"Historical Songs" - Wubao, the ancient city in the south of the Yangtze River in northern Shaanxi

Wubao, this is the first time I know the name of this county, although I have been to Yulin City, which governs it, more than ten times.

In December 2020, I was invited to give a tourism lecture in Wubao County and was able to visit the scenic spots here.

Wubao Stone City is the most famous attraction in Wubao. It is said to have a history of 1,600 years. The entire city and the buildings in the city are made of stone. In fact, this is the real Wubao County seat.

Wubao Stone City covers an area of ??about 110 acres. It is not large, but it is small but has all five internal organs. The city has government agencies such as county offices, prisons, military camps, and academies, as well as markets and shopping streets for buying and selling goods. , medicine shop, iron shop, residential areas for officials and common people, as well as the Confucian Temple, Wu Temple, Guanyin Temple, Dragon King Temple, Niangniang Temple, Kuixing Pavilion, Chenghuang Temple, Yaowang Temple and other places for gods and Buddhas, and there are even dedicated A girls' school for girls.

Most of the remaining buildings in Shicheng have been dilapidated and collapsed. This was due to the force of nature, the influence of residents' activities, and the atrocities of the Japanese army. The martial temple dedicated to Emperor Guan Sheng was blown up in the bombardment. In the spring of 1938, the Japanese army occupied Luliang City on the other side of the Yellow River. In order to cross the Yellow River, they set up cannons on Jade Emperor Peak to bombard the ancient city. The locals said that Mr. Guan resisted the Japanese artillery shells and protected the people. There are still dense craters on the stone wall next to the collapsed martial arts temple.

The Confucian Temple is not far from the Wu Temple and is not big. It has only six stone kilns. It should be regarded as the smallest Confucian Temple in China. The two main kilns once enshrined Confucius, the most holy master of Dacheng and Mencius, the sub-sage. Now the walls The skin has peeled off and only a few vague paintings or calligraphy remain. Several auxiliary kilns nearby were enclosed by earthen walls to raise pigs in the 1980s. If Confucius had a spirit, he would definitely linger and sigh.

The shopping street consists of simple rows of stone cave dwellings. Almost all the cliffs on the right side of the road have collapsed, leaving only five or six kilns on the left. Because the dirt road is muddy after rain, residents have continued to build it with loess for decades. The road surface is now more than one meter higher than the shops, making the shops sunk under the roadbed look more like pig pens or cattle pens. Looking at the simple stone kiln put together in front of me, it is hard to imagine how the merchants in those days could survive the hot summer and cold and do business while huddled in such a crude environment.

I have watched the TV series "Walking to the West Exit", which tells the story of Shanxi merchants going out of Yanmen Pass in the wind and snow to do business in Inner Mongolia. In fact, many Shanxi merchants crossed the Yellow River from Luliang to the west to make a living in northern Shaanxi. , they started by selling needles, threads and brains, and saved their belongings with one or two pennies. In the end, some became wealthy businessmen, and some lived in poverty all their lives. There were once vivid faces in this small shopping street in front of me. I don’t know how many people returned to their hometowns to build houses and donate bridges, how many people lost contact with their families, and how many people had their bodies scrawled in other places, but they are still there. Being looked forward to every day by his family. "Pity the bones by the Wuding River, especially the people in the boudoir dream." This poem suddenly appeared in my mind, which made me feel uncomfortable.

We walked half a circle around the former city wall, and there were steep cliffs at our feet. I was curious why the city walls here rarely had protective walls. After asking, I found out that it was in the 1960s and 1970s. The era was pushed down the mountain by the naughty kids at that time. Then I thought about it, maybe the protective wall here was not designed to be strong, but to fool enemies who wanted to sneak attack. If it was pulled hard, it would collapse, and the people and the protective wall stones would roll down, becoming a very lethal weapon.

Walking all the way in the stone city, I touched the stone bricks and tiles with my hands. Most of these red sandstones from thousands of years ago have been cracked by the sun, rain, ice and snow. The gap was like the deep wrinkles on the forehead of an octogenarian. I suddenly understood that stones also age.

Asked about the origin of this stone city, Bai Yanlong, deputy director of the Wubao County Culture and Tourism Bureau, said that the stone city may have been built by King Helian Bobo of the Great Xia Kingdom, or it may have been built by the Han people who guarded the border at the same time.

