Jiangqiao ancient town
? A rusty iron lock locks the dust of years, but it can't lock the fresh morning light. Blue bricks and gray tiles, cornices and arches, tirelessly tell the numbness of the bustling hollow wood carvings. The study studio, while engraving the knife marks of the years, also engraves the elegance of the owner.
In the deep courtyard, the fragments of carved beams and painted buildings remain in the depths of the years, covered with antique simplicity and dignity and covered with the footprints of time. Being in this corner of the ancient village, wandering in the dark and a bit shabby courtyard, reading the legendary stories that happened here, or being alone with an ancient tree, or talking with a flower, is like walking into an ancient ink painting, with a faint ancient rhyme, looking at stubborn plants in the crevices and smelling the humid atmosphere, which seems to have the taste of dreaming back to the south of the Yangtze River.
"Warm people village, Yi Yi market smoke. Dogs bark in deep alleys, chickens crow and mulberry trees jump … "This is an idyllic picture depicted in ancient poems, which is desirable. Jiangqiao, known as "Xiaozhouzhuang in Hubei", has the meaning described in this ancient poem. Jiangqiao is located in the south suburb of daye city City, Hubei Province, with an area of 4 square kilometers. The East, the end of the Song Dynasty and Hong Kong come down in one continuous line; South and gazebo, Hu Geng look forward to each other; West Datong Daquan and Batang are separated by a water; The north is closely related to the plains and Xie Zi. An ancient post road with a history of 800 years passes through the village. With the development of history, people built houses on both sides of the post road, and finally formed today's river bridge.
In the late Southern Song Dynasty, this place was not called "Jiangqiao", but "Lixiyang Anchang Township, Shangzhong 52 Fort". Until the 13th year of the Yuan Dynasty, the Chiang brothers donated money to build a "three-hole stone arch bridge". Merchants from the south to the north have benefited a lot, and passers-by are full of praise. Later generations named this bridge "Jiangqiao" to commemorate the Jiang brothers, and this three-hole stone arch bridge has also become a landmark building here. The ancients often had the habit of naming areas with landmark buildings. The name of the bridge gradually became a place name, and the name "Jiangqiao" is still in use today.
The construction concept of traditional ancient villages in China often follows the idea of building villages by mountains and water. Jiangqiao ancient town is not artificially located, but because of the ancient post road, according to the layout on both sides of the road, a market-style village has been built. Although the design of Jiangqiao ancient town is not artificially ingenious, it still conforms to the traditional concept of geomantic omen in the overall pattern. Jiangqiao is surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. Jiangqiao has a geomantic legend of "jade belt around the waist, four waters return to the hall" since ancient times. The ancient Jiangqiao river system was developed, from which you can sail directly to Daye Lake. Jiangqiao ancient town is a land where land and water meet, so it is also called "water town".
The architectural style of Jiangqiao ancient town is mainly Jiangxi architecture, supplemented by Huizhou architecture. From a distance, blue bricks and tiles, simple colors, look like a Jiangnan ink painting. There are seven ancient buildings in Jiangqiao Ancient Town, including Yitaixin Qianzhuang, Zuoshi Ancestral Hall, Qiaobianwu Ancestral Hall, Jiurutang, Caochuntang, Blacksmith Shop and Dongyue Temple, which are embedded in Jiangqiao Ancient Town like seven bright pearls. The ancient town takes Jiangqiao ancient street as the longitudinal direction, the ancient port as the horizontal central axis, the three-hole stone arch bridge as the central line, and passes through the quaint and beautiful Jiangqiao, and a clear water winds in a harbor. Standing on the shore of a small port, watching people coming and going, ships coming and going, traffic is a kind of enjoyment. Throughout the year, the water in the ancient port will always change, but what remains unchanged is the eternal charm of the small port. A towering old tree growing next to Xiaogang is 100 years old. It leans over to welcome guests, and tourists often take photos with it, adding a strong historical color to the Millennium ancient village.
