Tingtao Salt Coal Road　Huang Sen

Tingtao Salt Coal Road

Huang Sen

Recently, we learned from the announcement that the Gufoding Salt Coal Road Scenic Area in Weiyuan County, Sichuan Province has passed the AAAA level inspection . I recall that when I first went there, there was still wilderness all around. The ancient road was hidden in the lush vegetation, and only a dark body covered with moss was exposed. Since it was abandoned, it has maintained its original simplicity because few people have disturbed it. In recent years, thanks to the strong recommendation of photography enthusiasts and fellow apprentices, tourists have been coming in droves, which has also attracted investment and development.

The fourth time I set foot on the ancient trail, Mr. Leng, who was traveling with me, told me about its past. When the car reached the foot of a cliff, Mr. Leng pointed to a grotto and said that this was where the ancient Buddha once stood, and explained the inscriptions on two nearby cliffs. In fact, the core attraction of Gufoding Scenic Area is not the beautiful natural scenery and rich tourism industry, nor the profound religious heritage, but the rich humanistic history. However, I know very little about the history of the ancient Buddha Summit and the ancient salt-coal road beside it. Mr. Leng has profound knowledge in this area. He talks about it like a treasure, which makes me understand it deeper.

Regarding the ancient Buddha's top, Qianlong's "Weiyuan County Chronicle" records: "The ancient Buddha's Cave is twenty-eight miles north of the county. The old wood is deep in the rock, and the green and beautiful scenery can be seen, which is the ancient Buddha's top. There are stones in it. There are three Buddha statues in Iwado. There are dozens of stone steps in Iwato, and the word "Yunti" is engraved on the wall. I don’t know who wrote the moss seal, and its era cannot be verified.” It is also recorded: “On the ancient Buddha Hongya, there is an ancient Buddha statue sitting in the mist of vines. The scenery is deep and profound, and it is not like the human world.” , it is said that foreigners practiced here. The four characters "Yanxia Shishi" written by Daihou Lvhua are powerful and lovely. "If we go back according to the records of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the old "Zhi" was compiled during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty. The "Ancient Buddha's Famous Cliff" has been listed as one of the ten most majestic sights at that time. Based on this calculation, the stone statue on the top of the ancient Buddha must be at least more than 400 years old. It is a pity that the Buddha statue has been damaged long ago, leaving only a hole, and the inscriptions on the cliff are mottled and difficult to read, which is not without regret.

However, there is no record of the ancient road beside the cave in historical materials. The general direction is only described in the "Regional General Map" of the old chronicles. It is unknown when the ancient road was established. It is said that the local iron smelting industry and the surrounding salt mining industry flourished in the late Han Dynasty. This road was used to transport iron, coal, salt and other materials, and it is said that it has been in existence for about two thousand years. Since there is no convincing evidence, this statement cannot be confirmed or falsified. From the results alone, it can be deduced that there were no large-scale machinery in ancient times, so it was difficult to cut mountains and walls. Roads were usually formed along naturally undulating ridges. It stands to reason that future generations would also We will always follow the path pioneered by our ancestors, and there is no need to look for another path. It is reasonable to think that dozens of generations will continue like this.

Of course, only the caravans who have been traveling here for thousands of years can explain this clearly. But they were busy making a living all day long, leaving not a single word of description, only a string of heavy footprints, reflecting pages of heavy history. The footprints are worn away repeatedly, but the history is superimposed layer by layer. Going back along the steps dug into the mountain and the road paved with bluestone slabs, the imprints left by horses' hooves and human feet are always covered time and time again by the imprints of later generations. This covering is like the Qing Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. , the replacement of Yuan Dynasty to Song Dynasty.

