A post road begins a journey across ancient and modern times; a piece of peach blossom decorates a beautiful story. The messenger of Pegasus has traveled here for thousands of years, awakening from the dream of peach blossoms every year. Over the years, the peach blossoms have been blooming for several years, but I no longer hear your horse's hooves on the roadside. History gradually annihilates your flying dust and smoke, and the post road returns to Anping, clean of wind and smoke. The peach blossoms are as prosperous and splendid as before, accompanying the ancient post with their passionate watch, blooming into an eternal scenery in time and space. It has a beautiful name: Taohuayi - now Yangdian, an important town in northeastern Hubei.
Since ancient times, the town has been the hub of official roads connecting the north and south. Since the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court has built a postal pavilion and set up a post station here to facilitate the flow of materials and official documents, and to serve as a hub for military defense. Since then, the town has been filled with people coming and going, flying horses, boats and cars, the dust is flying, and there is no idle day. The town is located near hills and water. The terrain is quite high in the east, west, north, and low in the south. It is like three buckets of dustpan and one bucket of water, so it is named "Doushanpu". In the Song Dynasty, peach and apricot trees were widely planted in Dooshan, and the fruit trees stretched endlessly. Over the years, they became a beautiful place. Fireworks bloomed in March, spring returned on the road, peach blossoms were red, apricot blossoms were white, and orioles returned with their first crows, presenting to the earth. A vivid ink painting. The post station is poetic and picturesque due to the scenic spot, and the small town is famous in Jingchu because of the inn station.
It is said that Su Dongpo, a great writer of the Northern Song Dynasty, was passing through Huangzhou when he was demoted to Huangzhou. He saw the peach blossoms in the fields, the red clouds in the sky, the vast spring fragrance, and the boundless style. He stayed happily for a while, leaving behind "flowers, hair, face, and wind." The time-honored saying "It will keep your face from getting cold" has earned Dooshanpu the reputation of "Peach Blossom Station". In order to preserve the traces of Su Gong, the villagers here built a "Dongpo Pavilion" among the peach blossoms to show their respect and remembrance. In the later Qing Dynasty, Shen Mingzhi, a native of Xiaoyi, came here to look for fragrance. He was even more impressed by the grand scene of "ten miles of peach blossoms all over the streets, and a village covered with crimson clouds." He wrote a poem "Ode to the Peach Station": "The peach blossom station is warm in spring, and people are plowing it." Hongxing Village. The temple in Xulou is quiet, the stream is muddy across the bridge, the rain has stopped, and the orioles have moved to the trees. After hundreds of years of peace, there are only a few leisurely dynasties. The town adds a lot of cultural heritage and extraordinary magnanimity.
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Taohuayi market was prosperous, with numerous shops, prosperous farming, and outstanding people. Most of the residents here are locals with the surname Yang. There is a wealthy gentleman named Yang Tingsong. He is generous and hospitable, has a great sense of justice, and can worry about people's needs and make others worry. He opened charity warehouses, built charity halls, set up charity schools, built charity bridges, dug charity wells, and set up charity graves, all of which benefited the community with his own efforts. These kind deeds were talked about by the villagers. In order to honor the spirit and achievements of Nian Gong, Taohuayi was later renamed "Yangjiadian," or Yangdian for short, and it is still used today. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, Doushanpu has been nicknamed Taohuayi. It was not until the emergence of the name "Yangjiadian" in the middle and late Ming Dynasty that Taohuayi gradually faded from people's impressions, and the name Doushanpu continued to be used until the Qing Dynasty. It was completely replaced by "Yangdian" in the last years.
The town has a profound foundation in traditional culture, and many relics and scenes blend together to form an interesting contrast. "Ancient Santai" highlights the rich origins of the town and echoes the geography and culture. The "Old Eight Scenes" express the local customs and customs of the town and are famous for its elegance and tranquility. Entering the town, a wide asphalt road passes through the street, running from east to west. There is a long gentle slope directly to the east from the town mark, called Shizi Slope. Countless horseshoes and ruts have been smoothed out on the ancient slope. Now it shoulders the heavy responsibility of the times and continues to hold up the wheels of the town's progress. There is a ruins in Shizipo - the Incense Pavilion, which was a place where pilgrims in ancient times worshiped at Mulan Mountain to offer incense and offer incense. It once had a grand occasion of "thousands of people worshiping every day and thousands of bright lights at night", which witnessed the past of a small town. and style.
Going down to the town, two winding rivers slowly flowed through the middle of the street, like two clear floating yarns stretching in the wind, forming a picture of "two rivers like a belt" Gorgeous landscape. As long as there is a small river, there will be a stone bridge standing guard. Many sunset mornings, stone bridges will lie quietly on the river, listening to the passing water and quietly watching the comings and goings of the world. Every time in early spring and autumn, people going to the market hurried across the bridge, and their mottled footsteps were imprinted in the thin morning frost, leaving behind a beautiful legend of "the morning frost is printed on the board." In the early years, the town was in time for the dew market. When it was not yet dawn, people pushed wooden carts and carried sacks and poles from all over the country to gather in the town. The noisy voices mixed with the singing of roosters highlighted the town. It became a lively scene, forming a prosperous scene of "roosters crowing and bustling in the city", which also reflected the diligence and simplicity of the people in the small town.
