Traveling South to Yunnan (IV): Visiting Jianshui Ancient City

Since the poet Yu Jian's "Jianshui Collection" appeared in the college entrance examination paper the year before last, Jianshui, a small town on the southwest border, has been on fire again.

In Jianshui Ji, the poet described the architecture, craft, diet and lifestyle of Jianshui City, and provided a realistic template for "poetic dwelling".

In the poet's view, the lifestyle of Jianshui Ancient City is only a reference for the beautiful life that China people yearn for and look for.

How to truly understand an ancient city, an ancient building and a ceremony handed down from generation to generation; How to resettle a city and how to protect people's hearts-Jianshui ancient city, or it can really give us some enlightenment.

But I want to point out one thing here: what is described in the Jianshui story is about the Jianshui ancient city in 20 15 time and space.

I always think that when we talk about Yunnan, we must pay attention to tenses! Because every year, Yunnan is almost completely different from the previous year, even beyond recognition.

At the beginning of 20 17, the day before the Lantern Festival, I came to Jianshui ancient city alone, which was the first time I met Jianshui.

More than four years have passed, and time has passed. After the New Year's Day in 2020, I accompanied my friends from my hometown in go on road trip, Yunnan, and watched Jianshui again, but I was in a hurry because of the sudden epidemic.

This trip to Jianshui is my third time to Jianshui, so I call it "Jianshui Visiting the Old".

Let's talk about Jianshui ancient city first.

Undoubtedly, Jianshui is a living ancient city, just like Weishan. Jianshui ancient city is bigger than Weishan ancient city, with better location and richer and deeper tourism resources.

The poet Yu Jian said that Jianshui Ancient City is a living museum. Any door, window, water tank, railing pottery calligraphy and painting in ordinary people's homes may be works of art.

A popular saying a few years ago: key words. If we say the key words of Jianshui, it must be the following: old buildings, ancient houses, ancient wells, baked tofu, purple pottery, Yunnan-Vietnam trains, food, and several conventional scenic spots inside and outside the ancient city.

Old buildings and ancient dwellings are described in detail by the poet Yu Jian in Jianshui Collection. 20 17 I really saw a lot during the half month of water construction. Those doors and windows, water tanks and beam carvings are really worth seeing.

I remember one day, under the fiery introduction of Lao Xu, a Yunnan-Vietnam youth travel agency, I walked out of the city and went to the Huangshi Ancestral Temple in Fangxin Village.

A whole roof, all carved! Because they are too high and the carvings are too small to see clearly, you can still see their exquisiteness.

When I left, I stopped at the door and turned around: they were there, thin and beautiful, like a miniature gallery. For hundreds of years, I watched the years silently and couldn't bear to grow old.

At that moment, a complex emotion surged up, caught off guard and almost shed tears.

I thought of a sentence: waste time on beautiful things.

Yes, people at that time, they really understood this sentence!

Such a beautiful ancient city is still being demolished.

Tear down a street, tear down a street —— How to play individuality under the mighty city-building movement in China?

Actually, to tell the truth, how many people in China are really interested in those original ecological ancient buildings and cultural relics? It is a peerless treasure of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, so what? !

Similarly, how many people in China are really interested in restored, rebuilt and imitated buildings and cultural relics? -Yes.

Only the latter is better than the former, and taking pictures is more "photogenic".

According to the poet Yu Jian, Jianshui doesn't seem to have been demolished, so it can leave something behind.

In today's Jianshui ancient city, there are several old districts. Alleys extend in all directions like cobwebs, and Zhumen courtyards abound. However, these courtyards have all become complexes, which have been divided during the land reform period and have no protection at all.

During the construction of water, I wandered around the ancient city almost every day. There are indeed many Zhumen courtyards in many alleys. Most of the gatehouses are dilapidated, and all the paintings and sculptures on the walls on both sides have been destroyed, replaced by slogans of that special period-there is nothing to say except sigh.

Like Lijiang and Shiping, Jianshui today is also the pattern of a new city and an ancient city. However, Jianshui City is different from Lijiang. It is not surrounded by lines. It takes only a few minutes from Jianshui Ancient City to Yuan Ye.

In the words of the poet Yu Jian, "the earth has not been driven away." The wind, sunshine and flowers are still around.

