**丨Zhang Zhizhen.
When arriving in Xichang, or catch up with the end of the flowering period, there are still clusters of blue-purple and reddish flowers to be thanked on the roadside street trees, the tour guide of the same car told us: this is the jacaranda, but unfortunately the full flowering period has passed, otherwise the flowers of the tree, it is very beautiful.
In mid-May 2021, he participated in the study and training course held by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Nanjing Municipal People's Congress in Xichang, the capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, with the theme of ethnic and religious policies in the new era. Through a series of activities such as expert lectures, on-site teaching of ethnic customs, and visits to the life of the Yi people, we have a better understanding of the past and present of the Yi compatriots. Five days, fleeting, but infinitely rich and fulfilling, unforgettable.
I have long understood that Xichang is China's aerospace city, an important town of the "Southern Silk Road", a gathering place of the Yi nationality in China, and a beautiful plateau lake Qionghai. But the first thing that struck me was the jacaranda.
The first time I heard of it in my life, it was also the first time I saw a jacaranda. The straight stem and lanceolate feather leaves at first glance thought it was an acacia flower, but the blooming flowers on the treetops tell us that it is a different kind of existence. Clusters and clusters, like blue-purple flames burning, flowers like trumpets, slightly larger than paulownia flowers, blue with purple, purple red, very delicate. It is said that it was introduced from South America, and it was only recently in Xichang, and the number of cultivation is not large, mainly concentrated in a few neighborhoods and on both sides of several avenues in the city.
Xichang in May is already the sun in the daytime, all kinds of flowers bloom all over the city, here is the world of the triangular plum, the tall can reach more than ten meters, in the red, yellow, pink and white triangular plum embellishment of the city, the jacaranda is selected as the city tree by the citizens, and was almost selected as the city flower, it can be seen that it is lovely and pleasing to the eye.
Once encountered, the jacaranda immediately integrated into the body of Xichang. Thousands of miles of Liangshan are full of style, and it really lives up to its name. The ancient city of Xichang, the new village of Yimin, the deep trees and flowers, and the exotic customs, you will be impressed by what you see. The Yi compatriots are the masters here, this ethnic minority originated from the ancient Qiang people, and is the subject of the ancient "country of mountain eagles", with more than 4.89 million people in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. They have a long history and a splendid civilization, with their own scripts, languages, unique cultures and inherent ecological customs. Among them, the Mosuo culture of Lugu Lake has the reputation of "living fossil of human matriarchal society", but it is a pity that it is not among us.
The Liangshan Yi Slave Society Museum, the "National Education Base for National Unity and Progress" on the mountainside of Qionghai Sea, enables us to understand the extraordinary course of this great nation. Rich exhibits excavate memories in the precipitation of history. The establishment of New China enabled them to step from a slave society into a new era of socialism in one step, and from slash-and-burn farming to a brilliant modern life. The Yi people everywhere have dark faces and happy smiles. They have now been lifted out of centuries of poverty. The solemn proclamation of "poverty alleviation for all" has allowed them to enter a prosperous and happy era together with the 1.4 billion Chinese people.
On the edge of the ancient city of Xichang and the vast Qionghai Sea, the vast number of Yi people have moved from the high mountains to the spacious and bright new houses of the ethnic village, many of them are moving in with their bags, and there are living subsidies, under the warmth of the big family of the republic, they live comfortably and beautifully. The industrious also used their free time to collect various local products for sale, operate unique food snacks, and inherit the Yi culture.
In the evening, we wandered on the bustling street, enjoying the exotic scenery, feeling the simple national customs, what bread bananas, smoked bacon, Zhang Fei beef, matsutake mushrooms, Lei Bo navel oranges, Xichang steel goose, etc., good quality and low price, stimulating everyone's desire to buy. The partners who went with them underwrote the sweet cherries sold by the three Yi aunts, and even the small back basket containing the cherries was also purchased, which was also a good handicraft. A few colleagues who returned late also packed the unfinished delicacy for everyone to share, and they had to taste the freshness and strength of the Tutuo meat here. It seems that everyone has one wish: to be extravagant, to make some contributions to national unity and common progress, which can be regarded as a donation.
There are a lot of simple Yi people have not had time to integrate into the fast-paced modern life, when visiting the ethnic village, it is clear to see that the donated washing machine is used as a rice cylinder, the carved bed is messy stacked with all kinds of donated clothes and supplies, the old people are still accustomed to sitting on the ground, the beautiful decoration embroidered on the coarse cloth is still mixed with a little yellow mud and stains, but the kindergarten in the village is surrounded by green trees, the window is bright and clean, the sound of books is loud, and the slogan on the corridor is "to cultural people, become customs" is also very eye-catching.
Under the bright red flag of the Yihai Alliance Memorial Hall, I can't help but recall the scene of the bloody alliance between General *** and Xiao Yedan. Since then, the arduous revolutionary process has added a page of legend, and a wonderful note has been added to the music of national unity. The two black swans that happened to swim on the mirror-like shore of the Yi Sea, accepting everyone's frolic and various rewards. The reflection of green trees and green mountains constitutes a quiet beauty, which contrasts with the vastness of the Qionghai Sea and the bustle and prosperity of the ancient city of Xichang.
Xichang is a space city, of course, between the city and the countryside can be seen everywhere and space-related signs, Xichang rocket launch site hidden in the depths of the mountains, when we go to worship, there are not a few figures, there is no rocket standing on the huge launch frame, in addition to tranquility or tranquility, but you can imagine the turmoil and thunder behind the peace here. Everything here bears the marks of "Rocket Man" and the blood and tears, as evidenced by the several monuments that stand among the pines and cypresses. And the jacaranda that dots it is in full bloom, which is different from other places.
Due to the limited climate, jacaranda is not suitable for planting in our hometown, but jacaranda has been rooted in our hearts, and it will never wither and bloom forever.
During the trip to Xichang, we had a deeper understanding of the 56 nationalities, that is, 56 flowers, clustered in the sunshine of the republic, decorating spring and sharing warmth.