I remember that in my childhood textbooks, there were many articles and poems describing small villages in the south of the Yangtze River with pictures: among the trees under the distant mountains were rows of white walls and black tiles with staggered horse-head walls on the roofs. Houses, small bridges and flowing water. At that time, I unknowingly thought of the poet He Zhizhang's "Returning to Hometown Odd Book": "When a young boy leaves home and his elder brother returns, his local accent remains unchanged and his hair on his temples fades. When children see each other but don't recognize each other, they smile and ask where the guests are from." It was paired with this line. background.
Later I saw more paintings with the theme of Huizhou architecture. Whether it is the bright colors in autumn or the lonely chill in winter, the beauty of the ancient Huizhou villages is still there. At that time, I had already longed for it, hoping that one day I could walk into such a painting.
On this day, my friends and I felt relaxed the moment we stepped into the mountains and fields at the foot of Huangshan Mountain. Streams and villages are dotted among the bamboo forests and tea gardens stretching up the mountain. What a beautiful mountain and good water this is.
Hongcun is the first Huizhou ancient village we visited. Passing the Nanhu Lake in front of the village, we walked into the bluestone alleys and arrived at the ancient inn. The inn is small but clean and comfortable. The garden in front of the door is filled with various flowers and rocking chairs are placed for guests to relax. The design is just right.
Huizhou villages are populated by ethnic groups, and the density of residential buildings is high. The undulating horse-head walls form the most obvious feature of Huizhou architecture. From the color point of view, the white walls and blue tiles are bright and elegant. From the shape point of view, the Ma Tou Wall has undulating heights, with two-fold, three-fold, four-fold and five-fold styles, giving people a sense of patchwork and hierarchy. Enjoy the distinct rhythmic beauty. The higher the number of stacks, the larger the residence, which is a metaphor for the vitality and prosperity of the entire clan; and because Huizhou men left their hometowns to do business in other places when they were teenagers, the horse head wall has also become a material symbol of the family's longing for home.
When you walk into a residential house, you will see a spacious main hall, which is very particular in decoration and furnishings. From these furnishings, you can see the family background of a home. There is a table in the middle of the hall. There is a vase on the east side of the table, an ancient mirror on the west side, and a clock in the middle, which means that the family members who go out for business will always be safe. Couplets are hung on the center pillars on both sides, which can be seen that Huizhou merchants Jia was fond of Confucianism and respected literature and learning. It is not surprising that many literati came from here.
When you walk into a large family's house, it is a deep house with high walls. The entrance is a vestibule, with a patio in the middle and a hall at the back. Behind the hall, there is a middle door to separate it, and there are two bedrooms in one hall. Behind the hall is a fire-sealing wall (also known as the horse head wall). A patio is built against the wall and wing rooms are built on both sides. This is called the first entrance. The structure of the second entrance is a ridge divided into two halls, two patios at the front and back, with partitions in the middle, four bedrooms and two halls. This kind of deep house is inhabited by the same family, so as the number of descendants increases, a third entrance, a fourth entrance, or more entrances will be built. The structure is roughly the same. From the outside, it looks like the patchwork we see from a distance. There are two-stack, three-stack, and four-stack horse head walls.
In addition to the main door, the house only has a few small windows, which mainly rely on the patio for lighting. The ladies all live on the top floor. During the blind date, the men sat in the hall, and the ladies looked through the small windows upstairs. Looking down, you can choose Ruyi Langjun, but men can't see the ladies. Only after walking into such a house can we understand the situation and feelings of the courtyard mentioned in Qiong Yao's novels.
"Oranges Are Red" starring Zhou Xun was filmed in a mansion of a wealthy family in Bagua Village in Chengkan; and "Ju Dou" starring Gong Li was filmed in Nanping Village; "Hui Niang Wan Xin" starring Li Bingbing was filmed in the Huangshan Archway Group Baojia Garden Scenic Area and the Huizhou Millennium Ancient Village Changxi Scenic Area. It tells the history of China's feudal society that stifled and destroyed human nature. Huizhou women used their own experiences to resist the feudal marriage system. And the moving stories about awakening and resistance are performed.
I don’t know whether it is because of the influence of these film and television works or the unique cultural history of the ancient village. When walking in these winding and deep alleys, the scenes of the ancients living here always come to mind. The picture, maybe this is time travel.
Hongcun has two places that surprise people when walking. One is the South Lake in front of the village. There is a stone arch bridge on the lake. Viewed from the front of the house, the lake looks like a bow. The arch bridge is an arrow. No matter from which angle you look at it, the houses and weeping willows by the lake, the reflection in the lake, and the rolling green mountains in the distance are all a breathtakingly beautiful painting, and everyone walking in it has become a character in the painting. scene. What’s surprising is that you walked into the painting unknowingly and became the scenery in the painting without even realizing it.
The second surprise is when you are walking enthusiastically on the trail, thinking about the quiet houses on the flowing water, and exploring the small shops, when you turn a corner, you will see a mirror-like half. The round lake is right at your feet, clearly reflecting the rhythmic white-walled and black-tiled houses, as well as the blue sky and white clouds. This thorough mirror image is amazing and makes people nostalgic. I heard that the scene in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" where Zhang Ziyi flew over the water and flew to the roof was filmed here; I heard that which houses seen from which angle were once printed on Chinese residential stamps in the 1980s .
This is Yuennum Lake, and the semicircular design means that flowers bloom and fall, and the moon waxes and wanes. Everything does not need to be perfect, leaving room for future generations.
The actual purpose of the lake is believed to be the same as the small stream that flows through every house. It has the function of fire protection, while the horse head wall has the function of fire prevention. Because residential buildings are crowded, once a fire breaks out, the fire will spread quickly. Only water can put out the fire in time, and the horse head wall can prevent the fire from spreading.
There are mountains in the distance of Hongcun, and there are houses at the foot of the mountains. Behind the houses are towering ancient trees. There is water in front of the houses, and there is the reflection of the houses in the water. We take the aura of heaven and earth and the interest of nature. The layout of the houses pays attention to the surrounding environment. They also understand water conservancy projects, what a smart group of people. ?
Chrysanthemums are abundant at the foot of Huangshan Mountain, and I particularly like the large golden chrysanthemums that spread out when soaked in 100-degree water. If soaked in a glass cup or glass pot, they are very ornamental. ; Take a sip, leaving a light fragrance on your teeth. The phrase "picking chrysanthemums under the wormwood in the east and leisurely seeing the Nanshan Mountains" probably comes from this place of outstanding people.
Later we went to the Bagua Village in Chengkan, a more primitive ancient village that is not crowded with tourists and where the locals really live. It is quiet, peaceful and unique.
If you ask which village is more worth visiting, I would say they are all worth visiting, because they all embody the essence of Chinese culture. ? Hongcun is more commercialized than Chengkan, but compared to Lijiang, it seems not commercialized at all. There are no crowded tourists or noisy bars. Those small shops, those inns, and those tourists are all just right and suitable for petty bourgeoisie. A leisurely stay for a few days; Chengkan is more suitable for exploring history and culture, and leisurely enjoying traveling through the time and space of 1800 years.