First impression of Bashu
——Memory of the 2017 Qingming Tour to Chongqing and Chengdu
This is my first time to Chongqing, once the political center of the Republic of China, now a municipality; a mountain city, a GPS will fail The place; the hometown of boiled fish, Maoxuewang and hot pot.
Coming out of Jiangbei Airport, Airport Line 1 drove all the way to Chongqing's landmark Jiefangbei business district. The car finally stopped on a hill. We climbed up the hill and saw the Liberation Monument. In Chongqing, it feels like you are constantly going uphill and downhill. The alleys are strewn with stone steps. This is the taste of a mountain city. The world seems to have an extra dimension. The Liberation Monument was once a tall and majestic building. Now, against the backdrop of the surrounding commercial skyscrapers, it looks small and elegant. The whole body is white and yellowish in warm tones, making it soft and approachable. The evening breeze in April was soft and refreshing, and the small square in front of the Liberation Monument was filled with people strolling around. Our group was already hungry, so we casually entered a rice noodle shop and ate a bowl of pickled fish rice noodles. The taste was very good, and we still have endless aftertaste.
The next day we went to Ciqikou, the ancient cultural town of Bayu. Because it was a holiday, the place was so crowded that it was hard to walk. Along the way, there are Maoxuewang, pig's trotters, hot pot base, bean curd, and teahouses everywhere. The sound of Sichuan can be heard all over the ears, and the local flavor is strong. Walking into the streets of the ancient town, snack bars are everywhere, including silk making, sugar making, dough making, making glutinous rice cakes, and twists. There are also jewelry shops and handicraft shops lined up row upon row of creative shops, which are very lively. But the homogeneity is very serious. For example, there are many stores in Chenchang Ginmahua. Therefore, just walking through one of these streets is enough. Apart from my favorite brown sugar glutinous rice cake, I have no interest in shopping, so I walked around and came out. We found a place to drink a bowl of tea and watch Sichuan Opera, but the quality was very amateurish and not very enjoyable. I will definitely choose a good restaurant to listen to it again next time.
In the evening, I came to Hongya Cave, the legendary real-life version of Spirited Away, which really made me ecstatic!
The night view of Hongya Cave is magnificent. The Sichuan-Chongqing Diaojiaolou is on the edge of the cliff. It is layered on top of each other at various heights. It is located on the mountain, hidden in the green mountains and forests, and there is a jungle below. The green is not visible at the bottom of the cliff. A narrow red lantern is held up, casting bright yellow light, setting off the wooden houses like bright luminous bodies, lively but not noisy, quiet but not lonely. In front of the cliff, the Yangtze River flows continuously. The clear green water of the river in spring adds to the liveliness. The slender Qiansimen Bridge spans the river, bringing a modern feel with tough geometric components. On the other side, the crystal clear glass house-Chongqing Grand Theater faces across the river, and there are dots of lights at Jiangbeizui. This place is exactly the same as the dreamland of Spirited Away, which makes people's hearts beat.
There are many antique stone carvings in Hongya Cave, and there is a night market on the lower floor. I went to a rough stone shop and bet on a half-opened jade stone. It was really good jade. I made a bracelet, and the color was very beautiful. It feels like a wonderful gift from this dreamlike place.
What’s even more amazing is that you can walk a few hundred meters up the river from Hongya Cave, enter a parking lot in an alley, take the elevator to the top floor, and then go directly back to Jiefangbei. It turns out that Hongyadong and Jiefangbei are very close, but they are at different heights on the same mountain. It gives me a feeling of traveling through space. Pleasant surprise.
It takes 2 hours to reach Chengdu by high-speed rail from Chongqing.
Kuanzhai Alley is a famous Qing Dynasty residence built with blue bricks, giving it an air of elegance. Now it has become a commercial street, which is lackluster. Only a few pieces of the house structure can show the leisure life of that time. There are old turtles and small goldfish in the pond at the entrance, the small stone bridge over the pond, the two-part courtyard, and a touch of red flowers beside the window sill and door. It is really cozy. The giant panda statues scattered throughout the Kuanzhai Alley are children's favorite. The children all run towards them, kissing them, scratching their tails, and hugging them. There is also a bronze man standing on the street. He doesn't ask you to take pictures. I really thought it was a dummy. I was startled when I heard a sudden voice.
Wuhou Temple and Jinli are in the same place. I went there for the underwritten song "The Prime Minister of Shu", feeling sad about the past and looking for ancient relics.
Where can I find the Prime Minister's ancestral hall? Outside Jinguan City, there are thick trees. The green grass reflects the spring color on the steps. The oriole's voice is good in the sky overnight. I have been worried about the world for three times. The two dynasties have opened the heart of the old minister, but the army has not yet been successful. Die first, make the hero burst into tears?