Today, there are some sculptures with the theme of cargo caravans scattered in the completed scenic spots. Those sculptures, some leading horses and some carrying burdens, reproduce the scene where caravans and porters used to transport salt bags and coal on the ancient road. Looking at those sculptures, modern people think they can get a sense of life at that time, but where do you feel it, it is actually survival. On the rugged ancient road, there are steep slopes everywhere, especially a section called Luoma Slope. The narrow and steep road surface hides dangers. If you are not careful, you and your horse may fall off the cliff and fall to pieces. Thanks to the wisdom of the ancients, stone piers and other simple deceleration devices were installed on some sections of the road to reduce the occurrence of accidents.

In addition to the three stone statues on the top of the ancient Buddha, the ancient road also passes through a temple called Baoguang Temple. The porters who came and went would occasionally pay homage after resting. Perhaps in the eyes of the ancients, this hard and dangerous business required the protection of gods and Buddhas. Although gods and Buddhas are merciful, they cannot provide money after all. Even if they can overcome the deep spiritual sufferings of the traders, how can they overcome the helpless expectations of their wives and children at home? All living beings are busy in the business, and they must ultimately take care of their own food and clothing.

There are both natural scenery and human fireworks along the ancient road. The entire ancient road runs through old forests and deep rocks. Along the way, there are lush green trees and singing birds, which may provide some relief from the fatigue. In the relatively gentle road section, you can also see a small area of ??terraced fields and three or two farmhouses, surrounded by a few clumps of green trees and bamboos. When the smoke started to rise, the people transporting coal and salt naturally felt hungry, only to realize that they had been walking for a long time. There are some resting shops along the road, which provide rough food and bad tea for the foot soldiers and caravans passing by. Such a shop is actually just one or two thatched houses, simple but barely able to provide shelter from wind and rain. The coolies don't care about the taste of the food. It is enough to fill their bellies and quench their thirst. They have to rest for a while before starting their journey again.

The unique square mountains and ravines in the dome landform create the unique connotation of the Salt and Coal Ancient Road.

There are no small bridges and running water here, there is no misty rain, there is only the desolation of "the west wind and the thin horse on the ancient road", only the misery of "a few taels of broken silver makes people grow old", and there is only the hardship of "the horse's feet kicking against the stone". Of course, there is also the tranquility of "sunlight shining in the gaps between leaves", and the ethereal feeling of "returning to the deep forest and shining on the moss". Walking through the ancient road, I know that "the road is long and obstructed", with deep forests and dense grass, and you can't see the end of the world. If it's a rainy day, you should "don't listen to the sound of beating leaves through the forest, why not scream and walk slowly", no matter how windy it is When the rain is heavy, you only need to "live under the mist and rain for the rest of your life"; when it clears up after the rain, you will "sit and look at the color of the green moss, wishing you could get on someone else's clothes", so why not enjoy some peace and quiet all by yourself. Different moods naturally produce different scenery in the eyes.

After climbing all the way up the hill, I felt a little tired and had to find a place to rest for a while, so I lay down on the ground among the waist-high withered grass and layers of brown pine needles beside the ancient road. Looking out through the canopy, the blue sky is cut into scattered fragments. It is not possible to see the whole sky clearly. It is like the history sealed in an online ancient book. How can it be restored with just a few words? Every truth. The sunlight passes through the branches and leaves dancing in the wind and falls on the body, making people feel a little tired. I closed my eyes lazily, and in a trance, I listened to the sound of horse hooves trampling the silence, and then gradually faded away in the echo of thousands of years; I let Song Tao gently press my eardrums, and picked up the past events recorded in the annual rings.

Those whispers are about the mottled moss marks on the stone stairs and the years printed on the moss marks. They are about the cliffs that have stood beside the ancient road for hundreds of millions of years and the time solidified on the cliffs. They are about the scattered Old horseshoes in the grass and memories engraved on them. It keeps talking about the story of the ancient road, whether there is someone or not, and whether you understand it or not.

Listen to the pines and watch the flowing clouds. Let the flowers bloom and the leaves fall, the ancient road will last forever.