Exploration of Zhaojiabao

A battlement rammed with "three-concrete" on the wall of Zhaojiabao. The spreading weeds describe the change of time.

After more than 400 years of wind and rain, the "three soils" have not changed. It is actually made by mixing glutinous rice, brown sugar and sand, and mashing it after half a month's fermentation. We tried to dig it by hand, but it was as hard as a stone. This is a miracle, it can be compared with modern cement!

In front of the "Wanbi Building", Yan is chirping. It can be said that people now are in front of the court, but they don't know the former emperor and royal family.

One summer night, the dark blue sky was deep and distant, and the crescent moon was like a hook and cloudless. I strolled under the ancient city of Zhaojiabao in Zhangpu County, Fujian Province, where the breeze was blowing gently and insects were humming for a long time, giving people an unreal and really indistinguishable feeling. Photographer Zhu Chenzhou and I stayed in Zhaojiabao for three days. In the past three days, it was extremely hard and exciting to keep shooting and interviewing every morning and evening. We will leave tomorrow and come to say goodbye to the castle tonight. This is an ancient castle. After more than 400 years of wind and rain since the completion of the twenty-eighth year of Ming Wanli (160 1), intact city walls, city gates and a large number of Ming folk houses are still preserved, which is rare in China.

This is a magical and strange castle, and its four gates are "misplaced". Instead of sitting facing south, I sat facing south, even blocking the south gate. The houses in the city also face the northwest.

This is an extraordinary castle. Descendants of Zhao royal family lived here for more than 400 years in Song Dynasty. It is implicated in the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty and the dream that the descendants of the royal family kept giving up from generation to generation!

I read the prosperity and decline, pride and sadness, heaviness and indifference, helplessness and hope contained in this dream from the weeds at the head of the city, the cracks in the hard three-in-one earth wall, the high threshold of the official hall and the dragon and phoenix stone drum, and the expressions on the faces of the royal descendants living in the castle. ...

The golden morning sun shines on the majestic east gate. The plaque on the city gate is engraved with the words "Dongda obstacle". A bull just walked out of the gate, followed by a timid calf. From time to time, villagers wearing hats and carrying hoes walked out of the city gate and went to work in the fields.

How happy this group of royal descendants are playing under the big banyan tree! The walls of the castle are visible in the distance.

There are stories everywhere in Zhaojiabao. You see, a small dike divides the water into two parts: on the left is Pan Hu, the traitor's Pan; On the right is yang hu, Zhong Liang's Yang. The lake is turbid and clear, and the water level fluctuates. It is really clear between traitors and loyal subjects. The bridge on the lake echoes Bianzhou Bridge in Bianjing, which is called Bianpai Bridge.

Clouds are reflected in the morning light, and the Panhu Lake and Yanghu Lake in the stone bridge are as beautiful as dreams! This stone pagoda is 9.95 meters high, which is exactly one tenth of the height of Kaifeng Song Pagoda. Its shape is as tall and thin as the pagoda.

The "Wan Bi Lou" in the sunset looks magnificent. It is like a tall and indestructible square bunker.

As night falls, at the foot of the ancient city wall, people who have worked hard all day call it a day and go home.

In contrast to the south gate is the north gate. Led by a group of naughty village children, we came to the main entrance of Zhaojiabao. Although it is as desolate and quiet as the south gate, the difference is obvious: the tall gates are all made of stone, and the doorframes are flat-topped. The original stone carving says "Gao Shuosheng". Although the gatehouse has been destroyed, the slightly hexagonal urn is much larger than the south gate urn, with a wall thickness of 0.8 meters, concrete battlements rammed on the wall and sidewalks left inside. All this is based on actual needs, unlike the South Gate, which exists in name only. There are two stone tablets in Wengcheng, one of which is "Inscription on Building a Fort in Gao Shuo" written by Zhao Fan.

Inside the city gate, there is a martial arts temple and a "father and son doctor square" echoing the city gate. The North Gate was supposed to be a house built in the middle of Qing Dynasty, but it has already collapsed and is surrounded by weeds. At present, it is just a messy banana field and a narrow path.

