Essays on Chengxian County in Tianfuzhixiang

Cheng County is affiliated to Longnan City, Gansu Province. It was named after the ancient Chengzhou. It is located in the Longnan Mountains in southern Gansu Province, north and east of Longnan City. It borders Hui County in the northeast, Xihe in the west, Kang County in the south by the West Han River, and Lueyang County in Shaanxi Province in the southeast. Chengxian County is known as "Longshang Jiangnan" and "Longyou Granary". In 2007, it was identified as one of the 33 "Millennium Ancient Counties" in the country by the China Branch of the United Nations Intangible Heritage Protection Organization. In 2011, it was named "China's Walnut Hometown" by the State Forestry Administration.

In ancient times, Cheng County was the domain of Yongzhou in "Yu Gong". King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty transformed the southern kingdom into territory, and later King Xiao granted Feizi the title of Qin, raising horses in Miwei, and the land belonged to Qin. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was the Baima Di Kingdom. In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang unified China and named the country thirty-six counties. The counties became part of Longxi County and were called Biandao. At the beginning, Wudu County was established, and the county was changed to belong to it. It was still called Xiabiandao. In the fifth year of Yuanfeng reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (106 BC), thirteen prefectures were first established as governors, and Wudu County was subordinate to Yizhou governors. In the 19th year of Yuanjia of the Song Dynasty (442), Qiuchi was pacified, and the county entered the Song Dynasty and was attached to Wudu County in Southern Qinzhou. In the seventh year of Emperor Zhenjun's reign (446), Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty first established Qiuchi Town as a county. In the second year of the Western Wei Dynasty (553), when the emperor was deposed, Nan Qinzhou was renamed Chengzhou, and Tonggu County was initially established.

Chengxian County’s historical and cultural heritage "Ode to the West" is world-famous. The full name of "Ode to the West Narrows" is "Ode to the West Narrows" by Hanyang Ayang Li Xi, the Governor of the Han Dynasty. It is located at the foothills of Tianjing Mountain, 13 kilometers west of Chengxian County, Longnan City, Gansu Province. Here, the green mountains face each other, there is a middle stream, the pools are like pearls, and the traces of the ancient plank roads still remain on the cliffs. The cliff stele "Ode to the West Narrows" is 220 cm high and 340 cm wide. On the top of the stele are the four seal characters "Hui'an Xibiao" and the main text is inscribed with 20 lines and 385 characters. The inscriptions on the stele are written in Han Dynasty. Each character is about 4 centimeters square. The strokes are smooth and stretched, and the strokes are powerful. The inscription records the life of Li Xi, the governor of Wudu County in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and his achievements as the local chief executive. It praises his virtues in leading the people to open the West Narrow Road and benefiting the people.

The inscriptions and calligraphy of "Ode to the West" are of high value for archaeological research and copying and appreciation. For a time, there was a wave of research on "Ode to the West" at home and in Japan and other countries. There are 12 lines of 142-character inscription in small characters engraved on the stele, which are in the same calligraphy style as the main text. They were all engraved by Qiu Jing, a native of Chengxian County, Longnan at that time. Li Keran, a famous contemporary Chinese painting master, inscribed "Ode to the West Narrows" on the right side of the cliff monument. On the right side of the text are engraved images of Huanglong, Jiahe, White Deer, Mulianli and Chengluren, which are called the "Five Rui Pictures of Yichi", symbolizing that during Li Xi's reign, the government was harmonious, the grain was plentiful, and the people lived happily, which is a reference to the inscription. Image supplement.

After a comprehensive evaluation by the Chinese Calligraphers Association and relevant experts and departments, in August 2015 it was officially decided to name the Han Dynasty cliff stone "Ode to the West" in Chengxian County as a "Famous Chinese Calligraphy Monument". Since the launch of this activity, the first calligraphy monument in Gansu Province was awarded.

