The current situation of Wansui’s ancient town

Because Wansui Market Town was originally the seat of the township government, the buildings in the town are quite large-scale and the streets and lanes have clear outlines. There are now more than ten streets and lanes with nearly 10,000 residents. The main framework of Wansui District is Lanling Road running from east to west, and Qiliang Road and Xilou Road running from north to south. Qiliang Road runs through the central area of ??the town. It is both a main traffic road and a commercial gathering place. Dozens of shops line up in rows, making it the busiest area in Wansui. Unfortunately, except for the road names, it is difficult to find traces of the past.

Forty or fifty meters away from Qiliang Road to the east and parallel to it, Xilou Road seems particularly quiet, with some areas showing strong Ming and Qing architectural styles. Xilou Road connects Lanling Road in the south and Dongyue Temple in the north, about 200 meters long. On the east side of the street, nearly two-thirds of the old brick and wood structures of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are built. Especially in the northern section, there are continuous ancient buildings nearly 100 meters long. Especially the two-story shop in the north is still made of old wooden boards, which has extremely high historical value. Only one-third of the Ming and Qing style brick and wood buildings on the west side of the road are built by residents. The modern decoration is extremely inconsistent with the atmosphere of Xilou Road, which is dominated by ancient Ming and Qing buildings.

There are many cultural relics and historic sites in and around Wansui Ancient Town, most of which are related to the "Qiliang Culture". The largest one today is Dongyue Temple, a cultural relic protection unit in Changzhou City. It is located on the west side of the northern section of Xilou Road, covering an area of ??2888 square meters. The temple was built in the fifth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (631). It is said that after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty unified China, he was surprised to find that there was a small town called "Long Live" in the south of the Yangtze River, where the emperors of the Qi and Liang dynasties actually lived. In order to protect the longevity of the Tang Dynasty, it was first decreed that the name of the town "Long Live" was changed to the homonym of "Wansui", which means appeasement and suppression. Then he ordered the Dongyue Temple to be built in the shape of a square, like a big seal stamped on it, like Mount Tai pressing down on top to suppress the roots of the emperor's energy. Today, the main hall of Dongyue Temple is still square, which is rare in the country. It was rebuilt in 1211 and 1728. It was rebuilt twice during the Qianlong period, and again in 1821 and 1841. Dongyue Temple consists of the mountain gate, Zisun Hall, main hall and other buildings. The main hall faces east from the west and has cornices. It is 12.8 meters wide and 15 meters deep. The height of the eaves and columns is 5.85 meters. The plane is square. The hall uses four fat golden pillars to support the beam roof, a single eaves resting on the top of the mountain, and is covered with black tube tiles. The lattice fans in front of the hall are complete, the window lattice patterns are light and simple, the carving is skillful and polished, the flowers, birds and animals are lifelike, and the shapes are simple. Another cultural relic protection unit in Changzhou City, Wansui Theater, is about 30 meters away from the main hall of Dongyue Temple. The theater building faces east and west. The year of its original construction was not verified. The current building dates from the 26th to 30th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1846-1850). In 2003, it was completely renovated as it was. It is a palace-style structure of brick and wood, with a convex plane and a large roof. The roof of the main platform is built with beams to extend the eaves outwards. The beams and rafters are raised and raised higher than the roof, creating an octagonal platform roof. The backstage is 14.5 meters wide, 4.6 meters deep and 7 meters high, with dressing rooms on both sides. The front desk is 6 meters wide, 5.6 meters deep, 7.2 meters high, and 2.3 meters high. There is another stage on the left for the band to play. The backstage column foundation is a Ming Dynasty stone foundation, and the front eaves column is 5.5 meters high. The front panel of the stage is painted with Chinese paintings and a pair of couplets are written on both sides. The couplets hanging on the wooden pillars on both sides of the stage read: The joys and sorrows of separation and reunion are just like this; the ugliness and ugliness of life and death are all the people in the world. There is a plaque hanging above the entrance of the stage that says: View like this. In addition, there are many historic sites, some of which are famous. 1. Zhigong Well: Legend has it that it is a stone well where monk Zhigong, the teacher of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, often drew water. 2. The old site of Nan Temple: Legend has it that Emperor Wu of Liang donated his ancestral home to Buddhism and converted it into a temple. In the 1980s, there is still a brick plaque inscribed "Edict to build Nan Temple". Wansui Dongyue Temple is a Taoist temple located in Wansui Town, Wujin. It was built in the fifth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty. It was repaired in Jiading, Yongle and Jiajing years of Ming Dynasty. It was renovated in the reign of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty. It is now rebuilt in the 26th year of Daoguang reign of Qing Dynasty (1846). . The main hall faces west to east and stands on the top of the mountain. The three rooms are 12.8 meters wide, 9 purlins and 15 meters deep, the top is 14 meters high and the mast is 5.85 meters high. It is majestic with flying corners. The theater building is an auxiliary building of Dongyue Temple. It is located inside the mountain gate. It faces west to east. The entrance of the stage is directly opposite the main hall. It has a brick and wood structure on the top of the hill. The ridge is made of reinforced beams. The eaves are raised and higher than the roof. The octagonal roof is painted in the middle. caisson. The theater floor is convex in plan. The stage is 6 meters wide, 5.8 meters deep, 7.2 meters high, and 2.3 meters high. The theater can accommodate 2,000 spectators. There are couplets on the pillars on both sides of the stage entrance: "The joys and sorrows of separation and reunion are just ordinary things in the world, and the purity and ugliness of birth and death are all the people in the world." A plaque hanging below the entrance of the stage reads: "Consider it like this." On the backstage wall are recorded the names, plays, and names of the leading actors from Zhejiang, Anhui, Shanghai and other places that came to perform here in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, which has certain historical value.

