Prose||Songs drift across the Chaobai River
In Songzhuang, people often hear people mention the Grand Canal and Chaobai River. These two rivers are the mother rivers of Songzhuang and even Tongzhou District. .
I am no stranger to the Grand Canal. I read about it when I was in elementary school. It is the largest man-made river in the world, with the earliest construction time, the longest line, and the longest use time. It has long become history. Memories and symbols are written into my mind.
The Chaobai River passes by Songzhuang Town in Tongzhou District, traveling through the space of history, from the Eastern Han Dynasty, telling people about the vicissitudes of Songzhuang’s years and the hope for the future.
Songzhuang is a town under the jurisdiction of Tongzhou District, Beijing. It is located in the east of Beijing and the north of Tongzhou New Town, bordering the Chaobai River to the east and the Wenyu River to the west. Between the two river basins, there is a fertile land, which is the famous art town Songzhuang. It has a total area of ??116 square kilometers and has 47 administrative villages under its jurisdiction. It has a permanent population of more than 100,000. Most of the artists are concentrated in Xiaobao Village.
According to relevant information, Songzhuang has existed for a long time, with people living in it as early as the Neolithic period. It gradually developed and changed, traveling through the tunnel of time, towards the early 1990s. The first batch of artists such as Fang Lijun and Li Xianting settled in Songzhuang, rented or bought houses, and established studios. Gradually, more than 10,000 people who made a living in the art industries such as painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and film and television were brought together, injecting Songzhuang into The fresh blood of culture and art brings vigorous vitality and builds it into an art town. After more than 20 years of development, the streets and alleys of Songzhuang are home to numerous artistic residences, artist studios, art galleries, and cultural and creative spaces, allowing you to truly experience the value of artists and art. At the end of 2018, Cai Qi, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, visited Songzhuang and officially established Songzhuang's positioning as an "artistic and creative town", and included it as an important part of stabilizing the commercial construction of the Songzhuang Art District and coordinating the construction of the "sub-center".
Undoubtedly, Chaobai River played an important role in Songzhuang Town, which aroused my strong interest in Chaobai River. I always wanted to find an opportunity to see her face.
In early April 2020, due to the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic, we stayed at home for two months. Taking advantage of the warm spring and the blooming flowers, we went for a stroll in Chaobai River.
Chaobai River is very close to Songzhuang. If you drive eastward, you will reach Chaobai River in less than 20 minutes. We walked through a forest to the shore. Looking far along the shore, what jumped into my eyes were the tall buildings in Yanjiao, Langfang District, Hebei Province. The Chaobai River is the inter-provincial dividing line. Our location should be about 15 kilometers in the river between the Jingping Expressway Bridge and the Tongyan Expressway Bridge. With a large area of ??water and a natural wetland landscape in the river section far away from residential areas, the Chaobai River is like a mother, holding Yanjiao with one hand and Songzhuang with the other, leading the two brothers to run forward.
The graceful weeping willows on both sides of the Chaobai River are reflected in the water. The river is clear and clear, and fish are swimming in the shallow bottom; lilacs are in full bloom, with a rich fragrance; birds are singing in the forest, singing and laughing. There are flowers, birds, and rivers. What a beautiful picture of birds singing and flowers fragrant! There are several painters sketching on the bank. Some are sitting on folding chairs by the river, with a ponytail tied behind their head and an easel set up in front of them. , a drawing board on top, a small bucket next to it, the paintbrush is placed in the bucket, and the color box is placed next to it. When our footsteps approached him, he did not look back, nor did he hide the meaning of the painting. The rivers, willow trees, and birds in the sky he painted were obviously painters of Western paintings; the other one stood by the river, with his left hand Hold up a sketchbook and use line shapes to express the beauty of Chaobai River. Except for a pen, there is nothing around him. From his hairstyle to his clothes, everything is neat and tidy. I approached the painter and said hello:
Hello! The environment by the river is quite nice!
Why are you also a painter? I replied: No. of. ?
