Langyuan Feast Prose Essays

When talking about Sichuan, the first thing that comes to mind is Langzhong; when talking about Langzhong, it’s just for the ancient city. I have been to Pingyao in the north, but I can't imagine how different this ancient city in Sichuan would be. Only by wandering around the ancient city can you realize that the so-called ancient city is a rich history and a long accumulation. It is a vast treasure house: the dazzling national culture is stored in it. Follow the deep winding alleys of the ancient city, browse the authentic and row upon row of ancient buildings, and use your heart to discover the scale and color of human nature. I suddenly thought that the so-called culture lies in people's lifestyles and ideas, which are specific and subtle, but also holistic. If you want to understand the background of this nation, come to the ancient city.

The so-called Tao and wind are the same. There are always fundamental similarities between the ancient cities in the north and the south, and there is always something consistent that constitutes the unique cultural character of our nation, expresses similar thoughts, emotions and aesthetic tastes, and makes them identify with each other; always due to differences in climate and geography, The small differences that form the customs of various places have their own branches in the context of history. For example, in ancient cities, you can see Shanxi merchants in Pingyao, and you can see Feng Shui in Langzhong. Of course, there is also the culture of the Three Kingdoms that has been known through writing since childhood. However, when you are there, everything comes alive.

Guanghua Tower and Feng Shui Museum

Can’t get enough of the Jialing River. Walking along the beautiful Jialing River, the first scenic spot I found nearby was called Guanghua Tower. Climb high and look into the distance, and you will see endless mountains and rivers. The abundant river water flows imperceptibly, as if it had never flowed before. Jinping Mountain along the coast is equally gentle and calm on the other side of Jiangcheng. Except for the blue sky and white clouds, the mountains and rivers are all the same green, soaked with the inspiration of life. So without knowing it, I saw the big word Feng Shui: the wind and smoke are clean, and the still water runs deep.

When I walked into the Feng Shui Museum not far away, I really couldn’t understand the mystery. I just have some unfounded thoughts: wind and water constitute the origin of life and the environment for survival. Water is the source of life, and all living things need the energy of yin and yang to survive. The ever-flowing wind and water contain the opportunity for growth and the secret code of the relationship between heaven and man. Confucius said: "Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing." The truth is not something that can be guessed from common sense in life, and the infinite mysteries of the universe may not necessarily belong to the methods of modern science. The so-called picturesque mountains and rivers are not the harmony between man and nature? Heaven and man are one, things and I are related, and we originally care about each other. It is said that Langzhong is the hometown of the Huaxu family. Fuxi, the founder of Chinese humanities, painted the Eight Diagrams in Sichuan. In this way, although the Yellow River Basin is where Zhongzhou is located and flows in all directions, the formation of Chinese culture actually comes from the integration of the four directions. Mencius said, Shun was a man of the Eastern Yi, and King Wen was a man of the Western Yi. Chinese culture, from its birth, has been a world civilization formed through mutual interaction.

Sichuan Gongyuan

Today’s Langzhong is just a small county under the jurisdiction of Nanchong. This geomantic treasure has been an important town in northern Sichuan for a long time in history. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, Chengdu was in ruins and once became the capital of Sichuan Province, leaving behind a large number of ruins. The ancient city of Langzhong is famous all over the world because of its unique geographical location and its deep foundation, past and present. Sichuan Gongyuan, the place where imperial examinations were held across Sichuan, has now become one of the few provincial-level imperial examination cultural centers in the country. The rich displays in the Gongyuan focus on the main aspects of the imperial examination system and its historical evolution to future generations. Let future generations take a peek at how our ancestors gained fame in the inheritance of culture.

The imperial examination system strives to open the country's power to the people in an orderly manner through fair examinations, allowing the world's talented people to be used by the country, opening up the channel between the country and its people, and profoundly affecting the entire country. The historical and cultural aspects of Chinese society. For more than a thousand years, during the long preparations and selections for the imperial examinations, the mainstream culture of Chinese society has been widely spread and believed. So we see that humanistic feelings and their rich colors are everywhere in the ancient city: almost every door and window has a story engraved on it, and every ancient house has poetry written on it. The slogans and cold legal warnings of modern cities are invisible. Countless couplets, calligraphy and paintings make people immersed in the fragrance of books. The unique humanistic spirit of the Chinese nation has penetrated into every corner of national life.

Our generation, when we were young, still lived in an environment where we cursed our ancestors and scorned Chinese culture. The imperial examination has become synonymous with feudal poisoning. However, simply compared with the development of culture, to what extent have we progressed or regressed today? The development of society and the progress of civilization lie in allowing human beings to settle down and live their lives in pursuit of the perfection of personality, or as the Christian religion calls it, the salvation of the soul.