Yitaixin Qianzhuang is a unique building preserved in Jiangqiao Ancient Town. It is a unique building in the transitional period from agricultural society to industrial and commercial society, with a front store and a back house. On the street side are shops, and behind them are luxury houses. The front and back are connected, but the store door and the door are asymmetrical. The door of the shop is open across the street to attract customers. The residential gate is located in strict accordance with the traditional geomantic omen in China. Generally, there are family instructions showing family style above the gates of ancient buildings. After Yitaixin entered the door, there was a family motto "Clouds converge on Bao Shu" above the gate. Zuo Guo Hui is Yi Taixin's boss, also known as Zuo Yunde. Through diligence and honesty, his family's business is booming, so he built this house. Taking "Treasure Trees in the Clouds" as the family motto, Yitaixin's family motto "Treasure Trees in the Clouds" comes from "Travel in Qionglin", which was divided by the Tian family, and the Jing tree that suddenly appeared in front of the court. When Tian Zhen, Tian Guang and Ching Tien in the Sui Dynasty separated, even a bauhinia tree in front of the imperial court was divided into three sections. The bauhinia tree suddenly died. They felt ashamed that people were inferior to wood, so they decided not to separate, and the bauhinia tree flourished again. Zuo, the head of the household, warned his descendants through this historical allusion that they would never be separated.
Among the ancient towns, there is a particularly tall building, that is, Zuo Ancestral Temple. Zuo is the surname with the largest number of people in Jiangqiao. In history, most villagers in Jiangqiao ancient town migrated from Jiangxi. Jiangqiao was originally a place with mixed surnames and lived in groups. Its structure is complex and has formed a certain local market. Merchants in the south and the people in the past all went to Daye from Jiangqiao ancient pier. Merchants in the north took a boat to Jiangqiao and changed the waterway to dry road, so passers-by would inevitably stop to rest and become increasingly prosperous.
Zuo Yao Chenggong, the ancestor of Jiangqiao Zuoshi family, is one of them. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zuo's family went out to do business and served as an official in a different place. At that time, the population of the left not only reached its peak, but also accumulated financial resources very quickly. According to the spectrum, although Zuo's official position is not high, there are many officials, such as "a member of the Beijing post" and "the nine products of the military industry waiting for the patrol hall". There are many such official buildings. In ancient times, there was a natural intimate relationship between officials and businessmen. In this way, Zuojia gradually became the most popular family in Jiangqiao. However, success is also a business, and failure is also a business. With the decline of the feudal dynasty, the official and business power of Jiangqiao Zuo's family also disappeared. Now there is only one left ancestral temple. Zuo's Ancestral Hall, sitting west facing east, pays attention to internal lighting, wood beams bearing loads, blue bricks and tiles, three entrances on the first floor, good at carving beams and painting buildings, and decorating roof cornices. With the change of time, these woodcarvings are covered with dust, and the exquisite murals are becoming mottled. However, through the old house in the twilight, travelers can still get a glimpse of Zuo at that time.
In addition to the ancestral temple left by Zuojia, there is also a ancestral temple by the bridge, which is well preserved.
This is the building of Amin dynasty, facing south, with simple layout, simplicity and elegance. Rectangular buildings are all blue bricks and gray tiles, towering horse head walls, double-hung roofs, half covered and half exposed, hidden behind overlapping horse head walls, with rich and diverse shapes, looking up at the sky. It can prevent fire and wind. Its internal structure is three bedrooms, one living room and one living room, with a patio in the middle, three spacious rooms, a bright hall and a second bedroom, which are symmetrical left and right. The wooden structure spans the bucket beam frame, and the dormitory building is one and a half stories high, with people living on the lower floor and things on the upper floor. The hall is not layered, so it looks tall, spacious and magnificent. There is a plaque hanging on the forehead of the ancestral hall, which enshrines the ancestral tablets. Every solar term, Zuo Ren will come to worship.
