The first ancient castle in Fujian, Caijiabao, is located in Longqing Village, Shange Town, Pinghe County, Zhangzhou City. Caijia Fort was built in the first year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty (1228). The shape of the castle is like the English letter "U", and it is commonly known as "Biji Tower" by the locals. Caijiabao is rich in humanities and has a reasonable location. It has survived for 800 years. The magical castle is amazing. So, how was Caijiabao built back then? What are the anecdotes about Caijiapu during these eight hundred years? We collected the legends related to Caijiabao by consulting the Cai family genealogy and related historical materials, and visiting local villagers.
1. Honor your parents and seek medical advice.
The village was founded eight hundred years ago and has a long history with Caigang, Longxi. Caijiapu is located in Longqing Village, Shange Town, Pinghe County. According to genealogy records: Longqing Village was moved to Kaiji from Caigang, Longxi by Cai Qiyuan in the first year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty (1228). Cai Qiyuan (1208---1276 AD). This "Longxi Caigang" is now Xitoushe, Pingning Village, Bangshan Town, Longhai City, Zhangzhou. Eight hundred years ago, Cai Qiyuan came to Longqing Village from Caigang, Longxi to open the foundation. Longqing Village and Longxi Caigang have a very important historical relationship.
When his mother was ill and asked for treatment, his filial son went up the mountain to collect medicine. One year, Cai Qiyuan's mother fell seriously ill and was bedridden for several months. At this time, Cai Qiyuan's father was doing business in another place and had not returned for several years. His father was not at home, so young Cai Qiyuan, as the eldest son in the family, shouldered the heavy responsibility of taking care of his mother. Cai Qiyuan was a well-known filial son in the village. Now that his mother is ill, he is extremely anxious. Cai Qiyuan sought medical advice everywhere, but his condition did not improve. He was very worried... One day, a Taoist priest came to the village. I heard that this Taoist priest is a famous Taoist doctor. So Cai Qiyuan went and asked the Taoist priest to treat his mother's illness. The Taoist priest was very moved when he saw Cai Qiyuan's eagerness to perform filial piety for his mother, so he agreed to his request and followed Cai Qiyuan to his home to treat his mother's illness. The Taoist priest first took the pulse and asked for details, and finally said: "This disease requires a special herbal treatment, but this herb grows in the deep mountains, and it is far from easy to collect on high mountains and roads." Cai Qiyuan said: "In order to treat my mother's illness, I No matter how high the mountain is, no matter how far the road is, I am not afraid!" Seeing his filial piety, the Taoist priest told him the route of collecting herbs, and gave Cai Qiyuan his only herbal specimen for comparison, and also told him that the fresher the herbs should be when decoction. The more effective it is.
The next day, Cai Qiyuan knelt down three times in front of his mother's hospital bed and wished his mother peace! Then, I picked up my luggage and embarked on a journey to collect medicine in the mountains alone.
2. The cave provides shelter from the rain, and the immortals provide dreams.
A tired herb collector in the mountains takes shelter from the rain and enters a cave to have strange dreams. Cai Qiyuan walked in the mountains for three days in the direction indicated by the Taoist priest. However, the herb was not found. By this time, he had already finished the dry food he had prepared. His stomach was so hungry that he could no longer lift his feet. Just when he was tired and hungry, suddenly the mountain wind howled. He looked up and saw dark clouds rolling on the top of the mountain. After a while, the sound of rain... fell deep in the mountains. He saw a cave on the mountainside in front of him, and immediately walked quickly towards the cave and entered the cave to take shelter from the rain.
Although the cave is not bright, the light coming from the cracks in the stone can vaguely distinguish the appearance of the cave. There is a relatively flat stone that can be used for squatting. At this time, outside the cave, there was a sound of rain; inside the cave, people were sleepy... Unknowingly, Cai Qiyuan fell asleep in the dim cave. While sleeping, he saw an old man in a daze and said to him with a smile: "You are a filial son. You went to the mountains to collect medicine to treat your mother's illness. Now you are so sleepy and hungry that you moved God!" "Cai Jiyuan asked him in surprise: "Who are you? How do you know about me?" The old man said, "Just call me 'Wang Dad'! Did you find the herbal medicine to treat your mother?" Cai Jiyuan asked Father Wang eagerly. The old man Wang Daddy combed his long beard unhurriedly and said to Cai Qiyuan with a smile: "I will give you three sentences. You must remember these three sentences. This is your future fortune.
