The History and Culture of Minqin Guild Hall

When it comes to Minqin's immigrant culture, we can't help but mention the Dizang Temple, which is located outside the south gate of Balikun Seoul. This temple was built in the second year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty and donated by Minqin merchants, so it is also called Minqin Guild Hall. On the occasion of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, every year on the 16th day of the fifth lunar month, Minqin people from the western part of the town would gather here for a "party". At that time, all the culture, entertainment and customs of Minqin's hometown will be displayed here, and Minqin ditty is the most popular reserved program here. Balikun was once called "the temple crown of Xinjiang" in Qing Dynasty. According to "Local Records of Town West", since "during Daoguang period, there were temples in Ying Si, temples in Sanxiang and many temples, which made the county town spectacular". Due to its geographical location and superior natural conditions, Barkun was highly valued and painstakingly managed by successive dynasties. The advanced culture of the mainland has accumulated here for a long time, thus forming a unique immigrant culture in Zhenxi, where things meet and agriculture and animal husbandry coexist. The rare temple community in China is the epitome of this culture.

Balikun is an important town on the northern new road of the ancient Silk Road. Known as the "three major commercial ports" and "eight famous cities" in Xinjiang. During the prosperous period of Kangxi dynasty, there was a climax of reclamation by the army, people, houses and Qi Tun, and the wind of building temples also rose. There were 57 new temples in Seoul and Mancheng, with a population of 50 at that time. However, under the erosion of historical storms, many temple buildings in Balikun have become a thing of the past, but the Dizang Temple built by Minqin people is still as beautiful as before, which is another miracle in Minqin immigrant culture.

Dizang Temple is not a single temple, but the largest and most complete temple community in Xinjiang at present. The whole courtyard is north-south, covering an area of more than ten acres. The mountain gate is extremely magnificent, with two-story structure, upper stage and lower gate. Entering the mountain gate is the theater square, which is also a place for trade exchange. Lijin is a spectacular gazebo. Climbing the stairs and crossing the gazebo is a beautiful east-west wing. There is a couplet on the pillar of the wing: "Be appeased before appeasement, be appeased; The bridge is helpless and helpless. " Another couplet: "I have read the book, and I can't tell anyone anything."

Immigrant culture is a flowing and jumping culture, like a rushing river that breeds vitality and nourishes life. Culture has its unique forms of expression. A folk custom, a building and a ballad can all be the carrier of a culture, and people are the most active carrier and symbol of culture. In fact, China culture is also a kind of immigrant culture, which is very inclusive. For example, Hu Chuang in Wei Dynasty became a chair and stool in the Central Plains, and Indian Buddhism was introduced into China to become a Zen with its own national characteristics. There are countless examples of this.

In fact, the infiltration of Minqin immigrant culture into the culture of Zhenxi and other regions in Xinjiang is the blending and infiltration of the culture of the Central Plains and the culture of the western regions, which is not only reflected in architecture, diet, folk customs and so on, but also fully reflected in all aspects of production and life.

Ge Xiongjian believes that immigrants are the most active carriers of culture, and the culture they bring basically comes from the place of emigration, especially those who move into newly developed areas, sparsely populated areas and alien areas, and often maintain the culture of emigration quite tenaciously. Today, a considerable number of Minqin residents come from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and these immigrants moved in between Hongwu and Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than 400 years. However, after such a long time and space, the natural environment of Minqin Oasis has changed, but many humanistic traditions from Jiangnan water towns have been permanently inherited. Regardless of the political environment and economic conditions, Minqin people always forget to let their children go to school. They regard reading as the basis of their existence and survival. "This family has three liters of food and sends their children to school." Therefore, even in the crisis of survival, for today's Minqin people, they still have not abandoned the tradition of letting their children work as child laborers to earn money, nor have they given up their children's college entrance examination because of high tuition and fees, even if there is only a glimmer of hope. The enrollment rate of Minqin primary school has remained at 100% for a long time, the graduation rate of middle school has remained at 98% for a long time, and the enrollment rate of colleges and universities has remained above 70% for many years. In the fields of Minqin rural areas, it is difficult to find a farmer who has never studied, that is, in a desert pastoral area with few people, the shepherd behind the sheep, as long as he is Minqin, always has a junior high school education or above. Some people say that the reason for this phenomenon is that Minqin people can only get rid of poverty caused by ecological deterioration through further study. Although this view is not unreasonable, it is not entirely true, because as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, Minqin people have become a common practice in running schools. At that time, the ecology of Minqin Oasis did not deteriorate. This shows that the traditional origin of Minqin people respecting literature and teaching has a long history. Its source is Jiangsu and Zhejiang, where immigrants moved out, and its flow direction is Minqin, where immigrants moved in.