However, this ultimate pursuit of human nature is not through escape and repentance from this world, but through the imperial examination, which cultivates the Chinese nation's positive attitude towards life and explores the upward pursuit of the value of life in human nature: as long as you work hard , you can get ahead and live a quality life!

Because of this, in the history of more than a thousand years since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, this major national policy has played an irreplaceable role. Until the late Qing Dynasty, the imperial examination system and the humanistic spirit it maintained sadly withdrew from history amid the changing tide of human technological civilization. However, science is not everything. Human beings themselves are the essence. As a cornerstone that maintains politics, religion, and humanities, who can truly inherit and replace its role? After decades of construction, the school system has finally been popularized, illiteracy everywhere has been almost eliminated, and scientific knowledge has taken root in the land of China, laying the foundation for the country's modernization. However, the shortcomings of "knowledge but no culture" have become prominent. In society and in schools, a large number of refined egoists have replaced the mediocre and literate scholars of the past. They are becoming more and more shameless and greedy. The system of official selection is related to the foundation of the political power. Before the imperial examination, there was the system of family affairs, in which fathers and sons succeeded each other, and the local examination system, which had pros and cons and was valuable at that time. However, what is the system of contemporary China? The world is in trouble for public affairs, the prince is in trouble in groups, and interest groups, large and small, occupy the state's public assets and carve out public interests. The imperial examination system and the Confucian Family Store, which we once scolded, were widely used for reference during the revival of Western civilization. The local people, how to seek experience from history, are rich resources for building modern China.

North Sichuan Province Administration

Not far from Gongyuan, there is another place that symbolizes the prominent position of ancient Langzhong: the North Sichuan Province Administration, which was the political center of the entire northern Sichuan region. In the Qing Dynasty, Daotai officials usually occupied the fourth rank, which was one level higher than the prefecture equivalent of a prefecture-level city. In short, they were quite high-ranking officials. It is said that my maternal great-grandfather was Taotai in the late Qing Dynasty, but after liberation, the historical clues that served as evidence of the family's crimes disappeared. Now I finally entered Daotai Yamen and had a taste of the working environment of my ancestors.

The tall main hall, the majestic official authority, the architectural regulations reveal an upright atmosphere, and the sculpture reveals a calm and high-spirited spirit. Strict etiquette reflects the authority of a country's political power. Langzhong Ancient City has been deeply developed, and almost every scenic spot is a museum and historical exhibition hall. Following the central axis of the building, the main buildings of the Road Department are unfolded in sequence. I can't say that the architectural specifications and art are famous, but the elegant plaques on each hall point out the Chinese style of officialdom and political wisdom: From the public to the public. Ming, integrity and prestige lead to purity, prudence and diligence; what hangs high in the main hall is the key to handling government affairs, "purity, integrity and strictness", to achieve both talent and virtue. Even after you retire, you must continue to "think about making up for your mistakes" and keep in mind that "every citizen will receive more benefits, and a civil servant is not worth a penny." In this way, we must be loyal to others while thinking about it, and make up for our mistakes after retreating, so as to achieve self-cultivation through studying and becoming an official. An Ren's Confucian creed, is it difficult to be an official? Or is it easy? But when you serve as an official, should you use what you have learned throughout your life to "promote moral integrity" and make this society harmonious and full of sunshine, or should you "go with the flow and make waves," or even "feed the bad and sip the bad," and allow the world to collapse? To a large extent, it all depends on the road office and its owners. On both sides of the main hall are the Earth Temple and the Yashen Temple. The gods are by the side of the ruler, because the gods embody the spirit of this world: watch over this land, because the people are all children of the land; guard a local official spirit, because the Yashen is a famous prime minister who was born as a local petty official - Xiao He who assisted Emperor Gao to establish the Han Dynasty. People need to be spiritual and have faith and awe. Gods are not far from people, but we are so humble in front of them.

The specific functional agencies on both sides of the main hall have been opened into exhibition rooms, systematically introducing the government system and political wisdom of the Celestial Dynasty era, and honoring the famous officials and important political achievements of northern Sichuan. Once you serve as an official, whether you can remember the past and present like your predecessors depends on your lifelong cultivation.

