There are 3,000 battlements and 72 watchtowers in Zhoucheng, which is consistent with the historical allusions of Confucius' "3,000 disciples and 72 sages". This unique building shows that Confucianism runs through all fields of China's traditional architectural culture, and Confucius' political and religious thoughts penetrate into the huge military defense facilities, hoping to arouse people's conscience, make them hate war, inspire teachers with benevolence, and strive for peace through just war. The plane layout of Pingyao city wall is square, facing south and facing east 15. The reason why Pingyao City pursues a square is not to show that the ancient people's sky is round and the Tao is in the center, but from a scientific architectural concept: except for the circle, the shortest perimeter can enclose the largest area with only one square. Of course, the direction of the city is south, but the county is not as good as the imperial city, so adjust measures to local conditions to the east 15, just in line with the perennial dominant wind direction, bathed in abundant sunshine every day. There are Zhongdu River in front of the city, Taishan and Chaoshan in the distance, which are connected with mountains and water, and are full of vitality. The circumference of Pingyao city wall is 665,438+062.68 meters (consistent with the circumference of the early Ming Dynasty 12, 8 minutes and 4 centimeters), of which the east wall is 65,438+0478.48 meters, and the south wall is 65,438+0765,438+03.80 meters (the straight-line distance from the south end of the east-west wall is only 65,438) Pingyao City is three miles square, which is obviously the largest city at the lowest level (i.e. the county seat) in ancient times. Shi Chuanming's old town of Pingyao before Hongwu was nine miles and eighteen steps. According to the last words of a citizen surnamed Ji in the city, from the Yuan Dynasty to the ninth year (1349), the west of Shaxiang Street in the city was still outside the city, with mulberry gardens and birds singing. In the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369), the west city wall was destroyed by floods, leaving red mud and yellow sand. When it was expanded in the second year, the city wall moved westward, and today's Shaxiang Street was created. In addition, the street name of Yao Chang Street in this city comes from the kiln where city bricks were fired during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. Since it is a kiln, it should be located outside the old city, so the north wall of that year is not far from Yao Chang Street. Judging from this, the circumference of the old city is very consistent with the statement of nine miles and eighteen steps. The three-year expansion and reconstruction of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty laid the basic shape of the existing city wall, with a height of 3 feet 2, a bottom width of 8 meters-12 meters and a top width of 3 meters -6 meters. The early city walls were rammed with plain soil, and the rammed soil wall foundation was rammed with natural soil. In the rammed soil layer left over from the Ming Dynasty, there are corks with a diameter of 6 -7 cm. From above the ground, every two meters is a layer, and the spacing of the cork in the plane distribution is 2 meters to 3 meters. The diameter of rammed earth rammed nest is 15cm, the depth is 2cm-3cm, and the rammed layer is 12cm- 15cm. The wall is divided into 15%-20%. There is a stone foundation outside the rammed earth wall, and the retaining wall is wrapped with special blue bricks (34 cm * 17 cm *7.7 cm). Within the retaining wall, 58cm * 80cm brick piles are built every 5m-6m, which are connected with the rammed earth wall. The thickness of retaining wall is 87 cm, 70 cm and 53 cm from bottom to top, and the height of each floor accounts for about one third of the total height of the wall, and the wall is divided into 9%. The wall section is trapezoidal. At the root of cornice wall, aproll steps are built along the direction of big wall, commonly known as small city wall. The steps are 1 m high and 3 -5 m wide, and the countertop is paved with half bricks. The cornice wall is a brick stack wall, 2 meters high and 53 centimeters thick. Each stack is1.39m long and has three layers of cornice bricks, including observation holes, which are 25cm high and17.7cm wide. There is a crib mouth between battlements, which is 53 cm wide and used for shooting. Under the wall of each crib, a rectangular hole as big as the crib is opened to accommodate the gun body and fire it in a kneeling position. Three thousand stacks of stacked walls are in the beginning of Pingyao city, which eliminates the rigidity of high walls and thick walls in modeling and meets the pursuit of balance between yin and yang in Yi learning. In wartime, the soldiers and horses guarding the city were enough to block the arrowheads. So the crib wall is also called the horse wall. At the top of the inner eaves wall, a low brick wall is built to protect safety. The top of the city wall is covered with a blue brick ridge, which scatters water at the nozzle under the parapet and discharges it to the city road through a brick sink.