Zheng, the ancestor of Zuojia, was honest and harmonious with his neighbors. His dragon dance camp broke the boundaries of surnames and absorbed the participation of many people with foreign surnames. He is not afraid of the spread of skills, open-minded and noble-minded, so he was given the imperial seal of the Qing Dynasty-"Qinci Township drinks as a big guest". In the harvest year, the state government will hold a large-scale celebration. Every time Zheng Gong comes to a banquet, he takes the Dragon Lantern Team on Jiangqiao Street to celebrate. This has made an important contribution to the preservation of traditional folk customs such as dragon lanterns, and now "Jiangqiao Dragon Lantern" has also been rated as a municipal intangible cultural heritage. In today's ancestral home, there are still musical instruments that dance dragon lanterns on holidays, and the selfless spirit of left ancestors has also been confirmed and passed down in dragon dances again and again.
Today's peaceful villages have become giants thousands of years ago, and the existing "Nine Confucian Classrooms" are the best witness. According to folklore, the ancestors of Jiurutang belonged to a big family in Jiangqiao at that time. It is said that one year, their family was famous except for nine Confucian scholars.
Jiurutang was built in Wanli period of Ming Dynasty, with the first three rooms, the last three rooms and the last two rooms, belonging to Jiangxi style. There are stone railings beside the patio ditch in the middle of each house, and the wooden beams in the hall are all wood carvings. There are three rooms and two floors, the back two rooms are blue bricks and slabs, and the backyard is a garden. But now nine Confucian classrooms are in ruins, leaving only a few relics standing in the depths of Gu Xiang in Jiangqiao for people to mourn.
Most of the buildings on both sides of Jiangqiao Ancient Town are shops. But there is a seemingly sparse and ordinary building, which used to be a second light-"Spring Grass Hall". Chuncaotang is located in the middle of Jiangqiaoxia Street, near the intersection of east and west, with convenient transportation. The north and south are the vertical axis of the street, and there are many pedestrians coming and going. In fact, such a lively location is convenient for people to see a doctor and take medicine.
The architecture of Chuncaotang belongs to Jiangxi School. When you open the pavement and enter Yiguang, it is a "seven" shaped counter. The counter facing the street and the aisle leading to the hall are also counters. The whole counter is fully enclosed. If there is a doctor, enter the gate along the corridor, cross the patio and enter the hall. There is a doctor sitting in the consulting room, writing prescriptions and taking medicine at the front desk. There is a patio in the middle for lighting and ventilation. But in the small house that looks unremarkable now, there is a generation of famous doctors-Liu Fukun, one of the founders of daye city Central Hospital and the attending expert physician of daye city Central Hospital. He is not only skilled in medical skills, but also famous for his medical ethics. As a teenager, he started his medical career as an apprentice in Chuncaotang in Jiangqiao.
Times have changed. 1998 "Chuncaotang" pavement decoration, called dormitory. The former scenery has long since disappeared.
Walking through the old streets and alleys of Jiangqiao, people can't help but sigh that the once brilliant ancient post road is now empty, and almost all shops and counters are closed, losing its former prosperity. But here, only one shop is still open, and the tinkling noise in the alley can be heard far away. This is Jiangqiao blacksmith's shop. In the past, Jiangqiao blacksmith shop was originally run by Li Heceng in Jiangqiao. Later, through apprentices, Xu, Liang and Zuo's disciples increased. After liberation, business has been booming, with dozens of stoves striking iron. Modern science and technology are developed, and so is industry. Many iron products are replaced by rubber or plastic, some by industrial molding and industrial production, and some iron products are rarely used and will soon be eliminated. The situation is dangerous and may disappear. Now there is only one Zuo surname, but the inheritor has stopped working while the iron is hot, and only one master occasionally makes some products for people. The master tried to inherit the ancient forging memory.
