Qilong Bay, a place full of mythology

? Reportage? Zhao Yuanlong

Liu Yuxi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, has a famous saying that has been passed down through the ages in "The Inscription on the Humble Room": "The mountains are not high, and immortals are famous; the water is not deep, Where there is a dragon, there is a spirit." The "mountain" and "water" the poet refers to actually refer to an extremely simple "house" that is famous for its owner's noble character. However, Qilong Bay attracts thousands of tourists because of its "dragon" and "fairy".

Qilong Bay Scenic Area is located in the southwest of Lizhai Township. The name "Lizhai" is related to Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. Legend has it that Li Shimin once took a leave of absence from Luzhou and rode around on horseback when he had nothing to do. Once I accidentally came to the southwest of Zezhou and found that this was a geomantic treasure land, so I sent people to build a house and a village here, called "Li Village". It was midsummer, and he came to the bank of the Qin River and stayed overnight. Later, people called the place where the True Dragon Emperor lived "Qilong Village".

? My hometown is less than three kilometers away from Qilong Village. When I was very young, I heard my grandparents tell the story of the Nine Maidens Fairy Terrace: a large stone in the Qin River has a temple on it, and nine queen mothers live there. Among the fairies, eight of them are the empress’s biological children, and one is the adopted daughter of the empress. The eight biological daughters have no feelings for their goddaughter and always look at her with jealous eyes...

? Grandparents also talked about "Nine Fairies Slaying Demons", "Little Black Dragon Gets a Wife", etc. I grew up listening to these myths and stories, and I have had the desire to visit the Nine Maidens Immortal Platform many times, but I was unable to do so because the temple fell into disrepair and was reduced to rubble. In the late 1970s, the Jincheng City government built a hydropower station on Duhe River to store water and dam it into a lake. In addition, in recent years, the Imperial City Xiangfu Scenic Area and the Qilong Bay Scenic Area have been developed one after another, so I had the opportunity to see it.

? The day I went was in the scorching summer, with the scorching sun in the sky and sweating profusely. Fortunately, there was a west wind coming along the river, which brought a bit of coolness to people's faces. The bumpy dirt mountain roads that used to be along the Dajing, Yehe and Yellow Rivers have turned into wide and flat first-class cement roads. Solid berms have been built on the back slopes of the mountains, and square stones like city walls have been built along the roads. pile. Strange peaks stand among the ravines, and there are jagged rocks. A small river like a jade belt meanders along the deep ravine under the road rock. On the slopes and in the mountain valleys, trees shade the sun, flowers bloom, and various small birds fly around to show off their crisp voices to attract friends; countless squirrels and hares lurk in the nooks and crannies of the strange-shaped stones. Jumping between high and low trees. The terraced fields, which are only one rake wide, are like "straw hat flaps" woven from wheat and orange stalks, winding halfway up the hills of varying heights. The rows of fields are built with small stones of different sizes and odd shapes, like the soles of an old woman's shoes made stitch by stitch. They are neat, airtight and clean. The infinite scenery created by nature is like a charming picture scroll, which is dizzying.

? The car stopped in front of Qilong Village. Looking up, among the dense woods, there are one or two lonely yards hanging on the mountainside. This is a forgotten ancient village. With the mountain at its back and facing the Fairy Lake, she looks like an old lady sitting firmly on a wicker chair in a half-circle.

? There are three families named Zhang and Wang living in the yard. In recent years, young people have moved to cities to work, bought houses, and started families. A few old people are left guarding the ancient house that has gone through many vicissitudes of life. They live next to the mountains and keep company with the water all day long, telling tourists the mythical stories passed down from generation to generation.

1

? Like many places, since the establishment of villages, the Qilong people have placed their destiny in the "temple" and their blessings in the "god". So they built temple statues, offered sacrifices and prayed for blessings, hoping for good weather and a prosperous population.

? Opposite Qilong Village is a short, round hill that looks like a big turtle. People call it "Turtle Mountain". There is a Qilong Temple on Guishan Mountain, which has been renovated in recent years.

? I followed the path in front of the village and walked straight to Turtle Mountain.

? The gate of Qilong Temple faces east, with three stone tablets erected on each side of the gate. It can be seen from the vague inscriptions that Qilong Temple was first built in the Song Dynasty and has been repaired in every dynasty. It can be inferred that Qilong Village should have started before the Song Dynasty and has a history of thousands of years.

