Explanation of Wuyuan Likeng tourist attractions

Dear tourists,

We are now taking a bus from Ziyang Town, Wuyuan County, to Likeng, a scenic spot with small bridges and flowing water. The drive takes about ten minutes. Now I will give you a brief introduction to the formation of Likeng Village.

Likeng is a village where the surname Li lives (Muzi Li). In the third year of Dazhong Xiangfu in the Northern Song Dynasty, that is, 1010 AD, the village was founded by a man named Li Dong. It has a history of thousands of years. The original name of the village was "Li Tian": the principle of reason and the field of fields. Why is it called Litian? The old man in the village said: Their current surname is "Muzili" because their ancestor was Ren Dali (the official in charge of criminal law) who was the tribal leader during Emperor Yao, so they took their official surname as their surname. At the same time, because our ancestors moved from the north to the south at the end of the Tang Dynasty, they "occupied the land lot". Li Dong built the village without forgetting his ancestors and named the village "Litian". In modern times, people gradually lived on both sides of the creek with the surname Li. In Wuyuan, the stream is also called "Keng", which is commonly known as Likeng.

Dear tourists, this is the "water mouth" of Likeng Village. Wuyuan people call the village entrance Shuikou because all the villages here are built near mountains and rivers, and water flows out of the village from here. In ancient times, Shuikou often became the symbol of a village. When someone in the village goes on a long journey, his family will send him to Shuikou to say goodbye with thousands of instructions and tears. A wanderer who has been away for many years returns to his hometown. As he walks, he is excited and extremely friendly when he sees Shuikou.

1. Li Yigao’s former residence: This ancient residence was built in the early Qing Dynasty. , is the residence of a timber merchant named Li Yigao. Because he had money, he deliberately decorated the house with three exquisite carvings (brick carvings, stone carvings and wood carvings), making people feel that entering the house is like entering a sculpture art gallery. Under the door cover with upturned eaves of the house, the brick carvings on the hanging pillar-style door rails are very detailed. The lower railings are exquisitely carved with ancient opera pictures and different character patterns, which are lifelike; the lower end of the hanging flower column is carved with lotus, which symbolizes It is pure and auspicious, and the lotus here is a wish to have many children and grandchildren. Dear tourists, let’s take a look at the stone piers on both sides of the main entrance. Now there is a question, that is, what is the function of these two stone piers? ——That is the master’s dismounting stone. Let's take a look at the structure of the house again. Due to the wealth of the owner, the wood carvings on the partition doors and windows of the left and right wing rooms are exquisite and complete. , fully embodies the intelligence and skills of the ancient working people of Wuyuan. The whole house has two floors, upper and lower, and each floor is divided into three parts: the front room is called the front hall and is the lady's room. Because the lady cannot leave the boudoir at will, there are hollow carvings on the doors and windows to make it easier for the lady to see out of the house. The two rooms in the middle are called the main hall, where the owner of the house lives. The two rooms at the back are called the back hall, and they are the rooms of the sons. When the son grows up, marries a wife and has children, he moves to the main hall, and his parents move to the back hall, so the back hall is also called the high hall.

