Be a happy man from tomorrow on. Feed the horses, chop wood, and travel the world. Give every river and every mountain a warm name...
When I was in Shaxi, I thought of Haizi's poems.
For countless moments, I want to buy a small courtyard, live a quiet and secluded life, sleep with the wind, frost, rain and dew, and live the rest of my life.
Shaxi Ancient Town is located in Jianchuan County, Dali. It takes about 2 hours to drive from the ancient city of Dali. Get off the expressway, and there are more than 20 mountain roads, winding and winding towards the depths of the mountains. After turning around the foot of the mountain a few times, the eyes slowly opened up, and the fields and villages in front of us depended on each other.
I have always loved the ancient town, and I always feel like I have returned to those days when the years were frozen. Everything is slow and orderly. There is no well-developed network, no crowded traffic, no noisy shops. People live a small life leisurely, study their whole life, and explore the true meaning of life.
Been to countless ancient towns. From Jiangnan to the border, Shaxi is one of the real ancient towns in my mind. It is quiet, simple and antique, and still maintains the oldest architectural features. Ancient temples, ancient theaters, ancient shops, horse shops, ancient red sandstone streets, centuries-old trees, ancient lanes, and ancient gates.
Here, it used to be incomparably brilliant. This is an important distribution town on the ancient tea-horse road, promising countless horses and horses. After thousands of years of prosperity, it finally became the silent ancient town of Shaxi in the torrent of history. Only the silent stone bridges, ancient roads, and ancient streets are left to tell its past quietly, and only the water of Heihui River silently brings Shaxi's glorious journey on the ancient tea-horse road into the distant sea.
Sideng Sifang Street is the soul and core of Shaxi, and it is also the place that every wanderer who arrives in Shaxi will never forget.
Sifang Street is not big, but it is a collection of temples, ancient theaters, shops, and horse shops. The open red sandstone street, century-old trees, ancient lanes, and village gates are harmoniously integrated together. This is the most iconic scenery of Shaxi, and it is also a thousand-year-old market with complete functions. It is praised as "the only surviving ancient market on the ancient tea-horse road" by experts from the World Monumental Architecture Foundation!
In history, Sifang Street was called "Nantang". In the late Ming Dynasty, it was named after Xingjiao Temple, and it was called Sifang Street. Temple refers to Xingjiao Temple; Deng is a Bai language, meaning place. Located next to Xingjiao Temple, it is a square street, which is the origin of the name Sifang Street.
Don't underestimate the temples in this market. Xingjiao Temple was built in the thirteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty and has a history of nearly 600 years. It is currently the largest, most typical and most representative Buddhist Tantric "Azhali" temple in my country. Its superb architectural art of the Ming Dynasty is amazing. The Ming Dynasty murals preserved in Xingjiao Temple are deeply influenced by the painting style of the Central Plains, and have strong local ethnic characteristics.
The ancient opera stage is the most distinctive building on Sifang Street, Sifang Street. It is located at the central frontage of the buildings on the east side of Sifang Street. It forms a central axis with the Xingjiao temple temple and temple gate building on the west, and divides the ancient Sifang Street into north and south. two halves.
Sifang Street used to have a street market every three days, and it was very lively. Caravans from all over the world came to the ancient street to invest one after another through the lanes in the afternoon before the day of the street. On the stage, the Dongjing ancient music, Bai Bawang whip dance, and folk song performances started on the street the afternoon before, and the performance lasted all night for two days. The locals called it "Two Nights and Two Days Play".
It is said that such a rule has always existed in Shaxi, and one cannot be called a Shaxi native if he has not performed at the ancient stage of Sifang Street. It can be seen that the ancient stage of Sifang Street is in people's hearts. On national festivals, people in the whole town will dress up in festive costumes and play the three-stringed dragon head. They gather in Sifang Street to sing and dance on the stage. People are thronging in Sifang Street. The faithful men and women in Xingjiao Temple worship gods and Buddhas. .
I like the Yujin Bridge on the banks of the Heihui River very much. Walking along the ancient road for about 100 meters and passing through the gate made of adobe, the scene of mountains, rivers and fields appears in front of me. A low earthen wall separates the bustling market from the quiet countryside.
Inside the gate of the village, a narrow and deep ancient alleyway comes leisurely, with dilapidated ancient shops quietly standing on both sides of the alleyway, which makes people think of the scene of caravans entering the gate and passing through the alleyway in ancient times. Outside the gate of the village, the perennially clear Heihui River flows quietly. The rice fields, countryside, villages, and distant mountains are as beautiful as a painting.
Shuttle in the small streets and alleys of the ancient town is my favorite way. There are always some discoveries inadvertently.
For example, after passing through several streets, seeing a courtyard with a "wood carving" sign, and pushing the door to enter, it is unique. In the large Bai courtyard, the natural fragrance of wood exudes, and young craftsmen are carving carefully.
For example, at the entrance of a small coffee shop, there are chasing and playing children running past with dogs, and lazy cats stretching wantonly through the glass windows.
In September, when the tide of tourists recedes, there are not many tourists in Shaxi. Except for people like us who come to shoot, carrying equipment with long guns and short cannons, there are more idlers in twos and threes, and a cup of coffee can sit for the whole afternoon.
Foreign faces are often met. How many people have trekked mountains and rivers and crossed oceans just because of this unique and simple atmosphere.
On the way to Shaxi, friends kept sending messages, asking if they wanted to go to the Shibao Mountain Song Club. If you go, be sure to take some photos to share.
After checking the information, it turned out that we were so lucky to meet the annual Shibaoshan Song Festival. This is a prosperous festival for the Bai people, and it is a song festival that has lasted for thousands of years.
How lucky it is to come from the Millennium Bazaar and go to a Millennium Song Festival.
The Jianchuan Shibao Mountain Song Festival is held every year from July 27th to 29th in the lunar calendar, and lasts for 3 days. At this time, tens of thousands of young men, women and singers of the Bai nationality from Jianchuan and neighboring counties such as Dali and Lijiang gather in Shibaoshan, playing and singing love songs of the Bai nationality in the mountains and plains, even in front of solemn statues. The lyrics are tactful, beautiful, and beautiful, in order to commemorate a legendary young and beautiful female singer two thousand years ago, and at the same time make new friends and even find a lifelong partner.
It is said that in Nanzhao period, there was a beautiful Bai female singer who sang beautiful and melodious tunes in Baoxiang Temple for 3 days and 3 nights, and finally died peacefully while singing. People say that she is the "God of Music" who came down to earth, so they respect her as "Qumu". And built a tomb for her in Shibaoshan. From now on, all those who go to Shibaoshan to sing antiphonally, no matter men or women, must first kowtow in front of Qumu's grave. It is said that only in this way can you sing well, and you can fall in love with your loved one in the antiphonal song.
Naturally, young people are not the only ones who go up the mountain to sing antiphonally. Regardless of men, women, old or young, as long as they go up the mountain, they have to stretch their voices to their heart's content.
Along the way, I followed the singing. The accent of the Bai nationality is not understood, but they don't care at all. The smiles on the face and the happiness melted into the singing have already reached the heart.