Dongyue Temple was first built in the fifth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (AD 631), rebuilt in the fourth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1211), and added in the seventeenth year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1538). Eight rooms. During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty (1644), on the fifth floor of the apse, all the Sanskrit characters of the Ten Kings were enlarged and renovated. It was rebuilt in the 13th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1674). After that, a fire broke out and the entire Dongyue Temple was destroyed. In the 39th year of Kangxi (1700), the park was rebuilt and completed. It was renovated during the Daoguang period and the theater building was rebuilt. Historically, Dongyue Temple has been renovated and expanded several times, forming a length of 92.8 meters, a width of 46.5 meters from north to south, and an area of ??4375.2 square meters. It is a majestic building. It is the largest one among the 72 Dongyue temples along the Yangtze River.

Building a theater has always been the wish of the local people. According to "Feng Shen". "Romance" records that Dongyue Temple holds two grand temple fairs every year. One is on the twenty-eighth day of the third lunar month, the birth day of Emperor Dongyue. Pilgrims sit up at night to chant sutras, burn incense and worship gods; the other one is on the sixth day of the tenth lunar month each year. It was the day when Emperor Yue went out to attend the ceremony. On this day, Emperor Dongyue went out to inspect the good and fortune of the people. In order to hold the grand meeting, preparations had to be made more than a month in advance, and he would perform the show on the fifth day of the lunar month and sit up all night on the sixth day of the lunar month. The man held the commander's flag, followed by the sound of lifting the meat (a large gong hung on the flesh of the arm with an iron hook and beating along the way) dragon lantern, lion, horse fork, lake boat, etc., then the red and black people opened the way and shouted, eighteen pairs The tiger head brand, two executioners, two flag officers, and three Yin Tiantang, all on horseback and in full luan chariot, protected the Dongyue Emperor and the Dongxi Pingwang Three Bridges. Along the way, the banners were fluttering, drums and music were loud, and the majesty was everywhere along the way. A village chooses a place to take the stage. The elders of the village lead the crowd. The people burn incense and pray for good fortune, good harvests, and prosperous livestock. They put out wine, vegetables, and fruits as offerings, and then perform wonderful performances wholeheartedly. Then they get off and drive forward. , ended with the drum music of the Beijing Opera Troupe. In this important festival, performances and blessings were indispensable, and the stage was finally built with the donations of local people.