Of course, the ancient Jiangqiao Post Road is not only a shop, but also a common belief of ancient Guan Gong merchants or other gods. The Dongyue Temple in Jiangqiao has played such a role. Dongyue Temple in Jiangqiao was built in the Southern Song Dynasty. Jiangqiao Street is an ancient post road, where heroes strive for hegemony or change dynasties and wars break out.
This happens from time to time. Therefore, Dongyue Temple was repeatedly destroyed, and the last repair was during the Xianfeng period. At present, Dongyue Temple is donated by residential buildings built on the basis of the old temple, and a stone tablet donated by the people during the Xianfeng period is still preserved in the temple. Every year, people come here to burn incense and pray.
The most striking building in Jiangqiao ancient town is Jiangqiao, a three-hole stone bridge in the town, which was "built in the thirteenth year of the early Yuan Dynasty by two helpers, Jiang Er". At that time, the residents here suffered many inconveniences, such as crossing the river and the harbour. So, two Yishijiang brothers invested in the construction of this bridge, and everyone responded and finally succeeded. From then on, the neighbors named "Jiangqiao" after the "surname" of the Jiang brothers as a righteous act to praise the two brothers. Stone arch bridge, the bridge is 20 meters long, 5 meters wide and 3 meters high. It is a three-hole stone arch bridge, all made of stones, with a span of 5.8 meters for each hole and an arch ring of 0.35 meters. There is a pavilion-attic on the bridge deck. There are stone benches on both sides of the bridge and round doors at both ends. The words "facing south" and "north arch" are engraved on the round door, and two sculptures-"General Shui" and "Marshal Yue" are enshrined in the center of the bridge. The attic on the bridge was destroyed by the flood at 1954, and the present Jiangqiao later raised funds to rebuild it. People come and go. Although this three-hole stone bridge has changed its appearance over the years, what remains unchanged is the soul given to it by the people of Jiangqiao. Visitors will always be amazed when they come here. They all look around the railing and taste the meaning of "facing south" and "Gongbei".
Through the alley of the ancient street, we came to the depths of the alley, and a special gatehouse stood at the end of the alley. This is the famous "Sword Building", which was called "Yuanmen" in ancient times. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Yue Fei was stationed here to mine. He built a city on Jiangqiao with the strategic vision of a strategist. The south gate of Shangjiekou said "Yuanmen" and the north gate of Xiajiekou said "Genmen". Today's Yuanmen was rebuilt after several damages, and the "Genmen" was replaced by the present Jiangqiao Street gatehouse.
Living by the water is the habit of traditional villages in China, and so is the river bridge built around the ancient post road. A small river passes through the city. The river originates from Longjiao Mountain and passes through Jiangqiao Reservoir to Jiangqiao. The water in a river bridge can be as simple as more than one river. Longquan well and Guiquan well echo each other at a distance by the river, and the river shines in the shadow of ancient camphor trees on both sides.
? Jiangqiao has a history of over 800 years. This used to be the only way for Daye County to lead to Liu, Yinzu and even Jiangxi. In its heyday, Jiangqiao Old Street was crowded with people and merchants' shops, making it an important town in the southern district of Daye. The rise and fall of Jiangqiao Street is closely related to the road. In the late 1950s, with the reconstruction of the main road in the south of Daye, the bustling old street gradually lost its former prosperity and remained in people's memory.
Walking on Jiangqiao Old Street, peeling blue bricks, deformed cornices and ancient Jiangxi-style houses all bear memories of the past, which are rare human resources and contain heavy historical and cultural values. Today's Jiangqiao ancient town conforms to the times, and the next step will be to build an old street as the center of gravity and develop it with surrounding tourist attractions to become a tourist attraction integrating natural scenery and human landscape.
The quaint stone bridge, flowing water and deep old streets are full of prosperous past events and deep homesickness. Nowadays, Jiangqiao, a thousand-year-old town, is showing its former elegance and slowly coming to us with the enchanting charm of Jiangnan water town.