When it comes to the ancient well of Jianshui people and the well complex of Jianshui people, it is really unparalleled.

It is said that there are 128 wells in Jianshui, and many wells built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty are still in use today. And every well has Longwang Temple and inscriptions.

Jianshui City has famous wells, including No.1 well, No.2 well, No.3 well, No.4 well, Daban well and Xiaojie well, among which Daban well is the most familiar to tourists.

The well water in Dabanjing must be used to make tofu, otherwise the taste will change. Therefore, many tofu shops are concentrated near wells. In the past, they were even made on the spot near the well platform, just to get water conveniently.

However, the local people think that the water in the small well is the sweetest.

China on the Tip of the Tongue says that Jianshui people know water very well, and they think that water can nourish people's spirituality and consciousness.

Yes, Jianshui people really understand water, and they are also love the water. You only need to look at the deep strangulation marks on the bluestone beside each well, and it will be shocking. Those deep traces show what is called "time".

Besides the well complex, Jianshui people also have a complex handed down from generation to generation: the tofu complex.

Speaking of Jianshui tofu, there is a folk song: Yunnan stinky tofu,No. Lin 'an House ... smells bad, eats incense, and panics if you don't eat three meals.

It is said that Jianshui stinky tofu originated in Qing Dynasty. China on the Tip of the Tongue says that Jianshui stinky tofu is a subtle chemical reaction between wind, water, sunshine and tofu. He also said that Jianshui people will enjoy the taste created by air-drying fermentation.

That's true.

More than that.

Baked tofu, under construction, is not only a kind of food, but also a way of life.

Baked tofu stalls can be seen almost everywhere inside and outside Jianshui ancient city, and every restaurant has set aside an area for it at the door.

It seems to be there forever. You can walk in at any time, sit down, enjoy yourself and kill time.

You can also enjoy the street view and scenery while enjoying the food. At the same time, it has become a landscape in the eyes of others.

Jianshui's baked bean curd stand is very simple, that is, a square low table and a low bench with iron grates on four sides, forming a solid business space, with the roast stall owner occupying one side and the other three sides being guests.

Individual strangers sit together, once they sit down, they don't want to get up and will keep eating. ...

Another interesting custom of Jianshui Baked Tofu Stall is that the stall owner uses a small dish with many dried corn and dried broad beans in it, and puts several empty dishes to represent the guests. The guest takes tofu and a piece from the grate, and the host throws a corn into the empty plate on behalf of the guest to show the account.

Tofu should be baked slowly, and people who eat it will talk while eating. Baked tofu stand is a "meal" that can be joined at any time, and it is open.

Milk-yellow tofu blocks, baked on the fire, became golden chubby little cute, very cute. It is no exaggeration to say that this kind of thing, big and small Mi Zige, almost filled the life of Jianshui people.

The conventional scenic spots in Jianshui are relatively concentrated: Jia Zhu Garden, Chaoyang Building, Confucian Temple and experimental shed for learning and politics. They are close to each other and they are all in the ancient city.

There are Tuanshan residential building, Shuanglong Bridge, Yunnan-Vietnam train and Yanzi Cave outside the city. The first three are also on the same line, and you can take a small train from Yunnan to Vietnam.

Of course, new scenic spots have been continuously developed over the years.

I went to Jianshui this time. On the day I left, I took the 9 19 bus to the railway station. The driver is a very talkative local middle-aged man, with the style of Beijing's brother.

According to him, there are several new scenic spots in Jianshui, which many tourists still don't know, including Nanzhuang Yunlong Mountain Scenic Area.

He thinks Yunlong Mountain Scenic Area is worth seeing. There are ancient temples and tea gardens, and the natural and cultural scenery is great.

There are also Wulong Lake Ant Workshop, Zitao Street Night Market, etc., which shows that Jianshui keeps pace with the times.

We always keep pace with the times.

Especially in those ancient towns, if you like, you can almost always develop new attractions-isn't it mountains and rivers+stories? Simple.

When it comes to Jianshui cuisine, Jianshui tofu is naturally the first choice, in addition to steamed chicken, rice noodles with grass buds and various barbecues.