First, you will only find the herbs you need when you chase the goat with no way to escape; second, only when the world turns upside down, will your fortune turn; third, when you see a pole taking root and sprouting, If you settle here, your descendants will surely prosper and multiply. "Cai Jiyuan was just about to ask for clarification, but the old man Wang Wang was nowhere to be seen... He was suddenly startled and woke up from his sleep!
He wiped his eyes with both hands and reviewed the three things in his dream just now. The more I think about it, the weirder it becomes.
3. The prophecy comes true, and fortune turns.
The goat leads the way? Herbal medicine, the mother recovers as before. At this time, the rain stopped outside the cave, and Cai Jiyuan's cat was sleeping. He walked out of the cave. Looking around, the sky was clear and the scenery was new.
There was a big pine tree not far from the cave. When Cai Qi reached the big pine tree, he suddenly saw a goat. The goat was grazing quietly there. The goat was not big, but it was very cute. The goat's head was lowered and its tail was swaying. Perhaps the sound of human footsteps alarmed the goat, and Cai Qiyuan ran away quickly.
The mountain road was winding and trees covered the sky. The goat ran in front, and Cai Qiyuan chased him. He climbed over one hill after another, and finally reached a cliff where the goat stopped and tilted his head to look. Look at Cai Qiyuan chasing after him. Cai Qiyuan gasped and quickly climbed up to the cliff where the goat stopped.
But when he got here, the goat was gone. The cliff was more than a hundred feet long, with gurgling water and the melodious sound of mountain birds. On the edge of the cliff, there were indeed several herbs that Cai Qiyuan was looking for. At this time, Cai Qiyuan picked the herbs and felt infinite. He was grateful to the father in his dream for saving his mother.
He returned home along the rugged mountain road, picking wild fruits from the mountains to satisfy his hunger. However, his sick mother had been waiting in bed for four days. The next day, Cai Qiyuan did not return, and her heart was filled with sadness. The neighbors comforted her and said, "You are a kind woman. The villagers often offer help when they encounter difficulties. Your son is a filial son, and the current difficulties are only temporary. God will help..." As soon as he finished speaking, a child came running in, shouting as he ran: "Brother Qi Yuan is back! Brother Qi Yuan is back! "The people in the room were overjoyed when they heard the shouting. My mother was on the hospital bed, shouting happily: "Ayuan, you are back! Ayuan, you're back..." Cai Qiyuan walked to the door carrying the herbs on his back. Hearing the cry of his sick mother, he cried out uncontrollably: "Mother...mother..., I picked the herbs! "The mother took her son's hand and showed a smile she hadn't seen for many days. She asked Ji Yuan softly: "How did you pick this herb? Where was it found? ..." At this time, the villagers gathered around and wanted to hear the process of collecting herbs.
Cai Jiyuan sat in front of his mother's hospital bed and put the rain shelter into the stone cave one by one. He was tired and hungry. When I fell asleep, I met an old man in my dream and told my mother and fellow villagers about the strange dream. After hearing this, some of the elders in the village said, "How amazing!" After hearing this strange dream story, they said that Cai Qiyuan's filial piety not only moved everyone, but also moved God. The old man who claimed to be Wang Dad in the dream was actually a god who would protect Qi Yuan's mother's illness from now on. It will be fine.
Immediately, Qi Yuan prepared medicine for her mother. Three or five days later, her condition improved greatly. Three months later, Qi Yuan’s mother fully recovered. Mother can go to the fields to do farm work as before.
Qiyuan and her mother work at sunrise and return at sunset. The farming days are as usual, and the family talks and laughs, living a peaceful life.
When Cai Qiyuan went to the river to fetch water, he stepped on a stone and almost fell down. After standing firm, he turned around and looked at the stone seriously. His eyes suddenly brightened when he saw the word "天" on the side of the stone. Thinking of the strange dream that day in the cave, the old man Wang Daddy predicted: Only when the sky turns upside down will your fortune turn over. Now the stone turns over and you see a sky character.
Is this what you're talking about? He put down his burden, squatted down and picked up the "Tianzi Stone". The word "天" is clearly visible. "Tianzi stone" --- is the natural texture of the stone, which cleverly forms the word "天".
At this time, Cai Qiyuan thought to himself, does the second thing predicted by Father Wang have the same meaning as today's "heavenly upheaval"? Is it time for things to turn out and good things to come?
