Nanchuan Dexingyuan, the century-old rise and fall of the largest Pao Ge Tangkou in Southwest China. Ginkgo Village, Dejiang Township, Nanchuan, Chongqing

The Castle Hidden in the Mountains When asked about "Dexingyuan" in Nanchuan, no one can name Chou Yin Mao, but if you mention Pao Ge Tangkou in Qianfeng Township, most people will answer : "I have an impression, I've heard of it." However, when asked about the specific location, few people could answer.

"Dexingyuan" is located in Qianfeng Township, 60 kilometers away from Nanchuan City, adjacent to Fuling District. Before liberation, Nanchuan and Fuling had no villages and towns established here, and they were known as "terrain without owners." Due to the natural barrier of the mountainous area and the intentional or unintentional information blockade of Paoge Longtou here, "Dexingyuan" is almost isolated from the world, and it always appears and disappears like clouds and fog in various documentary records.

This aroused my curiosity, and one day in October, under the guidance of local people, I went to look for Dexingyuan. Starting from Nanchuan City, walk 60 kilometers along Nanchuan to Qianfeng Township, then turn to Xinyuan Village Road and walk for 15 minutes to reach the Huanggan River in Xinyuan Village. Climbing up the 300 long stairs along the river, an ancient manor complex comes into view - wind and fire walls and green tile roofs criss-crossing each other, making it as large as a castle.

The manor has one gate, two facing gates, and a middle gate. The facing gate has been damaged by the fire, leaving only a few blackened beams. The gate is as wide as a city gate, enough for two people. cars drive in at the same time. After the entrance, there is a down hall about 20 meters long, then into the middle hall, and finally into the lobby. Farmers live inside, and although many places appear dilapidated, the overall momentum and scale have not been lost. Looking up at the beams and columns in the lobby, the words "Benevolence and Righteousness" can be vaguely discerned, and the faded rich peony pattern tells the story of the owner's high spirits back then.

"Dexingyuan" uses the patio as the main architectural element and covers an area of ??more than ten acres. The entire house is divided into three levels, each with three large patios and one small patio, with a total of 12 patios and 48 roof ridges. Most of the patios here are still there, but the surrounding terraced corridors have been sealed into huts. Except for the stone dams in the patios, the former fish ponds and rockeries have disappeared. Each patio ring houses 9 rooms to form a courtyard, and the courtyards are connected by courtyard walls and arches. The arches are separated by a blue brick wall with the words "Dexingyuan" engraved on it. The courtyard wall is about four meters high. On the top of the wall, there are chela sitting on the ridge, and dragons and birds flying. It is said that the wall was once carved with murals of dragons, birds and other animals. Unfortunately, most of them have been lost due to the passage of time. However, on the undamaged beams and window lattice, auspicious clouds, orchids, sika deer and characters are still lifelike. There are four watchtowers on the east, west, north and south directions of the courtyard wall. The watchtowers are so high that you can see every corner of the manor. If a robber attacks, just close the arch to ensure the safety of the other courtyards.

Brother Qingshui Pao, who has great wealth

"Dexingyuan was built on a treasure land." Local villagers told us that from a Feng Shui perspective, the manor is The position is both like a chair and a crab. Dexingyuan is on the "chair", with a wide view in front, a "backer" at the rear, and "helpers" on the left and right sides. It is a top-grade homestead in Feng Shui.

Directly under the "backer" of the manor, a luxurious ancient tomb stands in front of you. Villagers told me that the owner of the manor is buried here. The tombstone and the tomb are several meters high. There are three floors of worship platforms in front of them. There are squatting stone lions on both sides of the second floor worship platform. There are exquisite stone carvings such as figures and patterns on the tombstones. The inscription shows that the name of the tomb owner is Liu Ruiting, and the monument was erected in April of the 33rd year of the Republic of China (1944).

According to the "Nanchuan County Chronicle", Liu Ruiting, also known as Liu Dexing, served as the governor of Qiaojia Department of Yunnan Province during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (his position is equivalent to the current director of the Department of Finance). He reigned for more than 10 years and made a fortune. In the late 1870s, Yunnan was experiencing social turmoil. In order to escape the troubled times, Liu Ruiting returned to his hometown with money in 1876. He found such a remote and quiet place in Xinyuan Village, bought fields, and spent 20 years building the current manor, becoming a paoge uncle. De Xingyuan naturally became Pao Ge's cousin. Before liberation, the 20 miles of land around Dexingyuan belonged to the Liu family.

