Old Suzhou Search | Two Hotels, One Remembrance

In fact, Suzhou in the historical mark of the Republic of China is a bit embarrassing, because it is too close to Shanghai and clearly created a lot of original Republic of China, but it is often classified into the sea. The once -inconspicuous seaside fishing village was exaggerated in the historical coordinates of the Republic of China, which was extremely vigorous, making the prosperity from the Song Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Even today, because of this "too close", Shanghai, which has made the soil and high -rise buildings, transferred the hotel to Suzhou to clean up, so that Suzhou's high -end hotels are concentrated in a period of time ... But this is just our today's today. When you see, once the development of modern hostels is investigated, Suzhou must be mentioned, not only because the hotel is classified and the style is clear, but more importantly, these hotels that can only be regarded as small hostels are not only urban modernization. One of the important signs, it also carries countless historical inflection points.

Weiying Hotel near Qian Wanliqiao

Winning Book -A era ends here?

Due to the geographical location and the developed trade, Suzhou has always been popular in the hotel. According to historical books, there are official hotels in the Tang Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, more than half of the hotels were located in the gate. Among these hotels, "Weiying" is a high -end Western hotel, but it is said that the hotel has more mysterious and legendary colors. It is said that Pu Yi's "Sang's Book" was drafted here, thus ending China's millennium emperor.

The name "Wei Ying" seems to be a bit profitable. In fact, it is because the hotel's English signboard is Village Inn (rural inn or translation of rural hostels), a common transliteration of Western -style hotel signboards.

The boss used his relationship with the British Chamber of Commerce to build this exquisite and luxurious Western -style hotel in 1908 in 1908 at Suzhou Railway Station. The hotel is not large, there are only 30 rooms, but it is quite exquisite. The guest room is a two -story ocean building. There is a lawn in the garden and the pavilion and pavilions with Suzhou Weier. The best thing is to bring their own small steamboats for guests to browse Suzhou Scenic Scenic Point.

There are fireplaces and stoves in the room in winter, and there are burning fire stoves on the small steamboat. The management of the hotel is also very "English". The bedding does not need to be wool blankets without the quilt, and it is changed every day (this is unique in traditional hotels), because there is no tap water, so there are three docks on the river, one is a passenger terminal, a small vaporboat and a tourist for tourists. Water views are dedicated to water views, a special washing of edible items, and a professional cleaning daily necessities. The first guests were foreigners, so the restaurant in the hotel was also mainly Western food. It is equipped with a full -time tour guide and foreman with well -known English. The waiters must also speak a few words of "Pidai" English.

Soon this high -end foreign -related hotel has attracted many domestic celebrities.

Shortly after the Revolution of 1911, a champion Zhang Ye, who lived in the Nandong of the late Qing Dynasty, and his staff -Yang Tingdong and Songjiang people Lei Fen, the returnee of Suzhou, returned to Japan. Cheng Dequan, the governor of Jiangsu, also began to secretly meet a few people (at the time in Jiangsu Province in Suzhou).

Pu Yi "Xunzhi Book"

The "Society" was invited by Yuan Shikai's intimidation of Emperor Xuantong in early 1912 in early 1912, and Yuan Shikai had always had a close relationship with Zhang Ye. Therefore, many historians speculated that Zhang Ye was planned.

In such a sensitive period, in such a location where convenient transportation or running and passing news are very convenient and a private international hotel, several parties have frequently gathered. In addition, Chengde will not be easy to revolutionize army and the revolutionary army and The "Instead Book", which was promulgated soon, made people guess that this restaurant in this hotel has made this epoch -making scripture in Chinese history, but because of the records of the drafts of the hotel in Weiying Hotel, only "Gusu It is difficult to be true in the History of the Wild.

However, at the time, the history of several people in the Fengyun Association often met the history of this place, but it was certain that it was certain.

In 2001, because of broadening Guangji Road, the hotel disappeared, but the location of this small hotel in history should never be erased.