? The newly renovated temple has an entrance courtyard. On the central axis, there are a dance tower, a worship pavilion, an apse, a side hall, a side room and a watchtower. The main worship god is the Dragon King. There are murals on three sides of the main hall, which depict the story of the Thunder God and the Lightning Mother, and the Dragon King and Dragon Palace, which are of great value for ancient cultural research.

? Walking out of Qilong Temple, you can see the legendary and mysterious Black Dragon Pond at a glance. The Black Dragon Pool is located under a stone cliff on the right side of the steps outside the temple gate. The pool is surrounded by natural rocks and looks like a large urn. The color of the pool water is like indigo and the depth of the pool is unfathomable. It is said that it is connected to the East China Sea and is the place where the fourth son of the Dragon King of the East China Sea, Little Black Dragon, lives. It is also known as the "Eye of the Sea". According to the old people, the pond water is living water and has never dried up during severe droughts in the past dynasties. In ancient times, people from 72 villages along the river in Jin and Yang counties came here to pray for rain every year.

There is a folk myth: the Dragon King of the East China Sea once lived in Xinbi, Donggou Town. There is a well in the village, and a beautiful woman often comes to this well to fetch water. The Dragon King took a fancy to her and took her as his wife. When a woman got married, her natal family gave her 12 acres and 3 cents of land. Later, after the Dragon King and his wife moved to Qilong Village, the Xinbi people from her parents' family came to Black Dragon Pond to pray for rain every year, and it was always effective. In the Qilong Temple, there is a "Rain Sensing Monument" with a written record on it: "After praying for rain, it rained heavily for three days and three nights, and there was no rain for hundreds of miles around." This expresses the people of Xinbi's respect for the Dragon King of the East China Sea and his son Xiao Black Dragon’s deep gratitude.

? Black Dragon Pond is naturally a must-visit place for tourists, and ancient literati often recited poems and composed poems here. Chen Tingjing, an important minister of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty and a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, came here and walked around the Black Dragon Pool several times. Because he was impressed by its magic, he wrote a poem praising it:

? "The broken peak faces the huge ravine. , the meaning of opening up is black. People say that it is the eye of the sea, and the sky is like a dragon palace. "

Chen Tingjing chanted. When he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a black horse leaping out of the pool with a brush in its mouth, kneeling beside him and staring at him with tears in his eyes. Chen Tingjing understood when he saw it, and immediately patted the horse's head and said: "Get up! I have visited the mountains, swam in the water, and recited poems, but I didn't leave anything for you. I'm really sorry!" After that, He took the writing brush from Black Horse's mouth and asked someone to use the pond water to grind the ink. Then he looked at a stone wall beside the pond and prepared to write. Who knows, I tried several times, but I couldn't find the stone wall. When the black horse saw it, he nodded to Chen Tingjing and jumped into the pool. In everyone's astonishment, the cliff came down with a "rumbling", and the rocks under their feet rose up again with a "creeping". The piece of cliff fell right on Chen Tingjing's chest. Chen Tingjing knew that this was the little black dragon displaying its dragon power, so he soaked it in thick ink and wrote the four characters "Jiaolong Cave House" with concentration. As soon as the words were written, the cliff slowly rose and returned to its original position. To this day, the four characters are still clearly visible.

? There is the "Huanglong Pond" under the Black Dragon Pool and the "Empress Cave" in the mountains. In ancient times, there was an attic, but now only the foundation remains. It is said that Niangniang Cave is connected to a small cave on the Henan Mountain in Yugou, Caodui Village, Runcheng City, Yangcheng City. There is a fire at one end and smoke at the other end, which is quite a spectacle. There is also a cave on the mountain opposite Niangniang Cave that can accommodate a thousand people. Legend has it that the two caves were pierced with pointed poles when Erlang climbed the mountain to catch the sun.

Leaving Black Dragon Pond and walking on the rugged mountain road, nine peaks stretched across the landscape. In local beliefs, "nine" is an auspicious number: there are nine levels in the sky. After a daughter gets married and lives for nine days, she will be taken back by her family, which is called "Jie Jiu". There are nine fairies on the Immortal Platform, and there are exactly nine continuous peaks, which is called "Nine Girls Peak". In the mountain depression about 1.5 kilometers long, the "Nine Girl Peaks" are lined up in a row, which is dangerous, strange and beautiful. The mountains are strong and the water is soft, leaning against each other. It is a beautiful picture in the world.