Liu Tingrui is Qingshui Paoge. Pao Ge is roughly divided into two types: Qing Shui Pao Ge and Muddy Water Pao Ge. The so-called Qingshui Paoge generally refers to those who have participated in the Paoge organization but do not engage in illegal activities; Muddy Waters Paoge is purely a bandit who robs homes, kills, and sells goods. Liu Tingrui's family was extremely wealthy and he didn't want to ruin his reputation by robbing his family and property, so he became the "Brother Qingshui Pao".

Because of his immense wealth, he is also quite famous in the world, and is also known as "Gold (wealth) but skin (face)" Pao Ge. With a huge sum of money and living in troubled times, it is understandable that he built "De Xingyuan" like a fortress.

The bricks of "Dexingyuan" are blue bricks fired by masters invited from Yunnan, which are fire-resistant and have good impact resistance. There are gun holes on the outer walls of the house, and there are 6 high pavilions built around the house for observation. There is a well dug in the house and a special house to store food. Even if it is surrounded for a month, there will be no shortage of water and food. At its peak, "Dexingyuan" had thousands of tenants, servants, and guards living there. Liu Tingrui is also the most powerful Pao Ge uncle within a few hundred miles.

Chengdu Paoge Leng Kaitai is a well-known ruthless person among Sichuan Paoge, but he also respects Liu Tingrui. During the warlords' melee, Liu Xiang purchased and transported large quantities of guns and ammunition from Shanghai to Sichuan. When passing through Wanxian County, he was always robbed by Yang Sen's men pretending to be bandits. Later, I heard that Leng Kaitai was powerful, so he entrusted Leng Kaitai to buy weapons from Shanghai and bring them to Sichuan, and also served as escort. Leng Kaitai relied on his reputation to successfully transport a large amount of arms to Chongqing without firing a shot or bloodshed. After the arms arrived at Fuling Wharf, Liu Tingrui was invited to represent Nanchuan's brother Pao to a celebration banquet. After returning, his momentum in Nanchuan was unparalleled.

In the early days of the Revolution of 1911, the revolutionaries relied on Brother Pao's influence among the people to mobilize the masses extensively. Liu Tingrui also took the opportunity to buy a lot of arms and expand his strength. At that time, Pao Ge's halls were usually small places that were convenient for people to come and go, such as teahouses. Liu Tingrui was able to use a large house of more than ten acres as the hall, which was considered a big deal.

An old man living in the yard recalled: There is a statue of Guan Gong hanging in the lobby of "Dexingyuan", incense candles are placed, and there are two rows of very majestic seats. Every day, two people stand guard in front of the lobby. , ordinary people are not allowed to enter. On normal days, there are often outsiders with knives and guns entering and leaving Dexingyuan.

"De Xingyuan" has many rules:

The barber must come at night

Walking in Qianfeng Township near the manor There are countless fruit shops and department stores on the market, and the business can be considered prosperous. But after walking through the whole place, I found that there was no decent barber shop. It was almost impossible to get a haircut, perm and dye.

Why is there no decent barber shop in Qianfeng Township? It's a long story.

Each dock organized by Brother Pao is divided into five halls: benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom, and trust to admit people with different identities into the membership. The Renzitangkou accepts people with dignity and status in society, the Yizitangkou accepts wealthy gentleman merchants, the Lizitangkou accepts proletarians working in the handicraft industry, and the Zhitangtang and Xintangkou accept ordinary workers at the bottom of society. Liu Tingrui was a gentry who returned to his hometown. His family wealth was rare in the local area, so it was natural that he should have the word "righteousness" in his hall. Local villager Hu Ying believes that the lack of barber shops in Qianfeng for a hundred years is related to the word "righteousness" in the hall.

Old man Hu Ying also joined the Pao Ge organization. He said: "De Xingyuan is not something you can get in if you want to. Some people can't get in at all." What the old man said "can't get in." "People refer to people who have no right to participate in paoge, such as prostitutes, hookah smokers, pedicurists, back rub barbers, male artists who have played female roles, etc., as well as men whose mothers have remarried or whose wives have had affairs. Not allowed to participate. These prohibitions have been compiled into Pao Ge's classic "Under the Sea" for strict control by Pao Ge organizations everywhere.

