Yuci Hougou Ancient Village
This is an ancient village with a long history, which is said to date back to the Tang Dynasty. The village buildings are close to the kilns in northern Shaanxi and are built along the river bank against the mountains. It retains a large number of ancient buildings such as brick kiln triple courtyards, quadrangle courtyards, and independent cave dwellings, as well as exquisite brick carvings, wood carvings, and stone carvings. The exquisite and unique ancient stage, Guanyin Hall and Bodhisattva Hall in the village can be called living fossils of northern folk culture. Hougou Village has formed a complete folk cultural system with its simple farming culture, pure natural culture, traditional belief culture, and smart ecological culture.
The roads in the village are all stone roads, either flat or vertical, and many of them have been worn away by the years. Most of the courtyard walls are built with layers of red stones. Although they have gone through wind and rain, they remain strong, simple and beautiful.
The trees here are also unique to the ancient village. The street trees on the roadside before entering the village are planted with a unique cypress tree, which is more than three meters high. The leaves cover the entire trunk, and the diameter of the branches and leaves is about one meter each. , the leaves are green, graceful and cute, and it winds along the road, adding a lot of fun. When entering the village, there are two thick jujube trees in the courtyard, on the plateau, in front of the door, or in the middle of the road. Thousand-year-old locust trees, dead trees sprouting new branches, and mottled bark bear witness to the age of the village. Last year's saponins are still hanging on the sapodilla tree, and the branches are already covered with new leaves. The wild jujube trees that can be seen everywhere on the land demonstrate the tenacity of life. There is also a huge chun tree in the center of the village, more than ten meters high. The tree needs several people to surround it. The huge crown is full of vitality and thriving.
Most of the houses here are cave dwellings, most of which have five holes. The cave dwellings are dug into the mountains, some are several feet deep, some have kilns inside the kilns, some have kilns above them, and some have kilns. There are suspension bridges installed in some kilns, and the doors of some kilns are on the mountain side, while the windows are open on the other side of the mountain. When going to and from the cave dwellings, it is extremely hot outside the kiln and cool inside the kiln. It is really two worlds of cool and hot.
There are many ancient buildings here, and the temple system is quite complete. Temples and ancestral halls such as Guandi Temple, Wenchang Pavilion, Zhenwu Temple, Sanguan Temple, Kuixing Tower, Guanyin Hall, Bodhisattva Hall, Shan Temple, He Temple, Wudao Temple, etc. are built according to Feng Shui and are erected according to the directions, integrating Buddhism , Taoism, and Confucianism are all integrated into the village. It is really not something that a small village with dozens of households can accommodate, but it is indeed owned by a village of two to three hundred people. This is where her breadth and charm lie. . No wonder it has attracted many tourists and many film and television shootings. Do you still remember the hit "Yu Jackie Chan" last year? The scenes of Yiyi leaving home and the stage were all taken here.
The drainage system here is also first-rate. The waterways are buried deep underground. There are water inlets in each courtyard, and finally merge into the river around the village. It will not collapse in case of flash floods, and it will not become muddy in light rain. No wonder Experts all say: the drainage system of the ancient village is absolutely first-class.
This is the center of farming civilization. Go to the Farming Culture Museum to see all kinds of agricultural tools, agricultural products, food, clothing, and daily necessities. It shows people the self-sufficiency of men farming and women weaving, spring planting and autumn harvest. An endless rural picture. I come from the village, so I know most of these things and have used many of them. When I walk among them, I recall the ups and downs of those years, and I have a special feeling in my heart.
This is a paradise. The farmland that has just been sown exudes the smell of earth. The green apricots, blooming pear blossoms, blooming peonies, hens grazing in the forest, and the roosters singing from time to time are at the door. Dogs basking in the sun, donkeys grazing leisurely, birds chirping in the trees, and people selling their own dried fruits and red dates, all are natural and harmonious.
It’s almost noon, let’s go to the Educated Youth Center to have some food. It is said that this was the place where the first batch of educated youths lived, hence the name of the courtyard. Sitting under the grape trellis in the small courtyard, we ordered bitter vegetables, sour soup enema, and two bowls of cat ears. The delicious farmhouse taste lingered in our hearts for a long time.
On the way back, there were patches of golden-leafed elm trees beside the road. I parked my car and walked ten miles through the elm forest. The blue sky and white clouds, the sound of chickens and dogs had faded away, leaving only the ancient village in my heart.