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Shanxi, for me, can almost be called a very strange place, and I have almost traveled all over the country, but for Shanxi, I have only been to Yunqiu Mountain in Shanxi once, and it is still a not very famous scenic spot, and like The ancient city of Pingyao, Yanmen Pass, I just got acquainted with them on TV. This time, there is another opportunity to go to Shanxi on the eve of the National Day, so don’t miss it, let’s go!
Because the time is relatively tight, we arranged a 2-day and 1-night itinerary. We have three attractions: Pingyao Ancient City, Yanmen Pass, and Wooden Pagoda. To describe it in one sentence, this is a journey of observing the present and learning from the past.

Yanmen Pass is the oldest. "Three sides are unparalleled, and the nine gates respect the first pass." Yanmen Pass is universally recognized as the ancient pass with the longest history, the most frequent wars, the highest popularity and the widest influence, so it is known as "" China's first pass".

Pingyao, Shanxi is known as one of the “Four Best Preserved Ancient Cities”, and it is also one of the only two ancient cities in China that have successfully applied for the world cultural heritage with the entire ancient city.

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, built in the second year of Qingning in Liao Dynasty, is the tallest and oldest wooden tower building in my country and the only wooden pavilion tower. Big Chita".

Board and lodging recommendation

Daixian Xinjinjiang Express Hotel, all major websites have reservation methods. This hotel is located in Danan Street, Daixian County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province. It lives in the bustling commercial center, adjacent to the famous Drum Tower and Confucian Temple in Daixian County, and only 100 meters away from Daixian County Bus Station. It's about 10 meters away, and it's just a few steps away, which is quite convenient. There is a parking lot at the door, which is also convenient for friends who drive by themselves.
The room in his house is super big, and the air conditioner is also very good. When the air conditioner is turned on, the air conditioner is very strong and the wind is strong. However, we lived in a room without windows. Because it was full and booked late, we had to turn on the air conditioner. It's OK to change the air conditioner to the air supply.

The room is not only large in size, but also well decorated, simple and refreshing. The most important thing is that the bathroom is integrated. In this way, there are almost no dead spots for cleaning, and there is no peculiar smell. The bedding is also OK, and the mattress is very comfortable. I am sick The old waist did not say that he had any low back pain after sleeping all night, which is very good. Generally, it is really difficult to have such a quality mattress in a boutique hotel, and the pillows are also very comfortable. In general, This hotel is amazing.
Let's talk about food.
The dishes in this farmhouse in the Yanmenguan Scenic Area are also very good. The presentation is definitely not as exquisite and beautiful as the big hotel, and the seasoning is definitely not as good as the hotel. But the most important thing is fresh green, very natural, don’t ask me how I know , This imported thing, you can eat it as soon as you eat it, it can't deceive people, just look at the fried chicken eggs, the yellow color, you can know whether it is a pure chicken egg.

We also went to a restaurant in Dai County for dinner. The name is Zengwei Xiangtu Restaurant. Although it is a Hunan restaurant, we tasted a local Shanxi dish this time, such as potato chips and grilled fish. Nest eggs stuffed with sharp peppers, stone pot tofu, pork patties with preserved vegetables, copper hot pot, braised flower rolls, these dishes are all delicious, completely different from the Shanxi cuisine I imagined, so delicious!

Yanmen Pass

For a long time, I have had an inexplicable feeling for Yanmen Pass, perhaps because of Xiao Feng in Jin Yong's works, perhaps because of the female generals of the Yang family in the book, or the heroic generals who guard Yanmen Pass all the year round.

According to legend, every spring and autumn, a group of wild geese going south pass by here, and when these wild geese pass by, they will sing crisply and circle three times to pass, so it is named Yanmen Pass. Yanmenguan, also known as Xixingguan, is located 20 kilometers northwest of Daixian County, Shanxi Province. It is an important pass of the Great Wall and the junction of the Central Plains and Guanwai. When you leave Yanmenguan, you will be outside the Guanwai, and inside Yanmenguan is the Central Plains.　

