Hometown (continued)

Baotou is a city with four distinct seasons. It is not particularly cold in winter and spring, but it is warm and pleasant at home. In autumn and summer, the sky is crisp and the fruits are fragrant. Every time I endure the cold in winter and the heat in summer in the south, I try my best to run back to Baotou to avoid the cold and heat. And every time I set foot in my hometown, my understanding of it can always be improved, and occasionally it will cause some feelings.

This is a typical immigrant city. There were nine reasons for building a city in ancient times, and Baotou flourished in modern times because of trade. In the meantime, it has spanned two thousand years, and Han soldiers and civilians stationed on the border, nomadic tribes who attacked and plundered, and merchants who bartered for profit have changed back and forth in this area like a flood. There have been four large-scale population movements in history. The famous "westward movement" is the actual scene of the fourth population migration.

By the second half of the19th century, Baotou had developed into the most famous fur, grain distribution center and flood and drought wharf in the north (Qiao Zhiyong, the "Qiao Family Courtyard" in Shanxi, made a fortune in business in Baotou, and his reputation spread far and wide). The local businessmen and farmers are mainly immigrants from Shanxi and Shaanxi, the Han population has returned to the dominant position, the Mongolian population has retired to the second place, and the Hui and Manchu populations have also increased greatly. With the rapid development of industry and commerce, Baotou's pivotal position is becoming more and more important.

? 1923, Baotou section of Pingsui Railway was opened to traffic;

1934, "Eurasia Air Mail Co., Ltd." built an airport in Baotou;

? 1937, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out and the Japanese army occupied Baotou;

1949 September19, "9? 19 "uprising, Baotou peaceful liberation;

From 65438 to 0955, Baotou City was listed as one of the eight cities under national key planning, which laid a modern urban pattern.

The thirty years after the founding of New China is undoubtedly the fastest growing period in Baotou. From a simple business town to a big city with complete modern industries, the urban population has rapidly increased from tens of thousands to millions. A large number of scientific and technological talents, management cadres, professional and technical workers from major cities all over the country, as well as many college graduates from all over the country, have also joined the industrial army to build Baotou. At one time, Baotou represented the highest level in China in many industrial manufacturing fields. Such an influx of talents has greatly improved the knowledge level of Baotou citizens. Subsequently, many people from different regions and backgrounds cooperated and merged with each other, and a large number of cross-group marriages and families appeared, which virtually improved the quality of the whole society to a great extent.

? As far as I can see, the relative inflow of all kinds of talents has reversed after the reform and opening up, and it has become increasingly serious. This can be seen from the language accent of Baotou market. Baotou used to be divided into three main cities, Donghe District, Kunming District and Qingshan District. Donghe is the old city of Baotou, mainly inhabited by the "indigenous" population of Baotou, who speaks Baotou "dialect" with Shanxi accent; Kunqu is a new district centered on Baotou Steel Group. Because the Soviet Union's aid to Baotou Steel is based on the personnel of Angang, the residents in the area speak Mandarin with a strong northeast accent. There are several large enterprises directly under the central government in Qingshan District, and the internal backbone workers come from all over the country. Therefore, people in Qingshan District speak standard Mandarin, which is the result of the collision of northern and southern accents.

In recent years, with the acceleration of social circulation, in large and medium-sized cities in various dialect areas, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, it can be clearly seen that the daily language in public places in the market is gradually changing from their respective dialects to Putonghua. However, I found that only in Baotou is the opposite. This time, this feeling is even more obvious. Whether you are in Qingshan or Kunqu Opera, whether you are in a restaurant or on the street, just listening to the noisy background sound, you think you are in the East River. If you look closely, you will find that most of those accents are "Yimeng dialect" and "Wumeng dialect", which is a rural dialect in Inner Mongolia and more local than "local dialect" (this description is not intended to discriminate). If a large number of people migrate and flow in a certain place, it will inevitably promote the spread of "common language" in the local society. The wider the areas, industries and strata involved by the floating population, the better the citizens' acceptance and integration of "Putonghua".

