After the Spring Equinox, it is Qingming Festival. There is some new green on the mountains and fields.
The continuous spring rain has been going on for several weeks. The sky was washed clean and refreshing. The evergreen woods in the countryside are shrouded in fog from a distance, as if the surrounding air has turned into a fresh light green.
In the early morning, the rain stopped and a sliver of sun was visible. By noon, the sun was shining brightly. The Creator of nature can always bring joy to people at the right time. People are thinking in their hearts, - this year's spring has finally arrived!
"The plan for a year lies in spring." In my hometown, where the folk customs are simple and simple, both adults and children can memorize this ancient proverb. Even in spring, adults are busy on the fields and streets. Students and children take advantage of the weekend holidays to go for outings in the mountains and feel the beauty of nature.
In spring, going out for an outing is always a happy thing. People who know how to enjoy life are always full of love for nature. Going out to activate your muscles and bones is always good for your body and mind. In spring, no one wants to be idle.
At the weekend, at the invitation of a friend, I joined their spring outing. Our destination is Qiancheng, a beautiful ancient city with a history of two thousand years. Out of my preference for history and culture and my admiration for the spiritual character of the ancients, I have a similar sympathy for the origins of this thousand-year-old ancient city. Besides, traveling with a group of like-minded people. In this wonderful season, nothing could be more pleasing to the eye!
On the second day, we set off early. The car was driving slowly on the suburban road. From the car window, you could see the green mountains and plains, connected with the golden rapeseed fields. The dead grass, fallen leaves, and some brown pebbles on the roadside were also wet. The shiny water droplets on the leaves fell happily into the muddy water, forming a thin trickle. They flowed through a patch of short grass, merged into a small river, and flowed into the distance. The long winding river stretched the green so long——
The sky was a little hazy, and the sun quietly revealed half of its face, and then it was too shy to hide. The journey was very pleasant. My friends talked and laughed relaxedly and seemed to be in high spirits. The earth had been scorched by the sun for a while the day before yesterday, and at this moment, water vapor was still surging in the soil. The fragrance of flowers, the smell of renovated earth, and the smell of the sun are all mixed together, very sweet.
Talking about spring is naturally a different story. Along the way we talked about some unsightly things and completely put aside worldly thoughts of fame and fame. True friends know what true happiness is, and they know how to only care about each other's lives.
We didn’t spend much time traveling. Starting from the city center, we arrived in Qiancheng not long after. We got off the car at Yuanshui River Embankment and walked straight towards the ancient city.
Qiancheng is located in the upper reaches of Yuanshui River. At the foot of the towering snow-capped mountains, there are many mountains. One side of the ancient city is close to the water, quiet and remote. The mountains on the other side are so quiet and secluded that it makes people have endless daydreams. At this moment, everything in front of us is filled with fog, connected with the sky, and reflected on the broad lake. As soon as the spring breeze passes, the water surface ripples with layers of blue and white light, which makes people's hearts tremble. We walked along the long river embankment, and there were endless green hills along the way. The pea-green river water sometimes laps against the side of the boat, splashing up layers of white waves, rippling and disappearing at the end of sight. Standing on this ancient land, you can't help but feel a sense of awe. Friends can’t help but sigh that the scenery in Qiancheng is the most magnificent in the south of the Yangtze River.
This misty weather always makes people feel many romantic feelings. The willows on the river bank are neatly arranged on both sides of the river bank. The slender willow branches blow freely in the wind, like the stunning figure of a Jiangnan woman, extremely soft and beautiful. On the wide river, there are several floating boats floating in the distance, as if they are in and out of a fairyland. The land we are standing on, a land with a thousand-year history and civilization, is the place where Wang Changling sent off his friend Xin Jian. The great poet Wang Changling of the Tang Dynasty also faced this beautiful scenery and expressed his thousand-year emotion, and wrote the popular poem "Farewell to Xin Jian at the Furong Tower". A friend who was traveling with me stood on the bank of the river and couldn't help but recite to himself, "The cold rain comes into Wu at night along the river, and I see off my guests from Chushan in the morning. Relatives and friends in Luoyang are asking each other, and a heart of ice is in a jade pot." Every word is touching. Our poetic soul. While I was admiring this breathtaking scenery, I was also imagining and sketching out the scene of Wang Changling seeing off his friends a thousand years ago. It seems that at this moment, we have all become Wang Changling, and we will no longer be close friends after a thousand years.
After enjoying the beautiful scenery along the river, we will go to Furong Tower. It is a pity that we have not been able to witness its thousand-year style. We were angry at the staff's random asking price, which dampened our interest. Since "we are all guests throughout the ages", how can we keep out the door of these motivated young people? We come to Qiancheng with a pious heart, which adds to our true feelings about the poet's tragic situation thousands of years ago.
