What are the fun places to visit in Yandu Ancient Town?

Returning to Kunming from Baoshan, Yunnan, after playing Yuanmou Earth Forest. I heard that there is an ancient town called Heijing at the foot of Yubi Mountain in the northwest of Lufeng County not far away. This town has a history of more than 2,000 years and is famous for its production of well salt. Driving into Heijing Ancient Town is like walking into the long-lost history of Heijing. I looked at the black well at the head of the Wuma Bridge, and with the help of the damaged stone and wood, I let my imagination penetrate the plane. What appeared in my mind were not only the scars of the times, but also the glory of the past. It is this small town that was once prosperous for a long period of time and flourished for several dynasties in the history of Yunnan. Black wells are popular in salt because they are rich in well salt. In ancient times, it was the center of salt production in Yunnan. The development and prosperity of the salt boiling industry made Heijing, hidden in a remote mountainous area, a famous and wealthy commercial center. Throughout the ages, salt has been a commodity exclusively owned by the government. For the borderland, salt is currency and salt is wealth. Thousands of caravans and salt merchants hauling well salt come and go here every day. Let the desolate and traffic-blocked Heijing Town reach its peak. In its heyday, the salt tax paid in Heijing Ancient Town accounted for 64% of the total salt tax in Yunnan. Various cultures began to intersect and merge in this small land between two mountains, rich in rocks and little soil, forming a unique salt culture. Although I was mentally prepared, the smallness of the ancient town was still based on my imagination. The streets in the ancient town are short, narrow, and winding. But the small one in Heijing is very unique, desirable and unforgettable. There are no beautiful mountains and rivers or ethnic customs here, only the salty Longchuan River and a depressed town sandwiched between two bald mountains. In addition to the tasteless new rural houses scattered around the town, there are also dilapidated old buildings and residents who have not yet recovered from their loss. Narrow salt roads paved with stone strips can be vaguely seen on the hillside around the ancient town. They are twists and turns and treacherous paths that wind between the mountains and ridges, and can only pass goods carried by people on donkeys. There are still watchtowers on the high hills where the salt tax was collected. This was ancient transportation and the link between the horse teams carrying eye salt and the outside world. So far, there are no asphalt roads in the ancient town. There are towering trees on the narrow stone roads. A few miles around the ancient town, there are still salt factories producing well salt using traditional and ancient methods. Before liberation, the local brine resources were depleting, the massive invasion of sea salt, and the rising cost of boiling salt, the market demand for well salt was decreasing day by day. Black Well eventually declined, and a distant and profound prosperous world disappeared from people's sight. Sleeping soundlessly in the mountains. , the current residents of the ancient town will never eat sea salt, so when dining there, they must eat well salt. The local braised tofu is the only famous dish that the locals claim to be famous for, and the production scale of Jingyan salt is no longer what it used to be. Tourists can make their own salt lumps and engrave them as souvenirs, which is a good tourist souvenir. There is a small piece of cultivated land beside the road to the salt farm. The boundaries of each house are surrounded by tall cactus. The cactus is as thick as a tree. It is obvious that it is in its twilight years. Today's Heijing Ancient Town has lost its former glory, but it has left behind streets and lanes with the style of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and residential houses with ancient charm. Due to the inconvenient transportation, Heijing Ancient Town still retains traditional ancient buildings, the layout of the township and the appearance remain the same as before. What is surprising is that there are still Western-style buildings in the ancient town, which are enough to witness the prosperity of Heijing and its integration with the outside world. From the end of the first street entering the town, there is the Jiexiao Main Square. It is the landmark building of Heijing. In the 27th year of Guangxu's reign, the emperor gave it to Heijing, Langjing and Yuanyongjing. Stone archway built by chaste women. Its exquisite craftsmanship, ingenious workmanship, solemn shape, and near-perfect carving are unique in the entire Southwest. Every tourist who walks into Heijing must pass under this archway to feel her presence and look up to her dignity. I stroked the stone lion under the archway, thinking a lot: I don't know if this is a moral example or a spiritual shackles? Is it praiseworthy or sad. Jie Xiao Zongfang belongs to those black well widows in history who still adhered to women's ways and finally died of their husbands but never remarried. Heijing Ancient Town presents to people the streets and alleys of the Tang and Song Dynasties, Ming and Qing style houses, and wood carvings and stone carvings scattered in the streets and alleys as well as ancient tombs and monuments. On the ancient stage of the Dalong Temple, which has a strong Ming Dynasty architectural style, the hand-carved wooden plaque with the four words "Lingyuan Puze" in Chinese characters shines brightly. This is Emperor Yongzheng's pertinent evaluation of the benefits of the Heijing brine. There are many temples around the ancient town, but only a few of them still have incense. Now you can also reach Guanyin Temple, Zangjing Pavilion, Zhenjue Zen Temple, Xiangshan Temple and Dalong Temple from here. It is said that at its peak, there were 75 Buddhist temples, mosques and even Catholic churches in Heijing.