Wuhou Temple itself is actually very small, but the external ancillary buildings are several times larger. Of course, the door has long been gone, and the green grass on the steps has also disappeared. The main temple is dedicated to Prime Minister Wu, accompanied by his children and subordinates on both sides, and there are poems and essays written by ancient people on the walls. The imaginary Wuhou Temple should have traces of Wuhou's life. His joys and sorrows should reflect the world's feelings of admiration or criticism. He was invited here by Sangu thatched cottage, and when he died, he should live in a quiet and elegant place, surrounded by the smoke and aura of the mountains. However, many ancient monuments are becoming more and more alike. The supporting buildings are grander than the main ones, and they are all the same. They cannot complement the main ones, which makes people feel helpless. Jinli is similar to Kuanzhai Alley and is also a cultural and creative street. But it is very close to nature, with water systems, woods, and scattered cover. Friends say that there are many bars in Kuanzhai Alley and Jinli. However, I don’t drink or go to bars, so I don’t know what they are like.
The next day, we drove to Dujiangyan. It takes about an hour and a half to drive from Kuanzhai Alley to Dujiangyan, and it is really worth a visit. Dujiangyan is known as the oldest water conservancy project still in use, and people lament that the simplest management method can last the longest. When you come to Dujiangyan, the first thing you see is the South Bridge downstream of Baopingkou. It is very beautiful and looks like a green and magnificent pavilion from a distance. Looking closer, you can see carved beams and painted buildings, flying eaves and walls, and the long corridor of the bridge is covered with poems and paintings, which is beautiful. The Neijiang water under the bridge is the greenest river I have ever seen. I really responded to the poem "When spring comes, the river is as green as blue." Just looking at the water, it flows happily, like a moving green belt, which is very pleasing to the eye and full of vitality. It is the water of the Neijiang River that gave birth to Bashu civilization and created the land of abundance. After walking through the South Bridge, I ate fish at the river fresh food restaurant on the shore. When people sit on the shore, it seems like they are sitting on a boat. There is always a feeling of floating in the trance. River fresh meat is delicate, tender and very fresh.
Enter the scenic spot from the main entrance of Dujiangyan, and walk from the downstream to the upstream, followed by Baopingkou, Feishayan and Yuzui. Baopingkou is a water channel cut from the mountain. The part separated from the mountain is called Lidui, which has the function of controlling the flow of water. We can view the mouth of the bottle directly from the observation deck above Lidui. Walking forward on the ropeway, you can take a close look at the Feisha Weir, which is used to drain sand and floods. In the dry season, it is a flat road, and in the flood season, the floods from the Inner River are discharged from here to the Outer River. Further up the river bank, the Erwang Temple on the opposite bank is nestled in the green mountains. At the end of the road is Yuzui. Yuzui is a water diversion dam built in the middle of the river, dividing the turbulent Minjiang River into the Outer River and the Inner River. The Outer River Flood drainage and water diversion from inner rivers for irrigation. From a distance, you can see the Minjiang River meandering forward, surrounded by mist, which is a natural creation, which makes you awe-inspiring.
When coming to Sichuan, giant pandas are a must-see for many foreign friends. Adult giant pandas are relatively lazy. They sit on the ground and are unwilling to move. They have short legs and small ears, but have a fat and soft body. They are surrounded by bamboo shoots. They twist their bodies to grab one and peel off the outer layer with their mouths. The hard shell, chewing the fresh bamboo shoots inside, is delicious! As I eat, I can feel my grinning mouth smiling innocently, showing a slow and leisurely satisfaction. Young giant pandas are more lively and active. Some of them are hanging in tall trees. It really makes people worry about how the clumsy one will get down. There are people sitting on the ground peeling bamboo shoots, and there are people lying on their backs kicking their legs, all in various poses.
As the saying goes, "When you are young, you will never go to Sichuan, and when you are old, you will never leave Shu." Chongqing is a very unique city, with the conservative tranquility of a mountain city and the upward vitality. The girls here are as clear as Xiaojiabiyu. The people here may not be fashionable, but they insist on their own attitude towards life. Compared with Chongqing, Chengdu does not have such a special tone, it is softer and more open. People here like to play mahjong and drink tea on the roadside, and the vendors will stop to look at the cards, seeming to have forgotten that they still have to do business. People are not so ferocious in wanting to escape and become the winner of the competition, but they have a tireless pursuit of life and are full of love. The pace is slow, but not draggy.
In this salty and suitable living condition, people have become particularly friendly. Cars on the roadside are not parked well and block the road. There will be uncles who will teach you, "You don't know how to do anything at all. Just reverse the car." While making pastries, people would chat and say, "Buy one of each flavor and share these with your colleagues." Everything is light, sweet and moist.
I think that in the future, people from such cities may have more soul than those from first-tier cities.
2017-4-13