Langzhong, the soul of the ancient city is still there

China's four well-preserved ancient cities,

Each of them is like thunder:

Lijiang Ancient City, Pingyao Ancient City, Huizhou Ancient City,

Langzhong Ancient City.

The ancient city of Langzhong, which has nearly two square kilometers of "Tang and Song Dynasty style, Ming and Qing Dynasty styles", is surrounded by mountains on four sides and water on three sides. It is known as "Langyuan Wonderland, Fengshui Treasure Land".

Written and photographed by: Liao Yongqin

"What you follow is not what you see with your eyes, but what is buried and erased in your heart."

——Italo Calvino "Invisible City"

In Laoguan Town, Langzhong, Liu Dezhi, the inheritor of intangible culture, is performing the Baxiang with the legacy of Bayu dance. Inspire. Langzhong was once the capital of the Ba Kingdom, where Ba and Han cultures blended together and have a long history.

As an old capital of an ancient country, Langzhong, located at the heart of Bashu and Sichuan, has a long history and numerous relics. The geographical environment, religious folk customs and other factors have created a unique cultural ecology; however, the rise of cities and the arrival of modernization have It will inevitably bring various unspeakable impacts to this ancient city. Time passes, people no longer exist, and things cannot survive.

Fortunately, in the course of time, the culture inherited from history still remains in the blood of this city, and continues uninterrupted. It is the core and the soul, reflected in every detail of the ancient city.

Sanqiao Square in Laoguan Town, Langzhong is bustling with dragon and lion dances.

The second day of the second lunar month is the busiest day of the Spring Festival in Laoguan Ancient Town, with various folk activities taking place.

The Laoguanchang site was originally the site of the ancient Fengguo County. In February 2019, I took this picture while going to the market in Laoguan Ancient Town, Langzhong. In the foreground is a crowd of people going to the market, carrying backpacks with local characteristics; in the background is a wedding photo of a young couple.

Hongshan Town, Langzhong, the owner of a motorcycle in the rearview mirror. As traffic conditions improve, this scenario has gradually faded out of people's lives.

The afternoon sun shines brightly in Gongyuan Square, Langzhong Road Street. Folks from Langzhong City gather here to chat and play long cards. Long card has a long history, the gameplay is diverse and interesting.

The old teahouse on Diaojiao in Qianfo Town is dimly lit and the old wooden railings are shimmering. Regular customers are drinking tea and chatting, and the atmosphere is leisurely and lazy.

Langzhong is more like a symbol, a collection of residents’ spiritual power; a collection of symbols; a concentration of thousands of years of accumulation. I grew up under this symbol, and a few years later, I used images as a medium to re-examine it. In my personal experience, my father once subtly taught me to grasp the measure of beauty. This standard inherited from my father’s generation also became the original intention of my observation.

Taken on April 21, 2016, in my hometown, Miaigao Town, Langzhong. The picture shows the banquet held on the day of my father’s 83rd birthday, where family and friends gathered together happily.

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In Gongyuan Square on Xuedao Street, people kick their legs, swing their arms, and sway to the passionate accompaniment, becoming a unique street scene.

In Langzhong, the two forces of nature and humanity complement each other and exist in a harmonious state. The mountains and rivers are hazy and beautiful, like timeless landscape paintings.

Gouxi River in Langzhong

The traces of survival are engraved on the houses, and their scattered arrangement reflects how this blessed land in the southwest allows all living beings to thrive. Where there are a lot of people, the experiences of all living beings are worthy of being read and recorded. Every slice of time is a specimen of life.

An elderly couple in their 80s on Xiaxin Street in Langzhong Ancient City.

Taken at the Langzhong River Ferry in April 2014, a young girl stepped off the ferry wearing fashionable clothes and smiled sweetly. Hexidu is located in the middle section of the Jialing River and was once one of the seven gates guarding the city of Langzhong.

With the development of the city, ferries can no longer meet the travel requirements of modern people; in July of the same year, the Third Jialing River Bridge was officially opened and the Hexi Wharf was suspended.

"Spring Festival Old Man" is a unique inheritance in Langzhong. This white-haired old man is the incarnation of Luo Xia Hong, an astronomer who participated in the "Solar Calendar" in the early Han Dynasty. In 2004, the International Committee on the Naming of Small Celestial Objects named an asteroid "Falling Star".

Taken in the new street of the ancient city - live painting is also called live painting. This is the most down-to-earth art form, and the interactive atmosphere on the spot is lively.

Just the real way of living and living conditions are enough to move people. As writer Jiang Lan said:

"The most touching thing about Langyuan culture lies in the mysterious and open communication between heaven, earth and people, as well as the life aura and cultural atmosphere formed by this communication . ”

A middle-aged woman selling steamed buns on the street in Laoguan Ancient Town.

In Langzhong, new elements are constantly emerging, but the old inheritance seems to have never been disconnected. The process of modernization urges individuals and collectives to move forward, but Langzhong has solidified many traditions in a manner that lags behind the mainstream.

Farmers also call the Northern Sichuan Lantern Opera in Langzhong the "God of Joy"

In the slow pace of life, dragon and lion dances, and Northern Sichuan shadow puppets, the spirit of craftsmanship has accumulated over time. . The older generation hand over the inheritance to the newcomers, and the young people will continue to pass on this love.

Shadow puppets in northern Sichuan hold two laurels: "World Human Intangible Cultural Heritage" and "National Intangible Cultural Heritage".

Thousands of sails have passed, whether it is a grand narrative or a small detail, there is much worth telling in Langzhong. Change or remain unchanged, this land that remains in the memory of my youth seems to have never left.

Thanks to the artist's creativity, the shadow puppets of northern Sichuan, which are more than three meters high, stand on the vast ancient road, as if overlooking the past and present, the city and the people. In Langzhong, new elements are constantly emerging, but the old inheritance seems to have never been disconnected.

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