2. Dafu's Palace: This "Dafu's Palace" was built during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty (1851-1861 AD). It was the official residence of Li Wenjin, a fifth-rank Fengzhi doctor. Li Wenjin's official title of doctor was not obtained through the imperial examination. He was originally a wealthy businessman operating tea in Guangdong. After the Taiping Army uprising, the regular army of the Qing government had no combat capability at all and relied entirely on Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army. The treasury did not have a large amount of money for military pay. At that time, Huizhou colleagues encouraged businessmen to donate money for military pay. If they donated more, they would be promoted to official positions. Li Wenjin His official title was donated by Hou at that time. Judging from the facade of this house, it follows the construction characteristics of Wuyuan ancient dwellings. The gate is made of Shikumen fang, with a water-polished blue brick facade and a masonry door cover above the gate. The door cover is covered with black tiles and the corner cornices can not only block rainwater, but also beautify it. Below the cornices, the brick carvings on the door lintels are delicate and exquisite, full of decorative interest. The stone carvings on the base of the Shiku door pillars are a common folk pattern of "lion rolling a hydrangea", which expresses the owner's hope that life will be filled with joy. Let's take a closer look at the stone carving. There is a small traditional Chinese character "书" carved horizontally on it. It represents the owner's voice: all things are inferior, only reading is high. There is a patio above the house, which is an important part of Huizhou architecture. Its main function is lighting and ventilation. At the same time, it also has another meaning, which is to connect man and nature - "the unity of nature and man", which means that no living thing can exist independently from nature. At the same time, in the eyes of Huizhou people, water is a source of wealth. On rainy days, water keeps flowing from the patio to the home, and the four waters return to the house, which means "wealth is rolling in". Look at the sewer holes on the ground, which are also cut in the shape of copper coins. What method did people use to clear the sewers in ancient times? You can take a guess. ——It’s about raising a thousand-year-old turtle in the sewer. If the turtle crawls around in the sewer, the sewer will always be unobstructed. This doctor's residence is named "Chun Aitang", which reflects the harmonious atmosphere of the family and the care and concern of the elders for future generations. The wooden components in the house are also carved with exquisite patterns. These wood carvings include civil and military officials, Eight Immortals crossing the sea, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, etc. From this point, we can see the owner's desire for fame and hope that his descendants can rely on his true The beautiful wish to gain fame based on practical studies.

Dear tourists, the courtyard on the right side of the house is locally called "Miss Xiulou". Look, there are many pavilion-style buildings upstairs on Xianghe Street. It is small, exquisite, simple and elegant. It was originally used for viewing, but legend has it that it was also a place where the lady threw hydrangeas. There is an ancient blind here, which can be turned up to let in the light, and turned down to peek at the passing people at the bottom of the building.

The story of a young lady throwing a hydrangea ball is often recorded in novels and drama plots, because some young ladies who are waiting for marriage or have many suitors, many of whom are rich and powerful, are in a dilemma about how to choose, or because the young lady's marriage proposal does not agree with her parents. , the beloved daughter may have already fallen in love with the person, so the dramatic practice of throwing embroidery balls to choose a son-in-law appeared. Whoever the lady throws the hydrangea to, usually has a target, that is, the lady has generally chosen a person she likes, rather than throwing it randomly

3. Shen Mingting: Dear tourists, let’s go back Let's turn around and take a look at the pavilion we just passed. It is a witness to the patriarchal system of Likeng Village. It is named "Shenming Pavilion" and was built in the late Ming Dynasty. The function of the pavilion is recorded in very detailed history books: if someone in the village does something wrong, his evil deeds will be written down and posted in the pavilion to achieve the effect of punishment. In ancient times, the construction and management of the village was mainly the responsibility of the ancestral hall. Because there were many village rules and regulations in Likeng in the past, villagers generally abide by them voluntarily. However, the place is large and the population is large, so disputes and family disputes are inevitable. When encountering such In this case, the ancestral hall would sound the gong and gather in the Shenming Pavilion. Everyone in the village could participate in the deliberation, arbitrate who was right and wrong, resolve disputes, and criticize and punish those who violated village rules and regulations.

4. Tongji Bridge: Dear tourists, let’s take a look at the two streams next to it. This is one of the "Twelve Scenic Spots" in Likeng's past, "Two Streams Clear". There are two small stone piers in front of one of the streams. This is the male dragon, and the stone piers are the dragon's horns. The one without stone piers here is the female dragon. The two dragons merge into a stream at this bridge, forming a beautiful meaning of "two dragons playing with a pearl". According to ancient times, the conflict between the two waters in the Feng Shui Village was originally unfavorable, but it was resolved here by locking it with Tongji Bridge and anchoring it with Shenming Pavilion. The span of Tongji Bridge is about 5 meters. It is difficult to determine the year when it was first built. However, it was last repaired 250 years ago. It is an ancient stone arch bridge with a long history.