With the Han Dynasty cliff stone "Ode to the West" being named a famous Chinese calligraphy monument, it not only gave Longnan Cheng County an additional business card for external publicity, but also Longnan Cheng County and Gansu Civil Aviation Real Estate Investment Co., Ltd. The company has signed a comprehensive tourism strategic cooperation agreement and plans to invest 2 billion yuan in the implementation of the project of "China's Xizhasong Cultural and Healthy Town in Chengxian County", which has played a great role in promoting the project. At the same time, it also provides important cultural support for Chengxian County in Longnan to implement the province's cultural county construction layout of "one region and two regions" and develop all-region tourism. It will definitely help the "Ode to the West" calligraphy exhibition and build Gansu Province's Even influential cultural exhibitions across the country have laid a more solid foundation for establishing Longnan Cheng County as the "Hometown of Chinese Calligraphy" and the "Creation and Sketching Base of the Chinese Calligraphy Association".

Jifengshan National Forest Park is located 15 kilometers southwest of Chengxian County. Jifengshan is located in the middle of the Huicheng Basin in the remaining veins of the West Qinling Mountains, with an altitude of 1,917 meters. It stretches for more than 20 kilometers. Jifeng Mountain covers an area of ??12,583.5 acres. There are 55 families, more than 100 genera, and more than 200 species of trees and shrubs, mainly pine and bamboo. There are 102 families, 446 genera, and 1,296 species of fruits, oils, spices, nectar, medicinal and ornamental plants. The vegetation coverage rate is as high as more than 90%. Jifeng Mountain has been listed as one of the eight scenic spots in the county for its "Jifeng Peak" since ancient times, and is known as "Longyou's Little Emei". Jifeng Mountain is a complex of religious and cultural buildings mainly dedicated to Buddhist teaching. Jifeng Mountain has been a famous Buddhist mountain on the three sides of Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan since ancient times. In May 1999, the State Forestry Administration announced it as a national forest park.

Du Shaoling Temple, also known as Du Gong Temple and Du Fu Thatched Cottage, was built in ancestral style at the foothills of Fenghuang Mountain and on both sides of the Qingni River 3.5 kilometers southeast of Chengxian County to commemorate the great poet Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty. architecture. Du Fu composed "Longmen Town", "Stone Shrine", "Jicao Ridge", "Masonry Mountain", "Phoenix Terrace", "Wan Zhang Pond", "Seven Songs Composed While Living in Tonggu County in the Qianyuan Period" in Chengxian County, "Fa Tonggu County" and more than a dozen poems.

In the second year of Qianyuan of Suzong (759 AD), Du Fu offended Emperor Suzong with his outspoken remarks and was forced to leave the court. He took his whole family and fled westward to Qinzhou together with the hungry people who were fleeing. At that time, in Tonggu County (now Chengxian County, Longnan City, Gansu Province), more than 100 miles away from Qinzhou, there was a county magistrate whom Du Fu called a "good master". When he heard that Du Fu had arrived in Qinzhou, he warmly invited Du Fu to visit him. Come and settle. This "good master" did not admire Du Fu's poetic talent, or he took Du Fu in out of pity. He mistakenly believed that Du Fu had been a collector of relics for the emperor and was a person who could understand the Holy Spirit. He befriended Du Fu because he wanted him to recommend him in the future.

However, when he met Du Fu and knew that Du Fu not only could not recommend him, but might actually implicate him, he dismissed Du Fu with a meal and ignored him from then on. As a result, Du Fu had to set up a simple hut near Feilong Gorge in Tonggu County and lived on a diet of oak chestnuts.

During the more than a month that Du Fu lived in Longnan, he recorded the mountains and rivers he visited one by one in poems in order of his journey, and wrote "Fajing Temple" and "Longmen Town". There are more than 20 poems such as "Phoenix Terrace" and "Liangdang County Wu Shi Shi Yu Jiang Shang's House". Among these masterpieces that are melancholy, frustrating and profound, "Seven Songs of Tonggu" is the most famous, showing us the great changes in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. , the epitome of prosperity and decline. Because he has special sensitivity to many aspects of social life, expresses heavy emotions, is very exquisite in bodywork, and has profound lyricism, his works are full of human touch, which makes people sigh and remember them deeply. In these poems, he lamented the misfortune of the people, the broken mountains and rivers, and resented the excessive taxes and servitude imposed by the government. What is particularly commendable is that he broke through the shackles of Confucian loyalty to the emperor and found a spirit to support himself in the midst of extreme depression. strength.