? From this, I want to judge that although there will be a phenomenon of "peacocks flying southeast" in mainland cities all over the country, today's Baotou is more obviously showing a one-way outflow of talents between provinces. Industry and commerce, state-owned enterprises lack highly educated and energetic people from other provinces to join (of course, this person does not mean people who only "release water" after the national enrollment expansion), and even leaders of governments and institutions mostly speak "local dialect" and "Inner Mongolia dialect".

It is further inferred that the "upper class" of Baotou society is seriously closed. This is very unfavorable to the development of the whole society! Most people who live in the backbone of society are not sober entrepreneurs, but a group of "passionate" mine owners and coal bosses, as well as various brokers who are convenient for public rights and private use. The phenomenon of "inbreeding" between government leaders at all levels and many large enterprises is quite serious. They controlled their interests and formed gangs, making it difficult for outsiders to have room for development and rise, which led to the rapid decline of Baotou's industrial image. According to my own personal experience in the past two years, the production technology level, management efficiency, development prospects, staff quality and professionalism of local enterprises are not optimistic.

No matter who flatters, his heart will be distorted, and his serious skills will be abandoned as long as they take advantage. And if people lose their true intentions and come out to mix, they will have to pay back sooner or later!

? Thanks to resources, Baotou's municipal construction is still good at present-it has been rated as a national civilized city for many times; There are many parks and excellent urban greening. Perhaps it is the cause of climate change, or it may be the result of decades of environmental transformation. The cold yellow sand weather that I often experienced as a child has been greatly reduced, and the urban living environment has become more and more glamorous and pleasant. However, I think that in the long run, the urban modernization of Baotou is only a kind of shoddy follow-up and imitation, and it has not combined its own advantages to create a more ecological and livable development concept, so as to achieve competitive transcendence over other cities.

? Baotou is actually on the old road of the Yellow River. For tens of millions of years, the Yellow River has been swaying between Yinshan Mountain and Ordos Plateau, and after numerous diversions, it is also alluvial that has created the Hetao Plain. I guess that the ice flood in winter in this area is the main reason for a series of siltation, flooding and diversion of the Yellow River. Decades ago, every family had a vegetable cellar for storing winter vegetables, which had to be dug more than two meters deep. On the pit wall, you can see that there are many sand and gravel layers mixed in the soil, which should be one of the evidences that the river has changed its course many times. For Baotou, whether the land is suitable for farming depends mainly on whether the surface is covered with soil or sandy soil, in addition to the limitation of water resources. In particular, the vegetation in Yinshan Mountain is scarce, washed away by heavy rains and floods, and the sand and stones are seriously discharged. There are many large stone beaches and wasteland between and around Baotou City. Therefore, for urban construction and development, Baotou is not short of land resources. The key is to have a specific, reasonable and forward-looking municipal development plan to guide it.

Now the urban landscape of Baotou is not much different from that of big cities in China. There are many tall buildings and traffic jams. In fact, urban development should have its own characteristics, just like individuals. If you just follow and imitate others blindly, you will eventually lose yourself. I also believe that the healthy development of cities should not be based on the unilateral pursuit of urban expansion, GDP scale and population increase, but should be livable and sustainable development.

Looking at the increasingly crowded blocks, I really want to ask: Baotou really needs to build many commercial and residential buildings with 30 to 40 floors. Is it difficult to be grounded? The concept that China people attach importance to construction and neglect maintenance must be changed. The operating cost and energy consumption index of high-rise buildings are quite high, and the maintenance and updating of equipment in the future is even more troublesome and obstacles. The emergence of skyscrapers around the world does not rule out the need to pursue luxury and decency, but it is more to cope with the urban dilemma with a large population and less land. In Baotou, giving up the land advantage and building a large number of super-high-rise buildings not only runs counter to the concept of energy conservation and environmental protection, but also causes unbearable pressure on the road network now and in the future, making citizens farther and farther away from healthy and livable community life. Many high-end people yearn for small European cities in their hearts and words, and developers are also posturing to create exotic scenery for various real estate communities. But why is Baotou stepping on modern new shoes in urban infrastructure planning and construction, and still taking the old road like Rio, Mumbai or Beijing?

