Starting from Pu'er on the southern Yunnan road, transfer to Dali, then go north to Lijiang and Shangri-La, pass through Diqing and Deqin passages along the way, and arrive at the Tibetan area. This is probably the trade route of the Yunnan-Tibet Road, the "Tea-Horse Ancient Road" in Yunnan.
On this trade route, there are scattered ancient cities and market towns of all sizes, row after row of ancient tea-horse towns, some of which are well-known at home and abroad, and have been labeled as popular tourist destinations, attracting tourists to gather and visit; some are still hidden. Outside of the public's perception, there are only a few travelers who have the courage to pursue and capture fragments of the old times through word of mouth.
The ancient town of Shaxi in Jianchuan is the slightly mysterious market town mentioned by travelers.
On the thousand-year-old post road that the tea-horse trade market has passed, it is a prosperous town where horses in groups and groups of goods are pounding with half-inch hooves amidst the muffled sound of horse bells. Changes, after the disappearance of the caravan, the "remoteness" here has preserved the ancient town heritage that has been baptized and accumulated by the tea-horse culture.
What attractions can be visited in Shaxi Ancient Town? Please follow the guide and don't miss it.
1. Ancient stage
Architecture is the most direct symbol of whether an ancient town has preserved the culture that has been passed down for hundreds of years. When you come to Shaxi, the most striking thing is the ancient stage located on the west side of Sifang Street, which is the most representative landmark in the ancient building complex.
The wooden components of the ancient stage fully demonstrate the superb craftsmanship of Jianchuan carpenters. Dougong is carved, layered, gorgeous and complicated. No matter from which angle you look at it, you can feel the beauty of the geometric space of the building complex.
The ancient stage is a platform for Shaxi's local culture to bloom vigorously. During festivals, the children of the Bai ethnic group in costumes will play the dragon's head sanxian and sing and dance here.
During the heyday of the tea-horse trade, it was the place where caravans and merchants from south to north traded. Here, the goods that need to be transported are put on horseback here, and the goods brought here from afar are unloaded, waiting for quotations from merchants.
2. Xingjiao Temple
The west side of Sifang Street is the ancient stage, and the east side is Xingjiao Temple. According to records, in the thirteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, the temple was expanded and named Xingjiao Temple, which has a history of more than 600 years.
After the formation of the Ancient Tea Horse Road Fair centered on Xingjiao Temple, Sifang Street in the ancient town became known as Sideng Street.
It is no accident that the ancient stage and Xingjiao Temple in Shaxi Ancient Town appear in the west and east directions of the core area of the ancient town, echoing each other from a distance. They are the "shelters" for the soul and spirit of the caravan business travelers who shuttled through the mountains and valleys, trekked through the rapids and shoals, and struggled in the virgin forest on the ancient tea-horse road.
Take a seat under the ancient locust tree on Sifang Street, drink a cup of Shaxi fine wine or taste a cup of tea, maybe you can imagine that there used to be an endless stream of caravans passing by here, and the ancient music of Dongjing and Bawang whip dance on the stage competed in turn. Xingjiao Temple can not be concealed by the incense and smoke, the heyday scene lingering out.
3. Ouyang Courtyard
The Ouyang family used to be a prominent family in Sideng Street. According to the genealogy, the ancestors moved from Luling, Jiangxi during the Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, Ouyang Jing, who was born in Maguotou, became the richest man in Shaxiba, so he built the most magnificent Ouyang compound.
Ouyang Courtyard is slightly unique in the residential courtyards of Shaxi Ancient Town. It surpasses the single traditional Bai nationality architectural form of three squares and one screen wall. On the basis of following the tradition, it skillfully maximizes the dual functions of folk houses and horse shops. .
The gate of Ouyang Courtyard is carved with the unique red sandstone in Shaxi. The gate pier and facade are exquisitely carved, full of changes everywhere, showing grandeur in its stability.
The compound cleverly combines the dual functions of a residential house and a horse shop, creating the legend of the "five-star luxury horse shop" on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road. If you had come 100 years earlier, maybe you would have personally experienced the five-star treatment of this horse shop.
4. Ancient Town Zhaimen
There are three village gates in Shaxi ancient town, east, south and north, respectively guarding the three main entrances of the ancient town. Different from other ancient towns, the village gate has a strong sense of local original ecology.
The Dongzhai Gate, a rammed-earth building, retains the local traditional architectural skills. The adobe wall gate that only allows two horses to pass through at the same time is also called "Jiezi Gate" by the villagers.
Nanzhaimen is the most accessible entrance to Sifang Street from the outside world. Nanzhaimen is connected to Nanguzong Lane, which is the place with the most old houses in the ancient town. Every evening, when the setting sun shines in the west, a feeling of nostalgia for "the ancient road, the west wind and the thin horse" will arise spontaneously in your heart.
5. Street alley
From Dongzhai Gate to the inside, stepping on the bluestone road, there are ancient shops standing quietly on both sides of the narrow and long alley. There are two other "street alleys" like this, connecting the north and south Zhaimen respectively.
In Nanguzong Lane, such mottled old walls seem to have been baptized by hundreds of years.
Let an alley go to the houses, and the years of history in the ancient town will leave layers of marks on the houses.
6. Heilongjiang
Originating from the mountains in the west of Lijiang, it flows westward through the southeast of Jianchuan County and is called the Heilongjiang River after passing through Jianhu Lake.
The Heilongjiang River flowing from north to south is adjacent to Shaxi Ancient Town, an important town that rose through the tea-horse trade. The former prosperity brought by the caravan trade to this ancient market has been integrated into this never-ending river and flows into history. deep.
Whether it is the bustling caravan business travelers at that time, or the tourists who come to find the beauty of the quiet town today, the breeze and mist on the Heilongjiang River are an unexpected gift from nature to travelers who visit this town.
In the early morning, the water mist rising from the river disturbs the surrounding mist, covering the surrounding farmland, cottages and distant mountains. The ancient trading town in the plateau mountainous area has the life atmosphere of a Jiangnan water town. . Only then will you feel how prescient the Ouyang family decided to settle here hundreds of years ago.
7. Yujin Bridge
Heilong River and Yujin Bridge are inseparable in Shaxi. Only when the mist dissipated did we see the ancient bridge. This is a wonder of the ancient town.
The history of this arched stone bridge can be traced back to the Kangxi period. It is said that this was an important passage for caravans to enter Shaxi Ancient Town from Dali.
After hundreds of years of hard work and through the precarious war years, the sound of the waves of the Heilongjiang River is still there, and the arched Yujin Stone Bridge is still silent.
Strolling on the Yujin Bridge and riding a horse along the Heilongjiang River are the best choices for visiting the scenic spots outside the ancient town.
As a traveler, whether you drive there by yourself or arrive by public transportation, the journey to Shaxi Ancient Town is "difficult". market" among the reasons.
It is too remote, because of the decline of caravan trade, it has been forgotten, and it has preserved the historical traditions that have not been invaded by modernization as much as possible, and has become a hidden ancient town; it is too prosperous, because "the only surviving ancient market The concept of "city" has brought heat and attraction to the ancient town in the dissemination of tourism culture, making it open and embrace like never before, to welcome travelers who want to come here to pursue the beauty of ancient style, ecology and tranquility.
I hope that travelers can evoke the unique feeling brought by this ancient market during the journey of searching for the prosperous Shaxi in the past.