City gates and towers: Pingyao City has six ancient city gates, two in the east and two in the west. A bird's-eye view of Pingyao ancient city is like a turtle that wants to walk, with its head south and tail north, and its four doors are more than its four feet, so it is called turtle city by the people. Outside the south gate, the ancient Zhongdu River winds through, which arouses the feeling that ancient literati are playing in front of turtles, mountains and rivers are rising and cities are under construction. The tortoise is a symbol of good luck and longevity. The theory of turtle city originated from the ancient people's worship of the four spirits, and turtle city implied golden soup and long-term stability.
Pingyao is high in the south and low in the north, and its gates extend in all directions. People distinguish these six doors according to their orientation and topography, which are called South Gate, North Gate, Upper East Gate, Upper West Gate, Lower East Gate and Lower West Gate respectively. In fact, each has its own name. According to the Records of Fenzhou Mansion Records O in the thirty-seventh year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, in the third year, Yue Wei, a magistrate of a county, built a suspension bridge outside Liumen, erected brick doors and paved stones, and published the word "Fenzhou Mansion Records O" to show his majesty. Dongmen 2: One says mechanical mouth, the other says smooth mouth, which exists now. Simon II: One is biting the mouth, and the other is threatening the enemy. Qin Long six years, Mengyi Maicheng, magistrate of a county made of bricks, the provincial judge Liang Jizhi. In the twenty-second year of Wanli, the urn ring was demolished, and the south gate was called Burning Mouth, and the north gate was called Xirong. In the Qing Dynasty, in an overhaul of the city wall thirty years after Daoguang, Liu Xu, a magistrate of a county, renamed six gates and personally collected plaques, namely Yingxun, Gong Ji, Taihe, Yongding, Qin and Han Dynasties and Fengyi. The south of the city faces the east, and the south gate welcomes the wind of peaceful fumigation in the southeast to welcome the door of fumigation; The ancients took Polaris as the symbol of the north, and Confucius said: Governing the country by virtue is like Beichen, living in its place and among the stars. The North Gate is called Gong Ji Gate, which bears all directions and is respected by everyone. Shangdongmen is located in a dynamic position, with the meaning of vitality and harmony, Taihe Gate; Shangximen is named Yongdingmen, which means that the country will always be solid, the country will be prosperous and the people will be safe. Xiadongmen has been the strategic hub of this city since ancient times, and the word "pro-Han" is written on the door plaque, which is intended to warn people to take Han as their advantage in the military and to protect their country and defend their country. The name of Xiaximen, Fengyimen, seems to be influenced by the myth that a phoenix came to Korea outside the West Gate in the early years. 90% of the time, the phoenix comes with the instrument, and the phoenix comes with the instrument. It is auspicious and auspicious, which makes people think of benefiting the people with virtue and making the country and the people safe.
The city wall is the defensive wall in the war, and the city gate is the weakness of the defense line. In order to strengthen the defense, a heavy gate was built outside the gate built with the city wall, forming another line of defense outside the inner gate. The enclosed space between the inner and outer doors is like a small town outside a big city, called Wengcheng. In wartime, the urn provided an excellent condition for soldiers guarding the city to detour with the enemy, and Mr. Feng Shui used it to ward off evil spirits. The urn is enough to keep out the dust from the suburbs, which is very realistic. The Wengcheng system in China originated from the Han Dynasty. There is no textual research on when there was Wengcheng in this city. We only know that Xiadongmen Wengcheng was built in the fourth year of Ming Dynasty (1509), Beimen Wengcheng was built in the thirty-first year of Jiajing (1552) and the tower was updated in the forty-first year of Jiajing (1562). In the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703), the emperor traveled westward through Pingyao, so he rebuilt six pagodas. In forty-four years (1705), the main entrance of Shangdong Gate was repaired. From the 30th year of Daoguang (1850) to the 6th year of Xianfeng (1856), a comprehensive and large-scale city wall maintenance project was carried out. Five gates were built in the east, west and north, but a few feet were added to the south gate, resulting in the existing regulations. Among the six ancient city gates, there are four roads in the east and four roads in the west, which are opposite to each other. The heavy doors of Shangdongmen, Shangximen and Xiaximen all face south, facing the distant mountains and rivers, which makes them satisfied; The central axis of the lower east gate is parallel to the central axis of the inner gate and faces the official road leading to Kyoto to show respect for the court. Although the heavy door of the south gate is not right with the inner gate, it still faces south according to the situation. The heavy door of the north gate is 90 degrees from the inner door, which opens eastward and bathes in the dawn of the east.