Baotou city is long and narrow, just enough to keep the original farmland and green space and develop the abandoned wasteland into a low-density residential star city. This can not only transform and beautify the original harsh environment, but also increase the characteristics and attractiveness of the city. Moreover, if Baotou continues to build a super-high house like a pie, who will the house eventually be sold to? Do you really dream of moving half the Inner Mongolians into Baotou? Don't you know that natural resources are limited anywhere? The reasonable scale of a city's development depends not on the determination of politicians, the wishes of citizens and the areas under its jurisdiction, but on water, transportation and environment.

The mistakes in the planning and construction of the new city must be related to the subconscious of leaders pursuing political achievements or pursuing rapid promotion and wealth. Standing on a high place as an official, his vision is just similar to that of Wang, pursuing face-saving projects, copying thousands of copies and demolishing large buildings. In the end, what he can put on the city will only be a pseudo-modern coat.

At the beginning of this month, I went to Baotou to sweep the graves of adults, and I saw a large demolition site on the road. Afterwards, I heard that the original youth farm was converted into Tara Park in Sai Han a few years ago, claiming to be the largest urban grassland in Asia, which attracted many tourists. Now the government wants to increase the so-called city card effect and make it the largest in the world, so what is in front of us is a big demolition. Regardless of the reasonable expenditure of public finance and the effective use of existing social facilities, blindly striving for fame and profit should be a typical face-saving project.

? Face, in the minds of people here, seems to be becoming more and more important. From full moon, round lock, further education, employment, housewarming, marriage, funeral, etc. There are dozens of banquets. Related gifts range from hundreds to thousands. Some people regard this follower as an investment and call it "going to business". I'm afraid this vanity and glitz are second to none in the country. Obviously, the neighborhood relationship here is also weakening, and the emotional connection between people has not become closer, but the superficial communication form is much more complicated. Perhaps the reason is that the face factor is at work.

Speaking of tourism, I can't help thinking that someone once defined tourism and travel separately. Tourism means that everything is based on the principle of comfort, happiness, smoothness and delicacy, and generally goes straight to famous scenic spots. Travel can also be expressed as fleeing from one tired place to another, hoping to find a different comfortable feeling, but it often backfires, because there is no difference in thinking habits and behavior except the change of place. Travel is to explore and discover the unknown with a completely different mentality, focusing on experience, feeling and cultivation.

I think the world may not be so clear about travel, but there is a difference between the two. This time, I took my son to visit the site of Qin Changcheng, which was built in Guyang County in the north of Baotou City. Looking at the Qin Changcheng built on the gravel at the foot, I really have a thousand-year reverie in my heart.

? Songs praising the motherland include: Yangtze River, Great Wall, Huangshan Mountain and Yellow River. These are all scenic spots that can represent the image of China. From a more subdivided point of view, the Yangtze River, Huangshan Mountain and Yellow River may be classified as natural landscapes, while the Great Wall is regarded as human landscapes (in fact, there will be intersections), and human landscapes are bound to have a very close relationship with history and culture.

? Most people in China are proud of the Great Wall. Speaking of the Great Wall in Wan Li, it has a long history. Qin Shihuang built the Great Wall, and Meng Jiangnu cried for it. It is not a true man to reach the Great Wall. For most people, the ultimate realization may be to climb Badaling or Mutianyu's Ming Great Wall.

So, are we competing to climb the Great Wall in order to be heroes? Or meditate on the past, fondle the present and recall the past? Or have you been to another landmark just to commemorate it? Answering this question may be confusing. But for a mature person, meditation is indispensable in life. If we can find out the real purpose of working hard for it, traveling will be more meaningful. I also believe that people will have humanistic plots that trace back to history when traveling. However, it is undeniable that the magnificent posture, world-famous pictures and convenient transportation make the Great Wall of Ming naturally become the object of admiration. In contrast, 1600 years ago in Qin Changcheng, people just said casually, and most people don't even know where Qin Changcheng is today.