Han Huanhou Temple

The Huanhou of the Han Dynasty was Zhang Fei. Speaking of who is the most famous in Langzhong? Of course it’s Meng Zhangfei; speaking of which place in Langzhong is the most famous? Of course it is Zhang Fei Temple. It can be said that everyone knows Zhang Fei, Liu Guan, Zhang, Zhuge Liang, a string of famous figures from the Three Kingdoms, who are familiar in the Confucian cultural circle and will forever be deposited in the memory of Eastern civilization. "People say that there are many talents in the Three Kingdoms." However, there have always been heroes in Chinese history. The immortality of the characters of the Three Kingdoms lies in representing the Chinese spirit: advocating loyalty, bravery, and wisdom, and despising treachery, greed, and cruelty.

Celebrities from the Three Kingdoms are symbols of spirituality. The gods are enlightened and can be seen and admired. This is the god of the Chinese people.

However, only Langzhong has the deepest relationship with Marquis Huan of the Han Dynasty. During his lifetime, he not only marched all the way to help his predecessor capture Yizhou as a base for restoring the Han Dynasty, but he also ruled here for seven years. For 1,700 years, local officials and people have devoutly worshiped this mighty and resolute general, and his tomb was placed in the temple. Looking at the familiar statue of Marquis Huan, it is still majestic and majestic even though it has been built for thousands of years. It makes people feel that it can defeat thousands of people. "Tiger, minister, good herd," four words can sum up Huan Hou's life's actions. Different from the rough-faced man known to the people, Huan Hou was talented in both civil and military affairs. He managed the army on horseback and the people on horseback. He also had good calligraphy. This is clearly the style of a talented man of his generation. Otherwise, how can we talk about good animal husbandry? His two daughters both became the empress of the later master, that is, the last empress of the great Han Dynasty. If such a stupid, dark and rough man is really close to the First Master, how can Qunyu give birth to two Lords of the Sixth Palace?

Thousands of years later, this is no longer important. Zhang Fei has become a spiritual symbol. It is just a depiction in literary works, making it easier for historical figures to enter the ordinary people. The worship of Huan Hou has become part of the Chinese nation’s belief in gods. The world is troubled and life is difficult, but his martial arts and loyalty make the people believe that he can bring blessings. In addition to erecting monuments and biographies, it turns out that there is another way to write history: vigorously and discreetly, integrating into the spiritual world of the nation.

Drinking on the Jialing River at night

After the day's trip, I returned to the Jialing River, poured a pot of osmanthus wine, and my teeth were fragrant; I admired the moonlight over the river, and my eyes were blurred. I recited this verse casually:

Drunkly chanting on the bank of the river, the water is long, and the lights of Langyuan are still bright at night.

The bright moon is in the clear sky, and the starry man is beside me.

Tengwang Pavilion

For the final itinerary of the trip to Bashu, I originally planned to return to Chongqing for a one-day trip in order to take the train the next day. But when I saw Tengwang Pavilion clearly written on the sign, I stopped immediately. It seems that I have read a few pages of the book, but I didn't read it well: the opening line of "Preface to Prince Teng's Pavilion" by Wang Bo of the Tang Dynasty is "The old county of Nanchang, the new mansion of Hongdu," which is clearly not in Langzhong. After the scorching sun above my head, half-baked to death, I climbed step by step to the Tengwang Pavilion on the towering Yutai Mountain, and then I realized that I had come to the wrong place, but it was also the authentic Tengwang Pavilion: Bashu also has the footprints of Tengwang Pavilion of the Tang Dynasty, and there is also Tengwang Pavilion. Who says that the vassal kings can't What about moving somewhere? Fortunately, although there are no poems by Wang Bo, Du Gongbu, a generation of poets, also composed two poems here, which is considered a worthwhile trip.

Climbing high and looking into the distance, it is naturally the flavor of Taige. Standing on the Tengwang Pavilion and looking at the beautiful scenery of Jialing, it is certainly a worthwhile trip since the mountains and rivers can be seen. I suddenly discovered that just like a traditional landscape painting, when classical architecture decorates the country, not only does it not feel inconsistent, but it often becomes the highlight of the natural picture, allowing the silent and odorless nature to be integrated with humanistic elements. breath. Are traditional building materials natural? Or is it the infiltration of poetry in Chinese architectural culture? If it is a modern-style high-rise building, it will completely lose the artistic conception. There is harmony between heaven and man. It is the humanistic spirit that constitutes the main color of Chinese culture.

The weather was too hot to be romantic, so I hid at Tianmen Terrace on the hillside of Yutai Mountain, bathed in the breeze of Shujiang River for a while, soaked in the green color of Bashan, looked up at the pale white clouds, and overlooked the long clear water. What I saw with my eyes, I wrote a poem:

On the Tianmen Platform, the Heavenly Gate opens, and a blue river slowly comes.

The green color of Bashan is endless, and the shadows of the wind and clouds bring poetry into my mind.