Sitting in Zhaojiabao facing south, the north gate should be the main entrance. Why did it fall into such a state? The villagers have different opinions. One of them said that there was a county magistrate in the Qing Dynasty. Seeing that there was another "Long Mai" in Zhaojiabao, the emperor was still very angry. He was afraid that it would be bad for the Qing Dynasty in the future. He ordered the destruction of a flat land in front of the north gate, filled a moat and broke the geomantic omen. Since then, the North Gate has become so desolate. Someone moved a similar story to the early days of liberation. ...

Anyway, today's Zhaojiabao, the south gate is blocked, the north gate is helpless, and the main gate has to be moved to the east gate. Maybe no one will care about Feng Shui, Long Mai and the royal weather today! The children standing on the "Gao Shuosheng" stone tablet and the lambs grazing quietly in front of the stone tablet seem to say: Isn't this good? The once bustling scene outside the north gate of the main entrance is now overgrown with weeds, and only a banana field and a veritable narrow path can be seen.

Nightmare: Block the South Gate!

As a castle, the most important thing is its military defense function: defending against the invasion of pirates and bandits, and ensuring the safety of family life and property. The outer cities of Zhaojiabao are criss-crossed with stone slabs, and the city walls are filled and compacted. The wall is 2.5 meters thick and 4-5 meters high. The top of the wall is paved with slate for people to walk on. Externally tamped concrete battlements. The main entrance is the original East Gate, and the words "Dongda Obstacle" are engraved on the gate, pointing out the basic functions of the city. The city gate protrudes outside the city wall, and the doorway is 4.8 meters wide, with a tower built on it. The towering city walls and towers show extraordinary style. Facing the golden light of the morning sun, watching people wearing hats and carrying hoes go out to farm, or someone walking slowly out of the door with a cow, followed by a timid calf, really makes people feel back to the ancient and distant farming era.

However, the most unique and intriguing is the South Gate. Zhao Fan originally chose the fort site on the northern slope of Shuoshan Mountain, facing the northwest. Out of the south of the city is a mountain, and there is no way out. This is completely opposite to the direction in which ordinary cities face south. We walked to the south gate with photographic equipment. The path is barren and rugged, so it is difficult to walk. Although it was summer, the trees were covered with dead leaves the next year, and several butterflies danced in front of us. The gate here is obviously shorter than the other three places, and the top of the gate is actually within reach. Designers seem reluctant to build a small urn that looks only 4 meters square outside the city gate. The outer door of the urn is relatively short, only reaching my chest, and it is sealed by a stone, leaving only a crack in the stone. It seems that Zhao Fan and Zhao Yi didn't intend to let people in and out from the south gate at all. Obviously, "going south" has become a taboo for the descendants of the Zhao royal family. Since the Jingkang Rebellion was driven to the south of the Yangtze River by Jin Jun from Bianzhou, the emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty was not well off. Soon, another Yuan army attacked on a large scale and pursued again and again. They fled to the south again and again until there was no way out. The emperor finally committed suicide by jumping into the sea on the cliff in Guangdong. Although Zhao Fan and Zhao Yi arrived in the Ming Dynasty, there was no sound of Yuan soldiers chasing them, but the humiliating experience of their ancestors still made them unforgettable. The descendants of the Zhao royal family will never escape to the south again, never again! Block the south gate with stones. The descendants of the Zhao family will face the Central Plains, Northwest China and the once prosperous Bianjing!

After filming the scene at the south gate, we are still unfinished. Take the trouble to circle the city, and then shoot the blocked city gate from outside the south gate. Sure enough, the city walls and gates look much more magnificent from the wilderness outside the city. Several green vines spread down from the city head, just hanging on the blocked south gate, adding a mysterious and distant sense of vicissitudes to the castle. This may be the unique charm of Zhaojiabao!

Looking up from the patio of Wanbi Building, do you see a crescent moon?

In the history of Bianjing, there are three buildings: outer city, inner city and inner city. Zhao Fan and his son deliberately imitated the layout of Bianjing City and set up three buildings: the outer city, the inner city and the Wanbi Building.

