What is the history of Sophora japonica in Hong Tong?

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, politics was dark, the government imposed exorbitant taxes, and the people were miserable. The main battlefield of the peasant war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, which lasted for 17 years, was in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Huanghuai Plain, which made the Shandong area "white bones exposed in the wild, and there was no cock crow for thousands of miles." In Leling County, there are only over 400 households left. Wei county's surname is Li and Jin ... even the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang had to admit: "In the Central Plains, the Yuan Dynasty was the most war-torn and had few residents."

Unlike the Yuan government, which ruled the country by force, Zhu Yuanzhang was a thoughtful politician who knew how to develop the country's economy. At that time, agriculture accounted for 80% to 90% of the national economy, and the recovery of agriculture could not be separated from labor. The way to quickly restore the labor force is immigration. Immigrants swept the country in the early Ming Dynasty, and the most widely known was the migration of Sophora japonica in Hongdong, Shanxi.

It can be said that Shanxi was the best choice for immigrants at that time. According to historical records, when the Ming Dynasty was founded, the population of Shandong and Henan was less than 2 million, while the population of Shanxi actually reached more than 4 million. This is due to the special geographical location of Shanxi, with Luliang Mountain in the west and Taihang Mountain in the east. Under the protection of natural barriers, it is less affected by war. However, the northern part of Shanxi and Jinzhong are mountainous areas, and only the southern part of Shanxi can be cultivated, with a large population and little land, and people's lives are very bitter. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to move "the people in narrow townships to wide townships", and hundreds of thousands of Shanxi farmers had to leave their homes and move to Henan, Hebei, Shandong and other places. A migration tide that lasted for half a century began.

The Immigration Bureau is located in Guangji Temple in the north of Hongdong, Shanxi. Not far from Guangji Temple, there is a big pagoda tree with a diameter of more than 3 meters, which is regarded as a sacred tree by the people and is a landmark building of Hongdong. You put up posters, put up notices, concentrate the immigrants under the big pagoda tree to register, and send them "Chuandu" and "photos" to urge them to go on their way.

At that time, immigrants were all on foot. It takes seven days to walk quickly from Taiyuan to Hongdong, and eight days to walk slowly. It is impossible to concentrate all the immigrants from all over Shanxi in Hongdong. But the locust tree is a symbol of immigration. When it comes to immigration, it is naturally associated with it.

The migration of Sophora japonica started in the early Ming Dynasty and lasted for more than 100 years. During the Hongwu period alone, hundreds of thousands of people moved out of Hongdong area. Some are directly distributed in Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui and other provinces, and some are indirectly distributed in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Northeast China, Inner Mongolia and other places.

In the process of land reclamation by immigrants, the state gives yellow cattle, seeds and land tax exemption for three years. Through the hard work of immigrants, the cultivated land area in the original desolate area has been greatly increased, agricultural production has been restored and developed, and at the same time, it has made contributions to consolidating border defense and promoting national integration and cultural exchanges.

Before leaving, most of the immigrants in these areas went through the migration procedures under the big locust tree in Hongdong, received the migration certificate issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, bid farewell to the past, and then went to a different place.

Because these immigrants went through the immigration formalities under the locust tree in Hongdong, they regarded this place as their hometown. Up to now, the proverb "Ask where my ancestors went, Sophora japonica in Hongdong, Shanxi" is still circulating in northern China.

Hong Tong Sophora Root-seeking Ancestor Garden, located in Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, is a national AAAA-level scenic spot, the only sacred place with the theme of "root-seeking" and "ancestor worship" in China, and a key cultural relic protection unit in Shanxi Province. The custom of ancestor worship is listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

The park is divided into three major theme areas: Immigrant Monument Area, Ancestor Sacrifice Activity Area and Folk Experience Area. There are more than 50 scenic and cultural attractions such as Beiting, the second and third generations of Sophora japonica, Millennium Sophora japonica root, ancestral hall, Guangji Temple, Shijinglou, immigrant relief map, memorial archway, the first generation of Sophora japonica (imitation) and Chinese surname garden.

The scenic spot adheres to diversified development and has formed three business segments: scenic spot, folk hotel and travel agency. It has become a comprehensive tourist service area integrating eating, living, traveling, shopping and entertainment, creating a hometown atmosphere for the descendants of Sophora japonica immigrants and meeting the needs of the descendants of immigrants for root-seeking, sightseeing, leisure, catering and shopping. For the descendants of immigrants, it is the best choice to have a deep cultural experience and understand the folk customs of their hometown.