Mentougou photography branch

Miaofengshan is located in Miaofengshan Town, Mentougou, west of Beijing. This used to be the center of religious belief of Beijingers. There are 14 temples with different beliefs of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and vulgarity on the mountain, among which the "Jinding Niangniang Temple" founded in the late Ming Dynasty is the most famous.

In the past, Miao Feng held a large-scale incense party in Niangniang Temple every year from the first day to the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month. This ancient activity originated in the Ming Dynasty. In the hundreds of years after the Republic of China, Miao Feng gradually developed into a famous pilgrimage site in northern China. Countless worshippers enter the mountain every year.

Historically, two famous photographers went to Miao Feng to attend a temple fair and recorded this grand occasion with their cameras. American sociologist Sidney david gamble and German female photographer Heida Mo Kumar chose a group of photos taken by Gamble today, and the shooting time was between 1924- 1927.

On the street of Miaofengshan town, a group of men carrying burdens passed by, and the words "tea", "East" and "Italy" were written on the box. These people come from a flower party. There stood a woman in front of the exquisite house by the roadside. From the word "hi" on the gate, we can know that this family just had a happy event not long ago.

Open-air blacksmith shop A piece of iron felt, several sledgehammers, a bellows and a stove are all their possessions. Although the equipment is simple, with the dexterous hands of the blacksmith, exquisite and practical ironware or various farm tools can be made.

After the iron burns red, it enters the stage of striking iron. The old blacksmith carried the iron tongs to the iron pier. He kept banging the iron block with the small hammer in his hand, guiding the falling sledgehammer to the landing point. Tinkling while the iron is hot sounded, and played with beautiful labor music.

Two men are cooperating with each other to cut pig grass. Hay cutter, which many young people have never seen, used to be a necessary tool for every family, and it was essential when processing forage for livestock or livestock.

At that time, whenever Miao Fengshan held a temple fair, there were many "flower fairs", also known as "old fairs", which were divided into "military fairs" and "cultural fairs". The picture shows the flower party team carrying a donation box on the way into the mountain.

"Wushu Club" mainly brings wonderful folk art performances, such as lion dance and acrobatics, to tourists free of charge. "Cultural Fair" is to set up porridge sheds and tea sheds to provide free catering services for pilgrims. Pay attention to the man with two hips on the left, wearing a watch on his wrist, which is a bit incredible.

At the temple fair, pilgrims gather and need a lot of incense, which is basically carried by manpower. Mountain traffic is the most convenient mode of transportation. The two boys in the picture are resting. Their backs are supported by "Ding Zizhuan", which can temporarily reduce the burden on their shoulders.

The foreground is a well-dressed young man with a pocket watch in his chest pocket. He has several boards in one hand and a very delicate toolbox in the other. Behind him, there is a thin pilgrim, supporting a big back frame.

A small village surrounded by mountains is surrounded by cultivated land. On weekdays, this is a quiet and peaceful place. During the temple fair, it became very lively because people came and went.

On the way to the top of the mountain, there is a Gu Song, which is elegant in shape and has the charm of Huangshan pine. Resting pedestrians are sitting under trees, and winding mountain roads are in the distance.

A temple on the hillside, surrounded by stones, is small and exquisite. On the pillar in front of the door, there are couplets of "respecting God as God", and the bottom couplets are covered with trees. It can be inferred that what is written should be "disrespect like clods".

In a land temple on the roadside, a man sat in front of the shrine with a nail in his mouth. Many pilgrims often come to worship with saddles, rolling bricks, ear arrows and hanging lanterns to show their piety. The man in the picture bites his nails as a way to show piety.

The three boys who went down the mountain all wore flowers on their heads. Putting flowers on men's heads was a unique custom of Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair at that time, probably influenced by the ancients. In the Song Dynasty, it was a very common phenomenon for men to wear hairpin flowers on their heads. Besides, all the boys are holding one or two sticks with forks at the top, and I don't know the purpose.

A family of three went down the mountain, and the daughter-in-law was supported by two wooden sticks in front, and it was quite difficult to walk. The son is holding his mother in the back and carrying a few sticks with forks on his shoulder, which shows that it is not only used as a crutch.

Those who have no money walk and those who have money sit in sedan chairs. The mountain road is difficult to walk, so it takes four people to carry the sedan chair. The sedan chair is also very simple. Two thick bamboo poles are tied with a plush chair. When going up the mountain, the person sitting in the sedan chair faces the direction of travel, and when going down the mountain, he needs to turn his back to the direction of travel in case he falls off the chair.

Overlooking the road leading to Miaofeng Mountain from a height, there are winding stone paths and stone steps. During the Japanese invasion of China, all the temples on the mountain were destroyed, and the temple fairs also declined. Now Miaofengshan Temple Fair has resumed, and the road to the mountain has been greatly improved.