"Tracing the History" —— Wubao, an ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River in northern Shaanxi

Five treasures, this is the first time I know the name of this county, although I have been to Yulin City, which governs it, for more than ten times.

From June 5438 to February 2020, I was invited to give a lecture on tourism in wubu county, and I was able to visit the scenic spots here.

Wubao Shicheng is the most famous scenic spot in Wubao. It is said to have a history of 1600 years. The whole city and its buildings are built of stone. In fact, this is the real Wubao county.

Wubaoshi City covers an area of about 1 10 mu, which is small, but the sparrows are small and complete. There are government agencies such as county government offices, prisons, military camps, academies, bazaars, drug stores and iron shops for buying and selling goods, official and civilian residential areas, Confucian temples, Wu temples, Kannonji temples and Niangniang temples.

Most of the buildings left by Shicheng have collapsed, which is caused by natural forces, the influence of residents' activities and the atrocities of the Japanese army. The temple dedicated to Guan was destroyed in the shelling. 1in the spring of 938, the Japanese army occupied Lvliang on the other side of the Yellow River. In order to cross the Yellow River, they set up a cannon at the top of the Jade Emperor to bombard the ancient city. The locals said that Master Guan resisted the Japanese shells and protected them. There are still many craters on the stone wall next to the collapsed Wu Temple.

The Confucian Temple is not far from the Wu Temple, and it is not big. There are only six stone kilns, which should be regarded as the smallest Confucius Temple in China. These two main porcelain kilns were once dedicated to Confucius and Mencius. Now there are only a few vague pictures or words left on the wall, and several auxiliary kilns next to them were surrounded by earth walls to raise pigs in the 1980 s. If Kong has spirit, he will surely wander and sigh.

Shang Jie, a simple stone cave, almost all the cliffs on the right side of the road collapsed, leaving only five or six kilns on the left. Because dirt roads are muddy after rain, residents have been using loess mats for decades, and now the pavement is more than one meter higher than the shops, which makes the shops trapped under the roadbed look more like pigsty and cowshed. Looking at the simple stone kiln pieced together in front of us, it is hard to imagine how the businessmen lived in such a simple environment, and how they survived the cold in summer and shouted for business.

I have seen the TV series "Going West", which tells the story of Shanxi businessmen going out of Yanmenguan to do business in Inner Mongolia in the face of snow. In fact, in reality, many Shanxi businessmen crossed the Yellow River from Lvliang to make a living in northern Shaanxi. They started by selling needles, thread and brains and saved a penny or two. In the end, some people became big businessmen, while others were down and out all their lives. I don't know how many people can go back to their hometown to build houses and donate bridges, how many people have never heard from their families, and how many people are buried in other places, but they are still waiting for the date of their families. The poem "Poor white bones on the riverside, especially people in a dream" suddenly appeared in my mind, which made me feel uneasy.

We walked half a circle on the front wall, with a steep cliff at our feet. I wonder why there are few parapets on the city walls here. I didn't know until I asked that it was actually Xiong Haizi who pushed it down the mountain in the 1960s and 1970s. On second thought, perhaps the retaining wall here is not for the sake of firmness, but for those enemies who want to sneak attack, it will collapse when pulled hard, and even those who block stones will roll down and become extremely lethal weapons.

Walking all the way in Shicheng, I touched all the stones, bricks and tiles with my hands. Most of these red sandstone thousands of years ago have been cracked into cracks by wind, frost and snow, just like the deep wrinkles on the old man's forehead. It suddenly dawned on me that the stone would be old.

When asked about the origin of this stone town, Bai Yanlong, deputy director of wubu county Cultural Tourism Bureau, said that the stone town may have been built by Helian Bobo, king of the Summer, or by Han Chinese who were guarding the border at the same time.

I have been to Jingbian, where Tongwan City was built by Helian Bobo. Even if there is no complete building, in the sad atmosphere, only broken walls's Tongwan City is still majestic and noble. Who ever thought that Five Treasures, a city made of pure stone, might be his handwriting. If Helian Bobo had not become king, he would have been an imaginative architect.