The dynasties of the Central Plains all sent the strongest generals at that time to guard this gate. During the Warring States Period, Zhao General Li Mu was ordered to be stationed in Yanmen, and he defeated more than 100,000 Huns; Go out of Yanmen to attack the Xiongnu in the north, take over the land of Hetao, and build the Great Wall; in the Han Dynasty, Li Guang fought dozens of times with the Huns here, guarding the gate of the Han family, and was called "Flying General" by the Huns; in the Tang Dynasty, Xue Rengui was the governor of Daizhou, and guarded Yanmen to frighten all directions. Until the ancient times, the enemy army heard of it and bowed down and retreated. In Song Dynasty, Yang Ye led the Yang family army to defend for many years and defeated the Liao army. He made great achievements in battle. This is Yanmen The meaning of natural danger lies in, "Three passes must be unparalleled, and Marusai respects the first pass!"

This time I came to Yanmen Pass and fulfilled my long-cherished wish for many years. I don’t know whether Yanmen Pass was the same as it is today. The sun is shining brightly and the sky is high. The repairs have become incomparably magnificent.

Generally, tourists enter from the north gate. There are statues on both sides of the north gate. On one side is Yang Jiaerlang, who is mighty and heroic, and on the other side is the female general of Yang family, who is heroic. There are two performances of bronze statues of Yang family generals every day in Mingyue Tower at the north gate. It was wonderful, and the young actors were very serious in the ten-minute performance, which caused the audience to applaud and cheer.

Entering the Mingyue Building, you will find the Border Trade Street. It is said that when the men on the battlefield were in the truce, they would turn into simple and honest small traders, and lead their wives, children, and children to do small business here, and gradually derived various border trade businesses. The fur, cow, sheep and milk products brought from outside the customs can be exchanged for the fine porcelain cotton cloth seeds from inside the customs. I think that the people inside and outside the customs at that time should love life and hate war. Who would not want to live a safe, stable and prosperous life? Woolen cloth? According to the sister of the tour guide, there are still villages here in Yanmenguan, and dozens of villagers have settled here, and everyone lives a happy life in peace and contentment.

Today, Bianmao Street is still a commercial street. There are various gourmet snack bars and many local specialty shops. The most attractive ones are definitely the chili shop and the almond powder shop. The owner of the chili shop is rolling up his shoulders and frying chili peppers vigorously. The aroma is very stimulating to the senses of smell and taste. After asking the owner, he learned that the chili sauce made by his family is delicious and the sales volume is also good.

The other is that there are the most almond shops, and there are many specialties in Yanmenguan. Almonds are one of them. I tasted the dried almonds of one shop and the almond tea of ​​the other shop. It is made, very fragrant, and the price is not expensive. It is now sold for 100 yuan and 5 packs, and the weight of a pack is not small, about 3 taels. Such quality and price are really surprising, must buy Come on, drink almond powder mixed with water, it has a miraculous effect on nourishing the lungs and beautifying the skin.

There is also a Baotu Spring in Bianmao Street. The pronunciation of the name is exactly the same as Baotu Spring in Jinan, but this spring is not the other spring, with different characters and different places. The Baotu Spring here in Yanmenguan is said to protrude from the ground like a beast, and its shape is as mighty as a leopard. Moreover, this spring will not dry up in drought or overflow in waterlogging. It has nurtured countless guards for thousands of years. They can be said to be a fountain of merit, so now the scenic spot protects them for better viewing by tourists.

Going forward, you will enter the Wengcheng through the Dili Gate and enter the section of the Great Wall in Daixian County. This Dili Gate also has a great background. It was built in the Ming Dynasty. The plaque on the top of the door was inscribed by Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty. "It has the same meaning, Zhao also means as long as the sun and the moon are in the sky.

The large stone strips paved here at Dilimen are quite surprising, uneven and sometimes broken. Later, according to the tour guide, don’t underestimate them. These are old objects, all left over from ancient times. years, but it is definitely hundreds of years old, and it can indeed be regarded as an antique. Immediately, everyone wanted to take pictures to commemorate it. After all, there are not a few real ancient stones and bricks in the so-called ancient towns and ancient cities. It is rare to have real ancient stone strips here at Yanmen Pass.