Wanbi Building is of course the core building of Zhaojiabao. Its plane is square, the side length is 22 meters, and the height of three floors is 13.6 meters. The bottom layer is laid with stones alternately, and the second and third layers are compacted with concrete. This is a combination of a square earth building in southwest Fujian and a quadrangle in the north.

This 400-year-old broken wall retains too much historical sadness, but is unwilling to indulge in the descendants of the royal family in the past, preferring to bathe in the brilliant sunshine after the broken wall.

But these ships were soon submerged by the wind and waves. At that time, almost no one knew that of the sixteen "submerged" ships, in fact, four finally escaped. The ship carried Zhao Ruohe, the king of Minchong County, who was only thirteen years old, and Dr. Xu and Huang Cai, courtiers. After escaping from the encirclement of the Yuan army and the storm, he drifted downstream to the north, hoping to return to his fief, Fuzhou, and try to recover lost ground. However, when the typhoon hit Wuyu in Xiamen again, they had to disband their entourage, abandon the ship and sneak into the shore at the foot of Mount Wu to hide at night. It was not until the Yuan army stopped the search for the imperial clan of the Southern Song Dynasty that they went to Fotan Town, Zhangpu County and changed their names to Huang (homophonic with "Huang" and "Huang").

The years passed quickly, and the rule of the Yuan Dynasty ended in a blink of an eye. Only in Hongwu 18 of the Ming Dynasty, with the permission of Zhu Yuanzhang, did these descendants of the Song royal family publicly restore Zhao's surname. In the 20th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, Zhao Ruohe's ninth generation Sun Zhaofan retired to his hometown. He thinks Fotan is located in the coastal area. Although there is a large earthen fort, Yuemeita, it is often harassed by pirates and is very unsafe. Coupled with the jealousy of the local Yang family, they often find things to provoke, so they decided to move their family to the mainland. He chose Shuoshan Mountain, which was developed beside Danzao Mountain in the southeast of Huxi Basin in Zhangpu County. Surrounded by green hills, away from pirates and the noise of the city. The fertile land and lush trees can take care of the elderly and gather people. He built the "Wanbi Building" first, then the city wall and the municipal government. His son Zhao Yi inherited his father's ambition, built an outer city and built a large number of gardens, temples and houses in the city. Zhao Yi died in the 13th year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty (1639). Since then, this castle, with an area of 173 mu, a total length of the outer city of 1082 m and an inner wall of 220 m, has hardly been built.

After more than 400 years of wind and rain, fortunately, although it was partially destroyed in the late Cultural Revolution, a primitive ancient castle of the Ming Dynasty was basically preserved.

After more than 400 years of wind and rain, the castle walls are still intact, hugging the residence of the Zhao royal family. On the upper left is the main building "Wanbi Building", and the doors of the houses in the city all face the northwest. Castle peak is in sight in the distance.

In the face of this ancient castle, the historical picture of the rise and fall of the Great Song Dynasty flashed before my eyes, which made people feel deeply. In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin launched a mutiny in Chen Qiao, the temple in the late Five Dynasties and Zhou Dynasty, and became emperor overnight, thus unifying China and creating the foundation of the Song Dynasty for more than 300 years. The bustling scene of Bianzhou, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, can be seen only from a picture of the Riverside at Qingming Festival. Look at the houses on both sides of the Bianhe River. The market is full of traffic. Especially on that high arch bridge, people ride horses, take cars, push carts, carry loads, and people are surging. We seem to hear endless laughter, hawking and noise.

However, this page was quickly turned over. After the change of Jingkang, Jin Bing captured Bianjing, and Emperor Hui, Qin and the royal family were all taken into exile in the north, thus ending the Northern Song Dynasty. In A.D. 1 127, Zhao, the ninth son of Hui Zong, became the Emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty. In Lin 'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, people heard Yue Fei's sad voice of "returning my rivers and mountains", but at the same time they also heard graceful songs and dances of silk and bamboo. As the poem says, "When will the West Lake dance stop?" ? Warm winds make tourists drunk and Hangzhou a continent. "

After Xu Jin was destroyed, the Yuan Army came again. Of course, the West Lake song and dance can't stop Mongolian cavalry from going south, and the Southern Song Emperor will only flee south again and again.