I have been to Jingbian, where there is Tongwan City built with soil by Helian Bobo. Even though it is so dilapidated that there is no complete building, in the desolate atmosphere, Tongwan City only has broken walls. It is still magnificent and extraordinary. Who would have thought that Wu Fort, a city made of pure stone, might also be his handiwork. If Helianbobo was not a king, he would probably be a very imaginative architect.

Some scholars once supported the view that Wubao Stone City was built by the Han people, but they said that the name Wubao came from "Wu'er Fort", which was built by the Huns for prisoners of war who were captured and enslaved by the southern Han people. Camp, this name refers to the humiliation of the Han nation. Deputy Director Bai strongly rebutted, saying that Wubao Shicheng is not Wuerbao. I don’t agree with this argument. The reason is very simple. Anyone who has a little knowledge of ancient military will know the consequences of giving up strategic high ground to the enemy. The so-called condescension. The so-called overwhelming force means that Daxia people would only use such a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack to detain prisoners unless they are crazy or stupid.

Historically, nomads used to dig a deep pit in the ground and build a stone wall around it, or imprison them directly in a pit, such as Su Wu and Emperor Qinhui of the Song Dynasty. In a dry well. Therefore, Wubao Stone City is definitely not a prisoner of war camp. It may have been built by Helian Bobo, but it is more likely that the Han government, which retreated to the east of the Yellow River, built a strategic fortress on the west bank of the Yellow River, just like Hangu Pass of the Qin State during the Warring States Period. In Yan'an during the Liberation War, Wubao Stone City was easy to defend but difficult to attack. If you advanced, you could attack the entire northern Shaanxi area. If you retreat, you would be afraid of pursuing enemies.

The ancient ferry in Shanxi on the other side is called Jundu. It is a place where troops are gathered to cross the river. As long as they cross the Yellow River, soldiers and materials will continuously support this indestructible castle. Only with such strategic significance, Wu Fort can It will be called "Tongwu Fort".

The current aboriginal in Shicheng is an old man in his nineties. When I went to see him, he was in good spirits, but after all, he is old and will die one day. With the departure of the last aboriginal, Shicheng has completely lost the company of its direct descendants. Only irrelevant passers-by such as tourists and staff come and go. What does these critical passers-by have to do with Shicheng? The silent and lonely Shicheng will only become more silent and lonely.

Standing in Shicheng, you can see the towering mountains at your feet, the majestic Yellow River a little further away, and the Luliang Mountains in the distance. If Helian Bobo had been here back then, he would have felt as if he had swallowed up the great rivers and mountains. As I stand here today, I have mixed feelings. I feel sorry for the beauty of the river and mountains, but also regret the dilapidated current situation.

For a few minutes, I stared at a weathered and cracked stone, sighing for myself in my heart. If Shicheng can live for more than a thousand years, how long can I, a transient passerby, live? Everyone hopes to live a long life, but if there are only two choices in life, then is it better to live a longer life, like a stone, without consciousness, or is it better to live a short and exciting life? I once thought about this question in front of the dilapidated old house in Dayu, Qinling Mountains, and asked this question in front of the Laozi statue in Louguantai. But today I still have no answer here, and I find myself a little sad.

The Monument of Chairman Mao’s Eastward Crossing was built on the bank of a section of the Yellow River with gentle water flow. Deputy Director Bai Yanlong showed me a precious video: Premier Zhou was helped onto the boat by the little soldiers, and Chairman Mao Under the protection of the soldiers, they boarded the boat steadily, and the offshore boat brought their life in northern Shaanxi to an end. No one thought at the time that with this move, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China would leave northern Shaanxi and move towards the victory of the national revolution. A year and a half later, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed.

According to the memorial hall’s information, Chairman Mao seemed to be deep in thought before boarding the boat. He paced back and forth on the shore and smoked two cigarettes. I stood at the ferry, wanting to feel the atmosphere and state of mind of the great man at that time, but it was so cold today that the huge Yellow River was frozen, leaving only a narrow gap for the river water carrying ice and snow to move slowly and calmly. It flowed by, so I ran towards the car waiting for me not far away before I started to feel it. On the way, I suddenly understood the eight words in Chairman Mao's "Qinyuanchun·Snow": The river flows up and down, suddenly it stops flowing. I have always thought that this is a more symbolic meaning than a realistic modification, but it turns out to be a faithful description of nature. No wonder this poem is so magnificent. It turns out to be the magnificence of this place, and it turns out to be the magnificence of the world in the author's mind.