Some people say that Jianshui cuisine is NO 1 in Yunnan, and the night market in Zitao Street can be tried.

Jianshui is the birthplace of steamed chicken, because the material of the steamer is purple pottery, which is a specialty of Jianshui. Steamed chicken is steamed with steam, not stewed, not fried, but steamed-what matters is "time"!

In my opinion, the slow life of Jianshui is reflected in the production of these delicious foods: whether it is baked tofu or steamed chicken.

Of course, there will be a bird-walking activity in Chaoyang Building in the morning and a card game and chess game in the afternoon. Look, this is very old Beijing.

Normal, too. They are all old cities, and they are all old cities with profound humanistic life.

The steamed chicken in Jianshui is really tender and delicious, which is better than other production methods. This reminds me of an old saying: you can't eat hot tofu if you are impatient.

Yes, if you can't eat real food, you have to eat those "fake foods" that are quickly blended.

In this sense, building water is to cure this "acute disease" of modern people.

In Jianshui, you can try some roadside stalls, barbecue stalls and small shops, such as Zixing Roast Duck Restaurant, Lin 'an Hotel, Baoxing Building and Fuji Restaurant. You won't be disappointed.

In addition, there are some "fly restaurants" frequented by local people. As long as you are interested and have time to find and ask, I believe there will be surprises.

I once read a sentence: When you go to Yunnan, you will find that some trips are called tourism, while others are called "going to another life"-Yunnan is another desirable life.

That's good. I would like to add that in the past, Dali was the representative of this kind of life. Now, I prefer to say Jianshui.

When I was in Dali, I first heard the word "lucky".

Today's Kunming is already very difficult. Today's Dali is also slowly "difficult"-when did "good" water construction become "difficult"?

Let's pray that that day will get later and later. ...

The poet Yu Jian once quoted Yang Shen's poem about building water in Ming Dynasty, lamenting that the water city built by Yang Caizi hundreds of years ago still exists: city, buildings, carved beams and painted buildings, Zhumen Road Lane, wells, arched buildings, restaurants, lotus ponds, rice fields ... Most importantly, the world written by Yang Shen, although the details have changed greatly.

This is a miracle-the poet exclaimed. After hundreds of years of changes, Jianshui is still the hometown of aborigines, and still lives a life similar to that of Yang Shen when he visited: making tofu, pumping well water, making bean jelly, making rice noodles and washing clothes by the well. ...

At the same time, the poet is inevitably worried that Jianshui has been besieged by a homogeneous new city ... I have witnessed the hesitation, change and persistence of its friends.

Can Jianshui really escape the invasion, manipulation and distortion of modernization and commercialization?

As the title says, the original intention of my trip to Jianshui is to "visit the elderly". Since it is an "old place", there will always be some people, things and things, and there will always be some places that are particularly worrying and make people want to revisit and reunite.

Yes.

When I got off at the bus station outside the ancient city, I chose to go into the city and walk along Ying Hui Road.

Compared with four years ago, Ying Hui Road has become more beautiful. The green belt in the middle of the road is full of flowers and colorful flags, which is more like a "welcome road".

A new Wal-Mart opened near a famous literature store, which was a small surprise.

After passing through the famous literary country square, I seem to have suddenly crossed into another time and space, and I was in a trance for a moment. The ordinary archway door seems to be a secret tunnel organ. As soon as I entered, I immediately opened the Ming and Qing modes.

Almost all sides of the road are old buildings, which are genuine, not modern imitations. The pavement and the facade of the building should be trimmed, but they are a little old-fashioned and seem to have no objection.

I walked on the elevated sidewalk in the middle of Ying Hui Road, crossed the pavilions built on it, and came all the way to Ying Hui Gate. This is the east gate of the ancient city, and above it is the famous Chaoyang Tower, which is called Little Tiananmen Square by local people.

Cross the Ying Hui Gate and you will find Jianshui Ancient City.

Four years have passed, has the ancient city changed? It must have changed.

The road surface seems to have been trimmed, and the whole Lin 'an Road has become more beautiful and photogenic. However, this is not terrible. Basically the same as four years ago. And the small shops that I used to go to four years ago are still there: the old spoon powder shop, the old papaya shop and the street stall selling Jianshui chicken feet. When asked, it was still the price four years ago (very touched, is there wood? )。

I turned to the next alley to see the ancient well. This well is still in use. The people in the alley, the people coming and going, the busy business in their hands, the carefree expressions on people's faces, and the unhurried behavior are still there.