The tower refers to the tower on the wall, which is the symbol of the city. Its majestic appearance shows the grandeur of the city and the elegance of the nation. Pingyao Tower existed in the Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. The south and north gate towers are seven purlins with three eaves and two floors, while the east and west gate towers are seven purlins with two eaves and two floors. In ancient or modern wars, brick and wooden towers are observation posts, headquarters for guarding generals and extremely important shooting positions. In modern security warfare, its role is not enough.
The traffic vein of Pingyao ancient city consists of four criss-crossing streets, eight small streets and seventy-two dragonflies.
Pingyao Gucheng South Street, also known as "Ming and Qing Street", is 750 meters long and 5 meters wide. South Street has been the most prosperous commercial center in Pingyao since ancient times, the main birthplace of Shanxi merchants and the national financial center in the middle and late Qing Dynasty. South street is the central axis of the ancient city, and the street runs through the north and south with the tower as the center. There is a well at the foot of the mountain on the southeast side of the tower. According to legend, "the water in the well is like gold", so it is also called "Jinjinglou", which was named as one of the twelve scenic spots in Pingyao County in the Qing Dynasty.
There are many shops on both sides of Ming and Qing Street, and there are many ancient banks. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the streets were full of traffic. These horses and chariots come from all over the country, with money, risks, pride, Kyushu customs and customs, and the great flow of economic blood from south to north. In the old society, this street was regarded as "Pingyao City" and "China Waltz Street".
West Street starts from Xiaximen (Fengyimen) in the west, intersects with the northern ends of East Street and South Street, and forms a straight main street with East Street. Rishengchang, the first famous bank in China, was born in the West Street of Gucheng, and is known as "the first financial street in Qing Dynasty".
Rishengchang Bank was founded in the fourth year of Daoguang (AD 1824), with a site of 2,324 square meters, compact land and distinctive functions. After a hundred years of vicissitudes and brilliant achievements, it occupied the leading position in national finance, initiated the national banking in China, and once manipulated the economic lifeline of the whole Qing Dynasty in the19th century. Its semicolons are distributed in more than 30 cities and commercial ports in China, as far away as Europe, America, Southeast Asia and other countries, and are known as "Huitong World". After Rishengchang Bank was founded, Jiexiu, Taigu and Qixian followed suit.
East Street starts from the lower East Gate (Qin and Han Gate) in the east, intersects with the north ends of West and South Street, and forms a straight main street with West Street.
North Street starts from the north gate (Gongjimen) and Nantong West Street.
Baxiao Street and 72 Dragonfly Hutong have their own names, some of which are named after nearby buildings or eye-catching signs, such as Yamen Street, Shuyuan Street, Jiaochang Lane, Helanqiao Lane, Flagstaff Street, Sanyanjing Street, Zhaobi South Street and Xiaochayuan Lane. Some are named after Confucius Temple, such as Miao Wen Street, Chenghuangmiao Street, Luohanmiao Street, Huoshenmiao Street, Guandi Temple Street, Zhenwumiao Street and Wudaomiao Street. Some are named after large local families, such as Zhao Street, Leijiayuan Street, Song Menghuai Lane, Xiang, Jijia Lane, Guojia Lane, Jie, Shaojia Lane and Majia Lane. There is a relatively closed city in the northeast corner of the ancient city, similar to the square in the ancient city. The four nearby streets are named Dongbijingbao, Zhongbijingbao, Xibijingbao and Waibao Street. There are still some streets and lanes that have not been able to explore the origin of their names, such as Renyi Street, Sweet Water Lane, Bean Sprout Street and Huludu Lane.
