Zunyi Gelao Stone City: covering an area of ??380 acres, with an investment of 430 million, and is now overgrown with weeds

In Pingzheng Township, Zunyi County, Guizhou Province, there is a "Gelao Museum" (Gelao Customs Park) with an investment of 430 million yuan. It once caused a sensation and became a popular local tourist attraction. It was crowded and overcrowded. , the economic benefits are good, but for some unknown reason, the entire style garden is now overgrown with weeds, uncared for, dilapidated, and has become an abandoned attraction, which makes people sigh.

According to online reports, the Gelao Stone City (Guizhou Original Ecological Gelao Cultural Museum) in Pingzheng Township, Zunyi County, has a total investment of 430 million yuan and covers an area of ??more than 380 acres. It officially opened in September 2012. At present, more than 20 scenic spots and more than 300 scenic spots have been established, including the Gelao Cultural Expo Park, Exhibition Hall, Gelao Ancestor Jiutian Tianzu, Qianzu, Yue, Dagui, Baowang, etc. The Stone City is full of strange rocks, which are arranged according to the sky. The arrangement of the earthly branches is as mysterious as a maze. Many strange stones are engraved with Gelao characters, recording the history and legends of this nation.

The Gelao ethnic group is an ancient ethnic group on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The Pingzheng Gelao Township was established in December 1956. It is the first Gelao township in my country. In January 2006, it was successfully declared as the "China's first Gelao Township". One township." The Gelao culture has a long history. In Pingzheng Gelao Township, the customs and habits of the ethnic group in clothing, food, residence, marriage, funerals, festivals, etc. are still preserved.

Gelao Stone City has a large area, unique and weird landscape, and is known as "Thousands of Dragons, Tens of Thousands of Turtles, and Hundreds of Spirits". It is famous for having the four major cultures of "the essence of harmony, the harmony of qi, the god of love, and the spirit of witchcraft". People walk through the auspicious maze and enjoy the aura bathing of the four major cultures, which "washes the heart, strengthens the brain, and makes the mind happy" "Auspicious and wishful", so it is also called Jitu Linghui City.

On August 30, 2020, my colleague's hometown happened to be two or three kilometers away from this Gelao Stone Town. We went there because of its name and drove there. I hope to have a glimpse and see what happens.

The car drove on the winding country road, starting from Xiaoshantou Village in Renhuai City, and arrived at this original site after more than 10 minutes' drive. Ecological Gelao Museum. The area of ????this museum is simply indescribable. It probably covers an area of ??at least 1,000 acres, and the original official website shows 380 acres.

Go down the mountain from one side of the museum. It is a karst geological landform, and strange-shaped stones form the core of this attraction. The scenic spot relies on limestone blocks, stone pillars, stone cities, and the later mixing of reinforced concrete to create various mythological figures, objects, and objects related to the Gelao legends. The venue and buildings are not too much to describe. At least this is a scenic spot related to the legends, myths, customs and admiration of the Gelao people in Guizhou and even the whole country.

The entrance to the scenic spot is made of arches. Every visitor must pass by this place after entering. On both sides of the arch are various shapes related to Gelao legends, including houses, venues, characters, and places. Many plants are planted on the arch, mostly vines, which have grown over the past four or five years. , the arch has been completely sealed, similar to the ghost road in fantasy adventure movies, as if monsters and monsters will appear at the end of the ghost road at any time, which makes people panic. However, this is just a feeling. In fact, the arch is also connected to various kinds of things. Unfortunately, the unique shape of the buildings of the Gelao people has been replaced by suspended cement pillars and exposed steel bars. There is no mystery at all.

Playing on the floor is a leisure and entertainment activity for the Gelao people. It is a place for entertainment and folk songs. Grand folk singing activities are held here every festival to celebrate the harvest of the Gelao people and to pray for hope, harvest and good weather.

This house with a pavilion is completely unique. It is built with a pure wooden structure. The exterior is hidden in the bamboo forest. There is a stone road of about ten meters. When you walk in, you can see the gate of the building. Inside the building, there is a courtyard of hundreds of square meters, plus 200 square meters. The wooden house with an area of ??about 300 square meters makes the Shualou more solemn. The entire Shualou covers an area of ??about two acres and has a construction area of ??about 300 square meters, which can fully accommodate a gathering of hundreds of people.

