Visiting Shaocheng - 'Thirty-Nine': A Rainy Walk in 'Xiqiao Park'

■ Xiqiao Park is located at No. 4 Huimin Road, Wujiang District, Shaoguan City. To put it simply, it is at the end of the bridge near Xinhua North Road on Xihe Bridge. In fact, this park was not originally called Xiqiao Park. When I was a child, this park was called 'Children's Park'. The older generation of Shaoguan people must remember it. The most impressive thing for me was the seesaw. At that time, as long as it was the weekend, I would come here with my friends to play on it. Now, you might think, really? In my childhood, there were no electronic devices. Believe it or not, we could play with an abandoned bicycle tire for an entire afternoon. Nowadays, people would probably think you're crazy... ■ I haven't walked through Xiqiao Park seriously for more than ten years. Every day it's either work or work. If it weren't for the fact that two typhoons had already landed, and their outer cloud bands affected Shaoguan, with thunder so loud last night that it could wake you from your dreams, bringing heavy rain and finally a bit of coolness to the continuously hot Shaoguan. Rarely having a day off, I didn't think of going far. It rained the whole day, so I took advantage of the lighter rain to come out for a walk. Walking along the river, I naturally came to Xiqiao Park. ■ Although it was raining, there were still elderly people insisting on exercising in Xiqiao Park and playing chess in the pavilion. Xiqiao Park is divided into two parts, north and south, centered around Xihe Bridge. The park north of Xihe Bridge can play music for square dancing, while the park south of Xihe Bridge is close to the Youth Palace and thus prohibits music. No one came to dance today because of the rain. The north and south parts of the park are connected by a pedestrian tunnel under Xihe Bridge, avoiding the need for pedestrians to cross the bridge. After all, those who come here are either elderly or children. The park's greenery is top-notch. A park with such a long history surely has towering trees. Even in the 40°C high temperatures of the past few days, it's still comfortable to cool off under these trees. Walking through the pedestrian tunnel, the walls are painted with children's drawings. I think it would be better if they could hang photos of the Children's Park from my childhood. The southern part of Xiqiao Park was empty due to the heavier rain. There is a pond here, and surprisingly, it has carp in it. That's quite interesting... See the picture. ■ Admission: Free ■ Bus: Take route 16 and get off at 'City Youth Palace' station (this route passes through Shaoguan East Station, be careful not to go in the wrong direction).