Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Tourist attractions - Prose about Xing'an Ancient Town

Prose about Xing'an Ancient Town

In 2005, CCTV held the first China Charming Town Selection. Xing'an Ancient Town stood out for its original history and culture, folk customs, natural ecology and humanistic spirit, and won the top ten charming towns in the country. This is the only ancient town in Guangxi that has been selected as the town of Xing'an. What is the charm of Xing'an Ancient Town? In this issue’s Sunday perspective, we will go into Xing’an to appreciate its unique charm.

Xing'an Ancient Town is located in the northeast of Guilin City, Guangxi, 57 kilometers away from the urban area. It is a choke point connecting the Xiangjiang River and the Lishui River. It has a history of more than 2,200 years and has profound historical culture and rich folk customs. style. Recently, our reporters went to Xing'an for a fascinating visit and unveiled its mysterious veil that has been hidden for thousands of years.

Xing'an Ancient Town actually refers to a section of waterway where the ancient Ling Canal passes through Xing'an County. It is commonly known as "Water Street". There are markets, residential buildings, pavilions and pavilions formed in ancient times on both sides of the strait. There are many historical sites. Ling Canal, Water Street and Qincheng are the entire essence of "Xing'an Ancient Town".

The water in the water street is clear, and the Lingqu canal has its spirit. The source of Xing'an's charm lies in the Lingqu canal. The Ling Canal, built in 214 BC, is 33 kilometers long and connects the Hunan and Li rivers, as well as the Yangtze River and the Pearl River. It is the first canal in Chinese history and the largest inland river transportation network in human history. Lingqu is divided into North and South canals, including Huazui, Tianping, Channel, Doumen and Qindi. The "Huazui" dam is entirely made of interlocking stones. It is 500 meters long and has a "herringbone" shape. It is high on the inside and low on the outside. The stones on the slope of the dam surface look like fish scales. From a distance, the dam looks like a surrender. The giant dragon of rapids and turbulent waves is locked at the source of the Xiangjiang River. The dam can both retain water and release floods. It can automatically adjust the water volume without opening and closing gates, keeping the canal water relatively stable. The scientific design of the Ling Canal diverts the water from the Xiangjiang River to Sanqi. The water release balance uses side weirs and overflows to control the flow into the canal, so that the stored water can flow in slowly and ensure the safety of the canal embankment. The design is similar to the Panama Canal in Egypt. Ling Canal is shaded by ancient trees, and the water in the canal is like a mirror. Waterbirds fly low on the surface of the water, and fish and shrimps play at the bottom of the water. The canal water surrounds the town, with one-third of the Xiang River carrying the fragrant orange color of the rice, and seven-cent of the Li water carrying the eight miles of peach red and green willows. It is a simple and quiet scenery that makes people forget to leave.

The Lingqu canal fully demonstrates the wisdom of the ancient Chinese people in carving out mountains and breaking up the earth. As a choke point connecting the Xiang River and the Li River, it rewrote Chinese history, achieved the great cause of China's unification, and also created a prosperous city. Xing'an Ancient Town, Xing'an Ancient Town thrives on water, and Water Street is the essence of the ancient town.

The Guling Canal flows through a meandering market about one kilometer long in Xing'an County, which is the ancient town water street. Historically, Xing'an County was a very important shipping terminal. Because Ling Canal divided water here, ships traveling from south to north had to transit here. Ling Canal passes through the city, and there are guild halls, inns, restaurants and teahouses on both sides of the river, forming a prosperous and lively market. There are row upon row of residential houses on both sides of the strait, all of which are Lingnan-style buildings with blue tiles, white walls, and wood-carved doors and windows. They not only have the charm of the Jiangnan water town of "houses with small bridges and flowing water", but also incorporate the cultural elements of Baiyue, showing people a rich Lingnan style. Well map of Qin and Han dynasties. This was once a place where merchants gathered in ancient times. Su Zongjing, a poet of the Qing Dynasty, once described Water Street: "Enter the foot of the bridge, and the boat passes through the city; paddles are waved, and wine can be bought through the open window." Today, the entire Water Street scenic spot is It is composed of five parts: Qin and Han architectural culture, ancient city bridge culture, ancient sculpture culture, Lingqu history and culture, and Lingnan folk custom culture. The buildings in the city follow the shape and fall layer by layer. In Du Mu's "A Fang Palace Fu", "Five steps to the first floor, There is a pavilion every ten steps; the waist of the corridor is unobtrusive, the eaves are high and the teeth are high; each one embraces the terrain and fights with each other." This is a true portrayal of Xing'an Ancient Town.

The charm of Water Street lies in its antique houses. Every wall and tile of these ancient buildings still retains the ancient style of Qin Dynasty. Along the streets paved with bluestone slabs and cobblestones, passing through pavilions and pavilions, you can enter the deep and dark courtyards with three entrances and five entrances. The carved doors and windows, touching the exquisite and simple carvings on the door frames, seem to bring people back to the dusty millennium. The ancient street named Beijieli was built during the Yuanyou period of the Song Dynasty. Merchants have gathered here for thousands of years, and the narrow streets are lined with row upon row of residential buildings. At that time, jewelry, rouge, rice shops and banks were all located here. It was the most prosperous commercial street in Xing'an during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. It once produced nine Jinshi. Among the quaint buildings, the exquisite carved railings and painted buildings still permeate the atmosphere of the Qin Dynasty. The three ancient streets fully display the Qin and Han style. The wine shops, tea houses, and century-old shops remind people of the prosperous scene of the past when shengsing, singing, and melodious silk and bamboo were played.