Located in the east of the town is the "Dongtian Fu Temple," which was built in the late Ming Dynasty, more than 400 years ago. After being damaged and repaired several times, it has gone through the vicissitudes of time and become isolated. For this reason, the faithful people of this place have retained a palace to entrust their wishes; to protect the health of the town's water and soil. During the slack time after autumn, there will always be an endless stream of devout pilgrims worshiping gods and praying for blessings, and the incense is constantly burning. Turning over the yellowed memories and walking into the distant history, the long town is like a thin horse walking alone on the ancient west wind road. It has been lonely for a hundred years, but still through the vigorous and vigorous, the wind and rain are like darkness, the steps are always solid and sonorous, and the road is long and dusty. , sprinkled with the sound of horse hooves. Continuing to pursue along the town, you will also find elegant places such as "the ancient well reflects the moon", "the stone square presents auspiciousness", "the west temple protects the country", "the east pavilion plays the flute", etc., showing a kind of simplicity and solemnity everywhere. It has a rich humanistic atmosphere. The fusion of numerous scattered imprints and ancient heritage highlights the diversity and depth of the town's culture to a certain extent.
This is one of the birthplaces of Chu Opera and the famous hometown of dragon lanterns.
The predecessor of Chu Opera is Huangxiao Flower Drum Opera, also known as West Road Flower Drum. It evolved from the folk lantern opera used to worship gods and pray for blessings. It was popular in Huangpi and Xiaogan areas in the early years and got its name. Dating back to the middle of the Qing Dynasty, a stilt show was spread in Ziyun Mountain and Langping Mountain in Huangmei County. Later, this stilt show gradually spread to Huangpi and Xiaogan areas. Influenced and learned from the Qing opera at that time, the villagers of Huangxiao removed the stilts and sang on the ground, forming a kind of Daluo tune with storyline, which is the so-called "Huangpi tune and Xiaogan tune" of today's Chu opera. The land and water nurture a culture. The town continues to embrace innovation in terms of inheritance and development, and has also produced many artistic talents, including Chu opera masters like Zhang Bingyan and Guan Xiaobin. As a result, singing Chu opera has become a traditional custom in the town. During the Lunar New Year, people around the town set up a stage at the entrance of the village to sing. On such a grand event, people will inevitably rush to tell each other, gather together, watch the day drama and watch the night drama, sing the East Village to the West Village, and feel the charm of the traditional opera in the ancient tune of "咿咿亚亚", which makes this heart Art treasures shine among the people and are widely circulated.
The small town dragon lantern is also unique in the province, and has been approved as an "intangible cultural heritage" in Hubei Province. The dragon lantern temple fair here began in the Southern Song Dynasty. According to Wu Zimu's record in "Mengliang Lu" of the Southern Song Dynasty: "On the night of the Lantern Festival, the grass becomes a dragon." Thousands of lanterns and candles are placed densely with clear curtains to cover the grass, and they look like two dragons. This shows that the custom of putting up dragon lanterns during the Lantern Festival was common in large counties in the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the records about De'an Prefecture in "History of the Song Dynasty", Xiaogan moved to Zizi Village during the Jianyan period, and Zizi Village should be located in the Taiping Town Bay area by the Yangdianjie River in Xiaogan City today. It can be seen that the small town at that time had already followed this custom, but the dragon lantern at that time was just an ornamental lighting. In the Ming Dynasty, this kind of dragon-shaped lighting gradually evolved into a high dragon that can be lifted and danced. Later, many excellent folk projects such as lion dance, lotus picking boat, and stilt walking were derived, and they were mixed with Qupai music elements, making the The dragon lantern dance has become more perfect and mature.
Every year on the 13th day of the first lunar month, the town’s flags are fluttering, gongs and drums are noisy, and dozens of colorful dragons carrying lotus-picking boats and stilt teams meander through the middle of the street, gathering in a mighty manner towards the Dongtian Fu Temple. . People from the city and the countryside came in droves after hearing the news, and joined the mobile event with joy, and the town became lively. Suddenly there was a huge crowd, firecrackers were blasting, dragons were leaping and lions were leaping, and the sound was loud. After the worship at Dongtianfu Temple, all the dragon lanterns followed one after another and set off again to approach the nearby Hou Temple. Looking from a distance, one dragon lantern after another was majestic and high-spirited floating on the top of the crowd, with a magnificent shape, like a flowing spectacle. The grandeur of the scene and the magnitude of the momentum are breathtaking.
