I remember the first time I went to Langdai Ancient Town, when I was in my early twenties, I was in love with my husband, and I had the opportunity to see the ancient town accompanied by him. Later, because of the propaganda work, continue to get a glimpse of the history and culture of Langdai from tourism promotional materials, Lang Dai historical materials, newspapers and periodicals, the Internet and other channels, the past and present life of an ancient town attracted me to continue to approach it, more than 20 years of close touch, always want to put pen to paper for a quick expression.
To perceive the ancient town of Langdai, we should start with the name of Langdai City. Turning the heavy pages of history, my thoughts can be traced back to the Han and Tang dynasties, the majestic "Lang Mountain" (now Lao Wang Mountain in the territory of Qi Town) and the gentle and demure "Dai Mountain" (located in Lang Dai City) are rigid and soft, deriving the historical town - Lang Dai.
The sky of history has changed, from the ancient kingdom of Qiqi in the Zhou period to the ancient kingdom of Yelang in the Warring States period, Qin to the Western Han Dynasty, Langdai Ancient Town has become a shining star in the sky.
When you visit the ancient town in the long history, you might as well use modern technology, put on VR equipment, and dress up as an ancient lady to shuttle through the crowded and shop-lined streets of the ancient town.
I saw children frolicking in the streets, and travelers from the ancient post roads of Yunnan and Guizhou were sitting in teahouses resting, and they were worried that they could not find the inn; I heard the shouts of the shops selling goods one after another, as well as the bargaining of foreign merchants to purchase local specialty products; I smelled the rich fragrance of thousand-year-old wolfberry sauce in the sky of the ancient town.
Coming to the Song and Ming Dynasty, the mighty mansion of Long's Tusi stood in front of him, and the mysterious Long's Tusi culture began to take root in the ancient city of Langdai.
Entering the Yongzheng and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty, literati and Confucian scholars gathered in Daishan Academy, Xue Gong and Confucian Temple to talk about learning and Taoism, and the literary style was rich. Walking into the Ming and Qing temples with towering ancient trees in the city, the sound of chanting is endless, and good men and women pray sincerely in the smoke and fire, praying for a bumper harvest.
Back to the modern ancient town, the breeze blows the willow branches in front of Daishan Academy, and the ancient city wall left by the stone castle built in the Qianlong period in front of the academy carries the mottled memory of Langdai. Tracing the traces of the 16 temples left by the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Zen sound of Buddhism lingers in the sky above the ancient temple, and the irritable mood is as calm as water in an instant.
Recalling Langdai, from the Langdai Hall set up in the eighth year of Yongzheng, to Langdai County at the time, in 1960 due to the "three-line" construction of the county moved to Liuzhi (now Liuzhi Special Zone), in 1992 after the "construction and withdrawal" of Langdai Town. Since then, Langdai Town has continued in the long river of history, and the ancient historical bloodline has been passed down from generation to generation.
One day in early summer, in order to write about Lang Dai's related articles, I once again had a deeper intimate contact with the ancient town.
Taste the ancient culture of Langdai Town, first walk from the sound of Lang Lang books in Daishan Academy, walk alone in the lecture hall of the Academy, close your eyes, sit quietly cross-legged, let your thoughts go back to a hundred years ago, and study together with many ancient literati and bachelors, as if you have learned rich five cars. Daishan Academy has always been prosperous in literary style, excellent style of learning, in ancient times Langdai Town had 7 Jinshi and 43 people, literati are countless, it can be said that there are many talents.
Wake up in the meditation of Daishan Academy, walk out of the academy, look at the ancient city wall in front of the academy, the "Yingxiang" stone plaque inlaid on the gatehouse attracted me, engraved with the "Emperor's grace is vast, Guotai Min'an" eight characters, the book was engraved in the Qing Dynasty Qianlong ten years, has been more than 270 years of history, the ancient city wall next to it is more than 2000 meters long, more than 4 meters high, in ancient times, there are four city gates in the east, south, west and north, which are named "Yingxiang", "Laifu", "Yingshuang", "Cheng'en", These monuments are engraved with the long-standing historical imprint of Langdai Town.
Next, move to the Tusi Mansion on the left side of the academy, the mighty Longbang Tusi statue stands in front of the Tusi Mansion, the wooden eaves and green tiles of the mansion, antique, as if returning to the Longda Tusi family in the Song and Ming dynasties, dancing with the Longda Tusi people under the cheerful drumbeat, praying for good wind and rain.
Not far in front of the Tusi Mansion, behind the left of the tall archway with the word "taste" on the book, is the house called "Sauce Garden", three large brown sauce jars next to the house are placed in an orderly manner, and the attractive color of the sauce in a sauce jar is poured down into the basin, this is the wolf-paste that originated from the millennium, and now it has become a unique food condiment in the ancient town of Langdai, which is exported to all parts of the country. The rich fragrance of soy sauce has permeated the sky over the ancient town for thousands of years, moistening the happy life of the people in the ancient town.
