Lianxiang Pass: A Castle Lost in Time

Author: Zheng Guoping

1

On the cold winter morning, I drove from Kunming to look for the unforgettable image of Lian Xiangguan on the ancient Yinxi ancient road in my mind. . Starting from Anning City, we started taking the old National Highway 320. The car was circling like a snail on the Yunnan-Burma Highway, the first international thoroughfare in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, also known as the Stilwell Highway. The mountains and gorges were dangerous, the valleys were deep and the walls were steep, and suddenly Up and down, from the top of the mountain to the deep valley bottom, walking at the bottom of the valley or on the mountainside, cars were coming and going in the clouds. Occasionally, there was a whistle and rumble from the opposite side, and a truck like a train filled the road and came towards me. It shocked the three souls. There was only one soul left, so I had to stop on the side of the road to let it pass.

National Highway 320 was the main artery that supported the transportation of anti-war materials in China during World War II. It was originally designed to carry a maximum tonnage of ten tons, but it has been crushed by giant trucks carrying forty or fifty tons. It is in pieces and pieces, and there are pits and ponds all over the place.

Driving carefully and uneasily all the way

Lu Cai, local official, we saw Lian Lian in the red canyon at the highest point of Yanglao Shao.

Xiangguan full view. Lianxiang Pass, also called Yaozhan, is the third pass in the "Nine Passes and Eighteen Stores" of the ancient Yixi Post Road. From the perspective of Yanglaoxiao, it is high at both ends and low in the middle. One street runs through the whole city, which is less than a square kilometer. No wonder the ancients vividly called it "waist station". After more than ten minutes, we entered the Lianxiang Pass.

In the winter, the Lianxiangguan tower slowly lifts away the fog covering its body under the sunlight, and the small river under the Yanqing Bridge flows quietly without any waves. Although it is "off", you can't hear the noisy howling. It is like a fossil standing quietly at the head of the ancient city, drying in the sun, making no sound at all. I really suspect that I went to the wrong place - is this Xiongguan?

I have always thought that "Guan" is majestic and tall. No matter officials or common people, when they come to Guanxia, ??they must dismount and bow their heads. When we actually arrived at the ancient pass, the expected crowds of people and the clouds of caravans turned out to be nothing, which made people feel surprised or disappointed. In fact, it was not the pass that made the mistake but myself. A big mistake, vulgar and lack of common sense, just like thinking that the surname "Gou" means dog, and the person named "Shi" means shit. It is only 2 kilometers from the Yangjiazhuang branch of National Highway 320 to Lianxiangguan. However, these two kilometers are like two different worlds, and time seems to have stopped here. Everything in Lianxiang Pass is sleeping quietly: quiet streets, quiet residents, quiet temples, and quiet towers.

It is as quiet as a gouache painting, fresh and natural. Facing the blue sky and reeds in the wilderness, the boundless silence makes people feel that the whole world no longer exists. If it weren't for the mottled spots, there would still be three or five old people chatting in front of old shops, big or small, in the streets and alleys; or smoke would rise from the ancient houses; or the chirping of birds would come from time to time in the sky, reminding There is still living life here, and I feel like I am in a dream.

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Some people say that humans are a forgetful species. Lianxiang Pass is recorded in Fan Chuo's "Man Shu" of the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of Nanzhao, "Longhecheng" was built on the half slope of the east mountain outside the city gate tower. In the 16th year of Chongzhen (1643), Lian Xiangguan City was built. The highway opened to traffic and it prospered for hundreds of years. However, it took less than 70 years for the ancient city to go from a bustling city to a state of decline that no one cares about. 70 years is just an insignificant moment in human time. However, at this moment, Lianxiang Pass sank and was forgotten.

Have you really forgotten? No! On the stone slab in the middle of the street paved with red sandstone, deep or shallow, large or small horse hoof prints, the wrinkles on the old woman’s forehead, and the old man’s cigarette rod all tell the story of the past at Lianxiang Pass

's story.

The current Lianxiangguan City was first built in the 16th year of Chongzhen (1643). It was surrounded by a stone city with only one street and four city gates. The street is more than 800 meters long from east to west. In the middle of the street is a stone arch bridge and five gate towers. They are Lianxiangguan Tower, Guojie Tower, Ximen Tower, Chongguan Tower and Dengmen Tower. The 800-meter-long street is divided into upper street, middle street and lower street, which also divides people into three, six or nine grades. From the cross street building to the Chengguan building is the upper street, which is the seat of the government.

