Exploring Minnan Water Town —— Daimei in Longhai, Zhangzhou

"Surrounded by water is your foil, and uniformity is your reputation. There is beautiful water without beautiful geomantic omen, a village that lives by water. The ancient banyan village is your background, and the complete preservation is your reputation. This is a village with a long history. Antiques are your background, and your distinguished family background is your reputation. There is a beautiful wealth, a village with deep accumulation. Egrets are your enemies, and harmony between people and birds is your reputation. There are beautiful feng shui without beauty, and villages in Xanadu. "

Do the tall buildings in the city make you forget your simple life, and do the people who disturb you make you breathless? There are also ancient buildings surrounded by green water, which may make you find that kind of inner idleness and tranquility.

All the way out of the highway intersection, across a vast field, came to Longhai Daimei.

What you see are 276 uniform ancient buildings in southern Fujian, with red tiles and green trees, clear water around the small village, ducks playing and egrets living in the water.

A few birds are twittering in the fallen banyan tree, incense is curling in the Temple of Heaven, and roadside vendors are humming the sound of buying and selling in awkward Mandarin. This is my impression of Daimei, a place called "Zhouzhuang in South Fujian".

About Daimei

In the Dictionary of Common Words in Ancient Chinese, the word "Dai" is interpreted as "earth dam blocks water", from which it can be seen that Dai Mei is a village built on water.

Dai sister's original name was "David", including the house number of the ancient village, and it still says "David Society". Because the word "Wei" is ugly, it was named "Mei", which is homophonic with "Wei" in southern Fujian.

Daimei Ancient Village is located on the nanxi river bank of Jiulong River in Daimei Village, Dongyuan Town, Longhai City, two kilometers away from the zhangzhou port exit of Shenhai Expressway, surrounded by Jilong Mountain, Damao Mountain and Emei Mountain.

The ancient village is surrounded by water and there are ancient banyan trees everywhere. It is the largest and most well-preserved ancient civil building complex in southern Fujian, one of the representatives of "Fujian Red Brick" and the fourth batch of provincial-level historical and cultural villages.

Strolling along this ancient village road with a history of more than 500 years, the oldest ancient buildings in Ming and Qing dynasties face south, and the newly built ones face south. Rows of roofs tilt upward, the houses are all the same size, and the side doors are close to each other. If the door of every household is open, it is estimated that you can escape from the head of the club to the end.

An old banyan tree

The ancient banyan tree, which is almost in close contact with the water surface, has a stout branch connecting the two banks of the river. It is said that before there was a bridge, this branch also played the role of a bridge. People on both sides of the strait stepped on the old banyan tree and went back and forth. The years left deep marks on the banyan tree.

In Fujian, the banyan tree is a symbol of good luck. It is said that ancient banyan trees are spiritual and cannot be cut down. In Daimei, although this tall ancient banyan tree no longer carries people around, it acts as a bridge between ancient people and modern people. The ancient banyan tree, which is now protected, is still lush in the mottled sunshine.

tianhou temple

Next to the ancient banyan tree, there is an ancient temple built in the Qing Dynasty-Tianhou Palace, which is a beautiful main temple. Although the Tianhou Palace is small in scale, it has a long history and incense.

In the coastal areas of southern Fujian, if people need to go to sea, they will worship Mazu on the boat to bless a smooth sailing and a safe return. The beautiful Tianhou Palace also reflects the scene of Daimei going out to sea to make a living through the river at her doorstep.

Outside the Tianhou Palace, some old people who speak Minnan are playing cards at a table. They are playing their own cards, and the expression on their faces seems to be that the whole world has nothing to do with them. They are very happy.

ancestral temple

Minnan people attach great importance to clan kinship, and the same clan will build ancestral halls together. Dai girls have two ancestral halls, which are divided into the former ancestral hall and the latter ancestral hall.

There is a levee of more than ten meters in front of the ancestral hall, where general farming is held, such as drying rice on the levee when rice is harvested.

It is rainy in summer in southern Fujian. It often happens that the sun is shining at noon, and suddenly it rains heavily. The villagers fly like arrows and shout, "It's raining, come out and collect rice!" The whole village will go to Dacheng to collect rice. God seems to like to play jokes on farmers. When everyone put the rice away, the sun came out with a smile. "Empty mountain after rain, standing on autumn night", with the smell of rain and dust, spread in beauty.

