There is a county town in Yunnan that is completely built on the top of a mountain, surrounded by cliffs, like a "city in the sky"
Usually, when early humans chose their place of residence, they liked to "live by water and grass" and rarely chose to live in mountains far away from the water. But in Yunnan Province, all kinds of strange phenomena related to the terrain are no longer strange; diversity in all aspects is one of the labels of Yunnan. In Honghe County, Yunnan, Yisa, the county seat with a population of more than 30,000, is located entirely on the top of an independent mountain peak and is surrounded by cliffs. The locals describe this place like this - "The city is a mountain, and the mountain is a city."
Why does the "City in the Sky" appear on the top of the mountain?
There were traces of human activities here more than 2,000 years ago. There have always been different opinions as to why people at that time chose to live on the top of the mountain instead of by the Red River at the foot of the mountain. Yisa means "drought and water shortage" in the Bull language of the Yi ethnic group. There is a local folk song that says: High mountains are my hometown, with rivers to the left and rivers to the right. High mountains make it difficult to harvest grains, and floods make it a life-saving soup.
As a result, some people think that the valley area below the mountain is unbearably hot and unsuitable for living, but the top of the mountain is cool and pleasant; others think that the landscape at the bottom of the mountain is mostly undulating mountains, with almost no contiguous and complete flat land; while there is an area on the top of the mountain. Considerable flat open space for humans to live and breed for generations.
From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, this place was an important trade channel from southeastern Yunnan to southern Yunnan; many caravan merchants from the mainland immigrated here. In order to preserve their wealth, they chose to build fortresses on the top of the mountains that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. . Therefore, if you understand the history of Yisa County, you will find that the past of this place is closely related to the caravans, and it is even called a city on horseback.
The caravan thrives, all for survival
As early as the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the copper industry in Yisa made it prosperous for a while; however, as the resources were exhausted and the copper mines ceased production, Yisa's economy also declined. For a time it fell into depression. The Yissa people, who were short of farmland and land, took risks in order to survive and began to travel in caravans. They climbed over mountains and ridges, and opened 11 trade routes with great difficulty, including cross-border trade routes to Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and other places.
From the Republic of China to the founding of New China, this period was the peak of the development of the Yissa Caravan. Every year, hundreds of caravans and nearly a thousand people go abroad to do business, and going abroad has become a local trend. Later, Yisa also became one of the three major hometowns of overseas Chinese in Yunnan; there are more than 10,000 overseas Chinese in Honghe County, and 75% of the returned overseas Chinese and their family members live in Yisa Town.
Returning home in fine clothes, the hometown of overseas Chinese is beginning to appear
Not only is the exchange of materials and the circulation of money, but the prosperity of the caravan also brings back the culture of the outside world. Since the Southeast Asian countries had become colonies of Britain and France at that time, European-style architecture appeared; the caravans and caravans were influenced by it after seeing it too much. After returning home in fine clothes, they also brought this exotic style of architecture back to Yisa, forming a wealthy overseas Chinese community. Township. This is why there are not many minority-style buildings in Yisa Town, but more traditional Chinese-style and French-style buildings. Therefore, it is known as the "Grand View Garden of Architecture outside the Yangtze River" and "Little Hong Kong outside the Yangtze River".
In today's Yisa, people are still accustomed to calling the old city of Yisa the ancient city of caravans. The ancient city has Dongmen Street, Nanmen Street, Ximen Street, Beimen Street and other streets. In the alleys extending out, there are many century-old houses with a combination of Chinese and Western styles, which still tell the history of the caravan culture passed down. .
A "castle-style" residence that combines Chinese and Western styles
The most representative building in the ancient city is undoubtedly the Honghe County Museum, which took five years to build. Two large mansions during the Republic of China, "Qian Erguan Yuan (Qian Wanxing's Residence)" and "Qian Erguan Yuan (Qian Wanxing's Residence)" were built, which are examples of Chinese and Western architecture in the hometown of overseas Chinese. This is not only the east gate of Yisa Town, but also the "castle"; it not only has a domineering appearance, but is also practical. The extremely hard wall is equipped with both light and dark defensive shooting holes, and there are defensive doors in the corridors of the building. It is a castle that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Visiting the Honghe County Museum is like walking into a Chinese and Western Architecture Expo; the Chinese-style patio, Jiangnan flower windows, French cloisters, and northern cave dwelling arches all show the combination of Chinese and Western elements in this castle. In the era before roads were connected, the Yao family compound still used the most advanced cement at the time to build their mansion.
All cement was "imported" from Vietnam and brought back by caravans; the pride and generosity of the past can still be felt after stepping into the Yao family compound.
The war is over, but this "City in the Sky" is still like a legend, entrenched on the top of the mountain. It is like a centenarian who has experienced the world, guarding the town; tourists can also see the vicissitudes and glorious history of the hometown of overseas Chinese through the style of the old buildings in the ancient city.