Some scholars once supported the view that Wubao Shicheng was built by the Han nationality, but said that the name Wubao came from Wuerbao, a prison camp built by the Huns to capture and enslave the southern Han nationality, which was once a shame for the Han nationality. Deputy Director Bai strongly retorted that Shicheng in Wubao is not Wuerbao, and I don't agree with this statement. There is a simple reason. As long as you know a little about ancient military affairs, you will know the consequences of losing the strategic high ground to the enemy. The so-called condescending, the so-called total annihilation, Xia people will use this place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack to hold prisoners unless they are crazy or stupid.

Historically, nomadic people detained prisoners, taking Su Wu and Qin Gui, Song Huizong as examples. They often dug a deep pit underground, built stone walls around it, or shut them directly in dry wells. Therefore, Wubao Shicheng must not be a prisoner of war camp, but it may have been built by Helian Bobo, but it is more likely that the Han regime retreated to the east of the Yellow River and entered the strategic fortress on the west bank of the Yellow River, just like Hanguguan in the Warring States Period and Yan 'an in the War of Liberation. Wubao Shicheng, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack, can capture the whole northern Shaanxi and retreat, making the pursuing enemy fearful. On the other side, the ancient ferry in Shaanxi is called Du Jun, which is the place where troops gather to cross the river. As long as we cross the Yellow River, soldiers and materials can continuously support this indestructible castle. Only with such strategic significance will Wubao be called "Tongwubao".

Now the indigenous people in Shicheng are all over ninety years old. When I went to see them, I was in good spirits, but after all, I am old and will die one day. With the departure of the last aborigine, Shicheng completely lost the company of his first wife and grandson, and only irrelevant passers-by such as tourists and staff came and went. What do these judging passers-by have to do with Shicheng? Silent and lonely Shicheng will only become more silent and lonely.

Standing in Shicheng, at the foot are towering peaks, further away is the magnificent Yellow River, and further away is the mountainous area of Lvliang. If Helian Bobo had been here, he would have swallowed up the great rivers and mountains. Today, I stand here with mixed feelings, feeling the beauty of rivers and mountains and regretting the dilapidated status quo.

For a few minutes, I stared at a weathered and cracked stone for a long time and sighed for myself. Shicheng can live for thousands of years. How long can these passers-by live? Everyone wants to live a long life, but if there are only two choices in life, is it better to live unconsciously for a long time like a stone, or is it better to be wonderful but short? I once thought about this question in front of Dayu's dilapidated old house in Qinling, and asked this question in front of the statue of Laozi in Louguantai, but today I still have no answer here, and I find myself a little sad.

Chairman Mao's Du Dong Monument was built on the gentle bank of the Yellow River. Deputy Director Bai Yanlong showed me a precious video: Premier Zhou was helped aboard by little soldiers, and Chairman Mao walked steadily aboard under the protection of the soldiers. Ocean-going ships ended their career in northern Shaanxi. At that time, no one expected that this move would lead the central government out of northern Shaanxi and towards the victory of the national revolution. A year and a half later, People's Republic of China (PRC) was proclaimed.

According to the information in the memorial hall, Chairman Mao seemed thoughtful before boarding the ship, pacing back and forth on the shore and smoking two cigarettes. I stood at the ferry, trying to feel the breath and mood of this great man at that time, but it was so cold today that the huge Yellow River froze, leaving only a narrow gap for the ice-covered river to flow slowly and calmly, so I ran not far from my car and began to feel it, but suddenly I understood the eight words in Chairman Mao's Qin Yuan Chun Xue: Up and down, I lost the surge. It has always been thought that this is more symbolic than realistic decoration, but it is actually a faithful description of nature. No wonder this poem is so magnificent. It turned out to be the grandeur of the world, the grandeur of the world in the author's mind.

