Introduction: In the ten years I have been in Xi’an, no one told me about such a beautiful place!
Travel Notes on Meipi Lake
——Spirit Escaper
It’s strange to say that I have been in Xi’an for almost 10 years, but I didn’t know that there is such a beautiful place in Xi’an Place - Mimei Beibei Lake. I see the spring flowers blooming, and I can’t help but want to go out for a walk. So I searched for one-day tours around Xi'an online and saw this picture of Meipi Lake.
I live near Longshou Village, and Meupi Lake is only 48 kilometers away from me. When I set off, it was already past 12 noon. But the weather was nice and warm. I rode my motorcycle and felt the wind blowing all the way, which made me feel very comfortable.
I said at the beginning that, strange to say, this is not an exaggeration. Because I have been to almost all the parks around Xi’an. I often go jogging in the nearby Daming Palace Park. There are also Seoul Lake, Xingqing Palace, Ci'en Temple, Peony Garden, Yuhua Lake, Qujiangnan Lake, Labor Park, Kunming Pool... It's not that the lake scenery in these parks is not beautiful, but I always feel that something is missing. This time I went to Meipi Lake, and I finally discovered what these parks were missing: mountains!
Including Meipi Lake, don’t read the introduction. It is said that Meipi Lake is located on the west bank of the Lao River in Huyi District, Xi'an City. It was a tourist attraction in the Qin and Han Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty. It has many cultural and historical relics. Du Fu, Cen Shen, Su Shi, Cheng Hao and other literati and poets all went boating and wrote poems here, so It has the reputation of "the best landscape in Guanzhong". The lake originates from the Meishui River in the Zhongnan Valley, where it merges with water from Hugong Spring and Baisha Spring to flow northward, and then accumulates into the lake after passing through Jinxiu Valley.
The Meipi Lake area is rich in cultural relics and has a long time span. King Huiwen of Qin established Shanglin Garden, and Meipi is one of the Shanglin Gardens. Within the lake area there are the Mausoleum of King Zhou Ji, Qin Jiu Nu Tomb, and Kongcui There are more than 10 scenic spots and ruins such as churches.
The reason why I say don’t read the introduction is because all the park lake views I mentioned above were artificially restored the day after tomorrow. So we don’t know how different the scale and environment we can see now are from the scale and environment at that time.
But I think that the recovery of Meipi Lake is the best and has the most unique conditions. As I said above, I have been to so many parks, and they are all beautiful, but they all feel like they have flaws. The shortcoming is that these parks have no attachment, just like a beautiful girl, she is beautiful, but she has no foundation and fairy charm. The lack of such fairy charm or charm does not affect her beauty, but it seems that we can see her at a glance. The beauty of Meipi Lake is full of charm.
During this trip, I gained an understanding that I should have gained earlier, that is, mountains are dependent on water, and water is the soul of mountains. Water without mountains is water without power; mountains without water are dry mountains without beauty. To put it more generally, the same is true for the relationship between men and women. No matter how strong a woman is, it is a great pity that she does not have a man behind her; similarly, no matter how successful a man is, being alone makes people feel pitiful. The water in all park lakes is flat wave water, but if there are mountains in the distance, the flat waves are also turbulent and thick waves.
I don’t travel often, but I was lucky enough to go to West Lake. Why is West Lake known as the most beautiful lake in the world? It was late autumn when I went to the West Lake. There were dead leaves floating on the lakeside, red maple trees on the shore were red, and many photographers gathered around to take pictures. The sun was bright that day, but the wind was so strong that the water on the lake almost surged up to the bank. So standing next to the West Lake, I actually felt the majesty, as if I was seeing a "little ocean". I grew up on the Loess Plateau in the north. This was the first time I saw a lake like this. It was naturally extremely beautiful.
In the afternoon, the wind became stronger and the sun hid in the clouds. Burning the clouds like incandescent lamps. There was actually a little drizzle in the sky, and it really felt like "the mountains are empty and the rain is strange". I walked half a circle around the lake, and I was tired. During this period, I also entered two exhibition halls. It took so long that I forgot their names.
Now I know that the reason why West Lake is beautiful is not only the beauty of West Lake, but also the fact that there are mountains and towers around West Lake. In other words, the beauty of West Lake cannot be seen at a glance. You also need to search along the West Lake. From near, from far, from high... This is why West Lake is known as the most beautiful lake in the world.
