Tourist attractions in Dawujiang Town
At the exit of Laolinhe Scenic Area, "Zhenwu Mountain" is tall and majestic with a single peak. Halfway up the mountain, there is a geomantic treasure cave with green pines and cypresses. Mao Chongyuan, a famous general in northern Guizhou, is buried here. Standing in front of the tomb, looking up, I saw a group of peaks embracing each other, green and flowing. The mountain facing the cemetery is two magnificent peaks with the same shape, like a golden boy and a beautiful girl, welcoming the spirit of the general.
Maoba, the ancestor of General Zhenbei, was born in Shandong. In the second year of Qianfu in the Tang Dynasty, he defeated Nanzhao. He repeatedly made extraordinary achievements and was specially awarded the title of General Jinglue. In the Southern Song Dynasty, one descendant, Sun Huang, was granted the title of General Wu Lue, led troops and fortified the area, and garrisoned Yinba on the north bank of the Wujiang River, a strategic military location. At that time, Guizhou had not yet established a province. In order to strengthen the rule of the southwest ethnic minorities, the central dynasty established a complete chieftain system, which restricted and restricted the behavior of each chieftain. Bozhou Xuanwei Department, Sinan Xuanwei Department, Sizhou (now Cengong) Xuanwei Department and other institutions were established in northern Guizhou. Fenggang is under the jurisdiction of Sinan Xuanweisi, and Shiqian is under the jurisdiction of Sizhou Xuanwei Division. Yinba is forming a tripartite trend with Fenggang and Shiqian. Each Xuanwei Division was under the jurisdiction of neighboring provinces, and there were conflicts in border areas, property plundering, and bloodshed at any time. At that time, there were three large rivers in the territory of Bozhou: the Chishui River in the west, the Yangtze River in the north, and the Wujiang River in the south. They were natural barriers. The Wujiang River was in the right and wrong place of Bozhou, so Yinba became the main line of defense on the front line of Bozhou. This area has a unique geographical location, fertile land and beautiful scenery, making it a strategic military location that is easy to defend and easy to attack.
It is said that in the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Mao Chongyuan, another outstanding genius who was named the General of Zhenbei in the early fourth year of Ming Dynasty, was born here. The army he led was capable of conquering and fighting, and was powerful in northern Guizhou. There were more than 300 families living in Yinba. The General's Mansion was located in Chengpingnao near the current Yinba Street. The military and government were integrated with the people. In peacetime, soldiers practiced martial arts. During the farming season, men farmed and women weaved. When there was a war, they went out to fight to form a powerful military force. He made a significant contribution to the defense of Boshu. Wu Shunwu's ancestral home is in the village group in the back mountain of Yuanguang Village, Yinba. It is only a stone's throw away from Laolin River Scenic Area.
Wu Shunwu was born in the late Jiaqing years of the Qing Dynasty and died in the late Guangxu years. When he was young, Wu Shunwu was talented and intelligent, had a photographic memory, read poetry and books, and became famous in one fell swoop, reaching the fifth rank. Later, due to frustration in the officialdom, he had to leave his official position and become a teacher. After the Opium War in 1840, Western missionaries relied on a series of unequal treaties to obtain the privilege of setting up churches and preaching in various parts of my country. At that time, Yunnan and Guizhou were within the sphere of influence of Germany, one of the Western powers. They plundered real estate everywhere, set up churches, and developed believers. Wu Shunwu relied on his own ability and talent, aimed at the opportunity, and was keen on preaching. After decades of teaching, he finally made achievements and served as the chief bishop of the Catholic Church in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.
Wu Shunwu, who was over seventy years old, retired and returned to his hometown. He returned to his hometown with great honor, but he still kept his profession. Extensive construction work was carried out to build a Catholic church. The structure of the church adopts a combination of Chinese and Western styles, with an upper hall, a lower hall, and wing rooms, and the layout is like a quadrangle. The entire building is made of fine workmanship and exquisite craftsmanship. After the church was built, believers were widely recruited, and hundreds of local families named Xia, Wu, Wen, Zou, and Zhang joined the church. He also planned to build a five-level school, subsidize the expenses to send students to nearby states and counties to study culture, and sent his only grandson Wu Tingfang to study in India for several years.
Objectively speaking, Wu Shunwu made certain contributions to Yinba’s cultural and educational undertakings. When he celebrated his seventieth birthday, dozens of plaques were sent from nearby states and counties, which is enough to illustrate his influence in the local area at that time. After liberation, the church was distributed to local farmers, and some farmers still retain a small number of plaques. These objects can be used as evidence that Wu Shunwu was an official and taught. There is an ancient pagoda in Yuanguang built in the second year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty. It is a six-sided and six-level hollow pagoda, with an east-to-west seat and an all-stone structure. Covering an area of 50 square meters, the tower is 18 meters tall and the base circumference is 16.6 meters. On the second level of the tower, there is an inscribed word "Ziku" in the official script, which is vigorous, dignified, smooth and thick. There is a four-sided stele lying beside the tower, which is also inscribed with Chinese calligraphy. The knife work is exquisite and smooth, and the calligraphy is elegant. It can be called a masterpiece. It is really a rare masterpiece of ancient art.
What is the significance of building this tower and why is it called the "Ziku" tower. This story also begins in the 28th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty: In that year, Yang Yinglong, the Secretary of Xuanwei in Bozhou, rebelled against the imperial court. Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered General Li Hualong to supervise more than 200,000 troops in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces and divide them into eight groups. March to attack Yang Yinglong. At that time, many members of the Mao clan in Yinba were Yang's staff and were related by marriage. Naturally, the Mao clan was also the target of the same crusade. Since many of Mao's family were studying as officials, in order to avoid war, a large number of books could not be taken away, so he had to order his family to move the books to a large cave of several hundred square meters in the hinterland of Laolin River for storage.
After the war was settled, most of the Mao officials had rendered meritorious services to the court and were pardoned by the emperor. They were restored to their posts and received hereditary salaries for their descendants. The descendants of the Mao family have not forgotten the books that their ancestors hid in Laolinhe Cave during the war. Due to the long time, a large number of books have basically decayed, but they can no longer be thrown away casually. After discussion among the tribesmen, it was decided to choose an auspicious site to build the "Ziku" tower. After the tower was built, because there were many books, only half of them were moved to the front of the tower and a book burning ceremony was held to burn them. It is said that the book was burned for three days and three nights, and the remaining half of the unburned books were burned again in the seventh year of Daoguang. A seven-level "Wenfeng" tower with masonry structure was built near Yinba Street to hold a book burning ceremony. It took three days and three nights to build the two towers, which shows that the area has rich cultural heritage and profound cultural accumulation.