This seven-character poem truly and vividly records the arduous life of the poet and his family when they were trapped in the same valley. It describes the tragic experience of a family and the great sorrow of separation. The life described by the poet is: he has no food to eat, "every year he picks up oak chestnuts and follows the sniper, and the Miao Mountains are full of snow"; his clothes are not covering his body, "short clothes can't be pulled up to cover his shins, and his hands and feet are frozen to death"; His residence is desolate and dilapidated, "the clouds are not clearing in the ancient city of Desolate Artemisia, white foxes jump across the beams, and yellow foxes stand"; his appearance is extremely old, with "hundreds of messy hair hanging down past his ears"; his body is extremely weak, "he is not famous and is old, and the three of them are "Everyone is thin, who is stronger?"; his mood is pessimistic and despairing, "men moan and women groan, the walls are silent, the west wind comes from the sky for me"; his whereabouts are erratic, "three years of hunger, walking on the barren mountain road". In the poem, the author not only emphasized his identity as a guest and his miserable life, but also revealed the abnormal political phenomenon of dragons and snakes swimming in the court at that time from home to country.

The inseparable cultural complex makes Longnan people never forget Du Fu. Chengxian County expanded the place where Du Fu lived into Du Fu Ancestral Hall, which was later renamed Du Fu Thatched Cottage. It has become a key tourist project and a rare attraction in Longnan. Cultural landscape. In fact, Du Fu only stayed here for more than a month and did not build a house. How can he call it "tang"? It's just a way to commemorate the poet. Du Fu's more than 100 Longyou poems are another group of poems that have reached new heights in ideological and artistic quality after Du Fu's "Three Officials" and "Three Farewells". They have had a great influence on the poetry creation, research and commentary of later generations and are a milestone. An outstanding work of significance.

There are many historical and cultural celebrities in Chengxian County, the main ones are: Qiu Jing, courtesy name Hande, and a native of Xiabian. He was good at writing and calligraphy. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty served as the historian of Wudu County in Jianningzhong. In the fourth year of Jianning, the prefect Li Xi opened the narrow west road and carved stones in praise of Jingzuo. The following year, the Jili Bridge in Ju (now Lueyang, Shaanxi Province) was completed, and it was re-engraved to record its beginning and end. "Ode to the West" is carved on a cliff, written by Jing, and written in elixirs. Both the writing and the calligraphy are of high antiquity, but Jing's name is not found in historical records, which is a pity. Qiu Tui, whose courtesy name is Zichang, is a person who identifies people. Emperor Ling of Jianning was appointed as a magistrate of Wudu County. In 172 AD (the first year of Xiping), Juzhi analyzed the bridge and built it, and Sui wrote a poem about it. Sui's calligraphy skills are outstanding. Same as Guzi, but I don’t know his surname Curie. From 901 to 904 AD (the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty), the emperor moved to Qi because of Zhu and Wen's rebellion. Queen He's family was so busy hunting that she flew hundreds of miles away from the two houses. Tong Guzi walked across the green ox, wrote to discuss matters, and recited "Song of the Five Sons". After thinking about it, he secretly ordered the King of Qin to take action to punish him. Before the matter was done, the grains had escaped with him. The emperor returned to Chang'an and sent an envoy to summon him, but then he left. Therefore, the hidden name is Guanyuansou from Hanyang. Zhang Wei, courtesy name Deyuan, was born in Chengzhou during the Song Dynasty. His nickname was "Zhang Hongyan", also known as "Zhang Falcon Eye". At first, he was responsible for selecting the vanguard cavalry, and won many battles against the Jin people. Later, he was promoted to the deputy capital of Lizhou, and moved to the capital of Mianzhou, where he made many military exploits. Later, he attacked Qinzhou but returned without success. He dismissed his troops and died in Lizhou, eventually serving as an observer in Yangzhou. Zhang Shu, courtesy name Keting, was born in Zhangqizhai, Cheng County, Qing Dynasty. He was a Gongsheng student in Xinyou Branch in Jiaqing. He was appointed as the first-class head of the Ministry of Punishment by an official. He was honored as "mentor" by Emperor Jiaqing and praised as "Yu Yu Qing Deng" by local people. He was A famous official in the capital during the Jiaqing period.

Chengxian County has fertile land and rich products. It is the hometown of Tianfu in Longnan. There are 1958 known plant species. The main food crops are winter wheat, corn, soybeans, potatoes, buckwheat, etc. It has always been a county in history. The granary of Longnan; the main economic crops are winter rape, garlic and a variety of four-season vegetables; the main economic fruits include walnuts, persimmons, cherries, chestnuts, etc., and precious medicinal materials such as Gastrodia elata, Poria, Eucommia and more than a thousand kinds of medicinal plants.