? 2

? Although summer at the lake is not as hot as on the top of the mountain, the sun is too strong after all. In order to enjoy the cool air, I walked down the steps to the Jiu Nu Fairy Lake.

? Jiunu Fairy Lake is about ten miles long from north to south. Historically, the Qin River, like the Milky Way in the sky, separated the two places of Jinyang and faced each other across the river. It is the Duhe Hydropower Station dam that forms a high gorge and flat lake of about 13 square kilometers here, creating a beautiful bay where the Qinhe River surges thousands of miles into the Yellow River. It also allows people from Jinyang and Xiantai to meet and live in harmony.

? Summer in the mountains is something you never tire of. The sky is as clear as water and surrounded by peaks. Jiunv Lake is like a piece of green emerald embedded in the mountains.

The green mountains on both sides of the bank are reflected in the lake, like nine-day fairies dressing up. The breeze blows, and the lake water has layers of tiny ripples, wrinkled and shiny. The layers are so neat and the speed of the ripples is so symmetrical, as if they were carefully designed by humans.

? Jiunv Lake is equipped with boats and rowing boats. Anyone who comes to play must go boating on the blue waves to appreciate the changing peaks on both sides of the bank and feel the waves splashing in the lake. I casually got on a yacht, and after I had settled down, the yacht sailed into the lake. The rippling blue water on the lake immediately splashed into waves. Suddenly, the myth and legend I heard in my childhood about nine girls descending to earth and playing in the river appeared in my mind, and I felt like I was drifting into a fairyland. Suddenly, the yacht increased its speed and suddenly flew up, and my heart suddenly reached the sky. Gradually, the cruise ship went from fast to slow, and suddenly from slow to fast. Sometimes it faced a cliff, and sometimes it entered a spiritual cave. The scene of "people swimming in the painting, painting flowing in the water" makes people feel like watching a thrilling movie. 3D movie.

While I was experiencing a romance I had never experienced in my life, I greedily sucked in the fragrance from the lake. Suddenly, a flute sound interrupted my dream. When I looked up, I saw a train coming out of the east cave with smoke and whistle, speeding across the Houyue Railway Bridge in mid-air, and then entered the west cave again in an instant.

? After getting off the yacht, I boarded the Nine Maiden Sendai sidewalk. The sidewalk is composed of 40 steps, which are homophonic for "everything goes well", that is, if you climb these steps, everything will go well. Who comes here to play without this vision? On the stone wall on the east side of the sidewalk are engraved three characters "First Dividing Stone" written by Yunxiao Zhenren, the founder of Jiunu Xiantai. Guess what it means, this huge stone was created when the world was created and is a gift from God.

? In fact, the "Nine Maiden Fairy Terrace" is a mountain divided when two rivers meet. After a long period of water, it forms an isolated island in the water. The ancients believed that only gods could achieve this strange phenomenon, so they built the "Nine Heavenly Mysteries" temple on the platform, which is also known as the "Nine Goddess Immortal Platform".

The Nine Maidens Fairy Terrace covers an area of ​​440 square meters. It is said that there were 108 original houses and palaces, representing the 108 states and counties in Shanxi. However, its founding date cannot be determined. According to the memories of elderly locals, the original inscriptions were rebuilt and the buildings on the platform were razed to the ground in the 1960s, with only the remains remaining. The inscription at Qilong Temple in Guishan contains records: From March 18th to Guimao Day in the 18th year of the Chenghua Period of the Ming Dynasty, it rained heavily for three days. The river suddenly swelled and the water level rose to seven steps above the first temple gate of the Nine Maidens Immortal Platform. From now on The river is two-thirds high. People at that time carved a stone with a knife and said: "The river came here in the 18th year of Chenghua." It is said that after the heavy rain, the river did not fall for a long time. A monk died of hunger during the siege of the flood, and later generations had a statue of him carved with bones.