5. Li Shulin’s former residence: This residence is a unique “eight-character gate” and faces a screen wall. Zhaobi is the wall in front of the gate, also known as Xiaoqiang. , usually built in the yard. But in Wuyuan, Xiao Qiang is built outside the door. Because the locals regard the sky as their courtyard and the mountains and rivers in front of their doors as their courtyard, they build Xiao Qiang at the gate. The functions of Xiaoqiang are generally to ward off evil spirits, block wind and sound insulation. The word "福" written on the screen wall of some homes means "open the door to see good luck". This folk house was built during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The carvings on the gatehouse are also very detailed. After entering the house, you can find that this billboard is unusual. It is very long, more than 4 meters long. This is among the existing ancient buildings in Wuyuan. It is rare. In addition, this house originally had thirty-six corners and four patios. From this, we can see the wealth of the owner of the house.

6. Fish Pond House: This is an unknown study, and people in the village call it Fish Pond House. Judging from the style, it was built in the Ming Dynasty. Firstly, the floor of the front hall is paved with square bricks, which is called "gold brick paving" locally. It is not like the bluestone slabs that were commonly used in the Qing Dynasty. Secondly, it uses wooden pillar foundations, unlike later ones. The houses all use stone foundations; thirdly, the partitions are very simple, with horizontal and straight lattice frames and no carvings. Connected to it is the back garden of the former residence of Li Zhicheng, the champion of the Southern Song Dynasty. There is a stone fish pond in the garden, surrounded by bluestone slabs, and the path around the pond is paved with stones. The fish in the pond is the purse-string red carp, one of Wuyuan's four specialties. The pond water is connected to the stream outside and is running water. This is the flower bed. The crape myrtle tree in the flower bed is said to have been planted by Li Zhicheng himself. It is estimated to be more than 800 years old. At that time, it was so lush that the trunk diameter at breast height was 0.4 meters. After a lightning strike, only half of it remained, but it grows every year. New branches sprouted and red flowers filled the tree. The dead osmanthus tree next to it is a sweet-scented osmanthus tree. The trunk is covered with Ganoderma lucidum, which makes people feel that this place is full of spiritual energy.

7. Jiao Spring: Dear tourists, the spring in front of us is called "Jiao Spring". Although the flow of this spring is not large, it will not dry up all year round. The spring water is clear, cool, and delicious. There was a severe drought more than 20 years ago and the river stopped flowing. Jiao Spring supplied water to the whole village, so in the eyes of Likeng villagers, it was their life-saving spring. This spring water flows out from the cracks in the rocks, and there is also a mythical story spread here. Legend has it that there once lived a man named Li Qifu in Likeng Village. He was the disciple of Master Zhang Tianshi. He was intelligent by nature but had evil intentions. It is said that Master Zhang Tianshi kept several little dragons, and Li Qifu quietly stole one while he was not paying attention, and went home to raise it in a cartridge. After hearing the news, Zhang Tianshi rushed to ask for it. Li Qifu asked him what color the dragon was. Zhang Tianshi said it was yellow. Li Qifu said: I have a black dragon here, but there is no yellow dragon like yours. Zhang Tianshi had no choice but to give the dragon to him. The dragon kept getting bigger and bigger in the ink cartridge, but that was no longer an option, so Li Qifu wanted to find a good place for it to live. One day he came here and saw water seeping out of the stone wall, so he drew his sword and thrust it straight in. Suddenly, clear spring water flowed out from the crack. He got excited and punched the water, and a hole was dented in the stone wall. He took advantage of the situation and threw it to the ground. As soon as I sat down, a big pit appeared, and water continued to flow into the pit, forming this pool. Li Qifu raised the dragon in the pond. When he grew up, he kept making trouble. With a sweep of his tail, he flattened the horse-head walls of nearby houses. You see, none of the houses in this area have horse head walls. Li Qifu heard the villagers' complaints, so he took the dragon away, and finally put it into a river in Kaihua, Zhejiang Province. The river is still called Wulongjiang today, and Jiaoquan also became an ancient place because it once raised dragons. A place where people would pray when praying for rain.

The interior furnishings of this house are very particular in the Wuyuan house.

We see that there is a tall horse-headed clock in the middle, with a vase on one side and a mirror on the left and right. It has a profound meaning, that is, "peace on the left and peace on the right, peace for life."