Here are the Soil Inspection Department, Supervision and Sales Bureau and other yamen; Zhongguanlou to Guojielouzhong Street are salt merchants, and Madian is an area where rich families gather. Here are the largest Zhang soldiers and Zhangjia salt merchants in Lianxiang Pass, as well as those who worked as salt merchants. Provincial Councilor Liu Junan and Liu Jiayan; as well as dozens of large, medium and small horse shops headed by the Xu family. If it were a street, caravans with thousands of horses

and merchants would stay in Lianxiang Pass. Not only the salt shop, horse shop, blacksmith shop, rice shop, and bank account were prosperous, but also the surrounding areas of Lianxiang Pass were alarmed. The green forest strongmen in the mountains have gathered a group of bandits in the Guanjiashan area for many years, targeting merchants from Lianxiang Pass.

The street from Chongguan Tower to Dengmen Tower is called Xiajie, where most of the craftsmen such as silversmiths, blacksmiths, stonemasons, tinsmiths, cobblers, tailors, painters, and barbers gather. The beggars in the Huazi Temple outside the Dengmen Tower sang "Lian Hua Luo" and wandered around the pass begging.

This created abnormal prosperity in the pass. According to records, Lianxiangguan once had seven buildings and four bridges in history. At its peak in the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 1,400 households and more than 6,500 residents. Caravans entering and exiting the customs every day, driving more than a thousand horses, carry more than 100,000 kilograms of salt, tea and other local products to Kunming every year. They also carry foreign bowls, foreign oil, foreign yarn, foreign cloth, foreign umbrellas, perfume, foreign products, etc. back from the provincial capital. "Foreign goods" such as alkali, match fire, foreign iron, and foreign basins were brought back to Lianxiang Pass and transported to various places in western Yunnan. Radiating to Chengdu or abroad...

…

Human history is a process of tolerance and development. When human beings transform from poverty to wealth, the mutual support of spirit and wealth becomes became necessary. Since the "Long He Cheng" was recorded in Fan Chuo's "Manshu" in the Tang Dynasty, primitive totem worship, Lamaism, Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and other sects have emerged in Lianxiang Pass.

Beginning with the construction of Sanhua Temple on Elephant Trunk Ridge, there are many Taoist and Buddhist temples built here. There are dozens of temples such as Zhenwu Temple, Jade Emperor Pavilion, Great Buddha Hall, Wenchang Palace, Sanyuan Palace, etc. These temples are magnificent, with carved beams and painted pillars, warped arches and cornices, exquisite workmanship and exquisite patterns. The lifelike stone lions and carved dragons embody the essence of Chinese architecture and are well-known in Southeast Asia. Every day, the various temples and temples in Lianxiang Pass are filled with incense, the temples are filled with incense, and the Buddha's name is like thunder. It is the first religious resort integrating Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and three religions on Main Road in western Yunnan. At the same time, Peking opera, lanterns, Yunnan opera, puppet shows and other foreign cultures were performed with southern and northern tunes. You sang and I took the stage, and various artists and ladies booked the venue one after another.

3

I first learned about Lianxiang Pass thanks to an old man. The old man's name is Wang Shizhen, and his life is full of legends.

It is rumored that Wang Shizhen graduated from the "Yunnan Higher Procuratorate Civilian Training Course" hosted by Wang Longyun of Yunnan during the Republic of China. It is said that this class was the cradle of Longyun's cultivation of cronies and the "Whampoa Military Academy" that trained officials for the Yunnan government. Most of the graduates are assigned to important positions in governments and counties. Originally, Wang Shizhen was assigned to be the county magistrate, but due to his special appearance, he was demoted by Long Yun. Later, he was assigned as the director of education in Luliang, Guangtong, Luoci and other counties. In 1948, when the current situation was turbulent, he returned to his hometown to work in farming. Mr. Wang returned to his hometown to farm and did not forget the holy edict. He wore the label of "Stinky Old Nine" and an old government official. During those unusual years, he traveled around Lianxiang Mountains and Rivers at his own expense to study local chronicles. At the age of seventy-seven, he wrote two history books, "The Local History of Lianxiang" and "The Continuation of the Local History of Lianxiang", becoming the first person to compile local history books in Yunnan Province. By reading "Local History of Lianxiang", I marveled at the richness of Lianxiang's history.

From AD 765, Feng Jiayi, the king of Nanzhao, built "Longhe City" on the east slope of Lianxiang. In the Yuan Dynasty, an inspection department was set up, and in 1643 in the Qing Dynasty, Lian Xiangguan City was built. The opening of the Wuchi Road, the Dian'er Ancient Road, and later the Yinxi Ancient Road not only promoted the prosperity of Xiang Lian's business, but also left many popular stories about Xiang Lian.