A truly living ancient city-I thought to myself.

Under the blue sky, white clouds and sunny sun, the slow life of self-sufficiency for thousands of years is calm and simple, and it is always carried out unhurriedly. The charm cultivated for thousands of years is flowing enthusiastically and continuously in the street life of eating, drinking and having fun, and in the lights of thousands of households.

That's great.

Don't destroy it, just let it go on like this-ten years, a hundred years, forever.

I prayed silently in my heart. Although I know that this possibility is slim. Because change is always in progress.

It's just a matter of time.

As usual, some people carry the burden to sell all kinds of fresh fruits and snacks, and the prices don't seem expensive. Here, as in Kunming, the price is quoted in kilograms.

A group of tourists gathered in front of the political trial shed and naturally took photos in various ways. Looking closely, some sculptures have been added in front of the barbecue shed. This is really a bit distracting and grandstanding. It turns out that there is a group of sculptures in front of the experimental shed and a group of sculptures in the yard. I think it's just right Very harmonious.

There is an interesting story about these two groups of sculptures. When I first saw the group of carvings in front of the door, I always thought that the candidates were playing chess, while Mr. Wang was standing by watching it. One day I took a closer look and suddenly realized that they were baking tofu! What you are holding is not chopsticks!

Under this discovery, I couldn't help laughing: Jianshui Tofu is really appealing to all tastes, winning the kitchen, hall and elegant hall! It has penetrated into every corner of local life.

I also thought of the group of people in the hospital: the son of the examinee who was studying while walking, taking extremely young children and porters to catch the exam. Does the porter carry a set of tofu baking utensils with him? I secretly enjoyed the idea for half an hour.

After passing the magnificent "double-key" archway in the middle section of Lin 'an Road, walk a little further and you will arrive at Jianshui Confucian Temple.

During my stay four years ago, I always strolled into the Confucius Temple at dusk. Jianshui Confucian Temple is known as the second largest Confucian Temple in China, second only to the Confucius Temple in Qufu.

In my opinion, this is a very pleasant place. Open and wide garden, lush trees, clear water (Chi Pan), full of vitality, makes people look bright and happy.

It is also a result that Jianshui has such a large Confucian temple (Jianshui City has seven temples and eight temples). In the imperial examination era, the talents of Jianshui City came forth in large numbers, enjoying the reputation of "half of the country", which shows the prosperity of its culture and education.

Now, the ancient city of Jianshui holds a grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius and a series of cultural activities in the Confucian Temple every year to inherit and carry forward Confucian thought and culture.

Jianshui ancient city and its original ecological life can continue to this day-one of its strengths must come from this emphasis on and inheritance of traditional culture.

From the Confucian Temple to the Ximen Pagoda, it used to be the most prosperous area of Jianshui Ancient City, where cultural relics such as the Confucian Temple, Lin 'an House and Zhi Lin Temple were concentrated, as well as several delicious rice noodle shops and cloud sugar shops.

As far as I can remember, there used to be several very good shops on both sides. Now, almost all of them have been replaced by Zitao shops.

The west gate tower is far away, and the sunset is drawing to a close. The last touch of the sunset glow hit the big green tree beside the tower. The famous "Taste Lin 'an" rice noodle shop next to the tree is still there, the business is still hot, and the diners are endless.

I am optimistic about a homestay nearby. By the time I settled down, the lights were already on. I went out and headed for the west gate.

The biggest change is outside the west gate. At this time four years ago, this street was the heyday of commerce. Now, a street looks gloomy, and more than half of the shops have closed.

It is said that many tourists moved their places and went to Zitao Street Night Market to eat roasted tofu and rice noodles with grass buds. Therefore, the tofu industry in Ximen has gradually cooled down.

I remember Banjing Tofu Workshop opposite Dabanjing. Her family had a tofu buffet breakfast in the morning, and 5 yuan paid for it. Tofu brain, soybean milk, dried tofu, stinky tofu, fried bean skin and all kinds of seasonings are free to eat. The taste is not good, but the advantage is that you can eat enough tofu at one time.