Not only is culture and entertainment prosperous, the town is also rich in products: it is the hometown of early peach, and is also rich in citrus, tea, water chestnuts, pear and so on. Around Qingming Festival, small town green tea is on the market as scheduled. Every day, people rush to pick the fresh green tea tips before the morning dew dries. After multiple processes such as fixing, twisting, and hot potting, the young leaves transform into fried green tea. In the mundane world, the time spent in a cup of tea will make your mood warm and calm. The flavor of the season can always make people have a long aftertaste. Green tea from the small town is shaped like a sharp sword, with green color and fine hair. When put into boiling water, the leaves stretch out and evenly form into flowers, with all the hair showing. When brewed, the soup is green and clear, with a fresh and sweet taste and an overflowing fragrance. It has won the Agricultural Exposition Award several times. Will win big prize. Entering the Dragon Boat Festival, sweet early peach peaches are on the market in advance. Among the dense leaves, huge fruits stand out, with a mixture of green and red, and their mature and attractive posture seems to be about to fall. There are many tourists who come to pick in the peach grove. They are scattered in small groups and enjoy the relaxation and fun brought by free picking. The round peach can be easily broken into two halves. The flesh is divided into white and bright red. Its skin is thin and crispy, and its juice is full. It is sweet but not greasy when chewed. It is green and of high quality. It is worthy of being one of the four famous peaches. The wide variety and early launch time attracted merchants from all over the town to gather in the town, and truckloads of early-sweet peaches were continuously shipped from the town to the country.
Around the Mid-Autumn Festival, the citrus fruits in the town are ripe. Passing by the orange grove, you can smell the strong scent of oranges from a distance. The branches are covered with yellow, orange, and green citrus fruits, which are bright and moist in shape. The autumn wind blows, and the garden is full of jewels and jewels, swaying and shining, hitting the hearts of passers-by. The town's citrus has a good color and aroma, the flesh is delicate and soft, the taste is moderately sweet and sour, and the seeds are sparse and easy to store. It is one of the highlights of the local planting industry. As soon as the frost is over, water chestnuts begin to appear on the market. The clear water and soil create excellent quality. The water chestnuts produced in the small town have thin skin and tender meat. They are large and thick in juice. The meat is as white as jade. Once you take a bite, your mouth will be filled with the jade juice. Because it grows underground, it can be dug up to eat now, and it is easy to store. It can be eaten until the beginning of next spring. It is actually the top fresh seasonal product and is widely loved by people in both urban and rural areas.
The charm of the town is not limited to this: beside the ancient post in spring, an east wind awakens a long-lost flower event, and the peach blossoms that have been dormant all winter use up all their passion to set off a wonderful visual spectacle on the earth. feast. For a time, thousands of acres of peach blossoms bloomed, transforming the town into a fantasyland. At this time, the town seized the opportunity, opened its mind, set up a cultural stage, and performed economically, warmly welcoming guests from all over the world, and vividly interpreted the dazzling scene of "the peach blossoms are shining brightly" in the Book of Songs: One tree and one tree The peach blossoms on the tree are in full swing, competing for beauty and beauty, as if they were fulfilling a previous promise. They are densely packed on the branches, either with shy faces or enchanting looks. They form a crimson cloud and cover the earth softly.
The bright colors and elegant atmosphere clearly make people feel an overwhelming fragrance.
The road is bustling with traffic and tourists. People dressed in festive costumes walk into the town in groups, walk into the peach blossom forest, and have a close intimacy with the peach blossoms. The beautiful shadows and pink peach blossoms everywhere complement each other. It is hard to tell whether the peach blossoms reflect the smiling face, or whether the smiling face infects the peach blossoms. Wandering in the secret realm of the sea of ??flowers, the impetuosity will subside, the mood will be leisurely and erratic, and a kind of tranquility will quietly return. Facing the peach blossoms everywhere, people can't help but chant casually - "In Peach Blossom Temple in Taohuawu, there are peach blossom fairies in Peach Blossom Temple. The peach blossom fairies plant peach trees and pick peach blossoms in exchange for wine money"...
A grand ceremony After the flower incident, people in the small town gradually said goodbye to Peach Blossom. Like wild geese, they left their hometown for a long journey. In order to realize their own life value, they also started a year of migration for the happiness and well-being of their homeland. Entering winter, they have gained a lot and come back from all directions with hope and joy to inject new vitality into the town. The people left behind are also building beautiful homes with practical actions. They are high-spirited and work hard in all walks of life, contributing to the development of the town. The construction of new urbanization is in full swing; spiritual civilization and material civilization go hand in hand; people's well-being and social harmony have reached a new level; high-rise buildings are rising from the ground; factories are taking root one after another. Eco-tourism, specialty agriculture, special breeding, and production and processing are playing a leading role, giving wings to the small town's economy.
The lives of the people in the small town are as bright as the blooming peach blossoms, and the future of the small town is continuing to write a new chapter! There is a song that says, "There are many stories in the small town, full of joy and joy. If you come to the small town, you will gain a lot"...