上有天堂，下有苏杭，苏杭中央是桐乡。

桐乡，梧桐之乡，凤凰来栖。在浙北平原这方热土上，桐乡不负历史之厚望，始终在创造奇迹、演绎神话，闪耀在长三角南翼强县之林。

石门罗家角遗址、崇福新地里遗址、濮院张家埭遗址……马家浜文化、良渚文化与运河文化在桐乡大地交相辉映。站在历史的遗址上，远古的新石器时代便铺面而来，我们可以切身感受到历史深处的灿烂文明，在五千年、六千年、七千年……甚至更遥远的岁月里，茹毛饮血的人类远祖从原始社会走向文明社会的努力与追求。而人类在伟大的进化中创造了文化，开创了文明，走向了新时代。

桐乡是一个独特而鲜明的符号，一个醒目而辉煌的存在。

吴疆越界 春秋战地

没有高山大川的桐乡，是典型的水乡平原，在2500年前的吴越春秋时期，桐乡一地成为吴越两国的战略要地，可谓是两军征战的主战场之一。

追寻桐乡境内的吴越遗迹，可分明感知金戈铁马的峥嵘岁月。

今凤鸣街道境内的天荒荡，春秋时为吴越战场。南有鹞子墩，是吴军放飞鹞子以辨风向之处;北有纪目墩，是吴王驻兵处。纪目墩西北七里有游屯泾，传说是吴王游击、屯兵之处。

石门镇垒石为门，一条长约百米、宽仅三尺的垒石弄便是吴越分界线，南为越，北为吴，泾渭分明。

乌镇同样的剑拔弩张，明代李乐在《重修乌青镇志》中记曰：“镇，周属吴，吴戍兵备越，名为戍。”当时，吴国在乌镇布置了兵力，卫戍边境。

昔时千金乡有烽火楼、千人坡，今屠甸镇遗有范蠡湖。

濮院古称槜李墟，向为“吴越往来孔道”，境内吴越遗迹众多，如语儿亭、槜李亭、范蠡坞（藏兵坞）、洗足滩、胭脂汇、西子妆楼及妆桥，运河之北则有走马冈、洗马池。镇东国界桥一带的南北草荡，旧为濮院东郊，是吴越两国的分界线。

吴越争霸在桐乡一邑留下的人文传说极其丰富，人文古迹亦相当密集，如把桐乡境内吴越征战的遗迹串连起来，就可以还原当时两国战争的基本态势，在长达三十多年的鼓角争鸣、刀光剑影中，桐乡这个主战场既遭受了冷兵器时代的战争洗劫，又成为了吴越文化的交汇地。

吴风越韵對于桐乡的历史影响深入骨髓，血脉相连。桐乡的人文既蕴含了古越的硬朗，又蕴含了姑苏的柔美，呈现出极其丰盈的文化魅力。

梧桐之乡 人文璀璨

在桐乡的发展史上，宋代是一个最重要的时期。靖康之难发生后，宋室南渡。在今桐乡境内，当时有很多北宋官民择地定居。宋室宗亲赵氏一族由开封迁居洲泉，绍兴十年（1140），后代赵汝愚出生。赵汝愚少年勤学，心怀大志，宋孝宗乾道二年（1166），青年赵汝愚擢进士第一，从此踏上政坛，官至右丞相，为一代忠臣良相。北宋著作郎兼羽林中尉、护圣军右骑尉濮凤则定居到了濮院，乐志耕桑，经营家业。至元代，濮氏后人濮鉴始创“濮绸”品牌，带动了一方经济与文化的发展。

北人南迁带来的中原文明，使桐乡真正开辟了鸿蒙。从那时起，桐乡大地呈现的人文气象是何等的激荡人心！

崇文重教，科名蔚起。自宋而降，桐邑教育向为官方与民间办学并举，崇德县县学始创于北宋元丰八年（1085），桐乡县县学在明宣德五年（1430）设县之初同步创建。宋代的辅广、清代的张履祥先后从祀孔庙，这是天下多少读书人的梦想。历代从祀孔庙的先贤、先儒156位，其中嘉兴4位，而桐乡独占两席，可谓是儒林殊荣。明末清初杰出的学者、思想家、诗人和时文评论家、出版家吕留良，也是在桐乡横空出世的又一位大儒。

中国现当代文化史上的桐乡，人才辈出，群星灿烂。茅盾、丰子恺、太虚法师、金仲华、陆费逵、钱君匋、徐肖冰、木心……这些名字，代表着他们在各自领域里的大师、大家地位。2020年，浩瀚的太空中，闪耀着一颗“丰子恺星”。

中共一大“卫士”、乌镇女子王会悟，著名红军将领、石门女杰张琴秋，旷代清才、女子先驱、乌镇才女汤国梨，秋瑾挚友、巾帼英雄、崇德的徐自华徐蕴华姐妹……她们都是桐乡这方热土孕育的中华女杰。