Qing Dynasty poet Yan Ermei wrote in a poem: "Ci'en Temple overlooks the Qujiang River, and the Wild Goose Pagoda overlooks the Meibei Lake." From the Wild Goose Pagoda, can you really see the Meibei Lake? Obviously it can't be done. But this shows the important position of Meipei in the landscape and humanities of Guanzhong.
Let’s take a closer look at "Fan Meipei with the Officials of Hu County" written by Cen Shen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The Hu County in the title is the current Hu County. But now the county has been removed and turned into a district, called Huyi District. The poem is as follows: Tens of thousands of hectares are soaked in the color of the sky, and thousands of searches are exhausted for the roots of the earth. The boat moves into the city into the trees, and the shore is wide and the water floats on the village. The idle heron is frightened by the flute pipe, and the Qiu duck is lying next to the wine bottle. Ming came to call the little officials, and the fire figures returned to the pavilion.
The first four sentences are simply amazing, and have the same feeling as when I stood at Meipi Lake. But I don’t have the ability to recite poems and send them to the world, so I can only say that it’s a beautiful thing. However, it is obvious that the current lake view is different from what Cen Shen saw, and the current view is obviously insufficient. But for me, it is already very satisfying.
If I didn’t tell you the title of this poem, probably everyone would think it was describing the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan. Who would have thought that this was describing the beautiful scenery in Guanzhong?
No one told me about such beautiful scenery in Xi’an for nearly 10 years. When I saw Du Fu's poem "Meipi Xing" in the Meipi Lake Scenic Area, I knew that he was lucky.
Because after Cen Shen went to play, he felt that it was beautiful, extremely beautiful. So I took Du Fu there.
So Du Fu came back and wrote a poem called "A Journey to Mupei". He started by writing: "Brothers Cen Shen were curious and took me to visit Mupei." It was obvious that they had a good relationship as brothers and sisters. Both Cen Shen and Du Fu mentioned the "ten thousand hectares" of scenery in their poems. Obviously, the scenery at that time was far better than it is now.
The original poem is as follows:
A trip to Meipi
Brother Cen Shen was curious and took me to visit Meipi.
The sky and the earth are dim and suddenly different colors, and the waves are piled with glass.
Liu Li sweat flooded into the boat, and things were very exciting, and I was extremely worried.
The tuó is swallowed by a whale and is no longer known, how can the evil wind and white waves reach it.
The master's brocade sails are open to each other, and the boatman is very happy and has no atmosphere.
The ducks and eagles are scattered and chirping, and the silk pipes are chirping. The sky is green.
The sunken pole continues to be unfathomable, and the lotus leaves are as pure as wipes.
In the middle, it flows to Bozhou and Qing Dynasty, and down to Wuji, it ends in southern darkness.
To the south of Banpi, there is a pure mountain, with moving shadows floating in the air.
The boat side is dimly lit by Yunji Temple, and the moon rises above Lantian Pass on the water.
At this time, Lilong also spit out beads, and Feng Yi beat the drum and the dragons followed.
Hunan concubines and Han women sang and danced, and there were no golden branches or green flags.
I am so close but I am worried about the thunderstorm coming, and I don’t know God’s will in the vast sky.
How old you are when you are young, there are always so many sorrows and joys!
Many friends probably need a translation to understand more clearly how beautiful the Meipi Lake in Du Fu's works is. I found a translator for your reference.
Brothers Cen Shen both like to explore secluded places.
Take me all the way to visit Meipi together.
Suddenly the sky and the earth became dim, showing strange colors.
The waves came from thousands of miles away, as clear as glass and gems.
The water is vast, and the waves are like glass. At this time, a boat is about to enter.
This matter is by no means a trivial matter, but they (referring to Cen Shen brothers) are extremely interested. It's really worrying. At that time, we no longer know how the dragon got angry and was swallowed by the whale.
How could we express our emotions in the face of the dangerous white waves?
The master ordered the sails to be lifted one after another. Open,
The boatman really likes the calm weather without dust and fog.
While the boat was sailing, the songs sang together, frightening the wild ducks and gulls in the water.
The silk pipes sang together, calling up the green vegetation and a clear scene.
It is difficult to detect the depth of the water by dipping bamboo poles into the water or connecting silk threads.
The rhombus leaves and lotus flowers on the water surface are as clean as if they have been wiped clean.
When the boat reaches the center of the lake, it feels like it is in the empty and clear Bohai Sea.
