圖、文/Nathanael D. Pelton（蘇平） 譯/張佳藝

國慶假期，人聲鼎沸的山塘街National Day Holiday: A crowded Shantang Street

山塘街位于江蘇省蘇州古城西北，東至紅塵中“一二等富貴風(fēng)流之地”閶門，西至“吳中第一名勝”虎丘，全長約3600米，約合7華里，故稱“七里山塘到虎丘”。山塘街始建于公元825年，距今已有近1200年的歷史，景區(qū)人文景觀豐富、歷史底蘊深厚，被譽為“老蘇州的縮影、吳文化的窗口”。

我1980年出生于美國，現(xiàn)居蘇州。在一次游覽山塘街時，面對游人如織的盛景，我對山塘街繁華之外的另一面產(chǎn)生了濃厚的好奇心，一天中每個小時的山塘街是什么樣的？于是，從2020年6月到2021年5月，我每個月拍攝兩次，每次一小時，用鏡頭記錄山塘街特定的2個小時，組成一幅完整的24小時觀察畫卷，其中既有繁華喧鬧，也有靜謐清閑，展現(xiàn)了山塘街不同時節(jié)、不同時刻的景色、游客、生活和商業(yè)風(fēng)貌。

Shantang Street is located northwest of the ancient city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Stretching from Changmen, it was one of the world’s wealthiest and most fashionable quarters. There is a famed long walk between Huqiu,the best scenic spot in Suzhou, in the west, and the heart of Shantang St in the east. This famed walk is accompanied by a well-known saying - “They that walk the 7-mile-Shantang Street, will arrive at Huqiu.” Shantang Street, founded in 825 AD, has a history of nearly 1,200 years. It has a rich cultural landscape, a deep historical heritage, and is known as “the epitome of old Suzhou and a window into Wu culture.”

I was born in the United States in 1980 and have lived in Suzhou since 2008. During one of my visits to Shantang Street, I was confronted with the crowds of tourists and wondering what was the deeper story of the street.As a result, I became curious about life at all hours on Shantang Street. So,from June 2020 to May 2021 I set out to take pictures twice a month for an hour each time. Each month I recorded a specific 2 hours of Shantang Street with my camera. Over the year I formed a complete 24-hour observation through photographs, in which there is both the bustle of midday tourists and also midnight quietness. The result of the year of photographs shows the scenery, tourists, life, and business features of Shantang Street at different seasons and times.

早春，凌晨時分的山塘街Early Spring: Shantang Street in the early hours of the morning

盛夏，沐浴在清晨陽光下的山塘街石橋Midsummer: Stone bridge on Shantang Street bathed in the early morning sunshine

深冬時節(jié)，游客匆匆行走在山塘街上Late Winter: Tourists rushing through Shantang Street

盛夏，華燈初上的山塘街Midsummer: Shantang Street with the lights on

初夏，游船如織、燈火通明的山塘河Early Summer: Shantang Street with numerous cruise boats and dazzling light

入秋，游客乘坐人力車游覽山塘街Autumn: Tourists visiting Shantang Street by rickshaw

寒冬時節(jié)，入夜的山塘街漸漸歸于寧靜Winter: Shantang Street becomes quiet at night

初春，寂靜無人的午夜山塘街Early Spring: Silent and deserted Shantang Street at midnight