Wandering on the edge of ancient and modern times, flashing between mountains and rivers, Zhongshan Village seems to be coming slowly in a hundred years of vicissitudes. Those ancient buildings have not aged because of their age. They still stand in front of the younger generation. In the storm of the world, they tell stories that seem to pass by like water, making people seem to have entered an ancient dream, reminiscing about the past years in those mottled traces and fragments, and continuing an ancient lifestyle that is going away.
This is not a sacred mountain. It is hard for people who have never been here to imagine that such an ancient village with simple folk customs will be preserved on the edge of the city. Zhongshan Village is more than 40 kilometers away from Sanming City. It was a summer morning when I visited this ancient village. People with blue tiles and white walls, mossy stone bridges, cultivators with hats and hoes are walking out of their homes ... Everything is bathed in the warm orange sunshine, and the old house with carved beams and painted buildings is immersed in the thin shadow of mountains and rivers and green trees, which looks calm and heavy.
There are exquisite Ming and Qing buildings, brick carvings and plaques in the village, but they are not publicized. Although they have experienced many vicissitudes, they have no resentment and exist silently. There are many old houses in the ancient village, most of which are well-preserved ancestral halls in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties: Zhuang ancestral hall, Yang Sangong ancestral hall and Chen ancestral hall ... When you walk into these old houses, you can feel the smell of rotten wood floating in the air, full of fragments of past years, and each old house is carved. Every brick and tile here sticks to the last memory of the ancient village and seems to tell people the ups and downs of the past years.
The pantheon in the village is said to have a history of more than 630 years. It was built in Yuan Dynasty and rebuilt in Qing Dynasty. It enshrines the memorial tablets of four famous Neo-Confucianists in the Song Dynasty, including, Luo Congyan and Zhu. It is also Zhu's school. At the same time, it records the historical data of more than 80 local officials who entered the DPRK from the mid-Yuan Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, from the county magistrate to the official ministers. This has to be amazing: a small ancient village is full of talents!
Like many old houses here, the Pantheon is consistent in carving beauty. Craftsmen carved peony, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum on the wall door of the inner courtyard hall, which was beautiful. It is said that they represent the four seasons of a year, and in which season, the corresponding flowers will slowly bloom (turn white), which is really a wonder. In the Pantheon, the brick-carved old wall within reach is so real and touching! The simplicity of the old houses makes people feel dreamy and quiet, which may be the essence of these ancient buildings over a hundred years old, making people unconsciously appreciate the glory that once belonged to them in the dreamy realm. The four stone pillars in the temple are very spectacular, and there is a poem saying, "See a pillar far from heaven." Plaques are hung everywhere in the ancestral hall, and the words are very elegant and gentle. Walking into the Pantheon is like opening a yellow thread-bound book, and even the oncoming air seems to be filled with books, which makes people think about it and have endless aftertaste. I seem to see Zhu twirling his thin beard and strolling leisurely through the veranda to enjoy flowers and birds in the backyard. He should be wearing a blue robe with a thread-bound book in his hand. He also seemed to see the scene of "ethereal sound rushing to the Han Dynasty and passionate melody" at that time. I have to sigh the grand occasion of the style of study here in ancient times.
It is said that the Pantheon was related to an important person at that time. The main reconstructor was Luo Haoran, the general manager of the Yuan army and a native of Zhongshan Village. Director Luo, who is well-known in northwest Fujian, also donated money to build centipede street and Wan 'an Bridge. Wan 'an Bridge looks like a pontoon bridge from a distance, but it is not. This is an ancient stone bridge with three piers and four holes. This bridge is 94 meters long. The most distinctive feature is the pier, which looks like a ship and is polished with a whole boulder. According to reports, there are only two ancient stone bridges with strange shapes like this in Fujian. The design of the bridge deck paved with slate is also very strange. The stone slabs in the middle are arranged vertically and horizontally on both sides, making the whole bridge deck look like a lively centipede.
What is even more amazing is the "centipede street" in the village, named after it looks like a centipede. It was built in the Yuan Dynasty and is divided into three sections: Qian Jie, Zhongjie and Houjie, with a total length of more than 470 meters. The lines in the middle are all connected by long strips of green slate, and the two sides are laid horizontally. It is said that there are only three and a half centipede streets in the world, and Zhongshan is one of them, and the locals are proud of it. From the centipede pattern on the bridge deck of Wan 'an ancient bridge and this strange centipede street, it is not difficult to see the preference of Zhongshan ancestors for centipedes. Is it bionic architecture or totem worship? The mystery is difficult for future generations to understand. Maybe the Millennium Yongxing Temple in the village knows it, but it always exists in the same posture, silent. Only with the misty cigarette, people can deeply feel the mystery of this ancient folk village.
The passage of time has left mottled and visible traces on these ancient buildings. People are unconsciously changing this ancient place. With nostalgia for the silence and noise far away from the city, I walked on the stone road in Zhongshan Village, just like walking on the historical roadway covered with dusty years. Every place tells a distant story, which makes people guess and recall. Jiang Chaofeng's tomb is one of the unsolved mysteries. This is a stone tomb in the shape of a yurt, which is really rare in Jiangnan area. There is a stone tablet in front of the ancient tomb. As can be seen from the inscription above, this is an ancient tomb built in the Yuan Dynasty. The tomb is built into a regular octagon with eight feldspar strips, with an umbrella-shaped stone carving at the top and a red tassel-shaped spire at the top, which looks like a Mongolian hat from a distance. There are various legends about this Mongolian hat-shaped tomb, and some say it is the cenotaph of Jiang Chaofeng. It is said that there is a sword buried in the tomb, and all the tombs on the ground are scabbard, which is used to suppress evil spirits; It is said that there are more than 0/00 people buried in the tomb of Jiang family/KLOC, which was caused by the geomantic dispute between Roche and Jiang family ... The credibility of the legend cannot be verified, but because this tomb can travel through a long historical time and space, it may serve as a witness to the communication between Mongolia and Han at that time.
Time has passed, and it is no longer the old moonlight that shines on this old castle peak house. However, the ancient village of Zhongshan is still quiet and harmonious, which makes people have to return to their inner purity. Stay away from the bustling city, and you will know that life is like this. In the village, from time to time, you can see old people sitting in the sun at the door in twos and threes, with a domestic dog lying next to them. The picture is warm and meaningful, making people excited, and once again marveling at the indifferent farm life here. I think there is nothing like this ancient village to be an indifferent and stable symbol of life. However, facing the reality, I am worried. Today, with the increasingly fragile paleoecology and the development of tourism, will the ancient villages be so beautiful tomorrow? Will life be so carefree? Will the environment be so quiet?
I think, if the ancient city walls and quadrangles in Beijing are well preserved, there is no need for people to see the houses in Shaanxi villages far and near; If there were rivers in Suzhou, people wouldn't have to dream in Zhouzhuang and Tongli Wenshui Township. Ancient cities, towns and villages, together with a way of life close to nature, are gradually being replaced by modern life around us. As a tourist, I have no right to comment on the choices made by people in ancient villages, because what we appreciate is probably the heavy hardships and burdens in their lives. But I have no right to fetter people's ancient impulse of "returning home", because this impulse itself is worthy of pity: it makes people travel-stained, and even travels thousands of miles to a place that will never be found on the national map, in order to find the lost ecological environment and ancient way of life, so that wandering souls can seek short-term comfort in it.
At that moment, I really wanted to say to Zhongshan ancient village: ancient village, have a good trip!