The abbots, imams and priests all serve their masters, pilgrims each take what they need, and fireworks are constantly going on. At that time, Heijing, who had suddenly become rich, invested in running schools while being lavish with gold and silver, and learned to be as elegant as anyone else. The construction of the Confucian Temple is an example. Today's Heijing Primary School, the Confucian Temple occupied an area of ??6,000 square meters. Built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, it is the largest building complex in Heijing. You can feel the grand scale of it when you are in it. Wu Weiyang, the local richest man, was the largest household of Heijingzao gentry during the Republic of China. The Wu family courtyard was an all-wooden structure. Due to the severe shortage of local wood (burned out by boiling salt in the past), the stone houses and stone archways in the ancient town are all built of red stone. Anyone who can build a house out of wood is considered a wealthy person in the area. The wood used in the Wu family compound was pitifully thin, and the rooms were very narrow. The wooden building looks very inconspicuous, but I heard it took decades to build. It is said that Wu's house was so luxurious at that time that the government had to stipulate that the gate of Wu's house should not be opened on the main street to prevent the Yamen from ruining the scenery. Nowadays, the buildings are empty and the houses are in decay. The mysterious alleys of the martial arts residence, the imposing red door, the shuddering coffin, the cornice doors, windows and roof tiles carved with dragons and painted phoenixes, the crumbling floor structure and the crazy Cultural Revolution slogans... The glory of the past and the shabby condition of today form a strong contrast. In contrast, I seem to be sleepwalking between two eras, feeling the impact of the death of a civilization that was once closely connected to us on today. Cross Wuma Bridge and enter Second Street. This is the main commercial area that Heijing used in the past. It is an ancient commercial street with narrow streets made of stone strips. It is still lined with hotels, restaurants, and shops, and it still maintains its traditional style. The characteristic of the shop is that the window is on the pavilion. But the scale and quantity are much inferior to those in the past heyday. Walking down the street after dinner, it was dark with few people and only a few shops still open. The dim street lights stretched out the sparse figures in the town, and it felt awkward to accompany the singing of Hong Kong and Taiwan singers from the dance hall. Taking a deep breath, I felt a mixed smell of century-old wine and the smell of red and green patina. It was like a glorious era and a crazy era compressed at the same time. Today's singing and dancing life has a clear difference with the past glory and prosperity. contrast. Walking along the street, you can see a building similar to an ancient city wall. According to local people: It was a flood control embankment back then, called Qing'an Embankment. This embankment once protected the ancient town from water damage. Now, the river ditch has dried up and Qing'an Embankment is sleeping. Its majestic body can bear witness to the scale of the floods in the past. Because the local stones are red in color, Qing'an Embankment is made of red boulders. The Wuma Bridge outside the town has a wide bridge deck and can accommodate two cars running in parallel. This bridge was first built in the Yuan Dynasty, more than 700 years ago. It is said that Wuma Bridge is the oldest cultural relic that can be seen in Heijing Ancient Town today. Due to the underdeveloped local economy and poor road conditions in Heijing Ancient Town, cars are still rare in the ancient town. It is a great honor for the locals to have a small face to pick up the bride when they get married. The local means of transportation is the "donkey". The standard "donkey's": it is equipped with three rows of seats on a rubber-tired cart pulled by a small donkey, and then equipped with an awning. Because the cost is low, the "donkey's" business is good. It is common to see "donkeys" traveling to and from the market laden with vegetables, and live pigs and poultry being loaded into baskets with people on the cart. The folks sitting on the dirty seats were talking and laughing among themselves. In the ancient town, there were already "donkey" cable operators specializing in tourism business at both ends of the commercial street. While waiting for guests, the animals nibbled on fodder from bags hung on their heads. Although not beautiful, it is very practical. This way there will be no waste, no pollution to the environment, and no other animals will compete for food. This kind of car is clean and beautiful, and my brother also acts as a tour guide. This ancient town, full of history, has no crowds in a hurry, no invisible but depressing atmosphere, and is full of the comfort of life. There are only a few buses and buses every day, and there are trains from Panzhihua at noon. Every day, the trains bring tourists for sightseeing on time. All the wealth that was once prominent at that time disappeared. However, Heijing has accumulated rich cultural heritage, making Heijing, hidden deep in the mountains, once again attract the envy of the world.