Author: Shu Jian Wuwei
"Whoever cuts the Qingqiong crop flowers, the spring will flow around the end of the world, and the water will flow around the end of the world." Walking among the mountains and rivers of Sili, I naturally think of this Every sentence is immersed in the artistic conception of the intersection of natural scenery and humanistic customs.
This is a pastoral, picturesque and poetic place.
On a sunny day, the sky in Sili is clean, transparent and dust-free. Occasionally, clouds drift across the sky, making people think. Several quiet villages, rising smoke, green fields, and clear streams outline a bright rural landscape.
There are endless forests here, with a forest coverage rate of more than 90%. Among the rolling mountains, there are ten thousand acres of forest farms as wide as the green sea. There are ravines in the forest, springs are tinkling, hundreds of birds are singing a cappella, and animals such as spur pigs and hares are often running around. In the forest farm, there are thick and straight fir trees, tall pines reaching into the sky, countless large and small azaleas, orchids and many precious medicinal plants. When the rhododendrons bloom, the forest is full of flowers, and the homes deep in the blue sky and white clouds look peaceful and peaceful.
The beautiful Wangguan River flows continuously day and night, accepting the streams along the way and running into the distance. The clear river water reflected the beautiful shadow of the stone bridge shaped like a crescent moon, and the green mountains and green trees on both sides. The water rippled slightly, and everything in the water started to move, and finally turned into a blur. Fish swimming in the water were constantly coming and going, and some even jumped out of the water. After their beautiful bodies danced in a beautiful "arc" above the water, they suddenly "plunged" into the water again. On a sunny afternoon, the girls came to the river to wash their clothes and hang the washed clothes on the bushes growing along the river. After a while, the river bank became a patchwork of flowers and greens...
Sili is an ethnic minority inhabited area, where the Yi, Miao, Han and other ethnic groups have long been harmoniously integrated.
Regarding its name, the "Bijie County Gazetteer" contains: "Sili" is originally a Yi language, meaning "late millet", so it was named because of its late millet production. This place is located about 40 kilometers northeast of Qixingguancheng District. It has been an important transportation location connecting Laotai, Xiaojichang, Yanzikou and Liangyan since ancient times. Before the Ming Dynasty, it was the territory of the Yi chieftains. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, a fort was set up to garrison soldiers, named "SiLi Fort". The "Kangxi Yi Zhi" of the Qing Dynasty analyzed the place name of the county and found that it was "one of the Bayi villages in Pingding, named Silk Nibao". "In the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign (1729 AD), Chishui was cut off from the Bayi villages in Henan and assigned to Bijie County as Pingdingli." It's called "Silly Fort". During the Tongzhi period, it was named Silibao, and later also known as Silipu. It was also called Silipu during the Republic of China and was under the jurisdiction of Jichang Township.
This place is surrounded by mountains and has complex landforms. According to the "Soil Chronicle", the landform is divided into: Sili belongs to "low and medium valleys of sandy shale. The main rocks exposed are purple sand mudstone, purple sand shale and yellow sandstone, etc.", with the highest altitude in the west of Lengsha Liangzizhi 1572 meters, Wangguan River runs diagonally through the east and turns to the northeast, with the lowest altitude of 1150 meters. The Wangguan River is a deep-cut river with a narrow valley, lush vegetation on both sides, and fertile land. The good soil structure and mild and humid climate provide important conditions for the high yield of Si Li crops.
Rice, corn, wheat, soybeans and other crops are abundant here. The pollution-free high-quality rice produced is rich in nutrients, soft and fragrant, and is in short supply in the market; the Yijia water flower brewed with local pollution-free glutinous rice The wine is mellow and delicious, refreshing and healthy.
Sili has a history of hundreds of years of planting mulberry and raising sericulture. In the old days, almost every family planted mulberry and "every household raised sericulture." Now there are still more than 400 acres of sericulture and more than 200 households. Sericulture. The ancient cocoon spinning process is still preserved in the local area. The silk and silk quilts handmade by people are soft, soft, warm and breathable, and have been ordered by customers inside and outside the province many times.
Sili has a tradition of growing tea and local tobacco (leaf tobacco) since ancient times. It is a custom of the hard-working and simple Sili people to entertain guests with tea and tobacco. The people of Sili have always believed in the creed of "you are a guest when you come through the door" and "you will be blessed when you come". Therefore, when you come to Sili Farmhouse, whether you are a new friend or an old friend, you will receive the courtesy of "a guest at your seat".
Sili was once the "Tunbao" of the Ming Dynasty. After hundreds of years, the people's simplicity has not diminished and their kindness has remained; the footprints of the chieftains have also been left here. After the changes of the times, the history of the chieftains has long been settled, but the apocalyptic luxury left behind is still talked about by people today.
There used to be a chieftain's manor in Sili. Before liberation, chieftain Yang Fangyan managed the "Zhuangkou" in Sili and the surrounding area. His wife Sun was usually responsible for the management. Yang Fangyan's main residence is Ashi. It is said that he also has village entrances in Tianba, Linkou and other places. He often rides a sedan or a mule to check the entrances of various villages. Today, his descendants still live in Sili, and the tomb of his wife Sun is also well preserved.