The tragedy of history finally fell on a little emperor Zhao who was only nine years old. In A.D. 1278, Zhang Hongfan was captured by the Yuan Dynasty, and the last capital of the Southern Song Dynasty was Guangdong Yashan. Prime Minister Lu Xiufu threw himself into the sea with the little emperor, and the whole Dasong Dynasty was completely buried in this howling wind and monstrous waves! However, the story of Zhao Ruohe and his descendants related to Zhaojiabao has just begun here. ......

Dreams fall to the mountains.

For Zhao Fan and Zhao Yi, Zhaojiabao is not only a place to live, but also a dream that the royal family can't give up for generations. Some branches of the Zhao royal family have been killed by the yuan army; Some branches have been lost in the bitter years, and I am the one who survived. Let future generations remember that our ancestors once dominated the world and unified the whole country and once belonged to the Zhao family. Maybe one day this wonderful land will return to Zhao's hands! This dream can't be lost, and I can't lose it if I want to. So they solidified it in their castle.

At that time, the "Gao Shuosheng" stone tablet hanging high in the north gate was trampled by naughty village children, who didn't care about the emperor and the descendants of the royal family at all.

The secular life of royal descendants

The most attractive place of Zhaojiabao, apart from the ancient buildings with great personality, is the descendants of the royal family who have lived there so far. Those who can do this are Zhao Fan and Zhao Yi. Materially, they have built a living environment that will enable future generations to live and work in peace and contentment for a long time; Spiritually, they inspire future generations not to forget the great achievements and shame of their ancestors, to make progress and make contributions. I even hope that Zhao's descendants can dominate the world again one day.

Ancestor discipline and strange customs

The Zhao family has always kept a complete genealogy, and there is a page in the genealogy in which Zhao Ruohe describes that he fled with the emperor and was chased by Yuan soldiers. A few years later, Zhao Fan, an official in the Ming Dynasty, read this and could not restrain his inner waves. He wrote in the blank of the genealogy with pen and ink full of blood and tears: "It is inhuman for future generations to read this without crying"! His thoughts and feelings have a far-reaching influence on later generations. Sometimes it becomes the driving force of their efforts, and sometimes it becomes the heavy cross they bear.

In the contact and conversation with the descendants of Zhaojiabao, we learned that some customs handed down by their ancestors in today's life still have a subtle influence on them.

Every year after the Lantern Festival, a ceremony of "Ding Qiu" will be held. This year, all the married people and children came to the ancestral hall to treat guests, and more than 0/6 of the men in the village/kloc-would come to "eat Ding Qiu". Don't underestimate the cohesion of this annual dinner. It always reminds you that you are a descendant of Zhao. Every joining of Zhao is related to the prosperity of the family!

On the 18th day of the first month of each year, a "tour party" is held, in which all the bodhisattvas in ancestral temples and temples are carried out to make room for a parade in the village. It is worth noting not only Guandi, but also the God of Wealth. They are all regarded as bodhisattvas, but their ancestors also worshipped them as bodhisattvas. There is a shrine of Zhao Fan in the official hall. Although the clay statue of Zhao Fan in the shrine is simple, the original Zhao Fan statue was carved with precious agarwood, but it was burned in the early days of liberation. According to genealogy records, the 18th Emperor is also sacrificed in Guanting on the 15th day of the first month every year. The so-called eighteen emperors are portraits of the emperors of the Song Dynasty, and Zhao Ruohe is in charge. The portrait is about 50 cm high and 35 cm wide. Hidden in a fragrant wooden brocade box, it has become a family heirloom of the Zhao family. In the 1950s, it was also lent to Zhangzhou for exhibition, but it was lost in the turmoil of the decade of the Cultural Revolution. Sacrificing eighteen emperors from Zhao Kuangyin and Song Taizu to the emperor every year is a very vivid education for the descendants of the royal family.

