I firmly believe that not many people know about Xiaomatan, which is hidden in the mountains and forests. Even Canggou Village, where it is located, probably only a few people know about it.
Judging from the literal meaning of Canggou, when you see the word Cang, you will naturally associate it with vast, desolate, yellow, vast, gloomy, etc. And ditches are water channels. These two words form a place name, which inevitably makes people think of conditions such as decay and desolation. As a natural village in Canggou, Xiaomatan is submerged in the vast forest sea at the southern foot of Guanshan Mountain. If the people here did not interact with the outside world, and if there were no increasingly developed transportation and communication networks, no one would know the depths of Guanshan Mountain. And this "Utopia".
Xiaomatan was named after the royal family raised the foals of war horses here during a certain period in the Song Dynasty.
Just imagine, walking in Xiaomatan bathed in the spring breeze, as if wandering among rows of stables surrounded by neat wooden fences, smelling the smell of foal urine, the fragrance of grass and soil With the mixed aroma, I could hear the people singing the beautiful "Hua'er" duet on the mountain ridge not far away. Under the bright spring sun, the shiny foals in this row of stables had just been separated from their mothers, staring at the unfamiliar things in front of them with their big bright eyes. The slightly older foals in the row of stables were eating grass and having fun leisurely. On the distant hillside covered by billowing dark clouds, the echoes of crackling riding whips echoed across the valley. Hundreds of foals that had just turned one year old were being turned around surrounded by horse breeders. Waves of loess smoke rose behind the horses. The scene of thousands of horses standing silently is magnificent. The destination of this transfer is Damatan behind the mountain ridge in the north. After completing the "coming of age ceremony" from foal to horse, they will carry warriors on their backs and beat the hooves in the wind, neighing and roaring, galloping majestically on the battlefield. , guarding the northern border of the motherland.
Back to reality, although there are no traces of ancient stables such as ruins, broken monuments or broken tiles on the land below, it is sheltered from the wind and sunny, has abundant water and lush grass, and is both concealed and fast. Advantages such as transfer are sufficient to prove that the theory of royal horse breeding is not groundless and has high credibility.
During the period of a hundred years after the Song Dynasty, there were large-scale wars and killings, or devastating natural disasters. Large areas of stables and people's houses were destroyed. Or perhaps the barbarian invasions had ceased, and there was a rare peaceful situation at the border. The imperial court banned this horse farm. Until a certain day a hundred years ago, wealthy businessmen, wealthy ladies, fugitive thieves, and down-and-out literati, etc., targeted this area in order to cover up the public. Feng Shui treasure land, one after another came to seek refuge here, hiding here and living a carefree and free life of ordinary people.
Over the past 30 years since the country resumed the college entrance examination, Canggou Village, including Xiaomatan, has produced more than 30 college graduates out of more than 300 people. After successful studies, some have become cadres and benefited the land and water. Some go to the podium to preach and teach, and some become highly accomplished managers and professional and technical elites.
It is hard for people to believe that this place has inconvenient transportation, limited information, and is full of trees and weeds. Due to the cold climate and bad years, even if you plant a good crop, you can only get one. Moreover, people had to carry animals on their backs, so the mountain people grew some medicinal materials in the teeth of wild boars to maintain their livelihood. Where does such profound cultural background come from?
I thought about it for a long time and came to a conclusion: It is the remoteness and backwardness of this corner of Fangshan Mountain and the hardships of the surrounding Cangdai Mountains that have shaped their persistence in learning and making progress and unwillingness to lag behind. It has also given them the courage to move forward and the courage to move forward. With their pioneering and enterprising spirit, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are called the "golden phoenixes" flying out of the mountain nest.
In today's Xiaomatan, most families have moved to the plains and fertile fields outside the mountains and live in beautiful and sturdy well-off courtyards. The dozen or so farmyards left here stand out among the wind and grass. It shows the loneliness and desolation. Several old men who love the land are chewing on the past in loneliness, guarding the shaky houses of their own age, and watching the eternal mountains.
On the way home, I kept thinking that in a few years, Xiaomatan might be as deserted as it was a hundred years ago, or perhaps someone with a keen eye for gold would invest huge sums of money to develop the tourism industry here. There will be unprecedented prosperity.