When we arrived at Dianjiangtai, there are ancient Great Walls on both sides. Now it has been repaired and tourists can climb up. This is also a national-level fitness trail. I saw two beauties in ancient costumes and a handsome guy in ancient costumes. After looking at it, I feel The last one is Wang Zhaojun, the other one is A Zhu, and that handsome guy is Xiao Feng. At first I thought they were here to shoot some fashion show, but later I realized that this is another show prepared by the scenic spot for tourists: Zhaojun Suspended and Azhu Xiaofeng Tumbler.

I saw Zhaojun sitting next to the tree, with his feet off the ground and sitting gracefully. The other two, Ah Zhu and Xiao Feng, stepped on the tumbler platform, shaking up and down, and they really couldn't fall. It was interesting, and everyone laughed very much. In Jin Yong's works, Xiao Feng jumped off the cliff at Yanmen Pass, and Wang Zhaojun married far away in the Central Plains at Yanmen Pass. They are all related to Yanmen Pass. Yanmen Pass is a place where real celebrities come forth in large numbers.

There are also attractions such as the Zhenbian Temple and the First Pass of China for tourists to visit slowly and savor carefully. There is also a revolutionary traditional education exhibition hall in the Zhenbian Temple, which denounces the crimes of the Japanese army and the heroism of our Chinese sons and daughters in resisting Japan.

The Revolutionary Tradition Education Exhibition Hall is located in the West Wing. The history of Yanmen Pass is half of the ancient history of China! Yanmenguan's superior geographical conditions, unique topography and landforms, as well as its defense system covering ancient and modern times, have become a unique hub in China and rare in the world.

Now there is no more smoke and fire at Yanmen Pass, and no more heroic sacrifices by the guards, but it is still a monument to people's hearts against foreign enemies. The Chinese nation will never be defeated. China will inevitably rise and become stronger!

Pingyao Ancient City

UNESCO once commented on the ancient city of Pingyao: "The ancient city of Pingyao is an outstanding example of Chinese Han nationality cities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. A complete picture of ordinary cultural, social, economic, and religious development". This is a very high evaluation, so the ancient city of Pingyao is included in the world cultural heritage and is well-deserved.

According to legend, the ancient city wall of Pingyao was built 2,700 years ago. The brick and stone city wall with a circumference of 6.4 kilometers was expanded and transformed in the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370). The appearance is slightly square, and the east, west, and north sides are straight. Only the south wall is winding, which looks like a "sacred turtle". The ancient city wall combines defensive functions and cultural functions, embodies the typical characteristics of northern Chinese cities during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and carries a heavy historical civilization. It is an important part of the world cultural heritage of Pingyao Ancient City.

The China Ticket Office Museum (Rishengchang Bank) is located at the former site of the former Rishengchang Bank on the south side of the West Street in the ancient city of Pingyao. The Rishengchang Bank was founded in 1823 and was the first bank in China. It is a milestone in the history of China's financial development and has epoch-making significance; even now it still has extremely important practical reference significance for operation and management. It is a national key cultural relics protection unit and an important part of the ancient city of Pingyao, a world cultural heritage.

North China No. 1 Escort Museum is the first museum in the country to comprehensively display Escort culture. It covers an area of ​​more than 1,000 square meters and has three courtyards. The middle courtyard is the office area, which is composed of three groups of buildings: letter room, accounting room and middle hall. It is the office space of the bodyguard agency. place. The North China First Escort Museum comprehensively displays the historical evolution, organization and management of the Escort, which provides a good historical reference for the study of China's economic development.