Speaking of Yang Fangyan’s family’s Tusi Manor in Sili, many local people still remember: It was a large building covering an area of ??more than 2,000 square meters, with a relatively regular rectangular layout from east to west. In the shape of steps. On the front is a facing door that is 5 meters high and 4 meters long. On the right side of the facing door is where the caretaker lives. There are two complete four-in-one patios inward, called the front yard and the back yard. The front yard is built on land 5 feet higher than the Chaomen position, and is mainly occupied by servants; the back yard is built 4 feet higher than the front yard, and is used for "official masters" and "official milk" (the Sili area was called chieftain in the old days). It is called the "official family", Yang Fangyan is called "official master", and Mrs. Sun is called "official milk"), the living quarters of the young ladies and young masters; between the front and back yards there is a large dam paved with square bluestone slabs, where people play A place for activities; there is a big house on the left and right sides of the backyard near the field dam, with the living room on the left and the school hall on the right. The main room of each courtyard has eight rows and seven entrances (two rooms per entrance), and the two wings have four rows and three entrances. Behind the backyard is a garden with osmanthus, crape myrtle and other flowering trees. There are stone blockhouses on both sides of the garden. Surrounding the manor is a wall about 4 meters high, which is made entirely of large blue bricks. It is a double-layered wall with the interior painted white with lime. There are many gun muzzles on the wall, which shows how tight the guards were back then. There is still space between the front and back yards and the wall, where there are buildings such as the "Flower Garden" and the small stone gate. All houses are equipped with lattice-shaped carved windows (locally called "Chinese lattice windows"), which are exquisitely crafted and extremely delicate. In addition, there are more than 10 large pillars with a diameter of about 1 meter, and there are beautifully carved stone foundations under the pillars. The entire manor is built in the Ming and Qing dynasty architectural style, with wooden buildings and gray tile roofs, making it look simple and beautiful.
It is said that in order to encourage future generations to learn, Yang Fangyan once asked his private school teacher to write a poem on the wall inside his home:
The ambition is soaring into the sky and the stars are fighting against the cold,
It’s easy to watch but hard to read.
If you want to stabilize the country and bring peace to the world,
observe the golden mean carefully.
This poem remained after liberation.
It is a pity that this manor was destroyed during the "Four Olds" period, and those large pillars were bought as coffins. At the same time, the thousand-year-old Sili Xiaopai Laowa Formation was also destroyed. Ginkgo tree. Today only some bluestone slabs, stone wall remnants and two century-old crape myrtles remain.
Si Li has a unique humanistic style. The folk customs here are simple and rich in folk customs. Every Spring Festival and other festivals, Sili will hold celebration activities, the most distinctive of which are the New Year Opera and the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival.
The New Year Opera is a local opera in Sili, commonly known as "Dajiao" locally. It is a custom for people to pray for good weather, full grain, and safe family. It usually starts on the fifth or sixth day after the Spring Festival. Singing opera only ends between fifteen and twenty.
The origin of the Sili New Year Opera remains to be verified. The local people agree that in the old days, the Sili people encountered natural and man-made disasters such as floods, fires, diseases, and wars. At that time, due to underdeveloped productivity, People thought they had offended God, so they collectively spent money and effort to invite "Tao masters" (an honorific title for those with advanced Taoist practices) to set up altars to offer sacrifices, dance to the gods, and pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the people. Over time, the custom of "making Jiaos" was formed.
Si Li's New Year opera has a "literary altar" and a "martial arts altar". The "literary altar" is responsible for chanting scriptures, burning incense and praying, and the "martial altar" is responsible for singing gongs and performing great dramas. The "literary world" and the "martial arts world" are a little far apart, so it is better not to influence each other. The "literary altar" is set up in the homes of local respected villagers, which is usually relatively deserted, with only some elderly people present; the "martial arts altar" is set up in a spacious open-air place, and the surrounding area of ??the stage can usually accommodate hundreds of people to watch. Performances are often divided into sessions, with singing during the day and singing at night. Also singing, the audience includes men, women, old and young, ranging from a hundred people to nearly a thousand, and the scene is very lively.
The opera singers in the Sili area are all men, and the female roles are played by young men with better looks. The contents of the operas are mostly folk legends and historical stories, such as "Xue Rengui's Conquest of the East" and "Mu Guiying's Breakthrough of the Heavenly Gate" Formation" and so on. The props include tables and chairs, gongs and drums, homemade flags, battle robes, dresses, cloaks, wooden spears, daggers, etc. The singing style is rough and bold, and the momentum is moving. After the New Year's Opera begins, the actors read, sing, act, and play in front of the curtain. Behind the scenes, there are people beating gongs and drums according to the requirements of the opera, echoing the voices, and singing accompaniments.
The Lantern Festival is held on the night of the Lantern Festival. At the foot of the beautiful Moon Mountain, children of all ethnic groups in Sili gather together to spend a romantic night together.
The Lantern Festival includes lantern riddle guessing, singing, dancing, calligraphy, pair matching, fireworks and other colorful programs. Among them, the more distinctive songs and dances include the "Sama Song" of the Yi people and the "Lusheng Dance" of the Miao people.
Sili also often holds colorful cultural and sports activities, so it enjoys the reputation of "the hometown of culture, sports and sports".
Sili is such a place rich in humanity. The rich atmosphere of humanities and history, coupled with the natural interest of the landscape and countryside, have allowed Si Li, a "new star", to emerge, and will become even more dazzling, beautiful and moving under the glory of the times!