The emperor of Dongyue was named Huang Feihu. The generals of King Zhou of Shang were granted the title of King Wu Cheng. At that time, Wen had Taishi Wenzhong, and Wu had King Wucheng Huang Feihu. Originally, Wen was enough to rule the country, and Wu was enough to stabilize the country. However, King Zhou of Shang was infatuated with Concubine Da and became debauched. Huang Feihu's sister was the empress of the West Palace of King Zhou. She was a beautiful woman. King Zhou insulted his wife and teased her, so she was beaten to death. In the building, the Queen of the West Palace came to remonstrate, but she was also thrown to death under the Zhaixing Tower. Concubine Da also falsely accused her of rebelling against the Shang Dynasty, forcing Huang Feihu to defect to King Wu of the Xiqi Zhou Dynasty and be named the founding king of Wucheng. After the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty, Jiang Ziya returned to the country. Conferred the title of God, Huang Feihu was enthroned as the Lord of the Five Sacred Mountains, the Great Emperor of Tianqi Rensheng in Mount Tai of Dongyue, and was given the title of Master to take charge of the heaven and earth, the world, good and bad luck, misfortune, and control of the eighteen levels of hell in the underworld.

Legend. After all, it is a legend, and no one will verify the authenticity of the legend, but Dongyue Temple has always been a place for Taoist activities, and various Taoist rules and etiquette are carried out in accordance with the purpose of "persuading people to do good, exorcising evil and strengthening righteousness". Since the theater was built, Theater troupes are constantly arriving from all over the country, and people from neighboring villages send each other news of the new theater troupe's arrival. The content of the plays also follows the couplets in the temple: "Goodness brings good fortune, evil brings disaster, heaven and hell." The nature is impermanent, so don’t regret it in your womb; embrace your grandchildren far away and your children close by. Even if there are differences in a thousand years, change your current mistakes quickly.” The purpose is to encourage people to do good.

In 2002, at the Changzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Management Committee. With the support of the Changzhou Xinbei District Social Welfare Bureau, and with funding from the Municipal Culture Bureau, the New Taipei District People's Government, and the Menghe Township People's Government, the Wansui Theater was renovated to restore the original character of the theater. The style and cultural heritage have been well preserved. During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the Dongyue Temple to worship the Mount Tai God was built in Wansui Market Town, and was strangely square, which was extremely rare among temple buildings in the country. It is shaped like a huge seal, and it is as if Mount Tai weighs down the top of the seal. As an auxiliary building of Dongyue Temple, the specific construction year of the theater building is unknown. The current theater building was rebuilt in the 26th to 30th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1846-1850).

The theater building of Wansui Dongyue Temple sits east to west, with the entrance of the stage directly facing the temple hall. The god they worship is Huang Feihu, the God of Dongyue. Every year on March 28 of the lunar calendar, incense is offered, and temple fairs and operas are held on October 30. The theater building is a palace-style building with a brick and wood structure, with a convex plane and dressing rooms on both sides. What is quite interesting is that there is another sub-stage on the left side of the front desk, which is specially used for band performances. This is unique among ancient theaters in Changzhou and rare in the country.

Under the wooden pillars in the backstage is a Ming Dynasty-style stone foundation, and the eaves pillars in front of the stage are as high as 5.5 meters. It can be speculated that the theater building has a history of more than 400 years. The original square in front of the stage covers an area of ??more than 1,000 square meters and can be viewed by thousands of people.

