Hongjiang City is located in the Xuefeng Mountains in southwestern Hunan, where the Yuan River and its three major tributaries, Qu, Wu and Wu Rivers meet. It is the core area known as Wuximan in ancient times. For thousands of years, the Dong, Miao, Yao, Han and other ethnic groups who have lived in Hongjiang have lived in harmony and jointly created the splendid Chunan culture. During the Warring States Period, "Nine Songs" written by Qu Yuan of the Chu State absorbed the form of folk songs for worshiping gods in southern Chu and created a new poetic genre that was highly expressive and had a profound impact on later generations. In the seventh year of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty (AD 748), the poet emperor Wang Changling was demoted to Longbiao (now Hongjiang City). There were stories of Miao girls listening to songs and Dong people begging for poems, which was the first of cultural exchanges between Dong, Miao and Han. "Chu Poetry" is even more famous throughout the world. Among them is "The cold rain comes to Wu at night, and I see off my guests in Chushan in the morning. Relatives and friends in Luoyang are asking each other, and their hearts are filled with ice in a jade pot." Furong Tower, famous for this eternal farewell poem, is known as "the first scenic spot in the upper reaches of southern Chu". Chunan culture mainly embodies the Yuanshen culture formed by worshiping the national hero Yang Shu, the ancient city culture represented by the ancient city of Qiancheng, and the indigenous culture rooted in Dong, Miao, Yao and other ethnic groups.
Yuanshen Culture
Yuanshen Culture refers to the general label of Wu Nuo culture and drama culture formed by the worship of river gods in the Yuanshui River Basin centered on the Hongjiang River. 150 years ago, in the vast area bordering southwestern Hunan and southeastern Guizhou, no one knew Yang Gong Bodhisattva. This indigenous god in Weizhen is extremely sacred and noble in people's minds. In front of Yang Gong, people worshiped him and prayed for him to give him good luck and peace. According to various historical records, Yang Gong's real name was Yang Shu, also known as Yang Wu. He had three brothers and was originally from Tuokou, Hongjiang City. During the Qing Dynasty, he "contributed to the suppression of the Miao Dynasty". After his death, he was enshrined as a god, and was later named the King of Zhenjiang. That is, the river god who protects people on the water. In Tuokou Dong Township, Yang Gong's hometown, there is a story that "Yang Su (washed) used paper figures and paper horses to fight with the officers and soldiers of the court. He was outnumbered and died after his jaw was cut off by the army." , in memory of Yang Shu, Qingmu Village was changed to today's Tuokou Town. Yang Shu was buried at the foot of Baowu Mountain in Tuokou and built the Yang Gong Temple (which later became the main temple where thousands of Yang Gong temples worshiped in various places). There is a folk poem that goes, "Each county builds a public temple, which shows its power year after year." Building a Yanggong temple in Tuokou has always been popular in Wugang. Every May on the Dragon Boat Festival, wizards preside over Yanggong temples in Yuanshui to celebrate the temple and perform sacrifices and perform operas on the tower. In Tuokou Dong Township, Dong people's paper-cutting has been passed down from generation to generation, especially Grandma Dai (nameless) is the most representative. She has more than 400 paintings, integrating Dong and Han art. They were once collected by the cultural station, but unfortunately they were burned during the "anti-rightist" movement. The current Dong paper-cutting artist Zhang Guoxiong continues this technique. Carrying forward (see photos of some works), in the ancient city of Qiancheng, the Chenhe high-pitched "Mulian Opera" integrates art, religion, and folk customs in the Yuanshui River Basin, and is a "living fossil" for the study of drama. In 1989, on the Dragon Boat Festival, UNESCO announced it. An international art exchange event for a rehearsal and performance was held in Qiancheng. A stage was set up by the Yuanshui River, and more than 2,000 river lanterns and more than 20 paper-cut Nuo gods were made, which can be called a "Mulian Opera" spectacle. It has had a great impact at home and abroad.
Before modern communication was developed, water transportation was the transportation channel in the Yuanshui River Basin on the border of Hunan and Guizhou. Tuokou was the gateway to this vast ethnic minority area. The exile, boatmen's exchanges, workers and sailors formed a huge river crossing team in the upper reaches of Yuanshui River. The personnel structure was mostly Dong, Miao, Yao and other ethnic minority compatriots. People are used to getting relief from the gods. When they sail to Tuokou, Yanggong Temple is the best place to go. The hometown of Duke Yang has the most Yanggong temples built. There are Shang Yanggong Temple and Lower Yanggong Temple in Tuokou. There are three Yanggong Temples in Qiancheng, namely Shang Yanggong Temple, Middle Yanggong Temple and Lower Yanggong Temple. Yuanshenchang (today's Yuanhe River) in the city There are Yanggong temples in Jiangshi, Shuangxi, Shawan, Taiping, Xiuzhou, Anjiang, Yanli, Huangshidong and other places. In addition to the county town and Dongtoutang, there are also Yanggong temples in Langjiang, Qinglang, There are Yanggong temples built in Zhiben, Niaokou, Geping, Gaoyong, Ma'an, Cormorant and other places. In addition, the extensive construction of Yanggong temples in Hongjiang in the Yuanshui River Basin has changed the local people. The pattern of belief is just like the "Yuanzhou Fu Zhong" written in the tenth year of Zhizhi (1871): "There are also things about making vows to gods, such as the king of stars, the three officials, the most god is Qingmu Yang Gong."
According to local folk sacrificial customs, the worship of Yang Gong does not belong to any one of Confucianism, Buddhism or Taoism, but belongs to the folk witchcraft and Nuo system. In the Yanggong Temple, the gongs and drums of the shaman troupe perform Nuo opera all year round. In Huitong Dong Township, on the second day of the first lunar month every year, there is a custom of carrying the statue of Yang Gong to visit the countryside, which is said to ensure peace. Therefore, Yang Gong has evolved several times since its emergence in the Song Dynasty, and has not only become a minority in the upper reaches of Yuanshui since the middle of the Qing Dynasty. The river god is widely believed in and has become the local patron saint trusted by the people in this area, and inevitably affects the social history and economic development of various ethnic groups in this vast area.