Behind the right side of the archway, there is a street of taste, which has a local famous snack bar with a long history, Lang Dai cold powder, golden silk meat cake, concave pot tofu, Wang family cake, fried cake, Bubu cake and many other delicacies are enough to capture my taste buds, and I can't help but stop my hurried footsteps.
After tasting all the delicious food, I turned right from the taste street, and entered the Dongmen Street with ancient charm for a visit, the street was built in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, has gone through more than 600 years of historical vicissitudes, it is the business center of Langdai Ancient Town, the street is lined with shops, clothing stores, food stores, accessories stores, supermarkets and so on. After the renovation in recent years, the tall fire-sealing wall with white and gray in the middle, the green tiles of Zhumen, the cyan stone road, and the rows of red lanterns with the book "Yingxiang Langdai" are hung high under the eaves, shining on the prosperous days of the leisurely Langdai people.
Of course, Dongmen Street is not only a commercial center, but also the former residences of historical celebrities, and the former residence of Li Boping, a modern revolutionary martyr, is preserved here, which is still intact and still inhabited by his descendants.
Coming to this, I can't help but think of Huang Dong in the Wuzike Township Examination during the Qianlong period, he is the first person to be selected as a state official since Lang Dai established the hall, and the official went to the governor of Nanyue, Guangdong, and then moved to Jiaying Prefecture and Zhoutong, because of his life of honesty and integrity, the people are known as "Han Bao Official". Qing Xianfeng, Tongzhi period Guizhou Governor Zhao Dechang brave and good at fighting all his life, repeatedly built military exploits, the same is Lang Dai people, according to legend, Guiyang Dongshan "Dragon" word, Qianling Park "Tiger" word cliff stone carving is its writing. During the revolutionary war, people from all walks of life in Langdai established the Langdai Rural Normal School, and Liu Xuewei, a member of the Communist Party, came to Langdai to secretly organize the "Langdai Branch of the Guizhou Literature and Art Research Association" and led the progressive students of the Langdai Rural Normal to carry out underground revolutionary struggle. These historical celebrities have painted a strong stroke on the long years of Langdai Ancient Town, making the historical and cultural heritage of the ancient town more profound.
Cross Dongmen Street and come to Wenfeng Square in the east of the city. The most eye-catching on the square is particularly tall "Yingxiang Langdai" archway, there are 6 arches in the old Langdai City, all of which were destroyed at the end of the **, this is one of the ones restored in recent years. In front of the square, there is a bronze statue of "Lang Dai Seven Gentlemen", the inscription shows that "the people are the parents, the green lantern reads, and the ambition is diligent", which reproduces the noble character of Lang Dai Fan Picheng, Wang Bingzhang and other 7 sages who are all called gentlemen.
On the mountain peak that looks at Wenfeng Square in the distance, it is the "Wenfeng Tower" built by Tang Minzhai of Shu people in Guangxu ten years, the top of the tower has been damaged, it is said that in ancient times, because the top of the tower lived with the centipede essence that harmed the neighbors, in order to eliminate the centipede essence, the god sent the thunder male and electric mother to kill it, and destroyed the top of the tower by mistake. This is also one of the "Eight Views of Langdai" of the "Beiyi Wenfeng", and the other Dongshan Chaoxia, Nanyue Feixian, Xiling Wandu, Yunpan Ancient Tree, Yuelangping Bridge, Yanjiang Lock Key, Longqing Lianyun, all record the vicissitudes of life in the historical changes of the ancient town. Due to the rush of time, it is a pity that we cannot visit them one by one.
Crossing the street, come to the Baicao Garden built by the construction of characteristic small towns in recent years, it is early summer, the pink and white evening primrose on the Baicao Garden are in full bloom, and the colorful butterflies flutter through the flowers and lawns, and the colorful figures are stepping in the sun, chasing the traces of the fragrance of flowers. Blue sky, beautiful scenery, I can't help but sit carefully among the flowers, and freeze the beauty of Langdai Ancient Town in my memory.
On the side of Baicaoyuan Square, children are having fun in the children's playground, and parents are barbecuing in the open space not far away, smiling and chasing the children playing with their eyes from time to time. When night falls, the hustle and bustle of Baicao Garden is even more lively, and the dynamic square dance melody attracts young people and children to join, injecting youthful vitality into Langdai Ancient Town.
At this moment, staying next to the colorful and busy Shili Street, the thousand-year-old time of Langdai Ancient Town is like a white horse passing by, fleeting. Shuttling through the mysterious time and space tunnel, the picture scroll of history is gradually clear, the fierce generals of the powerful side, the benevolent and virtuous men of noble character, the revolutionary aspirants who died for the country, and the hard-working and capable people of Langdai have jointly painted a magnificent picture of the millennium of Langdai Ancient Town, which is becoming more and more vivid in the long river of history.
Selected from Wang Hua, edited by China Overseas Chinese Publishing House, "The Great Beauty and Liangdu - Selected Essays on Liupanshui Regional Culture").
Editor: Zhan Yuhan.
Review: Lu Zhizhang.