What surprised me in Pingyao is that many ancient houses here have been used as inns and homestays. That is to say, these very old ancient buildings are open for business to accommodate guests from all over the world. Surprised, I asked the tour guide carefully. The tour guide told us that these houses in Pingyao are almost all privately owned, and almost all of them are ancestral houses. Now these old houses are almost used for business. The larger courtyards are all kinds of inns, while the smaller houses are especially It is along the street, which is used to make all kinds of shops. Moreover, the ancient city of Pingyao has long been famous at home and abroad. One family, one family of fire, one family of opening, one family of Wang.

But I wondered again, you said that such an old house should need more maintenance, right? It’s okay to open a shop, but opening an inn or something, with people coming and going, wouldn’t it cause more damage to the house? When my question was raised, the tour guide answered me very professionally: the house needs people to live in it, so it will last for a long time, otherwise it will decay and wither, and the ancient city of Pingyao has special staff, and the owners and tenants of the house We are all working together to maintain these old houses and old houses. They will come to check at any time. If there is something wrong, where it needs to be improved, and where it needs to be repaired, they will tell the shop owners as soon as possible. The shop owners will also actively cooperate to solve the problem together. Therefore, These old houses in Pingyao can be preserved better and longer.
In this way, all kinds of doubts in my heart were solved, and I learned later that the rent in the ancient city of Pingyao is not cheap, and there is a basic standard for renting an inn. If the inn is located on the main street, the rent of the inn is one year per room. Ten thousand, that is to say, the inn has 20 rooms and is on the main street. The annual rent is about 200,000. The ones not on the main street but in the alleys are 5,000 to 7,000. This also depends on the location. It's a little better by seven points, and the location is too bad by about five thousand. However, there are now more than a thousand inns, hotels and express hotels in Pingyao. The pressure of competition is very high, and business is not doing well. They are all fighting price wars. More than one hundred, and the off-season price is also around three or four hundred.
And the rent of shops is not cheap. A shop in South Street costs 140,000 to 160,000 a year, and in West Street 100,000 to 120,000 a year. Moreover, the area of ​​the shop is only about 20 square meters. One of the more expensive streets, South Street is the street with city buildings, and West Street is the street with ticket offices. These two streets have been very prosperous since ancient times, so the high rent is justified. follow.

The ancient city of Pingyao has been a commercial city since ancient times, the birthplace of Shanxi merchants, and a paradise for food lovers. When traveling in the ancient city of Pingyao, of course you have to taste the local specialties. So what are the special delicacies in the ancient city of Pingyao?

Shanxi mature vinegar is not only loved by Shanxi people, but also sold outside the province as a famous specialty product. In Pingyao, you can also buy authentic Shanxi old mature vinegar, which tastes sour and mellow, and now there are many new varieties of vinegar in Pingyao, all of which have excellent flavors. Personally, fruit vinegar is my favorite. It is sweet and sour, and it can be drunk as a drink. It is really a good way to relieve fatigue and quench thirst!

Pingyao bowl glutinous rice is a famous snack in the three Jin Dynasties. It can be served cold or hot. When it is cold, cut the bowl into strips and put it on the plate, add vinegar, garlic paste, sesame paste, sesame oil, chili powder, aniseed water, mix well and eat; Stir-fry the bowl with garlic, then add shredded yam and egg or bean sprouts, cook with soy sauce, vinegar, aniseed water, etc. Pingyao Wantuozi has been loved by the masses for more than a hundred years. You can see bowltuo stalls everywhere in urban and rural temple fairs and markets. There are also pasta such as 栲栳栳, which are also sold in the streets and alleys.

Of course, Pingyao’s delicious food is far more than these, there are also Pingyao beef, Pingyao long yam, Pingyao camellia, Pingyao rice wine, Pingyao moon cake, bubble oil cake, etc.

This city building is also very interesting. The glazed tiles on the top have the character of longevity on one side and the character of happiness on the other, and the animals on this city building are also unique.

Pingyao County Government was first built in the sixth year from Yuan to Zhengzheng (1346). Except for a small number of Yuan Dynasty buildings, most of them were rebuilt during the Wanli period of Ming Dynasty. Pingyao County Government is large and complete, consisting of archway, Yimen, six departments, prison, lobby, second hall, Daxian Building, inner house, garden, etc., and is symmetrically arranged with the Town God's Temple. A typical representative of the county-level organizational system. A large number of physical objects and archival materials in the Ming and Qing Dynasties provide a rare basis and empirical evidence for the study of ancient Chinese politics, economy, and culture.