Erqi is said to be the most dangerous place next to Hukou. Even if it is minus ten degrees here, and even if other sections of the river are frozen solid, the water in Erqi is still rolling. Galloping and roaring, the river kept beating against the embankment every moment and every second, emitting a frightening roar.

Standing in Erqi, I can feel the wild and thick primitive atmosphere from the ancient Yellow River. This is the temperament of the mother river that gave birth to Chinese civilization. Unlike the current Yellow River in Shanxi and Henan, Normally he is very docile, but when he gets angry, he causes trouble to everyone. His temper is unpredictable and surly. While I was meditating, Deputy County Magistrate He Xiang pressed the shutter button of my camera for me.

Deputy Director Bai saw that I was reluctant to leave for a long time and said: Let me sing you a folk song from northern Shaanxi. After saying that, he stood there, and the melodious Xin Tianyou erupted from his mouth and chest. The screams shook his ears and floated into the air, causing the ice floes to gradually slow down. I thought of a picture: in the cold winter, the trackers were pulling the cargo ship forward with no shirts. Big beads of sweat kept falling. Everyone was exhausted, but they thought of the pretty girl standing against the door, looking forward to her return home. , thinking of the hot kang and the simmering mutton, everyone tightened the ropes and sang the sad but sweet Xintianyou even harder.

Now that there is a bridge on the Yellow River and railways and highways are connected to the land, no one needs these men who pull fiber optic cables anymore. Those Yellow River trackers who have lost their means of livelihood and are getting old, I don’t know if there is anything left in the pot. The fragrant stewed mutton, is there a beautiful woman in a red coat and green trousers who is eagerly waiting for you in your dream?

The current Wubao County is one of the few counties in China that does not have traffic lights. Because the county is not big and the people in Wubao are polite, people do not have to worry about running red lights and getting fines. Also because there are few people, most of them are relatives. Relatives, they can't say more than three words before they realize they are a family, so there is nothing to argue about. When the road is narrow, they will look at each other's surroundings and someone will immediately back up to give way, and there will rarely be a stalemate or unpleasantness.

Deputy Director Hao Genxi of the Culture and Tourism Bureau said that he would recognize any local car coming across the road. I believe this. There are less than 80,000 people in Wubao County, and the county’s permanent population is only two or three. Thousands of people make this place one of the smallest counties in Shaanxi.

The women in Wubao are very beautiful. I often see white-faced, slender women walking by on the streets or riding electric bicycles. If I look closely, I can see the charm and charm of Jiangnan women. This makes me believe it more and more. The Wubao people are indeed descendants of Jiangnan people, but many friends from other places are skeptical of my statement and cannot believe that such a gentle woman can be born in this barren and desolate northern Shaanxi.

Let’s talk about the place name of Wubao. As mentioned before, it is related to the Han regime at that time. To be precise, it should be related to the people of Wu. We have no way of knowing the origin of these Wu people, but regardless of it They came to defend the city and border, were forced to immigrate, or were captured. In short, their ancestors have lived here for generations. In the process, they not only intermarried with the local people, but also persistently protected their hometown culture. Therefore, the customs here are slightly different from those in other counties in Yulin. For example, the Spring Festival folk dance called "land boat" in the north is called "water boat". On Dragon Boat Festival, instead of worshiping Qu Yuan, worship Wu Zixu. When the girl in the family comes out of the palace, she is given a pair of fish. This should be a memory of the life in the south. Moreover, it is said that people in Wubao and Zhenjiang speak different dialects when they face each other, and everyone can understand each other. However, people in Suide County, Shenmu County and other places nearby cannot understand the dialects of Wubao people.

After visiting the scenic spots in Wubao, I took the green low-speed train back to Xi'an. I opened the Baidu map and found that the terrain of Wubao was like a northern Shaanxi province wearing a white sheep belly handkerchief. Old man. The old man lowered his head, his tired and sleeping body curled up and leaning against the gentle curve of the Yellow River. In his groggy dream, he saw his hometown in the south of the Yangtze River that was already mottled and blurred.

ps: Mr. Li Guangze, the Propaganda Minister of Wubao County, told about Wubao County’s masterpiece "A Small Town by the Yellow River" which was published by the People’s Daily. In comparison, my writing is much inferior. Now, his The link is posted here, please read it: /article/6070119/5982025

Completed in December 2020