Walking through Longtan again prose

I have never studied the meaning of the word "Longtan" in detail. Like all place names, it is rightly called. It was not until today, during the Lantern Festival, that the Municipal Writers Association led a group of about 20 literary friends to Yangquepo to celebrate the Lantern Festival, and they began to think of the mighty idioms such as "Longtan Tiger's Lair" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". When I heard Mr. Jiang talking about "Longtan" at the table, I was shocked to know that "Longtan" was actually related to the "True Dragon Emperor".

Longtan is really like a big pool, surrounded by mountains and with open terrain. Among the counties and cities below Huaihua, Xupu seems to have more "plains". Surrounded by green mountains, although there is a vast expanse as far as the eye can see, there are thousands of hectares of fertile land and hundreds of mansions. It is very different from the hillside terraces and hills between ridges in other places. Although Longtan is only a township affiliated with Xupu, it is a large town with flat rice fields and residential buildings either densely clustered together or sparsely scattered around the foot of the mountain. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, rice from Longtan was always a tribute grain for the imperial court. It is said that three emperors passed by Longtan. Kangxi, Qianlong, and even the Tu emperor Li Zicheng all left stories in Longtan.

The Xuefengshan Tourism Development Company uses Longtan as a point to form a triangle with Xupu Simeng and Xuefengshan Park, intending to create an eco-tourism circle in Hunan that echoes the Phoenix, forming a "dragon and phoenix dance" eco-tourism situation.

And Longtan has three basic attractions. The Huayao Rice Terraces on the back of the mountain are very famous, and people in the group often forward photos of the scenery of the mountain back terraces. Every summer and autumn, the terraced fields are intertwined, green and yellow, gorgeous and enchanting, not inferior to those in Yunnan. Chuanshanyan Forest Park is surrounded by high mountains, cold and quiet scenery, and the sea of ??clouds is unpredictable.

A few years ago, I walked through Longtan. There is a physical education teacher in Longtan No. 3 Middle School who loves traditional Chinese massage. He teaches himself acupuncture and herbal medicine, and he is very good at treating shoulders, neck and lumbar spine. He often goes deep into the rocks alone, climbs cliffs to collect herbs, and catches toads and mountain frogs. The family brews more than ten kinds of wine: bayberry wine, osmanthus alcohol, apricot flower fragrance, grape purple, I can’t even remember the names, and the flowers all come from the mountains. This kind of wild life sentiment, which is slightly different from the gentle and romantic feelings of literati, is also very fascinating. I came to No. 3 Middle School to see him once. I was in such a hurry that I almost fainted from motion sickness, so I didn’t stop at Longtan to look at it, and I didn’t have the chance to climb through the rocks with him. But it often reminds people of the deep jungle, the gurgling clear water, the quarreling of sunbirds, the chirping of hundreds of insects, and the jumping of toads and grasshoppers.

Another scenic spot is Yangquepo.

At the warm invitation of Xuefengshan Tourism Co., Ltd., we arrived at Yangquepo at three o'clock in the afternoon. There is a courtyard in Yangquepo with six old houses, about three levels above and below. It has a history of more than 200 years and is relatively well preserved. It is also the family history of the Wang family in Longtan. When the Anti-Japanese War reached Longtan, it became the final stop of Japan's war of aggression against China. Folks often say that the Japanese cannot defeat Xuefeng Mountain, but in fact they cannot defeat Longtan. The ancestral home of the Wang family was once the headquarters of the Anti-Japanese War. General Wang Yaowu once stayed here for one night. There was an old carved bed, with the paint basically peeling off; a marching quilt, folded into neat squares, stained with mildew; an old military telephone, placed on a low stool by the bedside - a simple display. Perhaps because of the Anti-Japanese War and the relationship with General Wang, the villagers have the consciousness to protect cultural relics?

However, Yangquepo does not seem to have any advantages as a tourist attraction. The hilltops are continuous and dense, like a pile of earth bags; after digging a gravel square in the mountain trench, the surrounding hills are sparsely covered with fir trees, like tufts of hair on Sanmao's head. Lack of forest and water is not a highlight.

Fortunately, the purpose of Xuefengshan Tourism Development Company is to create an ecological, healthy and leisure resort paradise, so it tries to build according to the mountain's situation. Judging from the pictures on the Internet, Huayao Muzhai and the hot spring hotel have basically not damaged the original trees in the scenic spot. I have long heard about the tourism development in Xuefeng Mountain. What I am most worried about is the damage to the forest caused by the development. On this point, I have been admiring Guizhou’s approach for many years. Guizhou has green mountains and green waters, a cool climate, dense jungles, and hot springs everywhere. However, after traveling to many places in Guizhou, I found that deforestation, road construction, and hotel construction are still very rare.

