Visit Zhongquan Village

Visiting Zhongquan Village?

Text/Chen Lijuan

I heard that I was going to visit Zhongquan Village, so I signed up early. I am a wanderer from my hometown of Yangxin. I have been away from my hometown for more than ten years, studying and working abroad, and when I return to my hometown again, my attachment to my hometown is indescribable. This time, I was particularly moved when I came to Zhongquan Village. I could not forget to see the mountains and rivers of Zhongquan Village and the villagers’ houses.

On November 9th, the weather was clear and it was about 7 o'clock in the morning. I followed the direction guided by the navigation system, starting from Huangshi and driving along the Daguang Expressway at high speed, and then meandering on the mountain village roads. hover. After about two hours' drive, we finally arrived at Zhongquan Village, a small town in Wangying, located at the westernmost end of our Yangxin County and bordering Tongshan Mountain in Xianning. Two large and round stone mills stood side by side in front of me. The stone mill, which was taller than me, had a few big characters on it. On the left side it said: "Zhongquan Village", and on the right side it said: "Respect etiquette and abide by the law." Advocate for civilization. It turns out that the countryside today is also so civilized and elegant.

When I just parked the car on the side of the road, I saw an old man in his seventies, leading an old scalper in the countryside. Walking leisurely in the fields, I asked the uncle in pure Yangxin dialect: "Hello, uncle, how far is it from Zhongquan Village Committee? "The old man squinted his eyes and smiled slightly, as if he was curious about me, a sudden visitor. He looked at me carefully and said, "It's not far. Keep walking along this path for about a hundred meters. It's here. "I nodded and thanked the uncle, and also thanked his old scalper! What a charming mountain village scenery this is! There are fields, old scalpers and farmers that I love. They are the first pictures of this countryside that I opened. .

A few minutes' drive away, you will see a small bridge of flowing water. The source of this stream is "Mishai Spring". It is said that this clear spring never stops flowing all year round and looks like a rice. Sift, hence the name. The literary friends had already arrived there. The first thing that caught our eyes was a pool of clear spring water, which was turquoise green. The water plants in the spring pool were already turning yellow, and they were floating in the middle of the water and on the edge of the clear spring. The yellow groves complement each other beautifully. These must be the clothes given to the earth by the autumn girl. She insists on dressing them up in order to perform a ritual pairing for such an autumn.

I saw Mi Siwei. The spring flows downstream, and the clear stream flows from the beginning of the village to the entrance of the village. "The white rocks of Jingxi come out, and the red leaves are sparse in the cold weather." "Wang Wei's poems are full of the sound of streams. This small stream looks like a snake from a distance. Surrounding the village, every ten meters, there are cement stone bridges built by the villagers. There is a century-old ancient covered bridge in the center of the main body of this "snake". The lower part is the most classic design in ancient China. It consists of arched bridge piers and the stream below. The upper part is a pure wooden bridge deck and railings. It The simplicity and purity of the village reflect the simplicity and simplicity of the villagers. This village has a history of more than 600 years. The ancient covered bridges are all made of pure wood. The bridge is about seven meters long and wide. About two meters, the top of the bridge is also made of solid wood as the beam, and the tiles on it are used as the top of the bridge body. I saw that those tiles should be newly added. I guessed that Zhongquan Village has gone through many years. Has it been raided by Japanese soldiers in the past century? Or was it blown up by strong winds? ------The thick wooden handrails on both sides make The entire bridge is extremely strong, majestic and not thin. Although it is a very ordinary small bridge, for that era, it was a good place for villagers to cool down and rest. There are wooden boards inlaid in the middle on both sides of the bridge, which can be used as There are wooden benches for people to sit on. I guess all the big and small events in the village must be discussed and communicated on this bridge. The stream under the bridge is endless, and the people on the bridge are laughing and laughing. What a wonderful rural scenery!