The Pao Ge organization originated from the Ge Laohui that "revolted against the Qing Dynasty and restored the Ming Dynasty." It is said that after the Qing soldiers joined the government, the barbers helped the Manchus shave the heads of the Han people and leave them in braids. Therefore, the barber is absolutely not qualified to enter the Brother Pao organization. In the Caodian of Yizitangkou, the hatred towards barbers even reached the point of "beating them whenever they meet".

Therefore, after Liu Tingrui returned to his hometown, he was even more strict in implementing the regulations of the Brother Pao organization, and it was strictly forbidden for barbers to make a living here. Over time, there was no barber in Xinyuan Village. In the past, villagers had to go to Nanchuan to get their hair cut. If people who live in "Dexingyuan" want to have their heads shaved, the barber they hire must come at night and leave immediately after finishing.

Old man Hu Ying’s explanation sounded reasonable, but from the mouth of old man Zhang Renquan, I heard another more legendary explanation.

It is said that An Yi, a well-known and capable general under Liu Tingrui, was ruthless and committed many evil deeds. People in Nanchuan were afraid of his power and dared not speak out in anger.

One day, a barber surnamed Wang came to Qianfeng Township. This man had the unique skill of shaving hair and had excellent massage skills. There is no one who has been served by this Wang Shatou who is not happy and happy. This is because this Wang Shatou can not only shave, hold and massage the head with one hand, but also tell stories. As long as you are willing to listen, from ancient times to the present, Wang Shatou knows everything from palace secrets to mountain anecdotes. He was doing the work in his hands and mumbling in his mouth. His voice was neither loud nor quiet, but fresh and sweet, like an oriole or a thrush. When he talked about the wonderful parts, it was like watching a big show. Just when he was listening to it like a dream, suddenly there was a crisp slap in his ear - as the saying goes, "The slap of the barber, it's over." At this time, Wang Shatou was cleaning things and finishing the story. The ending of the story is always unexpected, making people either sigh with regret or applaud...

When An Yi heard this, he was quite curious and sent someone to invite Wang Shao to enjoy it. Wang Shatou happily agreed, and while shaving Anyi's head, he told a story: "Eighteen years ago, there was a family named Wang in the east of Nanchuan City. The male owner was once a comprador of the imperial court. He was recuperating in Nanchuan because of illness. Later, after he recovered, he married a wife and had children, and the family lived in harmony and warmth." Wang Shatou's voice was as gentle and sweet as the way he shaved his head. "But something unexpected happened to this family's son. When I was five years old, a villain came to Nanchuan. He was kind and gentle on the surface, but he was as vicious as a scorpion. This sinister guy sneaked into the family under the guise of treating the male master's wounds, but he was poisoned. The poison made the master unable to move."

Shang Yizheng was enjoying himself as if he were flying in the clouds. Suddenly, when Wang Shatou said this, he was startled and wanted to get up. Wang Shaotou patted Shangyi on the shoulder: "Master Longtou, don't be angry because of the things in the story. Wang Shaotou is just gossip, and it may not be true. Lie down and enjoy it in peace."

Seeing the half-smiling expression on Wang Sha's head, and seeing the silver light shining on his neck with the razor in his hand, Anyi hesitated for a moment and slowly lay down.

"Although the mistress of this house knew what kind of vicious heart the vicious guy had, she was so anxious that she could do nothing about it." Wang Shatou continued: "On this day, the mistress looked at the woman lying on the bed dying. Her husband saw the vicious guy drinking in the hall while weighing two gleaming sharp knives triumphantly. The hostess hugged her son and told him that the villain in the hall was interested in their family's gold and silver treasures. She was about to kill the whole family. She said there was a dog hole in the backyard and asked her son to escape from the dog hole as far as possible. The son was very scared and ran away without looking back, but Before I even left the courtyard, I heard the screams of the mistress..." Wang Shatou said as he slowly slid the razor on Shangyi's body like a joke.

Hearing this, Shangyi became even more uneasy. Back then, when he was still a young gangster, he accidentally discovered that there was a family in the east of Nanchuan City who often went to the drugstore to buy good medicines such as ginseng, deer antler, and cordyceps and gastrodia. He knew that this family must be well-off. After asking around, I found out that they had moved to Nanchuan from Beijing and had once served as compradors for the imperial court. So Shangyi dressed up as a doctor with special skills, entered the family, and used some tricks to control them. After killing the host and hostess, they found that the child of the family was missing. They searched everywhere, but there was no trace.