Although the Wansui Dongyue Temple Theater is a Taoist place, it is very bookish and of high taste. The front panel of the stage is painted with landscapes and traditional Chinese paintings, and a pair of couplets are written on both sides. The couplets on the wooden pillars on both sides of the stage entrance are particularly eye-catching: this is all the joys and sorrows in the world; this is the end of life, ugliness and ugliness. The hanging plaque above the stage entrance is the finishing touch: See it this way. As a precious research material on the history of opera, the backstage walls record the names of opera troupes, plays, names of protagonists, etc. that came to perform here from Zhejiang, Anhui, Shanghai, Jiangsu and other places from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. Although they have been worn away by time, the traces are still faint. discernible. For example, in April of the fifteenth year of Guangxu (1889), the Fusheng Troupe performed "Dengjiabao", "Centipede Ridge", and "Tianshuiguan" here; on the eighth night of July in the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu (1898), the Fusheng Troupe performed at This performance includes "Dongchuan Picture", "Hongni Pass", "Ding Zhongyuan", "Snow in June", "Seeing the Family", "Phoenix Mountain", and "Pagoda of Sacrifice"; Fu Sheng in the 26th year of Guangxu (1900) The troupe performed "Dingjun Mountain" and "Changban Slope" here; the Fusheng troupe in the 28th year of Guangxu (1902) performed "Jewelry" here; the Dajin Show Troupe and Huaiyang Quanfu in the 7th year of the Republic of China (1918) The class performed here...

The Wansui Theater can be well preserved and is inseparable from the local people's conscious awareness of protection. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Dongyue Temple stopped religious activities, and the theater building was successively occupied by schools, supply and marketing cooperatives, grain management offices and other units. However, no matter who was the owner, they did not take the initiative to destroy it. Especially during the Cultural Revolution, nearby residents skillfully smeared a layer of lime water and then painted large revolutionary slogans to deter the "rebels" who wanted to destroy and destroy the buildings. At the end of 1993, Taoist activities resumed here. The most fortunate thing is that from 2002 to 2003, the government spent money to completely renovate the theater building to its original appearance. Xiao Yingshi (716-768), courtesy name Maoting, the eighth grandson of Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, was an essayist and poet in the Tang Dynasty. Xiao Yingshi was talented and intelligent. He was able to compose at the age of 4. He was promoted to a Imperial College student at the age of 10. At the age of 19, he was awarded the title of Jinshi in the Imperial Examination. He ranked first in strategies and became the first number one scholar in the history of Changzhou. He successively served as secretary Zhengzi, joined the army in Guangling, and served as historian, but all of them gave up because they were unsuitable for the time. He was upright and upright, and was hated by Li Linfu, the traitorous prime minister. After Li Linfu's death, he served as a member of the army in Henan Province. When Anlushan rebelled, he provided defensive strategies for the local garrison and was praised for his talent and integrity. Later, he was appointed by Prime Minister Cui Yuan as Yangzhou Merit Cao to join the army. He abandoned his official post two days after taking office and lived in Runan. He died in a hotel at the age of 52. His disciples gave him the posthumous title of Mr. Wenyuan.

Xiao Yingshi has outstanding literary talent. He pays attention to the political enlightenment role of literature and opposes the gorgeous and empty form. His poems clearly express his noble aspirations of not being attached to power and advocating justice. He gathered many disciples and was sometimes known as "Master Xiao". He taught students to adhere to the cultivation of morality and writing. Throughout his life, he was indifferent and did not seek fame or fortune, but he was happy to hear about people's good deeds. He took it as his duty to recommend those who would succeed, and he recommended dozens of scholars. At the same time, he had friendly interactions with celebrities of his generation, such as Yan Zhenqing, and his simple and humble qualities were admired by the world.

"New Tang Book." Yiwenzhi contains three volumes of Xiao Yingshi's "New Collection of Youliang" and ten volumes of "Collected Works", which are now lost. There is now one volume of "Collected Works of Xiao Maoting", which was compiled by later generations and included in "Sikuquanshu", as well as "Posthumous Letters of Changzhou Sages". "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" contains twenty poems by Xiao Yingshi.