I wonder if this self-service service is still there. Look at the online introduction, it should still be there, and the price has not changed.

Not bad.

In the dark, I wander back and forth in the small street leading to Dabanjing, and people who don't know will think that I have lost something.

Yes, I lost something-I lost part of my memory.

Where did that tofu shop go?

I can't remember which one it is. I lived for half a month four years ago, and I came to eat her baked tofu almost every day.

She always sits at the tofu baking table at the door and bakes tofu for guests. People who know her every time they go, but can't remember which house. The houses there are so similar.

I was under the dim street lights in the old street, and the families carefully identified and walked over. There are two closed doors, and the open one is doing other business. Through the half-open door, one household can see the chickens inside, cage by cage, piled together, but as far as I can remember, there is no such business in this street.

I suspect this is it. Or the one next door, there, in the middle of the hall, a woman sat there, burying her head in making small pieces, squeezing one by one, making a small piece, putting it neatly, drawer by drawer, and putting it beside her.

The direction is roughly here, and I can basically be sure.

Her brother and sister-in-law rented out the room and stopped opening a restaurant? Their old mother died? So where are she and her fat son? Back to the army, back to your home? Or did you find another business?

I call her "Simon's Tofu Baker's Daughter". She is a middle-aged woman in her forties. She told me her story: she went out when she was very young and married a northern soldier in the garrison. Her marriage is not satisfactory, business has changed one after another, but there is no improvement. After the rise of Jianshui tourism, her ancestral home was suddenly valuable because it was close to Dabanjing, Ximen. Her brother and sister-in-law live in it with her old mother. Brother and sister-in-law make a restaurant and bake tofu in the first floor room. She came back to help bake tofu. Sometimes her fat son will come to help bake.

I can't forget the way she said these words: keeping her voice down (her brother and sister-in-law are busy in the semi-open kitchen in the back), talking endlessly, and looking around from time to time, as if on guard against something.

I will never forget the resentment and hatred hidden in her words.

Who do you blame? Hate who? Complain about what? Hate what? -or only she knows, or, even she is not very clear.

I'm a little disappointed. I don't know why, but I still want to see her again more than I thought.

Why are there such worries? I don't know.

Traveling, sometimes, is really a magical thing.

It's not too late to return to the ancient city. It was dead of night, and Lin 'an Road was brightly lit everywhere. I turn right at Hanlin Street and go straight to the south gate.

Four years ago, in the first half of the month, I stayed at the Inverse Travel Inn outside the south gate.

That is an inn run by an Anhui girl. Speaking of it, it is also an interesting story. I'll say it again later.

During that half month, I visited the ancient city every morning and evening, and I stayed in the inn, reading books and writing travel diaries from time to time.

Met all kinds of passers-by

There are a few people who worry me too.

There are two middle-aged men, both from Beijing.

One is an in-house guest who stayed in the inn for two or three days. It seems that he has just come down from Yuanyang and is going to go up. I don't remember. I can't remember the appearance, it should be the appearance of passers-by, a typical Beijing rough gentleman.

At first, he was deep. The night before he left, everyone was drinking tea and chatting in the lobby on the first floor. Big brother suddenly spoke about his failed business, failed marriage, anger, frustration and confusion.

"I was very successful at first and made a lot of money, but somehow I lost money. The bigger the loss, the more cars can't stop." Big brother's confusion is real and heavy.

"After all, I was still too greedy ... my wife advised me, but I didn't listen ... As a result, the chicken died ... The woman was really cruel and didn't say anything, so she rolled up and left, taking the children ... I worked hard for half my life, and nothing fell, with a sieve."

Big brother has a saying that impressed me deeply. "If life goes well, you can handle it yourself. Who needs religion? " -At that time, Big Brother was asking everyone present about the liberation of Buddhism.

After four years, I can still clearly remember the unbearable pain on Beijing Big Brother's face and the scars on his eyes that night.

Life is really painful sometimes.

Another big brother from Beijing came to look at the house for a friend.

According to his own introduction, he has rented an old yard in an alley and is going to tidy it up and live as a pizza shop.

