By chance, I read a magazine called Ding Yan, which contained an article introducing the cultural customs of Fozizhuang Town in Fangshan, and introduced Heilongguan in detail. The author of the article, Mr. Shen Mei, is actually an acquaintance, so I don't need to hesitate to contact Mr. Shen Mei as a guide to make a field trip and see the charm of Feng Shui treasure house from a distance.
The time is set on a Saturday in March in Yangchun. A group of friends made an appointment to drive to Heilongguan, led by teacher Shen Mei. And let this trip become a very cultural theme: Heilongguan study tour.
A group of people drove along the 108 national highway, and the Dashi River turned around. The peaks along the road were gentle or cold, constantly changing their posture. It's early spring now, and the mountain hasn't completely turned green, but the hawthorn trees on the sunny slope have shown a little new green. Exactly: "Although the mountain is not wet and crisp, the emerald color is not close." Peach blossoms in the mountains are the most unbearable loneliness. Among the mountains and peaks, there are red and pink, and it is not an exaggeration to be "the first in the east wind".
Looking at the mountains and scenery all the way, I unconsciously arrived at the Fozizhuang township government compound, and the study tour began.
In order to have a deeper understanding of the past lives in the history of Fozizhuang Town, the government of Fozizhuang Town has prepared a History Book of Fozizhuang Village in Tianmeng.
With a book in his hand, he followed Mr. Shen Mei across the street and passed Heilongguan New Street. The houses in the village are all traditional brick-wood structures, the roofs are blue-gray slates, and the yards follow the slopes. The size of the quadrangle and the specifications of the house are the same, but they are different from the style of sitting north to south in the suburbs of Beijing. They all sit west and east. Asked about the root cause, Mr. Li said that this was determined by the terrain of Heilongguan: according to Feng Shui, this pattern of sitting west facing east is that there are mountains behind, water on the left and short mountains on the right, and the house faces the landscape exit, which is very consistent with Chinese traditional Feng Shui.
Out of the new street, along the 108 national road, I turned a corner and came to Heilongguan Old Street. There is a green Cooper in front of the Xuan Di Temple at the entrance to the village, but I can't hide the vicissitudes of life given by the years. In front of the mottled temple, the threshold has decayed, the stone carvings on the doorposts can't stand the erosion of wind and rain, and the lines are no longer clear, but they still stand there for hundreds of years, guarding the pure land here. Protect the creatures here.
Entering the village along a street that is not too wide, the houses in the village are all facing the street, and the wooden doors and doors are inlaid into pavilions and eaves. The lintel is carved with bricks, with auspicious patterns such as lotus twining branches and magpies climbing plums. There is a screen wall in the door, usually a courtyard with two entrances, brick and wood structure, covered with blue-gray slate, and some facades are very delicate. The facade decoration is more exquisite. The door is a hard roof with double eaves, which sets off the house with blue bricks and gray tiles. The most luxurious atmosphere in the village is the Li Family Courtyard. Sitting on the quaint pier and taking photos against the gate may be "the water spilled by the married daughter." Although she is also a woman surnamed Li, she stayed in front of the Li family for a long time and finally failed to enter the house.
A group of people stopped and walked, and came to the center of the village, an earthen platform piled with large and small stones. Teacher Shen Mei asked everyone to guess its purpose, and everyone gave various answers. Because of the advantage of growing up in the countryside, I was "well informed" at this moment and immediately guessed that it was an old stage. Unable to resist the temptation of "Sister Pig", she quickly climbed up the old stage, leaned against the wall of the stage, basked in the sun, and fell into reverie with a smile, imagining her old age.
Along the street of the village, I visited my boss and strung up my hometown. I don't feel anything strange, but I feel very kind about "going home when I was a child" Teacher Shen Mei, in particular, is familiar with greeting her old neighbors in her hometown dialect, and this kind of intimacy is particularly strong.
At the end of the village, the branches of an ancient locust tree are full of vitality, and sprouts the size of mung beans have just emerged from the branches. Under the tree, there is a dilapidated temple, and the branches of ancient Sophora cover the whole temple. This is the five temples in the village. According to teacher Shen Mei, this temple was like this when he was young. Decades or hundreds of years have passed, echoing the Guandi Temple in front of the village. Walking into Wudao Temple, the murals on three walls have partially fallen off, but the rest are still brightly colored. The contents of these murals are legends about human reincarnation.
When I left the village, I saw several fellow villagers passing by. I warmly greeted Mr. Shen Mei, asking for help, and the teacher's accent remained unchanged.
Looking back, my heart was moved by that simple nostalgia. This ancient village, built in the Yuan Dynasty, has experienced more than 700 years, and its folk customs are simple and harmonious. All the inhabited yards are open. When someone visits them, the host will warmly welcome them and let them into the courtyard to offer them tea and cigarettes. They are caring and attentive, not at all like strangers (this is the village dialect, which means unfamiliar). Such simple folk customs should be the ideal harmonious society of "not connecting roads at night and not closing doors at night"!
Walking out of the old street, I saw an early apricot sticking out of a wall near the village. Buds waiting to be released outside the wall and newly-grown willow branches are reflected in the spring breeze. Two mountain magpies are playing on the blue-gray roof, which is a quiet rural scene in spring.