Daxu
Ancient Town
 Some
25 kilometers southeast of the city of Guilin
lies Ancient Daxu ("Big Market")
Town. The city, situated on the east bank
of the Li River, has been a busy center
of trade ever since the Qin (BCE 221-207)
Dynasty period, when, under the reign (BCE
246 - 210)* of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the
Ling Canal, which connects the Xiang River
of the Yangtze River watershed with the
Li River of the Pearl River watershed, was
dug.
Ancient Daxu's strategic placement
on the banks of a river that had "spokes"
leading to the Yangtze River system as well
as to the Pearl River system made it a natural
transit hub for trade between merchants
far away and the upland population within
a very large radius of the city of Daxu,
since, for these areas, there was little
alternative to the prosperous city on the
banks of the Li River. Thirteen of the old
town's shipping docks remain to this day,
spread out along the city's 2 1/2-kilometer-long
main street, and they bear witness to the
town's former high degree of prosperity.
By the time of the Northern
Song (CE 960-1127) Dynasty, Daxu had achieved
the status of the richest and most influential
of ancient cities of what is present-day
Guangxi Province, which was no mean achievement
for the period. But it was during the Ming
(CE 1368-1644) Dynasty that Daxu reached
its pinnacle of commercial success; Wanshou
Bridge, a handsome single-arched stone bridge
that was built during the period, spans
the Li River, while the streets of Ancient
Daxu Town were - still are - paved with
naturally-occurring dark-green limestone
blocks, now worn to a shiny patina, thanks
to centuries of use.
As is so often the case in general,
Daxu's particular "claim to fame"
- its strategic location on the banks of
a busy waterway, with "spokes"
radiating out to China's greatest centers
of commerce, making Daxu a natural trade
and traffic hub - has also proven to be
the ancient city's Achilles' Heel, for during
the 1930s, waterways ceded their position
of prominence to railways and highways,
and Daxu's commerce declined rapidly thereafter.
Just as many towns and villages along the
Silk Road had rapidly blossomed into important
centers of commerce, then shrank with almost
equal rapidity when the overland Silk Road
gave way to the "Silk Road" by
sea route, the burgeoning ancient town of
Daxu fell into decline once its trump card,
as it were, had been played out.
But unlike the many former bustling
cities along the overland Silk Road that
were eventually reduced to dusty ghost towns,
Ancient Daxu Town continued to thrive, albeit,
in a down-sized mode. The nearby river was
still useful, and though regional trade
might have shifted to railroads and highways,
local trade and traffic still depended to
a large extent on the Li River. With the
emergence of the New China - and especially
after the opening of China to the West -
Ancient Daxu Town has seen something of
a revival as a tourist venue, thanks to
the hardy folk who have, in the interim,
kept the city and its customs alive down
through the ages.
Many of Daxu's residents
still ply their traditional handicrafts.
Ancient Daxu Town is thus home to a number
of cottage industries operated by women,
such as rice-wine making and the manufacture
of bamboo baskets, while Daxu men are renowned
carpenters. Along the city's riverfront
stand many well-preserved traditional-style
buildings that date from the Ming and Qing
(CE 1644-1911) Dynasties. These sturdy wooden
structures - built in a quintessentially
Chinese style, i.e., with colorfully decorated
eaves and elegantly carved doors and windows
- still serve as home to many Daxu families.
A leisurely stroll along Ancient Daxu Town's
main street offers an occasional glimpse
into the traditional Chinese courtyard,
where the sight of a grandmother surrounded
by a knot of attentive children as she recounts
a story about the past, or tells a fairytale,
is a not uncommon sight.
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