Where is the largest bronze statue of Confucius in the world? Have you ever seen the ancient method of making salt for thousands of years?

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This historical and cultural city, Shiyang Ancient Town, quietly located at the foot of Baicao Ridge in Dayao, Yunnan Province, is a national AAA-level tourist area. It was also known as "Baijing" in ancient times. Looking back at history, it is known as "the capital of salt for thousands of years". As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Shiyang began to make salt. In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, the salt industry reached its peak. At that time, the salt produced by Shiyang was used by nearly a million people in more than 20 nearby counties. It was called Yanfeng County in 1921 and merged with Dayao County in 1958. Shiyang Ancient Town is one of the first three historical and cultural towns named in Yunnan Province, 60 tourist towns, and one of four characteristic tourist towns in Chuxiong Prefecture.

Overlapping mountain peaks, ancient white pagodas, neat streets and simple and honest folk customs are integrated into one, giving people a sense of simplicity, elegance and etiquette. The most striking thing here is the magnificent Confucian Temple complex in the town and the bronze statue of Confucius sitting in the temple for hundreds of years. It was first built in the Ming Dynasty, and now there are ancient buildings such as Dacheng Hall and Chongsheng Hall. Among them, the most striking is the bronze statue of Confucius in Dacheng Hall, which is 2.3 meters high and weighs about 3 tons, which is rare in Confucian temples around the world. It is said that this is the largest bronze statue of Confucius in the country. The bronze statue wears a crown on its head, holds a wat in its hand, and sits upright with a majestic demeanor.

And worship the sage Confucius, carry forward the Confucian culture, and inherit the origin of Confucianism and continue to this day. The annual Confucian Memorial Ceremony is even more tens of thousands of people. Tourists from all over the world come here to read the teachings of their ancestors, touch the context of Confucianism, and experience the humanistic spirit and Confucius culture of the region. Before educating the statue of the sage Confucius, the students recite the sacrificial rites to respect Confucius, collectively recite the chapters and sentences of Chinese classics, present rice, wheat, corn, buckwheat, sorghum and other grains and flower baskets to the statue of Confucius, and show the worship etiquette, Cultural experience activities such as Hanfu, music and dance, recall the sages through sacrificial ceremonies, and convey the Confucian spirit of virtue, benevolence, propriety, faith, and righteousness.

After the Confucian sacrifice ceremony, the traditional brine extraction ceremony was held in the thousand-year-old salt well. The salt worker shakes the ancient potter's wheel to get the brine, and shouts the labor chant to pick the brine to the storage... The ceremony will reproduce the historical scene of the millennium-old salt well and the salt worker taking the brine to make salt. While visiting the Salt Culture Museum and the salt drying tent, tourists can personally experience the whole process of salt workers extracting brine from the 2,000-year-old ancient salt well, drying the brine in the ancient salt drying tent, and cooking the brine to make salt in the chicken coop stove. Feel the ancient brine making process of "walking into the salt capital of Dian and experiencing the salt production in Baijing", and understand the salt culture characteristics of Dayao Shiyang Ancient Town. The salt sheds record the heyday of Shiyang salt production in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Several provinces in southern Xinjiang and neighboring border countries are proud of enjoying Baijing salt, which is as white as snow.

Play strategy

route:

1. Take a bus from Kunming West Bus Passenger Station to Dayao County Bus Passenger Station. The whole journey is about 280 kilometers and 4 hours. The ticket is 97 yuan per piece. Then take a bus from Dayao to Shiyang Ancient Town for about 35 kilometers. The ticket is 10 yuan per person. 40 minutes or so.

2. Self-navigation "Dayao Shiyang Ancient Town" for self-driving tour in the province, just choose the optimal route to go there.

stay:

Tourists from outside the province can choose Howard Johnson Flower City International Hotel Kunming, which is close to the airport, when they land in Kunming. It is convenient to go back and forth;

Gourmet specialty:

Walnuts, small soil cakes, honey, pretzels, buckwheat cakes, vegetable boxes, small handfuls of vermicelli, honey walnut juice, etc.

Among them, local Bazi honey and small soil cakes are what many people like to buy and take away.

Tickets:

Reference price 40 yuan/person

8:00-17:30 every day, all year round.

Must-see attractions in the ancient town:

Confucian Temple, Bronze Statue of Confucius, Two North and South Pagodas, Wind and Rain Bridge, Ancient Salt Well, Salt Shed, Ancient Roman Post Road.

Clothing for the climate:

There are four distinct seasons. Summer is hot and ultraviolet rays are strong, so sun protection is required; winter is cold, and down jackets are essential.

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Year after year, with vicissitudes of life, the Shiyang Confucian Temple still tells people the glory of the ancient town. Confucian culture, salt culture, historical culture, Yi culture, and Buddhist culture collide and blend here.

The splendid history and culture of Shiyang not only attract celebrities and scholars from all directions, but also nurture generations of Chinese heroes. Students who want to go to higher education, if you have time, you can pay respects to Confucius~

*Some pictures come from the Internet, if you have any copyright issues, please contact the editor.