Farewell to Xue Rengui’s hometown

The first time I visited my hometown, Xue Rengui’s hometown, was about five years ago. Drive from the company's location along National Highway 209 to the Hejin Traffic Management Office and then go straight east for three kilometers to the entrance of Xiuren Village in Huangcun Township, which is located in the north and south. It is the hometown of Xue Rengui, the famous general of the Tang Dynasty. The scenic building complex is located in the southwest of Xiu Village. To the south of the village entrance is the east-west Houxi Railway, and to the south is the 108 old national highway from Hejin to Houma. The railway separates the village and the national highway in the middle. After construction and excavation in the past few years, the statues, earthen kiln ruins, Wangfu Pavilion, royal palace, military training hall and other architectural complexes at that time have begun to take shape and have certain ornamental and tourist value. However, compared with the construction and operation of adjacent scenic spots such as Sima Qian's hometown, Guandi Temple, and Pujiu Temple, it always feels that the intensity is not enough. Now five years later, how has it changed? Today is the sixth day of the first lunar month, and it’s time to set off with my family again to visit the places of interest in my hometown—Xue Rengui’s hometown.

Xue Rengui’s original name was Xue Xiuren. Xiuren Village was named after Xue Rengui. This is the birthplace of Hanyao culture. Village names and place names named after historical celebrities are Hejin City’s outstanding place-name cultural heritage. According to historical records, Xue Rengui (AD 614-683), Mingli, a native of Longmen, Jiangzhou (now a native of Hejin, Shanxi), was a general in the Tang Dynasty. Born as a farmer, he is good at riding and shooting. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he was recruited to fight against Goryeo and was promoted to General Zhonglang, the leader of the right army due to his merit. Later, he led the army to defeat the Nine Turks in the Tianshan Mountains. There was a song in the army, "The general's three arrows determine the world." In the early years of the Qianfeng reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, he participated in the war to attack Goryeo and was granted the title of Duke of Pingyang. Historical data also records that Xue Rengui made five expeditions to the east, four to the west, two rescues, and two pacifications of the north. It can be said that without Xue Rengui's victory in the Eastern Conquest, there would be no recovery of the land in Liaoji and Jilin, and there would be no peace in the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty.

Xue Rengui is the pride of Hejin people, and the development and construction of Xue Rengui’s hometown scenic spot is the major event that Hejin people are most concerned about. In recent years, the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have launched the construction of Xue Rengui’s hometown scenic spot, completed the project planning, and plan to carry out further development and construction through national investment promotion.

On April 9, 2020, the newly-appointed Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of Hejin met with the Chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation Urban Construction and Development Co., Ltd. and his delegation. The two parties conducted in-depth discussions on the progress of the construction project of Xue Rengui’s hometown scenic spot. In order to promote win-win cooperation, the company immediately signed the "Xue Rengui Hometown Scenic Spot Investment Project Cooperation Framework Agreement" with the municipal government and decided to adopt an investment model to develop and construct the Xue Rengui Scenic Spot.

On April 15, 2020, Hejin City held a centralized opening ceremony for the third batch of key projects in 2020. Xue Rengui’s hometown scenic spot was among them, with a total investment of 300 million yuan. There is finally good news about the upgrading and construction of Xue Rengui's hometown scenic spot, which Hejin people are generally concerned about.

Now when you drive here, the first thing that catches your eye is the building number of the Xue Rengui Hometown Scenic Area project undertaken by China National Nuclear Corporation Urban Construction and Development Co., Ltd. and a set of brand new construction improvement and detailed renderings, including nine major sections: Merit Memorial Area "Entrance Stone and Archway", Merit Memorial Area "Jiangmen Family", Merit Memorial Area "Group Sculptures of Heroic Generals and Merit Pillars", Merit Memorial Area "Jiangmen Family", Han Kiln Ruins Area "Wangfu Pavilion", Han Kiln Heritage Area "Burning incense at night to persuade husbands to join the army, Lianxin Pavilion", Han Kiln Heritage Area "Dianqian Area", Folk Culture Experience Area "Drinking Horse Spring, Xue's Ancestral Hall", Folk Culture Experience Area "Couplet Square" .

Although it is still during the Spring Festival, there is an endless stream of people driving here for sightseeing. People practicing whipping in front of the Xue Rengui Sculpture Square formed a large crowd, cheering constantly, and the clear sound of the whip could be heard far away. . Many self-employed people gathered around the square, and the sounds of hawking came and went. It only took one hour to visit from the foot of the mountain to the mountain, and through the exchanges with fellow villagers, I felt that there had been a lot of changes compared to a few years ago: the scenic environment was tidy, the green area of ??vegetation increased, the roads were widened and connected, and the scenic spots were The control of tourism has been strengthened, the awareness of inheritance and protection of cultural heritage has been enhanced, and the desire of fellow villagers to boost the local economy through the development of tourism resources as soon as possible has become more urgent.

The Spring Festival is coming soon, and most of us have to devote ourselves to new work and life. I hope to visit Xue Rengui’s hometown again with my family today or in the near future next year, when the flowers will be more beautiful, the scenery will be more beautiful, the mountains will be greener, and the humanities will be richer.

At the same time, we sincerely welcome travel enthusiasts from all over the country to visit Xue Rengui’s hometown!