Yesterday, I talked about Lucun, saying that Lucun is the best village of Huizhou woodcarving art and is very famous in Anhui. It took 20 years for two craftsmen hired by the master at that time to carve it carefully, and it was known as "the first floor of Huizhou woodcarving". I got up early, swam around the village, carefully looked at the Gu Lou woodcarving, and found that it was not much different from other emblem carvings. Maybe I don't have the professional level in this field, so I can't say whether it is good or bad. It is a small bridge in the village, which is quite a bit like a water town in the south of the Yangtze River. My wife said that in a few years, when we are old, we will come here to support the elderly. I'm afraid it's a joke to use our little retirement salary to support the elderly here.
After breakfast, I went to see Hongcun. More than 30 years ago, in the 1980s, when I arrived in Hongcun, I didn't seem to need tickets. It's different now. The ticket is 104 yuan. I heard on the Internet that it seems that it is contracted by Beijingers. With the installation of tourist center, parking lot, ticket office and camera, every fork in the village is guarded by special personnel, as if facing an enemy. I didn't want to go in at first, but my wife came for the first time. I also want to see what changes have taken place in Hongcun after 30 years. When we bought tickets to enter the door, the first thing we saw was the South Lake. Just yesterday, it rained heavily and the lake was yellow. The residual load in the lake still stands in the water. There are many ancient willows and poplars around the lake, and the colorful bridges in the lake are endless. This colorful bridge is the landmark building of Hongcun, and its advertising slogan is "Hongcun, China". Many students and painters stopped by the lake and every corner of the village to sketch, adding a landscape to the ancient village. There are many students sketching in groups, including Hongcun, Chaji and Xidi, which I will talk about later.
Cross the pond to Hongcun and follow the free guide into the village. The houses are all traditional folk houses in Huizhou. First, I came to the college. The tour guide said that the building structure is made of exquisite materials, and the columns are all ginkgo and camphor trees that have been used for hundreds of years. They will not be bitten by insects, nor will they form cobwebs. This academy is called "Zhicheng Hall", and the owners who live here hope that their children and grandchildren have the same interests and succeed in their studies.
Walking on the labyrinthine stone road with the tour guide, there is a stream flowing in front of every household, but it is also a muddy stream flowing in the ditch. I know this is the reason why it rained yesterday. It should be clear at ordinary times. People can be seen washing things, and the design of tap water system in ancient villages is scientific and reasonable. Many villages in southern Anhui are in this pattern. There are water, ponds, running water and geomantic omen, which are rare in our hometown.
When I arrived at Jingdetang, the Ming Dynasty building was complex but smooth, with square columns and a frame structure, and no nails were tenon-mortise structure. There are many other buildings, which are explained by tour guides. I can't remember them at the moment. I only remember three sculptures in Huizhou, wood carving, stone carving and brick carving. But I saw a lot of sculptures, all of which were repaired by later people. In all fairness, Hongcun is not as old and diverse as Chaji in architecture.
After visiting Hongcun, you will naturally go to Xidi, which is less than 10 km away from the ancient city of yi county. It is said to be ancient, but it has been built for more than 1000 years. Biyang Town, where the county seat is located, has been the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of Yixian since the Song Dynasty. Now it is a provincial historical and cultural city. Backed by Dongyue Mountain, surrounded by Zhanghe River and mountains, the scenery is beautiful. This city used to be called "County Street". We came to this county hopefully, but we were very disappointed. The urban area is too small, and it takes less than five minutes to drive around the city. We finally asked about the old city, but it was just a newly-built "old building" and was still under construction. The newly-built "old street" is empty, with no tourists and few pedestrians. We bought several bags of local products, went to the new town next door for lunch, and tasted the hairy tofu recommended by China on the tip of our tongue.
After dinner, I went straight to Xidi, a few kilometers away. Xidi belongs to Xuehong Village, and the ticket 104 is very similar to Hongcun's tourism model. Hongcun's selling points are Huizhou-style houses and Nanhu painting bridge, while Xidi's selling points are Huizhou-style houses and Hupailou. Even the business model is almost the same, but there are fewer tourists. It may be the reason why the publicity is not as strong as Hongcun. But I think its geographical environment and cultural background should be better than Hongcun. It is an outstanding representative of Huizhou architecture, surrounded by green mountains and green waters, with residual red falling all over shallow streams. It is a village with upturned eaves, black tiles and white walls.
Entering the scenic spot, you are greeted by a towering pavilion-style bluestone archway with exquisite structure and a height of more than ten meters. It is said that this is a merit archway approved by Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty. Hu, the owner of the archway, is the most typical practitioner of Xidi's characteristic independent culture.
After passing the archway, we entered Xidi Village. Xidi, named after the water flowing westward and the post station that delivered mail in ancient times. Legend has it that Xidi's ancestor was the son of Tang Zhaozong Ye Li. Due to an accident, he fled the people and changed his surname Hu, where he thrived and formed a settlement village.
It's like entering a maze under a string of secluded alleys paved with bluestones. In particular, beams, beams, arches, sparrows, partition walls, leaky windows, doorways, bricks, wood and stone carvings on lintels are beautifully carved and displayed, which profoundly shows the human geography and secular customs of ancient Huizhou. Couplet paintings and calligraphy show the cultural heritage of Xidi. Elegant furnishings, such as Yu Ruitang, Li Tao Garden, East Garden, West Garden, Doctor's Brother, Dear Hall and Lu Futang, inspire future generations and highlight Confucianism: "Filial piety is the foundation of learning the Book of Songs" and "good reading, better service and greater effect"
The vicissitudes of time have drowned the rut and smile of businessmen's official career. What can't be forgotten is that these eight-character portals, stone lions symbolizing glory, have plaques containing reasons on all corridors ... They are winding and wandering in the warm and elegant atmosphere of Hongcun, immersed in the rich traditional cultural heritage of Huizhou merchants.
Handed out from the west, I met an old man who traveled by bike alone. The old man is 70 years old and has been out for more than 20 days, riding 1000 kilometers. We stood on the side of the road and chatted. He said that he likes riding horses, ancient Huizhou, Hongcun Xidi. He said riding a horse in southern Anhui is like riding a horse in China ink painting.