Lu Lane Ancient Village, the first ancient village of Taihu Lake

Located more than forty kilometers away from Suzhou City on the eastern shore of Taihu Lake, there is an ancient village called 'Lu Lane Ancient Village.' Lu Lane Ancient Village faces the vast Taihu Lake in front, backs against Moli Peak, with Hangu Mountain to the east and Jianhu Island to the west, facing the western hills of Taihu Lake across the lake. The unique and superior natural environment makes Lu Lane Ancient Village picturesque and unparalleled. Lu Lane Ancient Village is the hometown of Prime Minister Wang Ao during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. 'Prime Minister' was just a common term in ancient times, not a specific official title; titles like Shangshu Ling and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet could all be referred to as Prime Minister. It is not wrong to call Wang Ao a Prime Minister because he served in the court for more than thirty years, with official titles such as Minister of Revenue and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, equivalent to 'Prime Minister.' In the feudal dynasties, the officialdom was full of intrigue and hidden dangers, and a slight mistake could lead to fatal consequences. Wang Ao understood this deeply. When his official career was flourishing, he chose to retire and return to his hometown, which was a wise decision. Wang Ao was talented and learned, skilled in literature, calligraphy, and collecting books. His student Tang Yin praised him as 'the best writer in the country, the unparalleled Prime Minister in the mountains.' There are two popular explanations for the name 'Lu Lane Ancient Village': one is that Wang Ao's mother had the surname Lu, hence the village was named 'Lu Lane'; the other is that there are six lanes in the village leading directly to the shore of Taihu Lake, and the character 'Lu' is a homophone for the number six, hence the name 'Lu Lane.' Walking into Lu Lane Ancient Village, it is as quiet as an uninhabited place. Occasionally, a few sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking break the silence. In the village, there are many tall horsehead walls and deep courtyards with black tiles and white walls. In the old street at the center of the village, three archways named 'Jieyuan,' 'Huiyuan,' and 'Tanhua' stand tall not far from each other, symbolizing Wang Ao's continuous success in the imperial examinations and his fame in his hometown. Today, there are still five ancient ancestral halls scattered in the ancient village, such as Huihe Hall, Huaigu Hall, and Baojian Hall, full of ancient charm and pleasing to the eye. Lu Lane Ancient Village originated in the Southern Song Dynasty, but the exact year is unknown. It is reported that Lu Lane Ancient Village historically had more than seventy large-scale Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, and more than ten of them are still intact. Data shows that Lu Lane Ancient Village is currently the best-preserved ancient village in Jiangnan with the highest quality and quantity of ancient buildings. Given the profound cultural and historical heritage and the rich ancient architectural features of Lu Lane Ancient Village, it has been awarded the title of one of the first national historical and cultural villages by authoritative national departments and is known as 'the first ancient village of Taihu Lake.'