Travel to Xinzhuang——2

There is a remote mountain village in the suburbs, which is called "Little Yan'an in Eastern Jin Dynasty" by the world. It is Xinzhuang. Xinzhuang is adjacent to Mazhuang and Hanzhuang, three miles away from Nanzhuang Village in Pingding County.

The revolutionary wars during the anti-Japanese era left precious red memories for Xinzhuang people - this was once the first district of Pingding (Lubei) County, the Second Prefecture of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region, or the Pingding (Lubei) County. Bei) County is the hometown of Liu Hongda, the first county magistrate of the anti-Japanese government.

A bowl of boiled water

It’s half past three in the afternoon and the weather is very hot. I walked into the convenience store in the village. In the house, seven or eight village elders were sitting around the table, talking and laughing. I bought a few bottles of mineral water and when I was about to use my mobile phone to pay, the store told me that I couldn't pay with my mobile phone. Only then did I notice an old Nokia mobile phone with a black and white screen on the counter. Yes, today, when mobile phones make our lives more convenient, they fail to come in handy here. Since I didn't have any cash with me, I had no choice but to give up.

When I was about to turn around and go out, the convenience store owner said: "Sit down, kid. A bowl of boiled water can also quench your thirst." She hurriedly bent down and took out a yellow iron bowl from the cabinet next to her, lifted the thermos from the floor, filled the bowl with water, and handed it to me.

I thank you profusely.

I found a deserted place to sit down, picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go. The old man next to me looked at me with a happy smile on his face. For me, a foreigner, they talked to me about their daily routine. I seem to see the shadow of my parents in these old people, and simple love flows from their lives.

If you are in the city, in the countryside, you may be curious about the fragrant locust flowers blooming all over the trees. Maybe get excited about seeing a chive tree. Maybe if you see the leeks in front of your door, you will stop and take a closer look. But the things that make you most comfortable in the countryside, the simple folk customs and the most down-to-earth side of the folks, are things you cannot experience in a metropolitan area.

After coming out of the convenience store, we walked towards the Anti-Japanese University School. Now the Anti-Japanese University Study has become the village committee of Xinzhuang Village. When I returned to Xinzhuang, I felt completely different from what I had three years ago.

When I walked in the village, the village was a little deserted. Based on my memory, I looked for several famous courtyards in the village, but the doors were closed. I had no choice but to seek help from an old man sitting on the steps not far from the old locust tree. They told me to go to the brigade and find someone named Li to take care of me. Only he can take us to see the ancient courtyard. There was the sound of square dancing not far away. Two middle-aged women swayed their bodies to the music festival, and a dog lay lazily beside them as a spectator. This is also the youngest villager I met during this trip to Xinzhuang.

When I approached the village committee and said that I wanted to see the ancient courtyard of the village, the custodian was happy to be our tour guide for this trip to Xinzhuang. First of all, we came to Liu Hongda’s former residence. The gate is the Tunkou Gate Tower, the stone carvings of Jiangjun Stone, and the three-dimensional brick carvings. The main room in the courtyard is a photo of the Anti-Japanese War. The courtyard is a bit messy, as if no one has cleaned it up for a long time. The side room is being renovated, but the new walls are somewhat incompatible with the gate.

The South Courtyard is also a famous ancient courtyard in the village.

When I mention South Campus, I will naturally think of the scene when I came here three years ago. In my impression, the villagers at that time had an optimistic and positive attitude towards the development of tourism in the village. Speaking of the owner of this yard, he is a middle-aged man under fifty. He had been working outside for a long time, and when he heard that tourism was going to be launched in the village, he came home from the field with beautiful dreams. At that time, the yard was neatly kept and there was not a single weed in the yard. In the yard, he opened accommodation and a farmhouse specialties restaurant.

But now the door is closed, and the gaps between the bricks in the corridor are covered with grass. The peeling wall still retains the murals from when the canteen was collectivized after liberation. There is a very special place in the south courtyard, which is the place where heaven and earth are worshipped. On the top are two brick dragons, and at the bottom are the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea and the legendary Lao Junye. Since it is possible to carve lifelike figures on such a small stone, this kind of craftsmanship is not something that ordinary craftsmen can do.

Today’s courtyard has lost its former vitality. Without the smell of people, it is empty and a bit desolate.

Look, the brick carvings on this gate are very beautiful. The uncle who led the way told us that the owner of this yard is a craftsman, so his gate is also the best in the village.

From these stone tablets alone, you can see the importance attached to Xinzhuang tourism, but why are villagers leaving home again? Why is Xinzhuang still a tourist destination today despite the tourism boom? It failed to make the villagers rich. Why has the essential life of the villagers here not changed in three years?

I heard from villagers that the former village chief used tourism funds to enrich himself and is now imprisoned.

Speaking of Xinzhuang, I would also like to thank the owner of the South Courtyard three years ago. It was his explanation that gave me a certain understanding of brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings for the first time. I have a deeper understanding and love for culture.

Thanks to the uncle who led the way, thanks to Moyu and Erzi, and insisted that the three Yuxian friends wanted to accompany us all the way. When I visited Xinzhuang again, I saw a somewhat desolate village, but the people of Xinzhuang were still as enthusiastic and simple as ever, which made me somewhat relieved.