There are 54 kinds of animals, including more than ten kinds of rare animals such as sika deer, leopard, bear, thrush, and golden pheasant.

There are 17 kinds of proven metal mineral deposits in the country, including lead, zinc, gold, silver, iron, manganese, etc., especially lead and zinc reserves, which are the second largest in the country. Approximately 11 million metal tons. Chengxian County has built five major industrial systems, led by lead and zinc, including construction and building materials, wine brewing, agricultural and sideline product processing, and energy and chemical industry.

Chengxian County has rich folk culture with various forms and unique expressions.

The dragon dance popular throughout Chengxian County has a unique shape and extraordinary momentum. In addition to the unique dance method, the dragon lantern production techniques also have secrets and know-how that are different from ordinary dragon lanterns.

Its dance rules are based on inheriting the ancient traditional dragon dance skills, absorbing, applying and giving full play to the specialties of my country's traditional folk dance and classical opera dance of "hardness with softness, softness with hardness, hardness and softness", and is suitable for the special terrain and terrain of mountainous areas. , continues to develop and innovate in widespread circulation. In terms of artistic style, the dragon dance in Shangcheng is especially unique and famous for its colorful, varied, vigorous and lively performances. Their dragon dances can be divided into twelve, nine and seven sections. The dragon head is usually tied with silk or colored paper, the dragon body is painted with golden scales on cloth, and "flames" cut from red cloth hang down on both sides. It is made of broken bamboo branches. Under each section, there is a barrel-shaped lantern made of red paper or red silk. Candles are lit at night, which is called a dragon lantern. During the dragon dance, each person holds a dragon head, with the person in the palm as the leader, and dances gracefully amidst the intense gongs and drums, either crossing the street, going in circles, or whirling across the ground... The dragon's head rises, and each dragon tail follows closely, and everyone simultaneously Dance, with percussion accompaniment of gongs, drums and cymbals, and perform patterns such as "Two Dragons Playing with Pearls", "Dragon Pan Jade Pillar", "Cabbage Roll" and so on. Especially when the dragon dance reaches its climax, the dragon dancer must use all his strength to jump, roll, or spin on the ground to fully express the movement and changes of a dragon. Looking from a distance, a giant dragon is tumbling and jumping, showing a burst of passion and a kind of boldness. The dragon dancers seem to have placed all their ideals and expectations on this giant dragon. The dragon seems to make people dance alive. At this moment, people no longer regard the dragon as a symbol of auspicious totem in ancient times, but as a kind of strength, a spirit and a belief!

In the Dachuan area of ??Chengxian County on the north bank of the Rhinoceros River, an elegant and cheerful folk custom has been spread since ancient times - "stepping on the word "Fu". This unique folk custom is used in the traditional Spring Festival celebrations in Longnan. , can be said to be a unique artist, whose art surpasses all others. The "Step on the Fortune" activity is generally held between the tenth and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of each year. During the Spring Festival, folk artists in villages such as Dachuan, Wangyao, and Zhaizi on the north bank of the Rhinoceros River, and adjacent villages such as Hewan, Lishan, and Gongshan on the other side of the river are already busy. Every village must prepare a social fire. This kind of social fire usually involves stepping on the character "福" first and then singing a short opera piece. The mutual exchange of performances between villages has the first meaning of wishing each other good luck, and the second is to strengthen inter-village relations. In fact, they are rehearsing for the large-scale "Fu" event on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The performance program of "Stepping on the Chinese Character for Fortune" is generally divided into three stages. The first is stepping on the Chinese character; the second is singing. The usual performances are "Dragon and Phoenix Presenting Good Luck", "Family Portrait", "Blessings to Birthday", "Colorful Building Matching", "Wen" "Guangzhengxi" and other excerpts; the last part is "Calling Qiang" (calling). The so-called "Calling Qiang" means that the chief stick man says some endearing auspicious words, and the actors participating in the calligraphy respond in unison and shout. Shouting the word "you" means everything. The auspicious words are usually rhyming verses. The leader's voice is high, and the response is like spring thunder, and everyone is happy.