Legends and allusions of tour guides: a historical and cultural walk in Tianjin (1)

In ancient Tianjin, according to the study of unearthed cultural relics, as early as the Warring States period, a number of ancestral settlements had been formed. However, during the Western Han Dynasty, a large-scale sea immersion occurred, and the coastal plain was flooded, leaving Wang Yang desolate. Later, with the formation of Haihe River system, settlements began to flourish. The earliest recorded village is called "Zhigu", which is located at the fork of the Haihe River, so it is also called "Sanchagu". Later generations once called Haihe River "Mother River" and Sanchakou "Cradle of Tianjin". The metaphor is vivid and friendly and deeply rooted in people's hearts. Zhigu lived by the river, and his ancestors used to fish for a living except farming, so the history book says that "it was just a fishing castle at first." There are few written records about the early humanistic mentality. Zhigu is located in the northern border, far from the Central Plains culture, and its development lags behind. The ancestors could not explain many natural phenomena, and they had a kind of fear, so they took the superstitious activities of worshipping gods to exorcise ghosts and praying for disaster relief as their spiritual pillar. This can be seen from the prayers and exorcism sacrifices of the gods buried in many tombs.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhist culture had spread to northern Xinjiang. During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin led troops to Liaodong, returned to North Korea through support, and stayed at Qingguo Temple on the Haihe River. Wei Chijingde, a colleague of the Duke of Hubei, hung his armor in the temple, and Li Shimin renamed it "Guajia Temple". This anecdote is not recorded in the official history, and belongs to the historical materials passed down from mouth to mouth. The description in the county annals is enough to be trusted. Therefore, Buddhism had spread to Zhigu at the latest in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, and there was more than one temple, Qingguo Temple. According to historical records, during the period from Yuan Dynasty to Mindfulness, a Tianzhu (India) monk named Haihui got married at Haihui Temple in the northwest of the city, indicating that Buddhism in Zhigu had formed a certain climate at that time. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the incense of Buddhist temples was flourishing day by day, and there were many temples inside and outside the city like stars, as evidenced by the pictures in "The Picture of Jinmen Jiabao".

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty, there were two poets in Tianjin: one was Shi Gao of Daci Academy, and the other was Cheng Heng of Guang Hai Temple. They made friends with celebrities, wrote poems and painted pictures, and spread them as stories of Zen forest. In modern times, two other eminent monks appeared: Hong Yi (Li Shutong) and Xu Xian (Wang Futing), who practiced rigorously and made great achievements. The former is honored as "the 11th ancestor of Nanshan Legalist School", while the latter is listed as "the 44th legal heir of Tiantai Sect", and their fame spreads far and wide at home and abroad. Therefore, the origin of Buddhist culture in Tianjin can not be ignored.

The capital of the Yuan Dynasty was Dadu (now Beijing), and grain, cloth and silk were given to the south of the Yangtze River, which opened up a maritime communication line, followed by water transport culture and Mazu culture. Zhi gu is the terminal of grain transportation. In order to pray for the safety of navigation, two Tianfei palaces (behind the Heavenly Palace) were built in zhi gu. When the grain carrier arrived, officials held a grand ceremony to worship the gods, which became a major event in zhi gu's social life, thus enlivening the businesses around Tianfei Palace. The establishment of Tianfei Palace can be regarded as the historical coordinate of Tianjin's urban development, so there is an old saying: "Tianhou Palace comes first, then Tianjin City." Tian Fei, Mazu, the legendary escort "goddess", has evolved into a "descendant empress" who also cares for women and children, including children, and has become a favorite idol of women in Jingu. Later, he was known as the "landlord of Sanjinfu" and seemed to be the patron saint of Tianjin. During the reign of Kangxi, a grand meeting (Emperor's Meeting) was held. The whole city is full of songs and dances, just like the "carnival" in the west. Mazu culture permeates the field of folk customs, which constitutes a major feature of Zhigu culture.

In the second year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1404), Tianjin was named, and the city was built by the garrison, which laid the cornerstone of urban development. In two years, it will celebrate its 600th anniversary. Tianjin set up a garrison and became a barrier to defend the capital. Garrison, vendors gathered, and the floating population surged, showing the characteristics of an immigrant city, as well as culturally.

"Tianjin Wei Zhi" said: "Tianjin is close to the East China Sea, so there are barren rocks and reeds. In the early years of Yongle, there were Fujian, Guangzhou, Wu, Chu and Qi." In other words, Tianjin accepted a large number of immigrants who were guarding the border, transporting grain, doing business and fleeing from the desert, accompanied by military culture, canal culture, Jianghuai culture, Fujian and Guangdong culture, Islamic culture, and especially language culture. According to linguists' investigation, Tianjin dialect with characteristics originated from Jianghuai, and the change of population composition has created Tianjin dialect. Islamic culture was introduced with the migration of Hui people. At the beginning of the Wei Dynasty, Tianqi Temple and Mu Zhuangzi (later merged into Tianmu Village) in northern Tianjin settled down and built mosques. Muslim cuisine has gradually spread and become an important part of Tianjin's food culture.

Four directions are mixed, customs are different, and immigrant culture enriches the connotation of Tianjin's history and culture.