After chatting with him for a few words, I immediately turned to the topic and learned about the history of Chaobai River. He told me: The course of the Chaobai River has been changed many times in history. Before the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Chaohe River and the Baihe River were like seas. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, they merged in Lu County (today's Tongzhou District, Beijing). After that, the confluence point gradually moved northward. By the Five Dynasties, it converged at Niulan Mountain in Shunyi District. In the 34th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, in order to use the Chaobai River to connect Cao, it was artificially managed. It started from the confluence of the river in Cao Village, 18 miles southwest of Miyun County, and flowed through Tongzhou District and Shunyi District. The water area is 14.8 square kilometers, the average width of the river is 500 meters, the widest water surface is 800 meters, and the average water depth of the river is 2.5 meters.
I asked curiously: Are you a local?
The answer was: Hebei. ?
Why do we know so much about the Chaobai River?
He said: Check it online! Whenever you go to a place, you must understand the local conditions so that you can search in nature. Beauty, discover beauty. ?
I looked at the painter’s back slowly retreating, and stood alone on the bank of the Chaobai River to take a close look. The river is wide, there are no boats, and there are no sails. The water is clear and the fish are happy, and the blue water reflects the blue sky. Several fishermen looked intently at the water. They caught a few small fish swimming in small buckets on the shore. They made a big turn and curved a graceful arc. The sun passes through the woods and is projected on the beach and the river. The spring breeze ripples, and you can admire the beauty of lilacs. The chirping of birds and the random flowers are gradually enchanting. You can have a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery of Asakusa.
Suddenly, a song came from the distance: "A heart is swaying in the wind. It has not stopped wandering for many years. What makes me have the desire to go home? I look at my hometown with tears in my eyes." ?A song "Looking at Hometown" broke my meditation, aroused my longing for my parents and fellow villagers in my hometown, and the Yangtze River in my hometown, and gave me the desire to go home.
My hometown is on the bank of the Yangtze River. Whenever the Yangtze River ebbs, more than 100 acres of beach appear there. The sun shines on the beach, making it sparkle with silver light. It is much larger than the beach of Chaobai River. When I was young, a group of us friends often played on the beach. Sometimes there were small mounds on the beach. When we kicked them with our feet, there would be soft-shell turtles of different sizes. The small ones were about one pound, the big ones were about three pounds. Someone spotted a soft-shell turtle and screamed. The friends immediately gathered around and watched happily. Then they all dispersed with a cry of coaxing. They were in small groups, or searching on the beach, hoping for a miracle. I didn't like to talk when I was a child. I would often sit alone on the rocks beside the Yangtze River and watch the ships passing by on the river. I would listen to the sound of roaring water, watch the smoke and waves, and be inspired by my spirit. The Yangtze River water flowing thousands of miles nourishes the spirit of both sides of the river, and I am deeply moved by it. Rooted in my mind.
After 2005, the Three Gorges Hydropower Station impounded water. There were no stormy waves crashing on the river bank, the river no longer roared, and my home would always sleep in the water of the Yangtze River. The surface of the river has become wider, the water has become docile, as quiet as a lake, and the boats passing by make small waves. But I still remember my home, and the Yangtze River next to my home is still the turbulent, strong, and majestic Yangtze River. I will follow it affectionately, follow its majestic waves, and follow its long and glorious course. .
Unconsciously, the sun sets in the west, and a ray of sunset spreads on the Chaobai River. The evening breeze blows in the willows, and the sky is full of flowers. The willows dance with the wind, like the reflection of a girl's long hair by the water. When the wind blows over the water, the trunks and branches of the trees all bend and deform, the sunset and the flowers fly together, and the beautiful scenery of willows and blue water comes to mind.
The beauty of the Chaobai River lies in the sunset, which is as poetic as picturesque. I like the way I feel wrapped in the sunset, which gives me a soft, refreshing and slightly cool feeling. The sunset, held up by the spring breeze, is the place where the sky and the earth meet and then go away.
The sunset brings me endless longing, and melodious singing floats from the Chaobai River: I look at my hometown with tears in my eyes, and the fragrance of the soil blows in my face, and I return to my long-lost hometown. The road of time Ah, how many vicissitudes have accumulated, allowing me to embrace the scenery of my hometown again.
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