寻找地藏香｜常熟老街夜拍记

农历七月三十，民间有地藏节之说，相传这一天是地藏王菩萨的诞辰。江南地区，尤其苏锡常一带，旧时还流传着“插地藏香”的习俗，也叫“点地灯”或“烧棒香”。入夜后，人们在屋前、路边或巷口插香点燃，寄托祈福平安、敬奉先人的心愿。

有位朋友提醒我，在常熟的老街巷里，也许还能找到这个习俗。

傍晚，我来到陈家市附近。天色渐暗，街灯陆续亮起。Rx1RM2 很适合这样的夜间拍摄，只要现场还有一点灯光，手持基本都能应付。

我原以为会很容易看到地藏香，但真正走进巷子以后才发现，它已经不再随处可见。于是我一条巷子一条巷子地走，偶尔找到一处，也拍下寻找途中遇见的人、摊贩、街灯和夜色。

所幸，最后还是找到了几处仍在燃烧的地藏香。而这个夜晚留给我的，也不只是那些香火。

ENGLISH

Searching for Dizang Incense | A Night Photo Walk in the Old Streets of Changshu

The thirtieth day of the seventh lunar month is traditionally associated with Dizang, or Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. In the Jiangnan region, especially around Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou, there was once a custom of placing incense in the ground on this night. Locally it is known as “Dizang incense,” “lighting ground lamps,” or “burning stick incense.” After dark, people would light incense outside their homes, along roadsides, or at the entrances to lanes, as a way of praying for peace and remembering those who had passed away.

A friend told me that this custom might still be found in some of Changshu’s older neighborhoods.

Toward evening, I arrived near Chenjiashi. As daylight faded, the streetlights began to come on. The RX1R II is well suited to this kind of nighttime photography; as long as there is a little available light, handheld shooting is usually enough.

I had expected the incense to be easy to find. Once I began walking through the lanes, however, I realized that it was no longer something seen everywhere. So I kept moving from one alley to another, occasionally finding a small cluster of incense while also photographing the people, stalls, streetlights, and colors I encountered along the way.

Fortunately, I did find several places where Dizang incense was still burning. But by the end of the walk, the photographs were no longer only about the incense itself.

刚拿出相机，就被夜晚电线杆上的红白与黄黑强烈色彩吸引。As soon as I took out the camera, I was drawn to the bold red-and-white and yellow-and-black colors on a utility pole at night.

糖炒栗子与水果摊。A stall selling roasted chestnuts and fruit.

停在路旁的红色与绿色汽车。Red and green cars parked by the roadside.

终于在一个不起眼的角落，找到了今晚的第一处地藏香。香直接插在泡沫塑料上，为了稳固，还压了一块石头。At last, in an inconspicuous corner, I found the first Dizang incense of the night. The sticks had been placed directly into a piece of foam, weighted down with a stone to keep it steady.

小巷里的烟酒店门口，两个人正在拉家常。看到我拍照，女人笑着回头看我。Two people were chatting outside a small tobacco and liquor shop in an alley. When she noticed me taking a photograph, the woman turned back with a smile.

继续走在老街巷子里。Walking deeper into the old lanes.

隔着栏杆看河对岸路灯下的一幕。A scene beneath a streetlight across the river, seen through the railing.

又找到一处地藏香。主人看到我拍照，有些好奇。Another patch of Dizang incense. The resident looked curious when they saw me taking photographs.

老街路灯下寻常的一幕。An ordinary moment beneath a streetlight in the old neighborhood.

快走出巷口时，正好有人经过，被远处的路灯拉出一道斜长的影子。Near the end of the alley, someone happened to walk past, casting a long diagonal shadow in the distant streetlight.

路上偶遇一只猫。A cat encountered along the way.

我继续扎进巷子，又发现一处地藏香。这一次，香插在煤球灰渣里。I went farther into the lanes and found another patch of Dizang incense, this time planted in coal-briquette ash.

街角路口，一辆停在路边的粉红色汽车格外醒目，正好有人骑着电动车经过。At a street corner, a bright pink car caught my eye just as someone rode past on an electric scooter.

又找到一户插香的人家。说明拍照的原因后，主人告诉我，现在大概只有老街区还能看到这样的习俗，城里已经很少见了。I found another household keeping the custom. After I explained why I was photographing it, the resident told me that nowadays it can mostly be seen only in the older neighborhoods and has become rare in the newer parts of the city.

我继续在老街上游走，偶尔还能找到插香的人家。I continued wandering through the old streets, occasionally coming across another household with incense burning outside.

老街一景。A nighttime scene in the old neighborhood.

走出巷子，电线杆映在昏黄的墙壁上，远处是清冷的街口。Leaving the alley, the shadow of a utility pole fell across a dim yellow wall, with a quiet, cool-toned street corner in the distance.