The yellow dog barks at the oil tank, and the unexpected wealth is not publicized. Cai Qiyuan's family has a yellow dog. When Yuan and his mother go to work in the fields, the yellow dog follows him around. One day, Cai Qiyuan had to go to Zhangzhou Prefecture to do something, and the yellow dog also wanted to follow him. He chased the yellow dog back several times, but after walking for a while, the yellow dog followed him again. We went back and forth like this several times, and then we gave up and let the yellow dog follow us.
When he walked for a long time and approached a mountain in Zhangzhou Prefecture, the yellow dog barked wildly into the dense forest. The owner called the yellow dog over again and again, but the yellow dog changed its normal behavior and refused to listen to the owner. Cai Qiyuan had no choice but to go to the place where the yellow dog was barking and see what was going on. When Cai Qiyuan walked into a dense jungle road, he found that several oil cylinders had appeared on a hill due to heavy rains a few days ago. Out of curiosity, Cai Qiyuan opened one of the oil tanks and looked at it. He couldn't believe his eyes. The oil tank was filled with silver. Then, he opened several more oil tanks, all of which were filled with silver.
At this time, Cai Qiyuan was extremely excited, picked up the yellow dog, and gently combed it from head to tail... His joy was indescribable.
He took out a small part of the silver from the oil tank and put it in the load, and kept the rest. Then he buried the oil tank with soil, marked it, and then picked up the load and returned home.
When I got home, I didn’t dare to publicize the matter and only mentioned it to my mother. My mother said: "This is God's will! I heard from the elders that there was a 'thief village' in that mountain for a long time. The 'thief village' robbed a lot of money and buried the money underground. At that time, the imperial court sent troops to destroy it. I found a 'thief', but I didn't find any money. Unexpectedly, you unexpectedly found it today." Although Cai Qiyuan got an unexpected fortune, he kept it secret. In the days that followed, he moved the silver back and hid it like an ant moving house. Life is still as frugal as before, and I go to work in the fields every day.
When people were trapped by floods, they built huts and used poles as piles to grow sprouts. In order to increase his knowledge and prepare to use the silver in his hands to start a business, Cai Qiyuan decided to start a small business selling bean curds and bean branches, a local specialty of his hometown. He carried a load and went to the villages along the Jiulong River to sell. He went from village to village, selling specialties from his hometown, and then bought other specialties from other places and sold them back. Although the business on my shoulders is not big, the business is improving a bit. Wherever he goes, he goes farther and farther.
Once, he came to an open area surrounded by water to rest. Unexpectedly, it rained heavily that day, and the river surged within a few hours. When I came here, I could cross the river by rolling up my trousers, but now it's flooded and I can't cross back. Cai Qiyuan could only look at the river and sigh. Since there was no one to live in, they had to set up camp on a higher hill and set up a temporary thatched hut to take shelter from the rain. He waited for the river water to recede before returning to his hometown.
When building a hut using local materials, at the end of the build, one stake was missing. I couldn't find a suitable stake at the moment, so I happened to have a temporary bamboo pole that replaced the broken wooden pole two days ago, so I used it to erect the stake. In this way, although the thatched hut was low and was trapped by the flood for three days, fortunately, there were items for sale that were not sold, and there were bean skins, bean branches, etc. left to eat, so the hunger problem could still be solved.
Three days later, the flood receded. He was about to break camp and dismantle the hut and go home. When he was dismantling the piles, Cai Qiyuan suddenly discovered that the bamboo poles had taken root and sprouted. At this time, Cai Qiyuan jumped up happily... The third thing predicted by King Wang in the strange dream in the stone cave was finally met here!
The phenomenon of "bamboo poles sprouting when inserted into the ground" appears here, indicating that the land is very fertile and conducive to farming. This is a geomantic treasure land, and Cai Qiyuan decided to move here.
That day, Cai Qiyuan happily went around to inspect the terrain and found that the terrain here was bulging, surrounded by water, and the terrain looked like a cow's hoof print. To celebrate the manifestation of Wang's three prophecies, Cai Qiyuan decided to name this place "Longqing".
4. Under the guidance of the master, Father Wang appears.
The Feng Shui master of Cai's clan planned to build a fort to become a major event. Although Longqing's "Cow Hoof Land" is a geomantic treasure land, it is surrounded by streams and rivers. After heavy rains, the river water rises and floods are prone to occur. Therefore, to live here, it is necessary to build a house with a stone base to facilitate flood control. Stones used to build a house cost a lot of money, and as for money, "unexpected wealth" was not a problem these days. The biggest thing now is to find a Feng Shui master to plan a house building plan.