In the end, we had to visit the ancient residential streets together. From the boat dock to the river embankment, you can see a magnificent tower. The gate tower of the city gate is still well preserved, and the three characters "Zhongzhengmen" on the gate are written in the middle of the city wall. I heard from a friend that it was written by Dai Li, a figure from the Republic of China.
As soon as we entered the city gate, we saw a long bluestone road with high fire walls lining both sides of the alley. There was only a narrow line of sky above our heads, and the alley seemed very long and quiet. On the lanes on both sides, there are small wooden buildings with blue tiles and cellar houses with blue bricks and red walls, all of which are located in an orderly manner on the east side of the ancient city.
In the ancient city, bluestone streets and alleys crisscross. The title of "Nine Streets and Eighteen Alleys" is indeed well-deserved. Walking there felt like walking into an ancient maze. In the ancient town, people live peacefully. We can feel a strong atmosphere of rural life. Compared with the ancient cities in Jiangnan we have visited before, this ancient city couldn't be more ordinary. However, it is precisely because of its ordinaryness that it makes this place extremely natural and simple. Compared with Fenghuang Ancient City, this place is like a paradise, without any artificial feeling. People live freely in this small town without being disturbed by visitors like us. No place is specially set up to welcome tourists like us to come and spend money. This kind of tranquility and indifference, which is independent of the world, can be formed precisely because of the accumulation of thousands of years of culture.
The streets in the small town are all paved with neat bluestone slabs. The high walls on both sides are also carved with exquisite patterns of fish, dragons, flowers and birds. Because of the age of these ancient buildings, these old streets are full of ancient cyan charm. Stepping on it makes people feel very refreshed. The streets are narrow and long. Ancient residential houses are close together, eaves are connected to eaves, high walls are connected to high walls, and the doors of every house are open. Children were playing at the door, and the old man was lying on a wicker chair, taking a nap, smoking a cigarette, or sipping tea. The sound of chickens and dogs can be heard in every house, and the aroma of delicious food fills the walls. We were walking on Shanghe Street and were attracted by a very beautiful cellar house. The owner is an amiable old man. After we expressed our intention, the old man readily agreed to let us go in and visit his house. As soon as we entered the house, we felt a strong ancient charm. The shape of the whole house is very similar to a courtyard house in Beijing. It has a patio in the middle of its roof. The old man said that it was used to absorb sunlight and air. I think it is inconvenient to wash clothes in the river on rainy days, but I can make full use of this patio to obtain water. There are many very unique root carvings in the ancient house, which amazed us and took photos one after another. These decorations seem so mysterious and wonderful to us. However, the old man said that he has lived with these artistic buildings all his life. We couldn't help but have some longing in our hearts. The door carvings, lattice fans and railings in the ancient house are very exquisite, and the words "Farming and Reading Family" and "Guanxi Mendi" inscribed on the door rails are still clearly visible. People in the old street never forget to farm, read and pass down family traditions, and their pursuit of culture has become a special symbol here, which will become more fragrant over time. There are many red tangerine trees, osmanthus trees, cacti, and rhododendrons planted in pots in the courtyard. Many of them are only as thick as a finger, and they are obviously newly planted. The plants are neatly placed around the square patio. Although the cellar house is slightly tilted, it is kept elegantly. The floor is made of "three-color mud" mixed with lime, tung oil, and porcelain powder. This kind of floor is smooth, bright but not slippery, cool but not wet. The old man said that if the ancestors had not used specific craftsmanship, the old house would have collapsed long ago.
After walking through Shanghe Street, you will arrive at Nanzheng Street. We visited the county government office, the Confucian Temple, the ancestral hall theater and other places, but unfortunately they were not open and we could not go in to watch them. However, from the appearance, they are still well preserved and their charm is still intact. At the exit of Nanzheng Street, we also visited an old Christian church. There, we tried our best to be humorous as young people and held a "Western-style wedding" for a pair of very close friends. In such an ancient city full of oriental cultural charm, you can actually see a Western-style church. It can be seen that this remote and remote area is not closed off as described in the book, and the atmosphere of civilization is not lacking at all.
After visiting the ancient city, it was already drizzling. The fog gradually thickened. The whole world is filled with white fog, and the mountains are no longer isolated mountains. The beauty of the river and the eternity of the mountains are blended together, and the world is not an isolated world. The land that we have shared for thousands of years seems to have suddenly become a living entity in this world. A group of us walked along the long river embankment.
The winding river stretches our thoughts far and wide——