The tourism development in Xishuangbanna, Zhangjiajie, and many other places is destructive development. Everyone is ignorant of their conscience and short-sighted, and overdrafts the checks of their descendants that they cannot repay. Science is a double-edged sword, and tourism is also a double-edged sword. While it brings economic benefits, it also destroys resources for future generations.

Sometimes, when walking on high-speed trains, I often think that human beings are the creators of earth’s civilization and the destroyers of human civilization. The railway and highway networks extending in all directions have been broken down one by one, shrinking the green mountains and green waters on the earth into encircling circles, and they are likely to shrink smaller and smaller. Coupled with the uncontrolled large-scale land acquisition and housing construction and its spread to the countryside, you can imagine the future world: it will be a huge bald ball wrapped in cement.

Fortunately, the tourism development in Xuefeng Mountain is reassuring.

We walked around, took photos, and waited to see the dragon lantern. The main program of the Lantern Festival tonight is "Hundred Dragons in Spring". Today's dragon lanterns have long been lost. On the streets and alleys, there are village houses and huts, and occasionally "dragon lanterns" appear. How can it be considered a "dragon lantern"? A few pieces of yellow cloth were randomly tied together and held up by a few idlers. As they walked from house to house, they knocked the gong twice and stretched out their hands to ask for a few dollars. That's not a performance, it's completely begging, which annoys the shopkeepers and house owners. The dragon lanterns I saw when I was a child were long, waving tails, and majestic. The lantern dancers were all professional ancestors or apprentices, and the essence of clam shells, pearls, and grass lanterns accompanied them all the way. Dragons dance, clams shake, gongs and drums roar, and every family performs in front of their door. At that time, no matter how poor or miserable the family was, they were still happy with just two cents, a few glutinous rice cakes, or a handful of melon seeds and peanuts. It didn't feel like they were here for these things. Lively, the picture is just lively!

It is said that the dragon lanterns in Longtan have a history of more than 2,000 years. People in Longtan like dragons, worship dragons and believe in dragons. There are dragons in the mountains and rivers, and there are dragons in every village. The variety is diverse and rich. After disappearing for many years, the dragons gather together tonight to make a comeback. Longtan’s cultural heritage is also very profound. Xuefengshan Tourism Company grandly launched the program "Dragon Lantern Festival on the 15th Lantern Festival", which undoubtedly put a lot of effort into digging into the ancient Huxiang culture.

Before the dragon lantern appears, there is a lengthy sacrificial ceremony. During the ceremony, a Guangmu altar, which inherits Gaomiao culture, was opened to worship Fuxi and the divine dragon. Nearly a hundred Taoist priests and ritual disciples dressed in black robes and Nuo masks on their heads saluted. The classical Chinese sacrificial words were recited by the old man in an ancient accent, with a strong Longtan dialect, long and high-pitched. The eloquent memorial poems, like a long scroll, vibrate across the mountains and forests. The beautiful female vocal group singing in Chiang Mai makes people feel like they have traveled to an ancient altar.

At the end of the ceremony, the dragon lantern team composed of more than 60 ancestral halls, including snow fire dragon, bench dragon, cloud dragon, straw lantern, story lantern, silkworm lantern, lion lantern, and colorful boat, etc. , hundreds of dragon lanterns appeared one after another. Hey, I really saw the clam shell spirit, fanning the two huge leaves of the clam shell. The sound of drums shakes the forest, and dragons dance on the mountain tops. So spectacular! This is the dragon lantern I saw when I was a kid!

Tens of thousands of folks and tourists from all directions flocked here; motorcycles and tourist buses were crowded.

Yangquepo is surrounded by water...

Although Yangquepo is small, Longtan is very big.

It was late at night, and we turned back.

In Longtan, Nuoda, we made a big circle and even got lost while driving the navigation system. It was late at night and there was nowhere to ask. Occasionally, when there was a yellow light in front of the store, we stopped the car and asked. This time, I walked past Longtan again, and at a quick glance, I saw Longtan in the night, lying quietly in the embrace of the Xuefeng Mountains. The lights were dim, the mountains were shimmering, and Longtan was so quiet that I couldn't breathe.