Dai Prose: Walking into Chongwu Ancient City

Author: Dai

I like nostalgia, like ancient buildings, like visiting ancient cities and savoring the taste of Cang Sang in those days. After visiting Quanzhou, Fujian for three days, the innkeeper recommended Chongwu ancient city to me, saying it was a primitive stone city, which was very interesting. On the last day, I rented a car and visited Chongwu Ancient City in Hui 'an County, 32.8 kilometers away from Quanzhou. Young drivers have the enthusiasm of Quanzhou people. They not only undertake the duties of drivers, but also serve as voluntary tour guides and photographers. He kept telling me about the ancient city all the way.

Chongwu Ancient City is located at the southern end of Chongwu Peninsula, 24 kilometers southeast of Hui 'an County, and near the Taiwan Province Strait. The moment the car stopped under the wall of Chongwu ancient city, I was shocked by the magnificent granite wall. The circumference of the city wall is 2467 meters and the height is 7 meters. It is not made of red bricks, but a whole granite cube. What a big project. Oh, it's a towering stone city. Solid and impregnable walls, white granite make the years gloomy, and moss, vines and weeds on the walls show the traces of Cang Sang in the years. The red flowers of Erythrina on the mottled city walls add some fresh colors to the ancient city. The walls of the years are engraved with mottled memories, telling the story of the ancient city.

Chongwu, formerly known as Xiaodou, was changed to Chongwu in the early Ming Dynasty. This used to be a small fishing village with only a few families. In the third year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (1370), the Japanese pirates landed in Xiangzhi, threatening Quanzhou's security. In the 20th year of Hongwu (1387), in order to resist the Japanese invasion, Ming Taizu appointed Ambassador Jiang Xia and military expert Zhou Dexing to patrol the southeast coast to resist the Japanese invasion. From the mainland, soldiers are stationed here for defense, camping in camps, using local materials and building castles with granite to resist Japanese pirates. Qi Jiguang, the commander-in-chief of Fujian's anti-Japanese invaders and a national hero, stationed troops here to build a city for defense, trained soldiers and practiced martial arts, directed the suppression of Japanese invaders, and established a whole set of military systems and defense facilities. Ten years after pacifying the enemy, Chongwu became an important town in the southeast coast. In the coastal area of Wan Li in Chongwu, there are more than 60 health castles. So far, only the original Chongwu ancient city has been preserved, and it is also the only complete ancient T-shaped stone city today, which is a very precious historical heritage. At that time, coastal defense was an important place. As the chaos at sea subsided, the military role here weakened and the military fortress gradually became a civilian town. Soldiers guarding the coastal defense have become indigenous people, who have lived and multiplied here for more than 600 years.

The north gate of the ancient city is open and free to enter and leave. The ancient city of Hongwu is not a large-scale scenic spot, but an ancient village, which is more humanistic than the real scenic spot. Perhaps I have forgotten the smoke war that happened here, and some ancient traces left in the ancient city of Gu Xiang are still telling the long-lost story. Walking into the ancient city, the noise outside the city is isolated from the outside, and the old street is surprisingly quiet, which naturally makes me indulge in the ancient city. Two criss-crossing streets lead directly to four gates in the southeast and northwest. Stone is the soul of worshipping martial arts. The massiness and steadiness of granite create the tranquility and warmth of the ancient city. From the city walls to the streets and houses, they are all stone buildings, and there are not many houses with wooden structures. The street route is paved with granite stones. Walking on it, the retro wind arises spontaneously, feeling the closeness of the old days and the massiness of history. Streets and alleys are mostly T-shaped broken roads, narrow as a maze, and still retain the legacy of military use. The houses on both sides of the street are old and simple stone houses. All the young people went out to work, and most of them stayed. They are enjoying the quiet years and living an indifferent and peaceful life. After more than 600 years of ups and downs, the ancient city, like a dying old man, has left the brand of the times. The temples built in the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties are still preserved in the ancient city, and most of them are decorated in Minnan style. The roof is painted with dragons, adding a quaint and elegant atmosphere to the ancient city. The "Treasure Hall" and the "Yuan Feeding Palace" here are built to commemorate the heroes who died in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and people often come to pay homage to the heroes who died for their country.

Here comes a group of Hui 'an girls with labor tools, graceful, talking and laughing, and heading for the city gate. This is one of the main residential areas for Hui 'an girls. Hui 'an woman wears a hat, a small floral headscarf with a white background to cover her cheeks, a silver waist chain around her waist, wide and elegant low-rise pants, and a delicate and gorgeous headdress. A slang word outlines the vivid image of Huian's daughter: feudal head, democratic belly, saving clothes and trousers. Hui 'an daughter, who is famous at home and abroad, is not only beautiful in appearance, but also famous for her diligence and virtue. Men go out to make a living or go fishing. Huian's daughter bears all the family burdens, and also participates in the labor of building her hometown, taking the lead inside and outside. The traditional costumes and peculiar customs of Hui 'an women have added some charm to the ancient city and become a beautiful scenery here.

Chongwu, an ancient city with many stories. There are many stories in the small town, and everything warms my heart. Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese soldier, commanded the Anti-Japanese War here to pacify the Japanese chaos. The soldiers and civilians who worshipped Wu went south with the People's Liberation Army and liberated Xiamen Island. 1956, Premier Zhou personally commanded the Chongwu naval battle and sank the invading warship. Loyalty, courage and fearlessness are integrated into the ancient city. Several generations of soldiers and civilians in Chongwu, relying on barriers and solid stone cities, have withstood the baptism of blood and fire and written epic battle poems with their lives.

Step on the stone steps and slowly walk up the wall. The mottled city walls are ancient books. Walking on the once majestic pass is like walking on the Great Wall. Stepping on the grass of Happy Track, I saw the rusty iron cannon, the scene of bloody battle was in front of me, and the voice of Jinge Iron Horse was still in my ears.

The salty smell of the oncoming seawater floated across the crib of the ancient city wall, and there was a vast sea in front of us, only 97 nautical miles away from Taiwan Province Province. It is the closest place on the mainland to Taiwan Province Island and one of the main ancestral homes of Han compatriots in Taiwan Province Province. Zheng Chenggong moved eastward to recover Taiwan Province Province.

Standing on the lighthouse, you can clearly see the outline of the wall of the entire ancient military battle site; As you can see, a tall and mighty stone statue of Qi Jiguang in the square in front of the city faces the sea. You can see the sea of Wang Yang in front of the city, and you can see the soft back of Mazu, the goddess of the sea. In the bright sunshine, the beauty of the sea view is generate. There are charming Jinsha food stalls on the coastline, and the rocks are of different shapes. Facing the scenic spots in front of us, the driver of the same trade said that in the afterglow of the sunset in the evening, the artistic conception was particularly profound. Advise me to stay for a day, play here, get in close contact with the sea and enjoy the beautiful sunrise and sunset of the sea. Unfortunately, I have booked a return ticket. Imagine that the anti-Japanese heroes bravely did not enter the scenic spot because this ancient city attracted me more.

Worship of martial arts means advocating combat readiness. From its name to the stone wall, and then to the Bai Peng waves lapping on the rocks outside the city, it shows the unique temperament of masculinity and tranquility everywhere. Chongwu ancient city, an anti-Japanese landmark, is a relatively complete historical relic in the history of coastal defense in China. Chongwu, a glorious ancient city, a magnificent ancient city, stands on the coast of the motherland and in the hearts of the people. The spirit of respecting martial arts and righteousness will last forever!

April 18, 2022, Sunshine Home