The ancient Qin style charm of Water Street is also reflected in the "Qin Wen Liu Shang" at the north gate. There is an archway next to the entrance of Water Street with the inscription "Wumafang" on it. Entering from here is the antique "Qin Wenliu Shang" commercial street. "Liu Shang" is a sacrificial ceremony in ancient China to seek good luck and avoid disasters. Qinwen Liu Shang means "inheriting the Qin and Han culture and wishing good luck to the people". It consists of three ancient building groups: Yipinju, Sanhuaidi and Jiujingfang. become. The brick screen wall in front of the Huguang Guild Hall can be said to be the "treasure of the street" in Xing'an Water Street. It is currently the largest and only double-sided ceramic brick screen wall with figures in our country. The beautifully crafted brick screen wall is 6.8 meters long and 5 meters high. It has 344 ancient figures with different expressions, including Guanyin, the Four King Kongs, the Eight Immortals, Nezha, the Lucky Boy, and the Aoyu, to pray for the peace of the people. Good luck, happiness and good fortune.

The water street is clear and gurgling, the weeping willows are still there, and the clear canal water flows quietly through the entire ancient town. The stream is like Xiaojiabiyu, and the water is covered with dark green water plants. Next to the small bridge and flowing water, urchins are playing and playing in the water, and women in ruffled clothes are washing clothes by the stream, which is peaceful and peaceful.

The nearly 1,000-meter-long water street still retains the ancient commercial atmosphere, which reminds people of the prosperous scene of rafting on Lingqu Canal and selling wine on tent boats.

Since ancient times, small bridges and flowing water have become a legend. Where there is water, there must be bridges. The ancient bridges on Water Street are in various shapes and exquisitely designed. They are the traces of thousands of years of history left on Water Street and the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient Xing'an people.

There are 10 ancient bridges in Water Street ***, the more famous ones are Niangniang Bridge, Wanli Bridge, Masi Bridge, Jielong Bridge and Sujia Bridge. When you walk into Water Street, the first thing you see is the Empress Bridge. This bridge is relatively spacious and has no steps or pavilions. Wanli Bridge is the bridge that the Qin army passed most when traveling from south to north. The inscription "Chu and Yue are important bridges" reminds people of the Qin army's golden horses. Ma Xi Bridge is the only "water overpass" in the world with two bridges spanning two rivers. It is the pride of Water Street. It is said that it was named after the Han Dynasty general Ma Yuan's horse refused to cross the bridge. Jielong Bridge is named after only half of the steps. It is said that the bridge was designed by the resourceful monk Huai Bing. There are nine stone steps on the east side of the bridge to go up to the bridge, while no stone steps are left on the west side of the bridge, making Jielong Bridge an eternal masterpiece. fan. It is said that in the morning when the fog is hazy, the bridge looks like a dragon with its body hidden and its head lightly resting on the east bank. In addition, in ancient times, the bridge was used to transport officials and welcome dragon boats during the Dragon Boat Festival, hence its name. Sujiaqiao is elegant and elegant, with no pavilions, but retains its original simplicity. The steps paved with stone slabs, the grass between the stones and the ancient trees beside the bridge are all in harmony with it.

The prosperity of Water Street was not until the opening of the Hunan-Guangxi Railway in 1937. Shipping was interrupted, and the prosperity of the ancient town disappeared like flowing water. Water Street gradually became quiet, just like a peerless famous lady washing away her beauty and charm. It is still there, leaving the world with peace and tranquility. The long water of Lingqu has taken away the prosperity of the past, but it is filled with countless old love between Chu and Yue and poignant stories hidden in the deep alleys of ancient houses. On the faces of the residents of the ancient town strolling around, the comfort and leisure are as clear as running water. They sit leisurely under the carved eaves, playing cards, getting haircuts, selling hair cakes and rice noodles, fortune telling, or crossing their legs under the pavilion to sip tea and enjoy the cool air; You can sit under the shade of bamboo trees and read poems and poems; you can lie down on a stone bench and take a nap with squinted eyes to enjoy the tranquility. In the noisy market, watch the time passing by like water, as peaceful as ever...

The water street at night is full of light and beauty. It is another charming scene, which vividly reproduces the bustling night scene of the past "Qinhuai River in the shadow of oars and lights".

In the evening, the bamboo lanterns hung high in the shops and pavilions on both sides of the water street lit up. The faint fragrance of tea accompanied the soft music, the mellow smell of wine and the pleasant sound of the piano. The bamboo curtains on the carved windows of Water Street float out leisurely, interpreting the prosperity of Water Street in the past like a dream. The ancient music and drama of the old people still sing the feelings of the ages, and the lights on both sides of the strait tell the touching story of the ancient town for thousands of years. story. Take a leisurely walk on Water Street, listen to the ancient music of Lingqu, and watch the flickering lanterns reflected in the water, sparkling and charming. The boats in the river slowly passed by carrying people on night tours, which made people feel as if they had traveled through thousands of years and returned to the era of "Qinhuai River in the sound of oars and lights", making people wonder whether they were drunk in the music or in a dream. ...

Xing'an Ancient Town, with its ancient charm and rich culture, is fascinating and imaginative. When we reach out and touch the ancient city wall that has been waiting for thousands of years, and walk through the Lingqu Canal that has flowed for more than 2,000 years, we can't help but think of the magnificent scenes of canals built in ancient times, the ancestors and merchants of Qin and Han Dynasties who traveled thousands of miles by boat, and the majestic past. When the ruthless Qin army entered Lingnan, I remembered the wars and bloody events of the past, how many joys and sorrows and historical events had been staged here, and how many touching stories and legends had always shocked people's hearts.

For thousands of years, without the Ling Canal, would there not have been a powerful "Qin and Han Empire"? If there was no "Qin and Han Empire", would China's history have to be rewritten? Xing'an, this beautiful ancient town sticks to history amidst the glitz and bustle of the city, and it also awakens a touch of pain and faint memories deep in our hearts.