Looking for the home of window grilles —— An interview with Chenxiwan

Bai Yushan Online, in the form of pictures and texts, reflects the geographical features and folk customs of Jingbian and its surrounding areas in Wuqi of the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi. Due to limited time, I was busy painting and stopped updating for a while. 20 19 the spring festival is coming, please continue the meeting. Welcome to reward, forward and like. Please correct me if there are any shortcomings!

One: the environment

Chenxiwan Village belongs to Wuqi County, located in the upper reaches of Wuding River. There is an irregular triangular gully at the intersection of Luojian River and Great Wall River. Chenxiwan Village is scattered on the north side of a foothill called Qingyang Mountain, and an earthen Great Wall (Ming Great Wall) passes through the brain side mountain in the village. The villagers are Chen, Guo, Li and Jia.

Chenxiwan Village belongs to the northern tableland of the Loess Plateau, where the source of the Wuding River is, and its main living conditions are caves with one bright and two dark soil. After the new century, earth caves are gradually abandoned. The doors and windows of the cave have been destroyed, and the fence made of firewood can't stop the fate of being abandoned.

People in the Loess Plateau rammed loess to build earth walls, fenced yards, made pigsty and orchards. The smell of earth comes to my face!

Two chickens in the locked fence guarded the empty yard.

Hollow grating door is the most common door style for wealthy families in 1980s.

In the first month just after the Spring Festival, red couplets still set off the atmosphere of the New Year.

The cave fire is made of earthen stoves and dry branches as fuel. The host is preparing dry wood for cooking by the wall. The neatness of the woodpile shows the diligence and wealth of the host family.

Bai Yushan has the custom of eating pig bones in the New Year. Judging from the neatly stacked bones, the owner likes others.

Cave dwellings are warm in winter and cool in summer, suitable for the elderly. Few people live in this traditional cave dwelling.

The wooden ladder, wicker basket and broom on the courtyard wall are the most typical families in the 1980s.

Two: Master

In the first month of 20 16, my niece and son-in-law Xiao Qiang and I drove to Chenxiwan Village to visit the last Guo Jingbang who put up decals.

Guo Jingbang was born in the 1940s. He is over 70 years old and looks good. My father and I are classmates, old party member, a model worker. Every family in Bai Yushan has relatives and friends. The two old people are nieces' uncles and grandfathers. After listening to my visit to stick grilles's house, my niece told me that the family would stick window grilles on the cave windows every year.

This alley is a passage connecting the caves. After the guests arrived, the hostess was busy going in and out of the alley.

The tiger pillow treasured by the hostess reminds me of my childhood!

The tiger pillow treasured by the woman next to her lay there quietly. The photos of beautiful women riding motorcycles on the wall and Kang Waizi's paintings show the once prosperous host family.

Traditional tiger pillows are rare. The new tiger pillow is fine in workmanship, but it lacks traces of time.

The host sat on the kang "admiring" this beautiful new hat.

Three: inside the cave.

Judging from the photo frame and furnishings on the wall, the owner is a picky and loving family.

This wooden bowl rack is the most fashionable and practical furniture popular in Bai Yushan in 1980s. Next to the bowl rack is a noodle rack with buckwheat noodle knives on it.

Local window grilles belong to traditional patterns. It belongs to the paper-cut style of three sides (fixed side, Jingbian side and Anbian side).

The local window grilles are small and exquisite, and the finer you shake Mao Mao, the better!

These window grilles were cut by Guo Jingbang's daughter who works in Yan 'an. Every winter, the old people move from the new countryside to the caves for the New Year. The cave is warm in winter and cool in summer, which is convenient for winter. After putting on colored window grilles, the flavor of the year is stronger!

White in the sand, chickens, birds, birds pecked through the hemp paper, and the wind quickly broke the window. In order to keep the window grilles longer, the old man covered them with gauze.

Before leaving, the old man left his contact information and verbally agreed on the right to publish. The window grilles behind him sparkled. Most kind-hearted fellow villagers in northern Shaanxi supported my visit and took photos. They were all very enthusiastic after I explained my purpose!

Four: Farewell

The old man took out beer to entertain Xiao Qiang, the niece and son-in-law of the part-time driver.

I use my mobile phone to take pictures of the old man in front of the window grilles.

Xiao Qiang was filming behind me.

I took a photo with the old man in front of the window grilles.

The old man with a smoking pot smiled at the camera. The hostess is busy at the door.

The hostess is busy with a bowl in her hand. Women in Bai Yushan are busy and hard all their lives, and they are the hardest!

The hostess sent us out of the yard, reluctant to part! Those who stay in the village will continue to guard their last home.

SLR cameras, cards and mobile phones are my best tools to record my hometown! Walking in my hometown, photographing the lives of ordinary people around me and recording the changes in my hometown, this romantic feeling has been integrated into my blood.

Brief introduction of the author

Zhou Jing (Hou Jingzhou) and Wu Qiren, former teachers, editors and journalists, like writing, photography and painting. His works have been published in local, provincial and municipal media and Guangming Daily. Northwest University Art College and Vocational and Technical College employ professional teachers. Published poetry anthology Life under the Great Wall, Walking West along the Great Wall and Farewell to Cave Dwelling.