"Standing on the flagpole is the champion", and the flagpole erected on the levee symbolizes how many officials there are in this clan. And the flagpoles of civil and military officials will be different.

The flagpoles of civil servants are mostly crane stripes, while those of officers are mostly tiger stripes. A lot of knowledge hidden in architecture is the wisdom of the ancients and a silent culture. I hope everyone will study it and try to find out the essence.

"two kinds of water"

Beauty has two kinds of water, inner and outer. External water communicates with Nanxi Bay, reaching Haicheng, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Xiamen Port and Taiwan Province Province, and is a window to communicate with the outside world. Daimeiren uses this river to transport some crops and do some small business.

Internal water runs through the village, so Daimei is called "Zhouzhuang in South Fujian".

When the breeze is cool in Xu Lai and the water waves are quiet, you can go boating in the United States. "Husband and wife fish and shrimp are friends with elk, one leaf is driven in a boat, and one bottle is raised for each other." If Su Shi had come to Daimei at that time, he might have written a poem "Former Red Cliff Fu". The scenery here is so unforgettable that he will only feel that "everything in heaven and earth has its own owner, although it is a dime."

Local gourmet

In the village, you can taste authentic Minnan snacks, or you can make them yourself, beat them yourself, or grind rice pulp and push a stone mill to make pot paste.

Watching the uncle selling pot stickers push the mill, he slowly scooped up a spoonful of white rice and put it on the stone mill. The stone mill crushes rice and slowly flows out thick rice slurry, which is the raw material for making pot paste.

Put a few spoonfuls of rice paste into the pot, slowly pour it from the side of the pot first, and then the paste on the side of the pot will be ready in a short time. Add your favorite accessories, such as large intestine, marinated eggs and fried dough sticks.

Facing the fast-paced life, uncle chose to go back to his hometown, cook authentic Minnan cuisine, slowly push the mill, and tell beautiful stories and his stories with the guests. Let these old stories meet new people and pass them on.

Experience the taste of a better life.

Renovate in antique buildings and transform quadrangles in southern Fujian into modern homestays. Maybe you can stay and experience what it's like to live in a courtyard house in southern Fujian.

The room is not big, but it is very warm for the family to live together. Sitting on the feldspar chair in the yard, the yard is full of flowers, smelling the flowers and counting the stars, which will be the satisfaction of a simple life.

Daimei also has a farmhouse, which will take you to experience farm life, pick pitaya and spend the summer under the grape trellis. The daily necessities should make you more satisfied. Everything is living a self-sufficient life of "picking chrysanthemums under the east fence and seeing Nanshan leisurely"

Strolling between beautiful scenery and beautiful scenery, this minyun water town evokes homesickness. It is our return to nature after washing away the lead, and it is the beautiful and quiet running water that gives people a leisurely life.

"I still lament the size of the world and indulge in childhood love stories." When I was a child, we danced checkered rope skipping on the Minnan levee, hid the mystery in front of CuO and CuO Wei, and caught fish and shrimp in the crystal clear river. ......

At that time, my mother would call your name at the door and go home for dinner. I felt that pointing to the moon would cut my ears as if it were getting farther and farther away from us.

No matter how big the world is, Minnan is our root and hometown. Just like an uncle who has been a Dai girl all his life making pot stickers for tourists, telling that story, whether it is Minnan on the tip of the tongue or Minnan with a story, is a kind of inheritance.

When you are tired, why not take advantage of the east wind to find a leisurely life, a childhood memory and a heritage of Minnan culture in this simple Minnan town?

Travel tips:

① Driving: Take the exit of Longhai Dongyuan Expressway and walk for two or three minutes to Daimei. It takes 50 minutes from downtown Zhangzhou to Daimei Expressway.

② Bus: Get off at Zhangzhou to Longhai Bus Terminal and take Dongyuan Bus. Friends from Xiamen took a speedboat to zhangzhou port at Xiamen Wharf, and then took a bus from zhangzhou port to Dongyuan.