This is the tower of the South Gate, which was once captured by the Japanese army, but it has been well preserved so far. This is different from the Japanese style of burning, killing, and raping. Asked about the tour guide, the tour guide explained that because Pingyao looks like a turtle from above, the south gate is like a turtle’s head, and the north gate is like a turtle’s tail, so many Japanese names are called turtles, and they worship turtles very much. It is estimated that this is the reason, so Pingyao was not destroyed too much after being captured by the Japanese army. Of course, what the reason was at that time is also unknown.

The ancient city of Pingyao is a thousand-year-old book written with Qin bricks and Han tiles. Every brick crack is condensed with historical memories.

Ying County Wooden Pagoda

Before I came here, I had never heard of Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, and I never knew that this wooden pagoda has a very long history. It was built in the early Liao Dynasty and has been well preserved. Tower, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and known as "the world's three strange towers."

As soon as you walk into the Wooden Pagoda Scenic Area in Ying County, you will feel a strong tourist atmosphere. The streets are full of various restaurants and accommodations, as well as various shops related to tourism. It is a lively scene. What surprised me the most is that these restaurants are mainly jelly shops, and these small jelly shops are almost all named after women's gender, such as little daughter-in-law jelly, second daughter jelly, big sister jelly, etc. It’s really amazing that people will use their surnames to name them. If it’s not because of time constraints, they would all want to try these jelly from daughters-in-law. What’s so magical about it? Is it true that the bosses are all women? Only jelly made by women is popular in the local area. However, it can be seen that the women in this place are definitely kind and hardworking, and they all have a pair of skillful hands. The women really hold up half the sky!

In fact, the wooden pagoda in Yingxian County should be called the Sakyamuni Pagoda. The full name is the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple. It was advocated by Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty.
And the women here in Ying County can hold up half the sky, is it also influenced by Empress Xiao, but this Empress Xiao is not said in history, and Yang Jiye, the general of the Yang family, fought against Empress Xiao Yanyan on the Golden Beach, but her The grandson's daughter-in-law's name is Xiao Dali, and she is not from the Liao Kingdom, and her surname is not Xiao, but Guo.
It is said that the woman surnamed Guo came to Yingzhou to visit relatives when her grandmother and her uncle's family lived in Yingzhou, which was under the jurisdiction of the Liao State at that time, when the relationship between Song and Liao Dynasty eased. As a result, she could not go home when the situation was tense, so she could only pretend to be her uncle. Daughter, and her uncle's surname is Chen, which was once changed to Chen. Later, because she was as beautiful as a flower, she read poems and books, and was good at riding a horse, archery and dancing with a gun, so she was adopted as an adopted daughter by the Xiao family, a nobleman of the Liao Kingdom, and became a queen with the support of the Xiao family. It is stipulated that as long as a woman becomes a queen, she must change her surname to Xiao. Therefore, after this Miss Guo family came to Ying County, she changed her surname from Chen to Xiao, and became Queen Xiao. It is said that Queen Xiao is very famous in history. He has made achievements. He once assisted his son Yelu Hongji, Daozong of Liao Dynasty, to suppress the rebellion and defended the Daliao River.
And because both the emperor and queen of the Liao Kingdom believed in Buddhism, they mobilized the power of the whole country to build a large number of temples, so the wooden pagoda in Ying County stood tall under such circumstances.