以文塑城 风雅之地

近年来，桐乡市把“建设人文名城，打造风雅桐乡”确定为桐乡城市发展的战略目标，打响了一系列具有一定知名度和影响力的文化品牌，文化金名片越擦越亮。

“名人文化”融入城市灵魂。二十世纪八十年代，桐乡就拥有了茅盾故居、丰子恺故居缘缘堂、君匋艺术院“三只金凤凰”。后来，又陆续高标准建成了徐肖冰侯波纪念馆、丰子恺漫画馆、木心美术馆、金仲华故居、陆费逵图书馆等名人文化场馆。这些名人场馆，有5家通过了国家三级博物馆的运行评定，桐乡也是浙江省三级博物馆数量最多的县，在全省文博事业发展水平评估中，桐乡也始终在全省县（市、区）名列前茅。君匋艺术院拥有钱君匋先生毕生收藏的明、清及近现代珍贵文物4083件（其中一级文物24件，二级文物97件，三级文物409件），无论是馆藏量还是珍贵程度在全国县级市中首屈一指。2020年底，投资15亿元的丰子恺艺术中心奠基开工，一个新的文化地标即将在桐乡诞生。依托群星璀璨的名人文化，桐乡近年来持续打造了一批国字号名人文化品牌活动，如茅盾文学新人奖、茅盾文学新人奖·网络文学新人奖、“子恺杯”中国漫画大展、丰子恺散文奖、金仲华国研杯征文颁奖活动、“徐肖冰杯”中国纪实摄影展等。名人文化日益成为桐乡一张亮丽的名片。

“伯鸿系列”阅读品牌深入人心。在桐乡，每月一期的伯鸿讲堂，激发着全民追星的热潮。伯鸿讲堂是桐乡市携手中华书局开设的高层次高规格的全民公益讲座，以陆费逵先生字命名，王蒙、康震、李伯重、辛德勇等名家曾受邀现场授课。近年致力打造的伯鸿系列阅读平台，成为了桐乡最受欢迎的民心工程。2018年，率先启用的凤凰湖伯鸿城市书房，因其高顔值高品位，迅速成为桐乡市民网红打卡地，每月打卡人数达到2万人次。截至2020年底，全市建成了辐射城乡的16个伯鸿城市书房、46家伯鸿乡村书屋、46家伯鸿书屋，“十分钟阅读圈”迅速形成。桐乡还连续多年举办全国性读书大奖“伯鸿书香奖”，致力于推动全民阅读，真正让经典走进大众、让阅读成为时尚。

“地方戏剧”品牌顯露头角。运河水流淌不息，植根深厚的文脉，使桐乡的地方戏剧也一枝独秀，成为“中国新戏剧之乡”：桐乡有40多支民间戏曲艺术团队，常态化举办戏曲活动和赛事等;如承办中央电视台戏曲频道“过把瘾·桐乡行”，举办中国·桐乡小戏艺术邀请展、江浙沪现代小戏邀请赛等。培养了一批地方戏剧人才，尤其重视少儿戏曲艺术传承;培育一大批“小戏迷”，建立了5个传承基地，每年开展培训150多期，组织优秀“小戏迷”参加央视戏曲频道“一鸣惊人”大赛，有5名“小戏迷”摘得“全国少儿戏曲小梅花荟萃”金花奖;连续举办七届的乌镇戏剧节誉满全球，共有世界各地戏剧大师的118部特邀剧目在戏剧节演出，累计吸引观众超100万，已成为国际知名戏剧节，也是国内最具规模、最深入人心的戏剧节。

随着风雅桐乡建设的深入，独具桐乡特色的文化品牌活动越来越多。 绵延永续的人文渊薮，使桐乡的风雅从骨子里透露了出来，由内而外、元气丰沛、神采飞扬。

Tongxiang： Cultural Charm and Celebrities

A Chinese proverb states “in heaven there is paradise， on earth Suzhou and Hangzhou”， likening the two cities in the Yangtze River Delta to heavenly beauty and prosperity. Tongxiang， a county-level city of Jiaxing in northern Zhejiang， lies between Suzhou and Hangzhou. Archaeological discoveries demonstrate that Tongxiang was home to some regional primitive cultures that date back to 5，000， 6，000， even 7，000 years ago. If Tongxiang used to be a conspicuous landmark of a civilization， then it is a city of cultural charm， historical significance and celebrities.