County Confucian Temple

Without Confucius, there would be no soul of the nation. Confucius inherited the achievements of Chinese civilization over the past three generations, gathered their achievements, opened the way, and allowed the fire of Chinese civilization to be passed down from generation to generation. How to treat Confucius? This is the fundamental attitude towards how to treat Chinese culture and how to treat the genes of our own civilization. What would happen to Western civilization if God died? From the cultural revolution to the cultural renaissance, the currents of history run in opposite directions, affecting everyone's existence and affecting everyone's soul. How to make human beings live with dignity, quality and value? This is a topic faced by human civilization and determines the destiny and appearance of mankind. From cultivating oneself and calming down others to cultivating Qi and bringing peace to the world, Confucius' immortality lies in pointing out ethics for mankind, setting an example and telling people how to live. For more than two thousand years, the Confucian Temple has enshrined Confucius and entrusted its endless cultural tradition. If the Confucian Temple is there, the Confucianism will not fall and the spiritual center will not be destroyed.

In the imperial examination system, the Confucian Temple once again assumed the important task of cultivating talents for the country. Scholars who passed the children's examination and became students will study here to take the examination and obtain the qualifications to participate in the scientific examination. From admission to passing the exam, thousands of troops are involved in every step, leading to the distant heaven in moral articles. Among them, various etiquette and rituals run through it, expressing the profound meaning and truth contained in it in a humanized way, with sacred and emotional colors, and inspiring the students' spirit. For example, when entering school, they solemnly passed through the Lingxing Gate to worship Confucius. After becoming the top scholar in high school, they wore red and flowers and were given a banquet by the emperor in the Qujiang River. From the king to the border officials, officials at all levels had to go to Pan to give lectures in person, which shows that the past dynasties attached great importance to talent reserves. Politics and religion are inseparable from each other. It is no wonder that the Chinese literary style is so prosperous and gloomy as literature. Talents and scholarly conduct are the foundation for maintaining the world. The famous eunuchs and rural sages next to the Dacheng Hall allow local famous eunuchs and sages with outstanding merits to enjoy the worship of future generations for generations. It turns out that everyone can be like Yao and Shun and pursue immortality.

The establishment of the Confucian Temple, from Taoism to governance, plays a complete role in maintaining the Eastern world and carries the humanistic spirit of Chinese culture. Perhaps, these systems are too complete and too solid. In the rise of technological civilization, it is difficult for us to transform and will eventually fall into pieces. The focus of the entire cultural system shifted from humanities to science, and ultimately the education system was rebuilt from the school system. This is a historical process and a historical tragedy. Humanities and science and technology, innovation and inheritance, are equally important to mankind.

Jinping Mountain

The last stop in Langzhong: Jinping Mountain. The mountain is not high, but it is beautiful, looking forward to the flow, and being elegant and contented. For example, the screen slowly opens on the other side of the ancient city of Langyuan. Neither escaping from the world of mortals nor falling into the marketplace, overlooking the river view and the mountains in the distance, Langyuan is all in sight. The loyalty of Zhang Xian, the general of King Wumu of Song Dynasty and Yue Fei, the poetic sentiment of Du Gongbu, the poet saint of Tang Dynasty, the immortal style of Lu Dongbin, the Eight Immortals, as well as Langzhong’s outstanding classical astronomical research on the land of China and the origin of Spring Festival culture, lived in Jinping Mountain. in the dense forest. In the painting sage Wu Daozi, it became a perfect place for river views. The warmth of human nature and the thickness of history are integrated with the spirituality and passion of the country, finally creating this famous and gentle mountain.

Conclusion: Return

From Chongqing to Shandong, the road passes through the two provinces of Chu and Henan, which is located in the hinterland of China, with different styles. Traveling east from Bayu, there are thousands of mountains and valleys along the way, which are wrinkled and raised, continuous and of different heights. However, deep in the mountains, you can often see scattered towns and villages, which shows that the population is huge and spread all over Kyushu. As we reach Yichang, the mountains gradually soften, and the plains stretch out, with all the land and fertile fields stretching as far as the eye can see. The topography of China has dropped from the second level to the first level. Although the terrain is different, the water system is developed up and down the river, and it looks as clear as blue for thousands of miles. Jialing flows into the river and there is Chongqing, and the Han River flows into the river and there is Wuhan. Where they meet, they are all important towns. Turn from Hankou and go north, heading towards Zhengzhou. Suddenly you pass by mountains, but they are not as high as those in Bayu. And walking through mountains and ridges, sometimes entering tunnels. Going out of the mountains to the north, there are vast plains, and the landforms and scenery of Henan are no different from those of Qilu. Although it is not as warm and moist as along the river, it is still green and crisp.