The Zhongnan Mountain Peak is reflected in the boundless lake and turns black.
The southern half of the lake in Meipi is filled with the reflection of Zhongnan Mountain.
The reflection is gently swaying in the calm water.
At dusk, the side of the boat passed Dading Temple in Tianji Mountain.
The moonlight reflected on the water in Meipi was the moon rising from Lantian Pass in the southeast.
At night, the lights on the shore of Meipi Lake are reflected in the distance, like a Li dragon spitting out pearls.
The music can be heard from afar, like Feng Yi playing drums, and the cruise ship is like a flock of dragons chasing each other.
The beauties on the cruise ship, such as the Xiang Concubine and Han women, reappeared, singing and dancing for people.
The light of the golden branches and green flags flickered with the moonlight, disappearing and appearing.
After a while, I saw the clouds were sinking, so I was worried that a thunderstorm was coming.
In the confusion, I really didn’t know what the gods were thinking.
It can be seen from this that when you think about how long you can stay young and strong, what should you do when you are approaching old age?
The alternation of sorrow and joy in life has always been like this, and not many such times can pass!
There is also a poet named Wei Yingwu who wrote a poem about Meipi Lake, so I mention him. It's because he is the magistrate of Hu County. He frequented this place. The original poem is as follows:
Ren Yan ordered you to visit the Meibei River and look at it
——Wei Yingwu
The wild water flows into the long pond, and the fireworks mess up the sunny day.
There are many green trees and green mountains.
It can be seen when swimming fish that the new lotus has not yet been densely packed.
I often feel lonely and hate the unreasonable tricks of others.
Time passed quickly, and we went to the places where Du Fu, Su Shi, Cen Shen and others visited. The place is still the same, but the scenery is different. But the mood is probably the same.
As I explained at the beginning, I went there by chance. On the way there, there was an episode. I saw signs along the road that said the scenic spot was "Lakeside Town", also called Shijingli Town. I originally traveled without a destination. When you see a scenic spot, you naturally want to see it.
Going into the Shijingli Town Scenic Area, there is nothing special about it except that the apricot flowers are in bloom. Probably because the season is wrong, there is very little water, and the reed marshes still look like winter. Coupled with the built fences everywhere, it looks chaotic. After walking for half an hour, I decided to leave the park.
After leaving the garden, the natural destination is Meipi Lake. I was thinking, if Meipi Lake is like this, then today will be in vain. I was already a little tired when I arrived at Meipi Lake, so when I first entered the park, I found a place by the lake and rested for a while.
There is a place with sand, children are playing, and there are ducks on the lake. The sky was as blue as blue, and the wooden chairs around me were all empty, so I just lay down.
When I walk around the lake, I always look towards Zhongnan Mountain, also known as Qinling Mountains. It is so towering, looking from a distance, it makes people yearn for it. When I walked to a round arch bridge, I was suddenly attracted by the view in front of me. The lakeside is sparkling and the mountains in the distance are full of fairyland. The mountains in the distance, the water nearby, and the sunset are so ingeniously matched, it’s like a match made in heaven. At that moment, I understood why I always felt that there was something lacking in the lake views in Xi'an's city parks. It’s just missing mountains, I told everyone from the beginning. And I should have gained this understanding when I visited West Lake. But at the time, I didn’t think much about it, probably because I only focused on looking at the scenery of the West Lake and forgot about the background and cultural scenery that set off the scenery of the West Lake.
In the poem above, Du Fu wrote: "I am so close, but I am worried about the thunderstorm, and the sky is vast, and I don't know the will of the gods." and Cen Shen's: "Ten thousand hectares are soaked in the color of the sky, and thousands of miles are bound to the roots of the earth." Both express a kind of emotion. The charm of the scene. The inspiration given by this is endless and not one-size-fits-all.
So the restoration of Meipi Lake is successful. I stayed on the arch bridge for a full 20 minutes before slowly walking forward. I came across a toilet that was very poetic and like a toilet in a farmyard. I didn't want to go to the toilet, so I went in. Upon entering, I discovered that this toilet is the most user-friendly toilet I have ever seen in a Chinese park.
On the right side of the door was the women's restroom. I entered the restroom on the left without even looking. After entering, I found something different. I hurriedly came out and looked at the sign on the door, which read: "The third bathroom." When I came out, I discovered that the men's room was in front of the third bathroom. After I went to the men's room and came out, I was full of curiosity about this third bathroom.