Erqi is said to be the most dangerous place after hukou. Even if it's below zero 10 degrees here, even if other river sections have been frozen firmly, the Erqi River is still rolling, rushing and roaring, and the river has been beating against the embankment, which makes people feel scared.

Standing in Erqi, I can feel the wildness and thick primitive breath from the ancient Yellow River, which is the temperament of the mother river that gave birth to Chinese civilization. Unlike today's Yellow River in Shanxi and Yellow River in Henan, it is usually docile, but it is a disaster for wild and unruly temper. While I was meditating, Deputy County Magistrate Adan helped me to press the camera shutter.

Deputy director Bai saw that I didn't want to leave for a long time and said, let me sing you a folk song from northern Shaanxi. After that, he stood there, and the rhythmic celestial swimming spurted out from his mouth and chest, screaming and screaming into his ears, and floated into the air, gradually slowing down the ice floe. I think of a picture: in the cold winter, trackers are dragging cargo ships with bare arms, and the sweat of beans keeps falling, and everyone is exhausted. But the thought of the pretty girl leaning against the door looking forward to going home, the thought of hot kang and instant-boiled mutton, everyone tightened the rope and sang bittersweet letters for a day trip.

Now that the Yellow River has been bridged, railways and highways are connected to land, and no one needs these people pulling fibers anymore. Those elderly Yellow River trackers who have lost their means of livelihood do not know if there are any mutton stewed in the pot and beautiful women in red and green pants who are waiting in their dreams.

Now wubu county is one of the few counties in China without traffic lights. Because the county seat is small and the five-guarantee people are polite, people don't have to worry about running a red light and not getting tickets. Also, because there are few people, most of them are relatives, but after three sentences, they are found to be a family, and there is nothing to argue about. When the road is narrow, depending on the other side's environment, someone will back off immediately, and there will be little stalemate or unhappiness.

Hao Genxi, deputy director of the Cultural Tourism Bureau, said that he knew every local car crossing the road. I believe that there are less than 80,000 people in wubu county, and the permanent population of the county is 20,000 to 30,000. This is one of the smallest counties in Shaanxi.

The women in Wubao are very beautiful. In the street, white-faced and slim women are often seen passing by or riding electric cars. Looking closely, I have the charm of Jiangnan women, which makes me believe that Wubao people are indeed descendants of Jiangnan people, but many foreign friends are skeptical about my statement. I can't believe that such a gentle woman can be born in this barren and desolate northern Shaanxi.

Let's talk about the place names of Wubao. Earlier, it was related to the Han regime in those days. To be precise, it should be related to the Wu people of that year. We don't know the origin of these people, but whether they come from guarding city or frontier defense, they are forced to emigrate or captured. In short, they have lived here for generations. In this process, we not only intermarry with the local people, but also persistently protect our local culture, so the customs here are slightly different from those in Yulin counties. For example, the folk dance in the Spring Festival is called dry boat running in the north and water boat running in the north. The Dragon Boat Festival is not dedicated to Qu Yuan, but to Wu Zixu. The girl at home gave a fish when she got married, which should be the memory of living in the south. Moreover, it is said that Wubao people and Zhenjiang people speak dialects face to face, and everyone can understand them, while people in Suide County, Shenmu County and other places next to them can't understand Wubao people's dialects.

After visiting the scenic spots in Wubao, take the green low-speed bullet train back to Xi 'an and open the Baidu map. I found that the terrain of Wubao is like an old man in northern Shaanxi wearing a white sheep belly towel. The old man hung his head, his tired and sleepy body curled up in the gentle curve of the Yellow River, and his sleepy dream was the hometown of Jiangnan.

Ps: Mr. Li Guangze, the propaganda minister of wubu county, told us that wubu county's representative work "The Town by the Yellow River" was published in People's Daily. By contrast, my writing is much inferior. Now I post his link here, please read it:/article/6070119/5982025.

Completed in February 2020 +65438.