In order to find a Feng Shui master to plan a house building plan. Cai Qiyuan heard from others that in Jianyang County, Jianning Prefecture, there was a relative of the Cai family named Cai Yuanding (1135-1198), who was a famous Feng Shui master and Neo-Confucianist. Although he has passed away, Cai Yuanding's son is also a famous Feng Shui master and Neo-Confucianist. Why not pay him a visit? So, after all the hardships, Cai Qiyuan went to Jianyang County, Jianning Prefecture, and visited the three sons of Cai Yuanding, the famous Feng Shui master and Neo-Confucian scholar - Cai Yuan (1156-1236), Cai Hang (1159-1237), and Cai Yuanding. Shen (1167-1230)
As clan members, Cai Yuanding’s three sons were willing to provide suggestions for building houses in Longqing’s “Niu Tu Land”, and sent Cai Shen to Longqing to survey the terrain and provide advice on Feng Shui. guidance.
Feng shui master Cai Chen believes that this place is shaped like a cow's hoof print. If a castle is built, the city wall should be built according to the terrain, with a square front and a round back, taking the "round sky and square place" from "The Book of Changes" It also means the harmony of yin and yang, and the front end of the castle is equipped with a stone fence as a semi-closed opening. The front end is at the lowest point of the terrain, which is conducive to drainage and prevents water accumulation and flooding on rainy days. This way, the artistic conception of the unity of nature and man can be achieved.
The construction of the castle was made possible by the descendants of the famous Feng Shui master and Neo-Confucian Cai Yuanding, who were responsible for the overall control of "Feng Shui" and architecture, which enabled the construction of the castle to proceed as scheduled.
On the mountain on the other side, when the stone comes, the king's father appears and walks away. A large amount of stone is needed to build the castle. It can be built on the mountain opposite Longqing Village, namely "Yanzai Mountain". The stones in the "Yanzaishan" area are granite, commonly known as "bluestone" by the locals (today, the stone we see on the foundation of Caijiabao is this kind of granite, that is, bluestone).
However, it is very inconvenient to transport from "Yanzaishan" to Longqing, separated by a large river (now called Huashan River, the river is about 200 meters wide). The bluestones were brought down from the mountains and transported by bamboo rafts and wooden boats to Longqing to build the castle. Sometimes there are heavy rains, the river water rises and the waves are strong, and sometimes boats capsize, which brings certain difficulties to the construction of the castle. Faced with the risk of the ship capsizing, we had to reduce the carrying capacity and suspend operations on rainy days.
One year, it rained heavily for three consecutive days, and the river surged, hindering the construction of the fort. Cai Qiyuan hurried to the river to observe the water conditions. He found a wooden statue in a whirlpool of water on the bank. The wooden statue kept spinning in the water. People who came with him to observe the water conditions said that the statue had been spinning here for three days and had not been washed away by the water. After hearing this, Cai Qiyuan asked people to fish the wooden statue ashore. At this time, he discovered that the statue looked exactly like the old man Wang Daddy he had dreamed about in the cave. Could it be that the king's father showed up and knew that we were having trouble transporting stones in the river when building the castle, so he came to protect us? So Cai Qiyuan hurriedly took off his coat, wrapped the statue of Wang Daddy, happily welcomed him to his residence, and arranged to sit in a room for everyone to burn incense and worship. It's strange to say that since the god Wang Dad was enshrined, stones were transported in the river to build castles, and there have never been any accidents involving boats capsizing or killing people. All processes of building the castle can be carried out smoothly.
In the New Year of the following year, he took his family and migrant workers to hold the activity of "spinning in the water to grab the statue of Wang Daddy" for the first time, in order to wish for better blessings from Wang Daddy in the coming year.
This activity later evolved over hundreds of years and became an activity in which statues of gods such as Wang Daddy were carried in the water, and two lions danced in the water---two lions walking on water?
5. The gods are prominent and protect the fortress and the people.
The temple and ancestral hall were skillfully built to protect the fortress and benefit the people. According to genealogy records: The "Zhuiyuan Hall" of the Cai family in Longqing Village is the main ancestral hall. It was built by Cai Junming, the third generation ancestor, at the end of Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty (1358 AD). The main ancestral hall and other "fang-line" ancestral halls are formed by more than a dozen ancestral halls. A cluster of ancestral halls located on the central axis of Caijiabao.