There are very few people in the scenic area, and there is no one in the bathroom right now. So I went in and looked. This is a bathroom for children, the elderly, or people with injuries. Everything is divided into big and small. Large toilet, small toilet; high wash basin, low wash basin. And these facilities are equipped with guardrails.
After leaving the toilet, I just walked a few steps. I heard music slowly playing, the kind of ancient Chinese music. Attracted by the sound of music, I slowly approached the player on the grass and took out my phone to record. The music slowly enters the ears, as if it has been transmitted from the distant past to the present; or it is slowly flowing down from the top of Zhongnan Mountain with the stream. I sat down, listened to this song, looked at the lake under the setting sun, the tall tower not far away, and the mountains in the distance...I couldn't help but shed tears.
At this moment, all my hard work today was worth it. At this moment, it seems that all my past is understood and supported. If the player on the grass was a soft thing, I would probably hug it. I lay down slowly, regardless of what people walking slowly looked at me. I believe they can understand and they enjoy the beauty of this moment.
The song lasted less than 4 minutes, and I was still unsatisfied after it ended. Waiting for the next song, the next song is still beautiful, but not as good as the one just now. It was already past 10 o'clock in the evening when I returned to Xi'an. I quickly used the software to identify the song I heard in Meipi Lake Park. The name of the song was "Still Water Runs Deep". I listened to it again and it was still very beautiful and very pleasant to my ears. But it wasn’t as exciting and exciting as it was back then. So I also understand that some songs have to be adapted to the occasion. Only at certain times can you appreciate how profound and deep it is. From this, I think you probably understand that when listening to music, you must listen to the music in the scene, and when you love someone, you must love the person in the moment. Maybe at this time, I can truly understand why Du Fu wrote at the end: "How can you be young and helpless when you are old? There have always been so many sorrows and joys!"
Going forward, you can see the wooden railings built in the lake. , about half a circle around the lake. I walked along the railing and was once again struck by the beauty of the lake. At this time, the setting sun is trying its best to give out its last light, just like covering the lake with a red hijab on the other side of the lake. There is a wild duck swimming slowly in the lake, and the water ripples with it. And there were still two unknown beasts standing quietly in the lake. I asked the cleaning lady and she said it was a lion. But I don't look like a lion. I originally thought it was the "鼍" mentioned in Du Fu's poems, but I didn't recognize the word at first. But when I came back to check, I found out that the eel is an animal similar to a crocodile. Obviously they are completely different from the two beasts standing on the lake.
And there are several of these beasts in the garden. I remember there were two at the entrance to the park. There were two in the lake, and two were also seen in another place. So at least 6. I don’t know which gentleman it is, but I think there is a discrepancy in the location given.
However, I still cannot accept the idea that this is a lion. Firstly, it is because lions rarely live in water; secondly, because my hometown Suide is known as the hometown of lions. The Stone Soul Plaza built in our hometown has the largest stone lion in Asia. Lions are all majestic and powerful, and the "lions" here are all "thin" and are "smaller and gentler versions of the Suide stone lions."
When I walked to the opposite side of the tower, the setting sun was just right It fell at the base of the tower. The whole pagoda is like a pagoda with Buddha light, a peaceful environment. Set off by the mist of Zhongnan Mountain in the distance, it feels like a fairyland. This is the charm of Meipi Lake, which cannot be compared with the lake scenery in parks in Xi'an.
It wasn’t until the sun set and the lake returned to tranquility from peace that I slowly left the garden. Get on the motorcycle and walk all the way to Xi'an city. The wind blowing on my face is not cold, it even feels warm.
The stalls selling strawberries along the road are still sparse and the lights are on, which is also a sight.
Maybe for the vendors selling strawberries along the Meipi Lake, Meipi Lake is like that. Once you get used to it, you won’t find it beautiful anymore. But when they go to other places, they will find that the place where they stay is the most beautiful. So when someone praises how beautiful his hometown is and how delicious his hometown snacks are, I nod in agreement. On the contrary, if a person belittles his hometown and is unwilling to say anything about his hometown, I feel that this person has a psychological problem.
Meipi Lake and I met too late, but it is not too late after all. I don't know when I will go next time. Because I’m not very good at repeating distant scenes or watching movies, I always feel like I don’t have enough time. But no matter when next time, I have already remembered the beauty of Meipi Lake.
Excerpted from the prose works of independent scholar and writer Spirit Escaper