Another example is the "turtle test" in the first month of each year, where targets are set in the venue for future generations of Zhao to participate in shooting competitions. Divided into 50 meters, 100 meters, 150 meters, shoot the target with a musket. The top three winners can get prizes. The prize is an unexpected "turtle"-a delicious turtle-shaped cake steamed with glutinous rice flour. Small 10 kg, large 20-30 kg. Whoever can carry a huge glutinous rice turtle of 30 kilograms home and attract many envious eyes is a great honor. The old man in the village said that this is to encourage Zhao's descendants not only to learn literature but also to practice martial arts, and to encourage future generations to make contributions through various channels. As for why glutinous rice turtles are used as prizes, no one can say clearly. We think "turtle" and "return" are homophonic. Did the people who set up the prize expect their descendants to learn martial arts well and return to the north and Bianjing one day?

There is also a very strange custom. When the bride and groom get married, they both wear white trousers and a white apron. These clothes and trousers are all pure white, except for a little red embroidered on them. When getting married, the bride and groom put on this white "elephant head skirt" to worship their ancestors and heaven and earth. Holding a piece of white cloth in his hand. Although we didn't catch such a wedding (usually held on New Year's Day), we were fortunate to see a lady's "elephant head dress" turned out from the bottom of the box. We asked if we could ask someone to put it on and take pictures. They shook their heads again and again. It turns out that this suit will be collected at the bottom of the box after marriage and can't be worn at ordinary times. Only when parents die do they take them out again and put white cloth on their heads when they get married, Dai Xiao. Wait until Zuo Qi (seven days after his death) to collect. You can wear it again in case other elders die. In the end, this white "elephant skirt" was buried with his death. On this big wedding day, weddings and funerals get together, making people forget their ancestors and "filial piety" even when they get married. I wonder if it has anything to do with the demise of the Song Dynasty.

I believe that the teachings and customs of ancient ancestors have a far-reaching influence on the descendants of the Zhao royal family. Especially in the era of feudal emperors, it has very practical significance. Even today, its influence is still potential. People in Zhaojiabao often associate some "wonders" with the rise and fall of the Zhao family, such as: a stone covering an area of about one acre suddenly burst for no reason; For example, "wild rice" was first discovered in a small pond on the west side of Zhaojiabao, Fujian Province; For example, Zhaojiabao began to be valued for development, and experts and scholars from all over the world followed suit; Even an old locust tree that has been dead for many years has sprouted ... they hope these are all signs of Zhao's prosperity.

All descendants of the royal family

After all, times have changed, and the royal descent, which once became their motivation and heavy pressure, has become insignificant to people living in Zhaojiabao today. We interviewed many children and young people, most of whom didn't know that their ancestors were the emperors of the Song Dynasty. There are also many adults and old people who only know their last name is Zhao and don't know which generation of grandchildren they are. In the morning, an old man wore a hat and carried a hoe to work. There is a small bottle of tea hanging on the handle of the hoe, which is very friendly and talkative. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand a word or two because of his language barrier and his teeth fell off. I asked, "How old are you?" He motioned "seventy-four years old." "What's your last name?" "My last name is Diao!" It took a long time to know that the locals read Zhao as "Diao". "Which generation of grandson are you?" He shook his head and said, "I don't know" ... In the evening, we met him again. He came over and spoke to our camera. He was very happy and devoted, and did not ask for our understanding and response. There is half a bottle of tea left in the small bottle hanging on the hoe handle. A woman carrying something walked by and greeted him. He gave the woman half a bottle of tea to drink ... this is a member of the Zhao royal family, hardworking and enthusiastic, kind and kind, and his life is very satisfying. As for the honor and disgrace of his ancestors, any royal descent is nothing to him.