No one can inherit the title.

Promoting officials and titles, honoring the ancestors, and "learning well leads to officialdom" is the essence of China's Confucian culture for thousands of years. Isn't it a shame to have no one to inherit an official title? However, I heard such a story in Lianxiang Pass.

During the Zhizheng period of the Yuan Dynasty (1348), the Lianxiang Inspection Department was set up, and Li Adu in the township guarded the Lianxiang Pass. He later surrendered to Fu Youde's Ming army, fought with the Ming army and won merit, and was recognized as the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang bestowed the title of "Li Adou's nine sons on the right to be hereditary inspectors." For 475 years, nineteen generations of Li's descendants have been hereditary inspectors.

In the eighth year of Xianfeng's reign (1858), the last local inspector Li Zongquan died. Due to the war, no descendant of the Li family could be found to inherit the title, so the post of Lianxiang Guan local inspector was vacant.

Big and small Yanqing Bridges.

In Lianxiang City, a stone arch bridge spans the Ximen Tower and Chongguan Tower on Zhong Street. The bridge is larger at one end and smaller at the other, higher in the west and lower in the east. Later generations regarded it as an example of "cutting corners" and "anticlimactic" project.

Folk stories say that there was originally a wooden bridge built over the river in Lianxiang Guanzhong Street, but it was destroyed and rebuilt many times due to rising water, causing a lot of inconvenience to passing merchants and residents. One day, three brothers from a household in the city discussed building a stone arch bridge for the villagers to permanently solve the problem of flooding. The three brothers planned that the third brother should build the west side, the second brother should build the middle side, and the eldest brother should build the east side. The third brother was honest and built the west bridge according to the drawings; the second daughter-in-law was opportunistic and asked the second brother to reduce the size of the bridge; the eldest daughter-in-law was cunning and made the east bridge built by the boss narrower, which resulted in a big bridge at one end and a small bridge at the other. Qingqiao phenomenon.

There is a poem from later generations: There is a Yanqing Bridge in Lianxiang, with one end big and the other small. Why it was built like this in the first place is because women had little knowledge.

In fact, the bridge was originally built this way, firstly because the bridge construction funds came from private financing

and there was a shortage of bridge construction funds; secondly, the location of the bridge was dictated by the terrain.

The "bet" Lianxiang Pass on the chessboard.

Lianxiang Pass is fifteen kilometers away from Lufeng County and more than thirty kilometers away from Luoci County. Historically, it was not under the jurisdiction of Lufeng, but an "enclave" of Luoci County embedded in Lufeng's territory. It is said that one day, the magistrate of Lufeng County invited colleagues from nearby counties to Lianxiang Pass for recreation. After all the officials enjoyed the delicacies of the mountains and seas, they went to the official garden to drink tea and talk with each other. The magistrate of Luoci County was rich and powerful, and he insisted on banqueting guests for three days as a bet. He would banquet his colleagues from all counties and counties for three days after losing chess, but no one responded. As the boss, the magistrate of Lufeng County felt very shameful and responded to the challenge in a high-profile manner: he was willing to use Lianxiang Pass as a bet, and cede Lianxiang Pass if he lost. The two fought fiercely for three rounds, but the Lufeng County magistrate was inferior to the others and lost two rounds in a row. I had no choice but to abide by the agreement and give up my love to Lianxiang Pass. Since then, Lianxiang Pass has become an enclave of Luoci County.

In fact, it was the county magistrate of Lufeng who couldn't stand the officials at all levels passing through Lianxiang Pass for many years, so he deliberately used Lianxiang Pass as a bet and dumped the "burden" of Lianxiang Pass on Luo Ci. county.

There is a milk well in the city.

When you first hear the name Momujing, it is easy for people to have wild imaginations. In fact, it is a slip of the tongue for "Milkjing". In Lianxiang Guanzhong Street, there is a well with a sweet aftertaste called Zhongjie Well. Because it was built a long time ago, women in the city have spent many years digging and collecting water from the well with their chests pressed against the rails of the red sandstone wells. The rails of the wells were grooved by the women's breasts, so it is commonly known as the "Milk Well" among the people. It is said that men who drink the water from the well are wise and women who drink from it are beautiful. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, more than 30 people passed the Lianxiangguan examination as Gongsheng, Chusheng and Jinshi. During the Republic of China, three children of the Liu family graduated from Yunnan University, Peking University and Chaoyang University respectively.