? I didn't know much about Qin Changcheng in Baotou before. I believe that among Baotou people, there are not a few who have made a special trip to the Ming Great Wall in Beijing. However, in my hometown, few people have been to this more historic Great Wall.

? If we borrow the previous point of view, it is that people who "travel" prefer to choose the Ming Great Wall as their goal, because from their point of view, Qin Changcheng is far less shocking and impressive than the Ming Great Wall. Qin Changcheng is suitable for "travelers" to explore, because through Qin Changcheng, they can learn more about history.

? Whether it is the "humble" Qin Changcheng or the "finely decorated" Ming Great Wall, for the ancients who built the Great Wall in those days, they all set out from the perspective of preparing for disasters, rather than building landscapes and repairing scenic spots for future generations. Therefore, the preferences of future generations cannot reflect their value, and it is only possible to compare their advantages and disadvantages under their respective historical conditions.

Both Qin Changcheng and the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty are the crystallization of their respective national wisdom, and both of them have shown the value of existence for a long time. But from a historical point of view, I think Qin Changcheng is more active. Textbooks often associate the tyranny of Qin Shihuang with the construction of the Great Wall, but compared with the long and thick Qin Changcheng, the magnificent and perfect Ming Great Wall is more like a face-saving project that wastes people and money. Qin Changcheng belongs to local materials. The Qin Changcheng I saw was built on the north side of the ridge, rammed with dark brown stones of different sizes. According to the estimation of the remnants seen now, the outer side of the city wall is three or four meters high on average, the inner side is about two meters, and the top is about one to two meters wide. To put it bluntly, it is really a high stone wall. But considering that it stretches for thousands of miles in inaccessible mountainous areas, how amazing the workload should be!

? The Great Wall of Ming Dynasty is a "finely crafted" work. It is made of neat stones, blue bricks and mortar, supplemented by various functional facilities. As far as I know, during the 200-odd years of the Ming Dynasty, the construction of the Great Wall was basically uninterrupted, and the scale of the project may be dozens or even hundreds of times that of Qin Changcheng.

? In the face of the magnificent ancient building project, future generations will admire its magic greatness, but seldom care that millions of people have to work like cattle and horses for a lifetime because of it, and even the miserable life of slavery has to last for hundreds of years among the people, affecting many generations. Because of this, I also doubt whether the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty will oppress and exploit the people less than the looting of the customs by foreigners because there is no Great Wall.

? Judging from the offensive and defensive mentality, Qin built the Great Wall for practical reasons. The Great Wall is just a bunker, semi-open, with both offensive and defensive capabilities. On the favorable terrain, it does not hinder our own attack. Therefore, it is true that Qin Jun is the teacher of tigers and wolves, which shows that he has courage and resourcefulness. However, the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty revealed timidity, striving for safety, regardless of cost. Its Great Wall is completely enclosed, imagining that as long as one's own side stays inside, the enemy will be helpless. Therefore, under the influence of the guiding ideology of seeking only defense but not attack, its army will naturally become weaker and weaker.

Comparing China and foreign countries, the Great Wall of Ming Dynasty is like maginot line. The commanders of both sides thought that investing heavily in indestructible fortifications would ensure the peace of the border once and for all. I don't know, at the critical moment, a treacherous lead caused by one's reckless behavior and the clever detour of the enemy will sweep away the advantages accumulated by a country and a dynasty for a long time at a great price!

From this point of view, is it wiser and more active for Qin people to build the Great Wall?

In my heart, there are many things related to my hometown. Hometown, like parents, is something you can't choose. I have deep feelings for this land, but I will not blindly praise the people and things on it, and of course I will not deliberately belittle it. I hope that in a few years, I can return to the familiar northern country, or more likely, I will wrap a piece of sand between the Yellow River and Yinshan Mountain, and use modern automatic control technology to create an ecological agriculture with the same characteristics as Israel to settle down in my heart. Of course, if this is a cause, it will be safe to work hard for it.

Enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lingshan for a long time, and then feel obligated to wipe a handful of barren beach green. This is not from any abstract doctrine, but a simple and natural feeling in my heart!