aesthetic space where the ancient and modern collide and intertwine, housing the Qushan Yihai Theater. Shandong pear blossom drums, Shandong fast books, Xihe drums, and other genres are sung here, and cultural gatherings such as incense ceremonies, flower art, and handicrafts are held. Lao She lived in Jinan for three years and used a lot of ink to record the spring, summer, autumn, and winter of Jinan. He used the girl who announced the stage to describe the short and beautiful spring in Jinan. The late Qing novelist Liu E wrote in 'The Travels of Lao Can': 'Every family has spring water, every household has weeping willows,' eight characters that wrote the ancient city of Jinan into the 'eyes' of thousands of readers.