Trash in exchange for trophies.

In the evening, teams of caravans came from afar against the stars. In the early morning, the caravans

set off towards the rising sun, leaving hope for the people of Lianxiangguan and leaving behind a land of horses. of excrement and waste horseshoes. Fortunately, the clever Lian Xiangguan found a solution in a short time: farming with horse manure and making farm tools from waste horseshoes. Those who are more flexible think that the scrap horseshoes have been hammered and sharpened thousands of times on the ancient stone roads over the years, and have been hammered into steel. They are good materials for making knives and scissors. They collect them and sort them out to forge the famous "Lu". "Fengscissors" has created huge economic benefits. At the 1923 Yunnan Specialties Saibao Fair, he won the first prize and took home the first gold medal. The reputation of "Lufeng Scissors" in the province remains enduring to this day.

The city of beauties.

There is a folk proverb in Lianxiang Pass: "Standing high at both ends of the street, nine out of ten women are pretty." Beauty is a beautiful scenery in Lianxiang Pass. Whether they are hawkers who don’t apply makeup, or shop owners who flirt with horse pot heads in gold and silver, or women who are both businessmen and farmers, not only are their faces dyed with peach blossoms, they have the beauty of a moon-shy flower, but also He is famous in ancient post roads for his honest hospitality and good business skills. The "lady boss" is not only famous for her beauty, but she is also the backbone and "ladies' man" of Lian Xiangguan's family.

Women never lag behind in things that men can do, even the rough work of nailing horseshoes, which is difficult for men to master. Women in Lianxiangguan can do it with ease. In those days, women's nailing of horseshoes became a specialty of Lianxiangguan. Now, you go Entering Lianxiang Pass, the hostess of any family can be a good hand in the hall, in the kitchen, in business and farming, both inside and outside.

The mute gentleman who has never been to school

On the left street of Chongguan Tower, east of Yanqing Bridge in Lianxiang Pass, there is a family named Wang. It was considered prosperous in the early years, but basically fell into decline in the Republic of China. , the Wang family has a son who has been naughty since he was a child. One day he became ill and lost his voice after taking medicine. No one took the mute child to school, so he had to write and draw at home. As he continued to write and draw, he could not read aloud but could write decently. Some people said that his writing was no worse than that of a calligrapher, so he never went to school for a day. Wang Muba, calligraphy has become a unique skill of Lian Xiangguan. Whichever shop writes couplets and whichever shop opens for business, they will inevitably ask him to write them. Became a celebrity in town. After liberation, movements continued, and writing big-character slogans became popular. His writing skills came in handy again. Along the way, his ink marks were left in every nook and cranny of the town.

4

Feeling the historical pulse of Lianxiang Pass, traveling through the prosperous times of the ancient path to the west, "I'm out of the gate!" The voice of my companions pulled me into reality. After years and ups and downs, Lianxiangguan's former prosperity has fallen into the long river of history. Today, there are only 287 households and 1,109 people left in Lianxiang Pass, which is less than one-sixth of what it was during the heyday of the Qing Dynasty.

Looking at the ancient city, there are only mottled and incomplete ancient buildings, ancient residences, religions, archways, pavilions, temples, houses, ancient carvings, wood carvings, ruins and other national cultures, religious cultures, food cultures, etc. The series of "living fossils of Ming and Qing society" seems to tell the glory of the past when "thousands of horses returned to their troughs, and the salt warehouses of the world" and "the stone gates of the cutting roads strangled the throats of nine counties, and locked the Yin of the west." Looking at the incomplete ancient road to the west hidden in the lofty mountains, the castle lost in time, and the pass that is increasingly weathered, eroded and indifferent, I think modern people seem to be doing something...

Author: Zheng Guoping, a native of Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, and a member of Chuxiong Prefecture Writers Association. Graduated from Renmin University of China majoring in infrastructure economics, he loves literature. His works have been published in "Yunnan Daily", "Small Novels Monthly", "National Times", "Jinshajiang Literature and Art", "Modern and Ancient Legends", "Short Novels" and "Chu Di Culture" . "Flash Novels", "Chuxiong Daily", "Dali Literature and Art", "Hecheng Evening News", "Quick Reading", "Chuzhou Modern and Ancient", "Chuxiong Social Science Forum", "Longxiang Literature and Art", "Yanquan" and other newspapers and periodicals magazine published.

This work was published in the 7th issue of "Chuxiong Social Science Forum" in 2020. Published with permission from the author.

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