Chatting and chatting, I don't know how the topic changed, even the expression of big brother's light wind and light cloud changed: son of a bitch! If I want to catch him, I don't want money. I'll take off my grandson's thigh first.

Matching this, it is the ferocious expression on Big Brother's face.

It turns out that eldest brother used to be a photographer of a magazine in Beijing. He once walked on the Great Wall with his friends and took many good photos. The clarity and color of the photos are better than those of ordinary photographs, and they will not be taken out now.

Later, eldest brother and his friends jointly opened a company to represent an outdoor sports brand. As a result, his friend absconded with the money and has not been arrested so far.

Eldest brother went bankrupt, divorced and never recovered.

Son of a bitch, you ruined my life! Big brother gnashes his teeth.

There is also a young man from the northeast who came to Yunnan all the way, claiming to have found his beloved career and life direction in Yunnan-that is tea.

and ...

and ...

The reason why I especially remember the two big bosses in Beijing is because both of them have deep resentment and hatred for drugs.

They remind me of Dostoevsky's book Insulted and Damaged-Yes, they are all victims, friends, their own greed, life and destiny.

Are they okay now? Have they walked out of the past? Did they try to get rid of all the resentment and hatred in their hearts?

I hope they can.

Fate can't be a pit forever. Don't! Although it is often the case.

I don't know where they are now, or have left Jianshui, but I still want to go to the inn again.

The inn is still there. As soon as I stepped into the familiar lobby, my memory crossed Qianshan, but it came to me. ...

There was no one in the lobby, and I didn't say hello. I just want to take a look and leave.

I wandered around the big lounge and looked at the graffiti on the wall, which were taken from two illustrations in The Little Prince. It is covered with two walls, the same color as the composition in the book.

"Oh, it was painted by a young man who used to live here. He has nothing to paint." When I asked, the young female boss said flatly.

When I left, I looked back again. The little boy with blond curly hair, his lonely little back, looked at his planet. ...

I raised my hand and tried the corner of my eye, then turned away.

The next morning, I went to Shiping Ancient City.

On the third morning, I went out of town to see Shuanglong Bridge. Looking from a distance, you can see that the old tree that "jumped onto the water" by the bridge is still there, still in that intoxicating posture. The bridge deck is still a boulder, which is polished more and more smoothly by the soles of the feet.

I continued to rush to the nearby Xianghuiqiao Railway Station. Standing on the narrow railing, looking around, the blue sky remains the same, Yuan Ye remains the same, a gust of wind has passed, and the fragrance of land and flowers and trees is inexplicably reassuring and pleasant.

I once saw a photo taken by tourists here: a bright yellow train came slowly from the flowers-look at it, and the sentence will immediately come to your mind: the train for spring.

Yes, for the train running between flowers and leaves in spring-this scene can only be found in Yunnan.

Yunnan is so extravagant, extravagant as a dream!

Probably because this land is so rich and beautiful. Yu Jian, a native poet in Yunnan, said that Yunnan's land has this ability. No matter how to destroy it artificially, after several rains and a gust of wind, the garden will grow again, one by one, covering this unique land.

I hope so.

I hope it stays that way.

Tips for Jianshui Tourism-

1, flow.

Train: There are bullet trains from Kunming to Jianshui, which run several times a day. In addition, the previous green leather train continued to operate.

There is a bus 9 19 from Jianshui Railway Station to the ancient city, which goes directly to the north gate of the ancient city. You can also take a taxi.

Car: This time I took the shuttle bus from Maitreya to Jianshui. There is no direct bus from Maitreya to Jianshui. I can take the shuttle bus from Maitreya to Kaiyuan, several times a day, 3 1 yuan. It's also several times a day from Kaiyuan to Jianshui, 27 yuan. Please leave a message for details.

2. Accommodation.

Jianshui ancient city and new city have all kinds of accommodation to choose from. There are various hotels, inns, homestays and youth hostels on both sides of Lin 'an Road in the ancient city, and there are also some youth hostels outside the south and north gates. There are hotels and homestays of various grades in Xincheng.

3. Shopping.

Lin 'an Road, Hanlin Road and Zitao Street are the main shopping places. Purple pottery is the main specialty of Jianshui, but it should be carefully selected when buying, and the quality is mixed.