Because Ying County is located at the border, it has experienced many battles, large and small, from ancient times to the present, and there are two important battles recorded in the book. One was in the twelfth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1517), when the little Tatar prince came to attack Ying County, and was confronted by Wang Xun, the general soldier of the Ming Dynasty at that time. Wu Zong led his teachers to help, and after six days of bloody battle, the little prince retreated. This decisive battle dealt a certain blow to the Tatars, and since then, the border has been peaceful for several years. In July of the following year, in order to celebrate the victory of Yingzhou, Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty came to Yingzhou for the second time, climbed the pagoda to reward the meritorious officials, and wrote four words of "world wonders" to praise the wooden pagoda.
In 1926, Feng Yuxiang's army developed to Shanxi, but was resisted by Yan Xishan who was entrenched here, and the Feng-Yan war broke out in Shanxi. In this war, Muta was shot more than 200 rounds and suffered great trauma. When Ying County was liberated in 1948, the Kuomintang army guarding the city set up a machine gun position with the wooden tower as the commanding height, and the wooden tower was hit by 12 shells.

Here I want to talk about the magic of this Yingxian wooden pagoda. Not only did it not collapse after being hit by a cannon, but it did not collapse even after an earthquake. According to historical records, in the long history of nearly a thousand years, the wooden pagoda in Ying County has experienced numerous large and small earthquakes, and there have been more than a dozen earthquakes with a degree above 5 degrees. And no matter how many earthquakes nearby, various collapses, and even the wooden tower continued to shake sharply, in the end, it couldn't hurt the wooden tower by half.

After scientific research by various parties, it was found that the Yingxian wooden pagoda did not use a single rivet, but was completely inlaid with bucket arches and beams, and there were various dark layers. It is a group of bucket arches next to each other, and a total of 54 kinds of 240 groups of different forms of bucket arches are used. Because the bucket arches are not rigidly connected, when subjected to horizontal forces such as strong winds and earthquakes, certain displacement and friction will occur between the woods, which can absorb and lose part of the energy and play a role in adjusting deformation. In this way, the combination of softness and rigidity forms a combination of rigidity and softness. This combination of rigidity and flexibility has a huge energy-consuming effect, which enhances the earthquake resistance of the wooden tower. This energy-consuming and shock-absorbing design even exceeds modern With the level of technology in architecture, we have to marvel at the ingenuity of ancient craftsmen!

In addition, the geology under the wooden tower is composed of clay and sand, and its bearing capacity is good. So far, there is no need to worry about the possibility of tilting or collapsing due to the empty bottom. And the most amazing thing is that in summer, the wooden tower lives on the upper Thousands of swallows, these swallows eat up the moths on the wooden tower, seem to be the guardians of the wooden tower, and they are also the places that the locals show to outsiders. These are indeed the "magic" of the wooden tower. "The place.

The wooden pagoda is also a treasure house of Liao Dynasty art. The sculptures, printings, and paintings here all concentrate the cultural and artistic elements of the Liao Dynasty. It is quite difficult to find traces of the Liao Dynasty art in the thousands of years gone by. These Liao Dynasty artistic manifestations of Yingxian wooden pagodas are particularly precious. In 1974, during the renovation of the statues in the pagoda, a batch of precious cultural relics such as engraved scriptures, scriptures written in the Liao Dynasty, and silk-colored Buddha paintings on wood boards were discovered, and there are still two Buddha tooth relics in the pagoda. , Many precious cultural relics in the tower were stolen and damaged.

There is a statue of Sakyamuni in the wooden pagoda. As soon as you walk in, you will be greeted with a simple and vicissitudes of life. You can see that the Buddha statue is quite grand, so you asked the staff and said that this Buddha statue was also made in the second year of the Liao Dynasty. Moreover, the posture of the Buddha statue is beautiful and sacred, and everyone is amazed that this Buddha statue is still well preserved.

The top of the pagoda is made of octagonal pointed shape, and the iron brake is erected on it. It is exquisitely made and coordinated with the pagoda, which makes the wooden pagoda even more magnificent. There are wind chimes under the eaves of each floor of the tower. The breeze blows and the tinkling sounds are very pleasant.

It is a pity that at present, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda can no longer allow tourists to climb the pagoda. They can only visit the periphery and bottom of the pagoda. It is a pity. Fortunately, the ticket is only 20 yuan cheaper. If you have the opportunity to go, it is worth watching some.