Currently, there are three ancient temples preserved in Longqing Village. Two were built in 1229 AD, and one is Shaoqing Hall, which is dedicated to the god Wang Daddy. Note: The "Shaoqing Hall" on the current site "Built in the fifth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1372), another one was built at the exit of the south gate of the castle, with the "Tai Bo Gong Temple of the Righteous God of Fortune". In 1289 AD, the "Great Auntie Temple of Fu Zhengshen" was built at the east gate of the castle. It was built 60 years later than the "Bogong Temple" at the south gate. Why is this? There is a legend in it.
Now we are going to "Bo Gong Temple" and "Aunt Ma Temple" to worship, and found two unusual things:
First, Bo Gong and Aunt Ma do not "worship in the same temple" ”, but each guarded his own gate. This phenomenon is very rare in the "Tudi Bogong Culture".
Second, the uncle in the Bo Gong Temple at the south gate faces the south gate; while the aunt in the Bo Ma Temple at the east gate does not face the east gate, but has his back to the east gate.
According to local villagers’ ancestral traditions, Uncle Uncle and Auntie originally “worshiped in the same temple”. Because Uncle Uncle was more generous, he would bless those who worshiped him, and he would bless others more. One's own "blessings" are reduced. My aunt believed that this was inappropriate and that blessings should be given based on the "merits". Because my uncle and aunt had different opinions, they often had quarrels... Later, my aunt entrusted a dream to the then head of the Caijiabao clan and requested to separate. But when he first asked for the dream, the clan leader didn't think so, and then he asked for the dream three times in a row. The clan leader was shocked and did not dare to make any more mistakes. He immediately held a clan meeting to discuss the matter, and finally decided to build another temple at the east gate of the castle to honor his aunt. And because the east gate of the castle faces the Daxi River (now called Huashan River), there are many ships passing by. To ensure safe sailing, Aunt Tutu faces the Huashan River to ensure smooth sailing for passing ships and for the safety of people entering and exiting Caijiabao.
Shaoqing Hall was built just near the "Shuan Ferry" in Longqing. Since ancient times, Shaoqing Hall has been prosperous. In addition to blessing the local people with good weather and good weather, Father Wang also blesses the people who come to worship him safely when they go out to study, become officials, do business, and succeed in their careers. Therefore, there is a saying passed down among the peaceful people - "When you leave the Longqing ferry, you will see a dragon." This also reflects the great power and efficaciousness of the king's father.
6. The imperial master’s visit adds color to the beautiful sentences
Caijiabao’s historical celebrity, Prime Minister Cai paid homage to his clan relatives. The first ancestral hall of Pinghe Cai family has a history of 660 years. Since ancient times, three stone flagpoles have been erected in front of the ancestral hall. This stone flagpole is a symbol of the Cai family's descendants becoming imperial officials. From the "List of Jinshi in Zhangzhou Prefecture" and other information, we can see that Pinghe Longqing has: Wu Jintu Cai Wengui in the 16th year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1644). The genealogy of the other two officials only says... Because of the age, no detailed research has been conducted.
Cai Xin (1707---1799) was a clan relative of Caijiabao. He was the official with the highest administrative level in the history of Zhangzhou. He served as a bachelor of Wenhua Palace and a minister of the five departments in the Qianlong Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty. He was Jiaqing's teacher and was known as Mr. Cai and Emperor Shi at that time.
The fact that Prime Minister Cai visited Caijiabao in Longqing Village has been passed down from generation to generation by the villagers of Longqing. Because Longqing Village is the earliest village founded by the Cai family in Pinghe County, Cai Xin, as a member of the Cai family, once went to Caijiabao in Longqing Village to "visit relatives" and worship the gods in the "Shaoqingtang" temple.
At that time, Prime Minister Cai went to the mountain on the other side of Huashan River to inspect the river and water conservancy conditions. When he climbed up and looked into the distance, he saw the unique architectural shape of Caijia Fort, which is "round in front and in the back" like a cow's hoof, as well as the beautiful scenery of the entire village. He was amazed and chanted: "When will the immortal come treading on the water? I have The brocade boots are in the world..." Because of the visit of the emperor's master, and the beautiful words left behind, it added a lot of color to Caijiabao.
Now Caijiabao is showing its unique charm to the world. The above story also casts a mysterious veil over Caijiabao!