Of course, the above is only one type, and the other is more interested in the history and royal status of one's ancestors. Lao Zhao Man He Bin mentioned earlier is a typical example. He has been accompanying us in filming and interviewing as a tour guide and translator. He also wrote some small articles, such as "A Brief Explanation of the Hidden Meaning of Wan Bilou" and "Fuyao Helan". Before we left, he made a list, hoping that we could send him more than a dozen photos of various places in Zhaojiabao. He is very concerned about the development prospect of Zhaojiabao. There are also some old people who enthusiastically carry those heavy equipment for us, and take pains to cross the path and climb up the wall, which makes us very moved. We also specially interviewed Zhao, the oldest old man in Zhaojiabao. The old man has been in poor health for the past year or two. When we entered his dark room, he was already sitting by the bed. His ears are not very good and he can't speak clearly. I asked him how old he was, and he shook out a red representative with the zodiac from the bedside and pointed it out to me: he is a pig, 92 years old! Don't look at his old age now. Two years ago, he could play musical instruments. In his hand, he still keeps the score of the southern sound of the imperial court, which is marked with "Five or Six Rulers". It's a pity that he can't play anymore. He is Zhao's thirtieth grandson. What about the youngest and lowest in the village? That is Scott's 36th generation grandson, Zhao Hongwei, who is only 4 years old. Hide when you see a stranger, and cry when you let him take pictures. When we get to know each other, he will rub against us and listen to me and his two little cousins riding motorcycles. There was a Song Dynasty in the history of China, and the emperor of the Song Dynasty was their ancestor. ...

But I sincerely hope that with the improvement of material life, they can constantly improve their cultural knowledge and understand the deeds of their ancestors. Pay attention to the value and prospect of Zhaojiabao.

At present, 92-year-old Zhao is the oldest man in Zhaojiabao, and he is the thirtieth generation grandson.

At present, Zhao Hongwei, the youngest grandson of the 36th generation of Zhaojiabao, is only four years old. He is lying on his motorcycle listening to us tell the distant story of their ancestors.

A group of Zhao children are humming the song "Little Swallow". When the camera was aimed at them, haha, everyone was shy and scrambling to hide behind the wall.

The threshold is almost impossible to cross. VIPs will not open the main entrance until they arrive, and the threshold should be low. Wouldn't it be great if someone dared to squat on the threshold like this at that time?

Zhaojiabao quietly hid in the deep mountains of southeast Fujian, and was silent for more than 400 years. It was not until 1979 that it became a county-level cultural relics protection unit. 1985 promoted to the provincial level. It was not until July 20001year that it was announced as a national key cultural relics protection unit. The value of its historical relics and tourism resources is gradually recognized by more and more people. As some authoritative experts have commented, Zhaojiabao is a "rare ancient castle site" with "rich sites and still buildings".

It is understood that the first "five-year plan" for the renovation of Zhaojiabao began in 2002 with an investment of 5.6 million yuan. After the transformation, 50 million yuan will be invested, all of which will be borne by National Cultural Heritage Administration. We are deeply gratified that Zhaojiabao has been valued and protected by National Cultural Heritage Administration. At the same time, I would like to make a suggestion: Zhaojiabao is moving residents out of the city, and it is best to keep some authentic descendants of the Zhao royal family living and living in the castle in a planned way. Don't turn the castle into an empty city for sightseeing only. Imagine if there were no hoes and cows in the castle in the morning; There are no children playing under the big banyan tree; No smoke rises in the evening; There are no ducks swimming in Chi Pan and Yangchi, and there are no sheep grazing by the pool ... What are the benefits? Residents living in the castle can receive tourists as long as they are clean and tidy and their facilities are slightly improved. Let visitors chat with the royal descendants and enjoy the early morning, dusk and even moonlight scenes of the castle. The number of people staying in the castle should be controlled. There are no modern entertainment facilities in this city, nor are there shops and teahouses everywhere like Zhouzhuang. Don't be bustling and noisy. It was originally an old castle in the farming era in the mountains and maintained its original characteristics.

It is also said that the surrounding area of Zhaojiabao will be contracted to related companies to build 300 mu of entertainment facilities. I can't help but make a suggestion: leave enough space around the castle as a transition zone to ensure the unique environmental atmosphere needed by the castle. Modern entertainment facilities should be farther and farther away from the castle. Never let people hear even the music of modern dance halls in the distance, and see even the flashing neon lights in the ancient castle. Here, we should keep the distance and tranquility where chickens and dogs hear each other.

I hope these are all the worries of Qi people.

Three days have passed in an instant, and we will leave tomorrow. Facing the dark blue sky and the silhouette of the castle tower, facing the crescent moon bent like a bow: Castle, we pray for you silently!

Finally added:

This castle can walk around in 20 minutes, and you can usually see one in the whole village. Please pay attention.