"Could it be..." Shangyi shuddered.

Just when Shangyi didn't dare to move, Wang Shatou gently put away the knife, clapped his hands and said, "Okay, Master Longtou, do you feel comfortable?"

Shangyi Opening his eyes, he was surprised to find that everything before seemed to be a dream. Wang Shatou actually turned his back and packed his things. Shangyi immediately stood up and put his hand into the waistband of his trousers, where a row of extremely sharp flying knives were pinned.

The people next to him had already been fascinated by what he heard. At this moment, seeing Wang Shatou, he stopped talking and just packed up his things. They were anxious and asked him to tell him what happened next.

"What happened next?" Wang Shaotou glanced at Shangyi behind him and said, "What happened next? Let's wait for Uncle Longtou to tell you."

At this moment, Shang Yi Yi suddenly pulled out the flying knife and raised his hand. The flying knife did not go out, but his whole arm flew out. Wang Shaotou grabbed the arm flying towards him, threw it to the ground like dead wood, and looked at him with a sneer.

Shangyi was shocked. Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly felt that he couldn't use the strength below. When he lowered his head, he saw that his legs had fallen off. Just when Shangyi was frightened, he found something rolling down in his arms. When he lowered his head, he saw that it was an ear.

Wang shaved his head and picked up the ear, and said bitterly: "This is the end of that story."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shangyi's head rolled down. , rolled on the ground like a watermelon for a long time. The robe buddies around him were stunned to see it. No one dared to step forward to stop Wang Shatou from leaving.

After hearing the reports from his subordinates afterwards, Liu Tingrui was so frightened that he no longer allowed any barbers to come in or out of Qianfeng Township. Over time, orders became habits, habits evolved into customs, and there were no more barber shops in Qianfeng Township.

Hollow Dexingyuan

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dexingyuan was assigned to more than 20 farmers in Qianfeng Township to live in. Later, due to various reasons, it was renamed. More than 30 households have moved in one after another, with a total of more than 100 families living in them. Farmers have a weak awareness of protection. If any house lacks bricks, they pry them from the blue bricks laid on the hall floor. Whose house is inaccessible and has a hole in the wall.

Hu Xiuying, a peasant woman, lived in Dexingyuan during the liberation. Her room happened to be in the lower hall on the left side of the entrance. Because she felt that it was not convenient to get in and out, she opened a room on the wall of the courtyard. Door. The bricks used for the door wall are very special, with the words "Toku Hoshigaki" engraved on them. Hu Xiuying's explanation is: "My men think that the style of bricks with characters is like prying up the bricks laid on the ground to build the wall."

In Dexingyuan, such man-made vandalism is everywhere, but the deepest The worst disasters can only be counted from the mid-1990s.

Hu Xiuying remembers that one afternoon in the summer of 1998, someone with a foreign accent visited De Xingyuan and was very interested in the wooden screen in the corner of his house. Finally, he sold it to the Hu family for 500 yuan. . After that, there were two or three city dwellers who exchanged their banknotes for old wardrobes, boxes, and even some doors, windows, and roof beams from farmers’ homes. For a time, every household was busy collecting old furniture, and some families were secretly competing to see who could sell more and more expensive furniture. According to the memories of the farmers living in the courtyard, every household made money at that time. Those who sold more were two to three thousand yuan, and those who sold less were only a few hundred yuan. Now, De Xingyuan can't find any decent and complete carvings, and even some beautifully carved stone benches have been taken away.

The courtyard of Dexingyuan was divided up and sold by the residents. Only the resident Huang Lixingjia still kept some sculptures. The most exquisite among them are the diagonal braces on both sides of the door of the house. The main body is the winding auspicious clouds. The sculptures are of a humble young man and a kind old man, with clearly visible eyebrows and beards. What’s even more interesting is that on a humid rainy day, two tear-like cracks will appear on the boy’s face after being moistened by moisture...

These old events in Dexingyuan made local government leaders and Experts and scholars are heartbroken. The government had planned to restore the place to develop its tourism resources, but the plan was shelved because the restoration funds were too large. Experts from the Nanchuan Cultural Management Bureau also believe: "Because the local cultural relics protection awareness was awakened too late, the building structure was too damaged, and it is difficult to restore it to its original appearance!" Indeed, as far as Tok Hoshigaki is concerned, it may be a little late to talk about a full recovery. But maybe we should also think about how to save something before it is completely destroyed.