A typical flatland traversed by rivers and canals， Tongxiang does not look like a strategic spot that warring states fight to seize， but about 2，500 years ago， it witnessed fierce battles between Wu State in the north and the Yue State in the South. It was the main battleground between the two archrivals. Historians and geographers can pinpoint to places in Tongxiang and say what happened there so many centuries ago. At Shimen Town， there remains a 100-meter-long， 1-meter-wide stone lane， part of a borderline of the two states. The narrow lane was flanked on either side by a stone wall. The northern wall marked the Wu and on the other side was the Yue. The borderline zigzagged across Tongxiang. Jiuligang， a river which still exists today， was part of the borderline. A bridge on the river is called Guojie Bridge， literally “state borderline bridge”. In fact， there are numerous historical sites dotted across Tongxiang. If one visits them and learn about them， one can easily string together a long story about the 30-plus years when the two states were at war with each other.

Another important turning point in the history of Tongxiang happened during the Song Dynasty （960-1279）. After the Northern Song （960-1127） crashed， the imperial house came southward and the dynasty reestablished itself in present-day Hangzhou. The new dynasty is now known as the Southern Song （1127-1279）. Following the imperial house to the south were numerous people from the north. About 65 kilometers northeast of the capital city of the dynasty， Tongxiang became a place where many refugees settled down and started a new life. Zhao Ruyu， born in Tongxiang in 1140， was a child of a branch of the royal house. In 1166 he came out as examinee number one of the imperial examination. His political career climaxed when he was appointed a prime minister. Pu Feng， a high-ranking official， settled down in Tongxiang and started a business. Pu Jian， a descendant of Pu Feng， started a silk brand in the Yuan Dynasty （1279-1368）. The place where the Pu family lived and prospered is now known as Puyuan.

Culture came southward with the refugees. Tongxiang benefited hugely from this wave of triggered-by-war migration. Local residents of today consider the Song Dynasty as an epoch of enlightenment. In a response to the education undertakings of the Song Dynasty， schools flourished in Tongxiang in the Song and the following dynasties. The county school of Chongde， predecessor of and now part of Tongxiang， started in 1085. The county school of Tongxiang started in 1430 when Tongxiang County was set up. Fu Guang of the Song Dynasty and Zhang Lyuxiang of the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， both natives of Tongxiang， were two of the 156 Confucian scholars and masters officially honored in the Confucius Temple in the dynasties of the feudal China. Of the 156， four were from Jiaxing; of the four， two were from Tongxiang， part of Jiaxing.

Strangely enough， Fu Guang and Zhang Lyuxiang honored at the Confucius Temple are not the most famous stars of Tongxiang. Lyu Liuliang （1624-1683）， a scholar， poet， publisher， literary critic， philosopher of the Qing Dynasty， is a historical figure better renowned than the two. Moreover， Tongxiang has produced a galaxy of celebrities and historical figures since the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

Tongxiang now promotes its cultural legacy proudly and untiringly. The citys cultural undertakings focus on cultural celebrities， books， and regional theater. The former residence of Mao Dun in Wuzhen， the former residence of Feng Zhikai in Shimen， and Juntao Art Academy in the city proper of Tongxiang are the best known celebrity-themed places in Tongxiang. Newly added to the celebrity-related institutions are Hou Bo & Xu Xiaobing Photography Museum， the former residence of Jin Zhonghua， Mu Xin Art Museum， and Wu Peng Art Academy. The construction of Feng Zikai Art Center， with an investment of 1.5 billion yuan， started at the end of 2020. In fact， Tongxiang has the largest number of class-three museums in the province. The city holds numerous exhibitions a year. In 2019， the exhibitions and similar events in Tongxiang attracted 6.56 million visitors. Wuzhen， a canal town where the former residence of Mao Dun is located， pulls in five million visitors a year. Many of the events and exhibitions are held to honor cultural celebrities of Tongxiang. For example， two literary prizes are issued respectively to young writers and young novelists whose works are first published online in the name of Mao Dun， a national cartoon exhibition and an essay competition are held in the name of Feng Zikai. An exhibition of documentary photography is held in honor of Xu Xiaobing， a revolutionary photo journalist famed for his historical photos.

Lufei Kui （1886-1941）， a native of Tongxiang， was a publisher and educator. In 1912， he founded Zhonghua Book Company， which is one of the most prestigious publishing houses in China engaged in printing classical and traditional studies and dictionaries. The book-reading project in Tongxiang is named after him. In partnership with Zhonghua Book Company， Tongxiang holds a regular lecture at which some cultural celebrities and masters have spoken. In 2018， the city set up a series of public reading rooms across Tongxiang. Nowadays， there are 112 libraries and reading rooms in the rural and urban regions of Tongxiang. These facilities receive about 2.5 million visits a year.

Tongxiang celebrates its tradition and culture by conducting a theater project. The centerpiece is Wuzhen Theater Festival inaugurated in 2014. So far， the event has staged 118 plays by international troupes and counted one million theatergoers. It is the most influential and largest theater festival in China. Moreover， the city has 40-plus folk troupes that stage performances regularly. The city also conducts a series of training and competition for young theater talents. Five youngsters from Tongxiang have won awards at the national theater performance competition for youngsters.