The houses in Pingyao ancient city are mainly wooden quadrangles with brick walls and tiled roofs, with strict layout, symmetry and respect for order. Large families build two-entry, three-entry courtyards or even larger courtyards, which are separated by gorgeous hanging doors. Most residential courtyards are beautifully decorated. Brick carvings are usually built at the entrance, wood carvings are placed on the beams under the eaves, and stone carvings are used to decorate columns, doorposts and stone drums.
There is a folk saying: "Ten eccentrics of Pingyao ancient city", one of which is "a half-built house." The reason why most houses in Pingyao fall into the water is a single slope, which is generally said to be "four waters return to the hall" or "fat water does not flow out of the field". Shanxi is located in drought and has a big sandstorm. Building a house on a single slope can increase the height of the outer wall facing the street, but not opening windows along the street can effectively resist sandstorms and improve the safety factor. The compact layout of the hospital shows the national character of external exclusion and internal cohesion.
Chenghuangmiao is located in Chenghuangmiao Street in the southeast of the city. It consists of three groups of buildings: the City God Temple, the God of Wealth Temple and the Kitchen God Temple. City God is one of the important gods generally worshipped in ancient Han religious culture, and most of them are served by famous ministers and heroes who have contributed to the local people. I don't know where the slogan "The emperor went to the Temple of Heaven, and the magistrate came here" came from, but in history, especially in the Ming Dynasty, the official position of the city god was indeed higher than that of the magistrate. Ming Taizu's imperial edict requires all localities to build the Town God Temple, which is set symmetrically with the county government, and "Yin and Yang perform their respective duties", which is the ancient "people and gods rule together * * *".
Qingxu Guan, located in the east section of East Street, was founded in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Yuan Dynasty. The existing main building is a relic of the Ming Dynasty, and it is a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanxi Province.
The traffic vein of Pingyao ancient city consists of four criss-crossing streets, eight small streets and seventy-two dragonflies.
South Street is the central axis of Pingyao ancient city, starting from the junction of East Street and West Street in the north and reaching Yingxunmen in the south. The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the most prosperous traditional commercial streets, with merchants gathering, time-honored brands and traditional famous shops.
West Street and East Street are a straight traffic trunk line connecting Xiaximen and Xiadongmen.
Seventy-two Dragonfly Hutongs have their own names, some of which are named after nearby buildings or eye-catching signs, such as Yamen Street, Shuyuan Street, Jiaochang Lane, Helanqiao Lane, Flagstaff Street, Sanyanjing Street, Zhaobi South Street and Xiaochayuan Lane. Some are named after Confucius Temple, such as Miao Wen Street, Chenghuangmiao Street, Luohanmiao Street, Huoshenmiao Street, Guandi Temple Street, Zhenwumiao Street and Wudaomiao Street. Some are named after large local families, such as Zhao Street, Leijiayuan Street, Song Menghuai Lane, Xiang, Jijia Lane, Guojia Lane, Jie, Shaojia Lane and Majia Lane. There is a relatively closed city in the northeast corner of the ancient city, similar to the square in the ancient city. The four nearby streets are named Dongbijingbao, Zhongbijingbao, Xibijingbao and Waibao Street. There are still some streets and lanes that have not been able to explore the origin of their names, such as Renyi Street, Sweet Water Lane, Bean Sprout Street and Huludu Lane.
The houses in the ancient city of Pingyao are mainly wooden quadrangles with brick walls and tiled roofs, with strict layout, symmetry and order. Large families build two-entry, three-entry courtyards or even larger courtyards, which are separated by gorgeous hanging doors. Most residential courtyards are beautifully decorated. Brick carvings are usually built at the entrance, wood carvings are placed on the beams under the eaves, and stone carvings are used to decorate columns, doorposts and stone drums.