Our group walked to the ancient covered bridge in groups of three, four, and some alone. We couldn’t help but stop and take a group photo, thinking that we were the villagers back then. , the smiling faces of the ancients. These imprints are all captured by this ancient covered bridge. It is smiling and happy. It carries the village, its long history and the struggle of the villagers, as well as our visit today. , it is naturally very happy. Look at the group of little ducks swimming under the bridge, "Wow! I haven’t seen such a lively species for a long time, it’s so cute! "I couldn't help but said to myself. I couldn't help but sing my favorite children's song: "Under the bridge in front of my door, a group of ducks are swimming by. Come on, count them, two, four, six, seven, eight --- ----"

When we walked out of the bridge, we saw the village cadre Mr. Yang who accompanied us to introduce us and explained to us: "Look at the small artificial fountain on the opposite side. This is to welcome you. , specially opened today. "We looked in the direction pointed by Teacher Yang. Sure enough, there was a fountain beside a corresponding cement bridge not far across from the ancient covered bridge. Water was overflowing, and it was shooting water into the air and in our direction. I felt like What I saw was a living spring flowing in my heart, which gave me endless strength and radical joy.

Parallel to the ancient covered bridge, there are many bridges. We crossed one of them and came to the big house named Yang "Li Xue Feng Gao". The whole house is a Ming and Qing style building. In the middle It is a door with a stone frame. There is a stone tent on both sides of the door, which is used for people to sit or to guard the door gods. In the center of the hall inside the house, there is a wide and long patio, with rooms on the left and right. The doors of each room are carved with exquisite pictures of happy birds, as well as various figures and flower patterns, reflecting the atmosphere of that time. The owner of Yang's house pays great attention to the gate, pays attention to the details of the house, and has a unique aesthetic taste. I rubbed these doorframes that had gone through many vicissitudes of life one by one, exploring that the mistress of the ancient house at that time must have been a virtuous and hard-working woman!

As we were talking, a group of us came to the ancient houses. These ancient buildings all had the same structure and were similar. There was a rectangular patio in the center of the house, which was made of stacked large stones. In the center of the stone-framed door of some ancient houses, there is a carved pattern of figures in Ming Dynasty costumes and activities. If you look closely, you will see that the stories of the characters inside have plots and their expressions are vivid. I think this must be a wealthy family. After visiting these ancient houses, my biggest impression is that the interior design of rich families and poor families is also different. For example, the patios of wealthy families are wide and large, and the bluestone slabs on the patios are dark in color. And smooth. The shape and pattern of each door frame are strictly considered, and the beams in the house are of different heights. The working carts, threshing machines, wooden stairs, etc. in ordinary houses, as well as the interior halls and patios are much smaller than those in large households. These fully prove that at that time, in a feudal society, people lived There are also class hierarchies and obvious differences between rich and poor.

? We continued to move forward, and I followed the flow of visitors to the "Actress Jiaxian" at the entrance of the village. This is a small temple used by the villagers to offer sacrifices. It is said that it has many versions of its origins and Beautiful legend about it. Nowadays, people's admiration and worship of gods or ancestors also express a kind of soul conversion and spiritual conversion. The preservation of "Actress Jiaxian" also reflects the dependence on rural characteristics and simple folk customs.

Going further, there is a huge natural cave. The villagers named it "Qiankun in the Cave". Seeing the irregular entrance, the entire cave seems to be pressed by a huge stone. Below is the open space. When we walked in, the cave was spindle-shaped. It was not as inclusive as the caves we had seen before. This cave was open, but there were also stalactites hanging there, some glowing green, such a cave. Unique. A group of more than 20 of us went deep into the cave, almost like a tribe of ants. The wide cave is like a small square with a canopy. Many years ago, soldiers must have taken refuge and ancient people came here to take shelter from the rain and rain during their work breaks. Enjoy the coolness, now that I am here, I also stay for a long time and don’t want to leave.

? It was almost noon, and the narrating teacher Yang led us to the auditorium of Zhongquan Village. Walking into the auditorium, there is a hall about twenty to thirty meters long, seven or eight meters wide, and about ten meters high. At the very front of the hall, which is also on the left hand side of our entrance to the auditorium, there is a stage, and there are many square tables under the stage. There are four benches for sitting around each table. Directly opposite the stage is the kitchen. There is a large stove connected to a large chimney. This stove has five stoves at a time, which can cook rice, stir-fry several vegetables, and stew soup at the same time. This is the first time I have seen a conjoined porous earth stove. It is very unique and multi-functional.