Sheng Xuanhuai's grandson Sheng Yu Post's wedding photo

Fashionable weddings and funerals of big names

No. 36 Guangji Road was formerly a landmark of Suzhou to enter the modernization -Dadong Hostel. The hostel has also called "Sheng Ji", and from this name, we will have to guess the life of the hostel.

This is the hostel that was set up by the grandson of Sheng Yu, the former Minister of the Qing Dynasty, Sheng Xuanhuai. The most wonderful is the location of the hotel. When the Suzhou Railway Station was built on the same day, the Japanese side bought the British who connected the Shanghai -Ningzhong Railway borrowing party, hoping that the train station in the south of the city will set up the train station together in the south of the city. Sheng Xuanhuai, who was "foreign affairs", knew that "the train rang, gold and two", and his home was outside the gate, so he held the pressure and put the train station on the north of the city. From the stone road from the Gate suspension bridge to the cobalt fishing pier to the Yaojiakou Daolou Da Road, the commercial circle of "Golden Gate" was added with one yard of "gold".

In this way, the location of the location here is logical. In the 10th year of the Republic of China (1921), it cost 120,000 silver, and the Dadong Hostel, which lasted three years, officially opened -Western -style second -floor building, the gate facing the road, and the back gate towards Shangtang Street. There is a large platform on the top of the building. The platform can be overlooking the bustling street street view. There are no more than 100 rooms, especially high -end rooms. They use brass beds and mahogany furniture. Regardless of the construction area, building materials, or internal furnishings, all the cow ears can be performed. There are flower halls and halls on the bottom floor of the hostel, just like the lobby, banquet hall, and a bookstore in today's hotel. Now holding a wedding banquet at the hotel seems to be reasonable and logical, but at that time, such a wedding banquet is absolutely new, and it also has quite requirements for the hotel's hardware facilities. The auditorium of the Dadong Hotel was excellent, and the area was the largest, spacious and luxurious in the hostel at that time. It was the popularity of the foreign and fashionable people at that time.

After the hostel was completed, because the Sheng family had no time to take care of it, they leased the entire hotel to Ma Zhiqian and other people to operate. Ma Zhiqian would use the reputation and relationship of the Sheng family. In addition, there were railway stations and roads near the hostel. The garden, Liyuan, Huqiu and other gardens are not far away. Soon, regardless of hardware facilities or connections, the Dadong Hostel is famous on the entire Shanghai -Nanjing line.

Many hotels feel that the wedding can be cheerful, and the funeral is a bit unlucky. Ma Zhiqian has the idea of ​​the movie "Big Whenee": the wedding funeral does not matter, the key is the most important thing to do "who". In 1928, the Dadong Hotel opened a funeral office for the Kuomintang veterans at the funeral of Madam Right. Although this lady is not a "big name" in the absolute sense, under the subtle situation of several forces who want to fight for popularity, the influence of the funeral is still very large. The stars have to be strong. And Li Genyuan wrote the couplet: "The number of wind and rain is over, the most unforgettable intercepting the guests, killing the chickens as a cricket, and the return of the ring. The all -in -law of the country has also made Dadong Hostel's name.

Another of Dadong Hostel is different from other hostels because they are in a bustling city, so they rent out the "golden shop" along the street on both sides of the gate. It is convenient for the travelers of the store, and a considerable rent is added.

Unfortunately, all this prosperous past occurred to the outbreak of the Anti -Japanese War. The prevailing high -end hotels in Sucheng were rented by Ma Zhiqian for a part of the "soldiers' comfort house" to the Japanese Rogue. After the Sheng family learned of this, it was very furious.

After the liberation, the Dadong Hotel's public -private partnership was also renamed -Hongqi Hostel and Wuzhou Hotel.

Train, Chinese and Western, modern advertisements ... Suzhou's staggered early modernization was completed in the Dadong Hostel.

(Text/Xiaoyang)

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