The main building of the Shualou. In the center is the Liuheyuan. The three large characters of the Liuheyuan are inlaid with gold and are uniquely written in Gelao characters and Chinese characters, giving it a somewhat antique feel.

The wood of the building has been partially decayed due to years of wind and sun exposure, and needs to be renovated before it can receive tourists.

After walking through the green arch, turn left and you will see three huge figures, about four or five meters high, with serious and sad expressions. Maybe these are the characters in the Gelao myths and legends.

One of them looks half-human and half-animal, one is meditating, and one is gentle and looks like an elder and decision-maker. However, due to no repairs over time, these statues have been surrounded by weeds, and the footsteps and lower bodies cannot be seen.

Among these statues, King Bao is a well-known figure of the Gelao people in history. Baowang's name is Lagong. He was a leader of the Gelao people during the Zhou Dynasty. He became extremely wealthy because of his cinnabar business. He was later canonized as Baowang by the King of Zhou and became the God of Wealth and Peace Talisman in the hearts of the Gelao people.

Guizhou people have been inseparable from wine and wine culture since ancient times. The same goes for this Gelao Nationality Museum, which contains a list of stories and legends about the winemaking of the Gelao ancestors. The main display form is the wine can. Huge wine jars are lined up in the museum, and they are engraved with Gelao characters. For a tourist like me who cannot read ethnic characters, I probably guessed that they are wine jars.

In the Gelao Museum, the activity square covers the largest area, probably at least seven or eight acres. A covered bridge is set up in the square for tourists to travel together. It is said that when it first opened in 2012, it was the most lively place.

Behind the square, there are also two huge statues, which are at least three or four meters high. The statue looks like the God of Wealth, sitting in a mountain valley with bright eyes. Under the statue, there are all gold ingots. Even if it is submerged by weeds, it cannot cover up the shining gold ingots.

The turtle stone is divided into two sizes, large and small, and its shape is very similar to a turtle. In the eyes of many ancient businessmen, the turtle is a symbol of wealth. These two stones are named Divine Turtle Stone, which shows the worship of turtles by the ancient Gelao people.

The sacrificial square is about a few hundred square meters and is located at the last tourist link of the scenic spot. There is a huge statue standing in the square, with a dark face, angry eyes, copper bell-like eyes, and huge teeth, which evokes terrifying thoughts in people. Children inevitably scream when they see it.

It is said that this sacrificial square is used by the Gelao people to kill cattle and hold sacrificial activities. Large-scale activities are held here every festival.

Why is such a scenic spot with such good culture, ethnicity, customs, myths and legends now overgrown with weeds and empty? Zhang Changguo talks about tourism. Personal opinion——

1. The area is too large. Large-scale development is a taboo in tourism development. Some local people said that it is recommended that this scenic spot should be built with a few attractions first, and then expanding the scale after it becomes busy is a better investment method.

2. Inconvenient transportation. On the surface, it appears to be relatively close to both Zunyi County and Renhuai City. However, there is still no direct expressway from this location. People from Renhuai City will feel that the road is different when going up, while tourists from Zunyi County will feel that the road is bumpy and rugged when going down.

3. Incomplete supporting facilities. General tourist attractions need to have various supporting facilities, such as the combination of three commercial formats: accommodation, catering, and shopping, so as to facilitate customers' shopping and allow tourists to stay.

4. Target niche. The so-called target niche refers to the creation of scenic spots with ethnic customs as the core. It is recommended that places not far from the city are better. For example, the Ethnic Village in Kunming is also a custom garden for ethnic minorities, but it is located next to Dianchi Lake in Kunming, only a few kilometers away from the city. There are many people visiting it. It is the peak season all year round, and the income has also increased. The scenic spot is also Well maintained.

It seems that tourism is not easy. It requires long-term and sustained operations, scientific management, and strong sales to make scenic spots and scenic spots come alive, enterprises to survive, and tourists to get a wonderful tourism experience.