? I watched these village girls with great interest, all wearing aprons, frying and boiling in full swing. I really want to be like them and try what it's like to be a chef like this. It would be great. At this time, someone shouted that dinner was ready, and I sat down with him. Sitting among the crowd, I didn't think I would get carried away with my delicious appearance and feel the slightest bit shy. At this time, the village girl was pushing a large rectangular cart with more than a dozen dishes on it, and it was steaming. This scene was very similar. When I was a child, in our village hall, someone in the village was holding a wedding. There are more than a dozen tables like this, with dishes served in small bowls, and when new dishes come, they are poured on top. The taste of each dish is the most delicious country taste in the world. Nowadays, although such a scene no longer adopts the "dish to bowl" method, the rich atmosphere of rural local dishes is being staged at this moment, especially the chowder made with sweet potatoes, which contains various ingredients, including It is made of more than ten ingredients such as pumpkin, minced meat, sweet potato, etc., and then there is the popular delicacy in Yangxinfuhe area - taro balls. The outside is made of taro and red potato starch, and the inside is filled with bean liver, mung bean powder, shiitake mushrooms, The stuffing is very delicious. There are also some stewed chicken with sweet potato vermicelli and potato starch grains that we used to eat when we were children. When we eat these delicacies, all the memories of our childhood come back. Suddenly, I was very excited. Today's trip was worthwhile. Not only did we see the beautiful scenery of Zhongquan Village, but we also tasted the delicacies of childhood that we had not eaten for more than 20 years. The long-lost sense of intimacy filled us with emotions. Overwhelmingly, this has to make me admire Zhongquan Village, which has simple folk customs, springs and streams, and abundant natural resources. Yang Yuzhong, a national model worker in his seventies, came up to talk to us cordially and toast us. He had a pleasant smile and was talking with us. We talked cordially about the changes in the village, and about the reclaimed land that made him proud, now green and full of vitality.

? On the bulletin board beside the auditorium, the history of Zhongquan Village is recorded. There are bachelors, masters, and doctoral students here. Many Yang students have graduated from various prestigious universities, and some have studied abroad. Overseas, there are many outstanding entrepreneurs and well-known doctors.

? This is also a famous "longevity village". There is a famous saying: "Of all things in nature, only water is the most precious." People live by water, and the mountains and rivers are beautiful, which is naturally the reason for people's longevity. As a prerequisite, I have been to many small mountain villages in our Yangxin County. Zhongquan Village has been a quiet place for many years. It is said that the "Mice Spring" at the source of the village is sweet and delicious, rich in oxygen ions and the human body's needs. A variety of trace elements, the green coverage of the village reaches more than 95%, it is undoubtedly a natural oxygen bar. The land here is fertile, and it is this unique geographical condition that makes the number of long-lived elderly people in the village rank among the highest in the county. How important is the human and geographical environment of a village. The people here live and work in peace and contentment, the mountain springs are active before my eyes, and the villagers are warm and friendly. All of this is due to the infiltration of good mountains and good water. I learned it all today.

With the reform and opening up, and the construction of faster and faster urbanization, more and more rural areas in China have disappeared. But the Wangying Zhongquan Village I visited today is the most well-preserved village in my opinion. It has beautiful mountains and clear waters and outstanding people. The water in Zhongquan Village is also the main water source of Xiandao Lake. The ancient buildings, ancient houses, and ancient covered bridges here are so refreshing. We need more representative ancient villages like this to inherit the civilization, especially the door frames of the ancient houses and the exquisite carvings inside. Some of the character patterns and two-bird pictures reflect our rural culture and the wisdom of the working people at that time.

At the end of our one-day trip to Zhongquan Village, the desire to come again next time has been dormant in my heart.

I just want to say to it: "Quietly, let us who come after you must protect your truest appearance! May you be well, may your appearance remain the same, and may more people know your beauty. ! ”

? Written on November 19, 2019

Modified on November 23, 2019