The Nine Maidens Fairy Terrace not only has a long history, but also has beautiful natural and cultural landscapes. Fan Zhifan of the Song Dynasty in the Ming Dynasty once wrote a poem: "There are many scenic spots in Taihang, but this one is especially special. In the independent mountains, there is only one secluded path. The cloud room is full of ceilings, and the eaves slip down the middle stream. Nine fairies are preaching, lighting lamps to the top." The small and exquisite Nine Female Immortal Temple is built around the platform. From a distance, the river looks like a coiling dragon, and the platform looks like a crouching tiger, just like a large natural bonsai amidst the faint green mountains and vast green water; from a closer look, the towering pavilions, winding corridors, red pillars, yellow glazed tiles, and silver-gray walls are reflected in the water surface. The water on the platform conveys the spirit, and the platform forms a scene on the water. It can be said that "a piece of stone in the middle of the river is like a nine-immortal platform for eternity."

The Temple of the Nine Female Immortals is built facing south, at the Xunmen Gate of Kanshan. There is a big bell at the door, with a diameter of more than one meter. The pavilions and pavilions are small and exquisite, but not depressing at all. The carved railings and jade masonry are ingenious and elegant. In the antique two-meter-wide palace, there are carved beams and painted pillars with rich colors. Each statue is neat and orderly, with extraordinary craftsmanship. In particular, the ten female sculptures are lifelike. In the middle of the pedestal of the mother statue, eight of the girls are facing one side, and the only girl is looking directly at her mother. All of them have fair skin, peach-like faces, lightly swept eyebrows, red lips and white teeth, slim figures, and attractive faces...

Shangdang is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation. From the arrival of the Yellow Emperor to the flood control of Dayu , beautiful mountains and rivers, immortals flying over, leaving behind many beautiful legends. The story of the Nine Heavens Fairy is even more touching.

According to legend, the Jade Emperor sent Xuannv from the Nine Heavens down to earth to build a temple and practice Taoism. After the task was completed, Xuannv was nostalgic for the beautiful scenery of Qinhe River and refused to return to the palace. This angered the Jade Emperor and ordered her to transform into nine peaks to control Qin. From then on, this fairy who had no thoughts about heaven and earthly life stayed here and became the patron saint of both sides of the Qinhe River. Later, people were grateful for her merits because she helped those in distress and eliminated violence, so they built a shrine on the Qinhe Peak to worship her.

In fact, it has been recorded that the Nine Maidens Fairy Terrace is famous far and wide. Li Daoyuan, a famous geographer during the Northern Wei Dynasty in my country, clearly wrote in "Shui Jing Zhu": "Qinshui flows to the southeast, Yang'a water flows into Yan on the left, and flows to the east of Yang'achuan in the north, and flows through Wubi Pavilion in the south." The "Qinshui" in the text refers to the Qin River in Shanxi. "Yang Achui" refers to the long river in Jincheng, and "Yang Achuan" refers to the junction of Zezhou and Yangcheng counties. The Qinhe River and the Changhe River meet here. The "Shui Jing Zhu" describes it as "the rocks are washed along the waves, and the stream collapses for hundreds of feet. It turns around the waves and flows into the Qinshui River in the south." At the same time, it also said: "There are cliffs on both sides of the bank, and the mountains are The water flows in Yang'e, the water and the rocks are surging, the sound is like thunder, and it is called Jiu Nu Terrace." This text not only vividly describes the peculiar landscape when the Qin River and the Chang River meet here, but also brings out the unique scenery. Found a legendary "Nine Women's Terrace". "Zhongdaozhuang", the hometown of Chen Tingjing, a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion in the Qing Dynasty, is next to Wubi Pavilion and only a few miles away from the Nine Maiden Immortal Platform. Because of the steep mountains and rivers and the beautiful scenery of Jiunu Fairy Lake, Chen Tingjing often visited here when he was at home.

? It is said that in the autumn of the third year after Chen Tingjing became a capital official and returned to his hometown to mourn his father, he took his family to Jiunu Fairy Lake. It is late autumn at this time, and the banks of Jiunu Fairy Lake are colorful. The mountains full of red leaves make the fairy lake look like a fairyland. Chen Tingjing couldn't help but chant:

"The red leaves are deep red and light red, the Jingyun clouds and drizzle are as thick as spring, the mulberry trees are half withered and the willows are yellow, and every village in three miles and five miles is the same. I turn around and the stream opens and I marvel, Thousands of mountains are all exquisite. Who makes the rocks and valleys specialize in different colors and use pure gold and green to perform magic?" I was chewing on Chen Tingjing's beautiful poems while witnessing the picturesque Nine Girl Fairy Lake. The scenery makes you feel a sense of soaring in the clouds and mist, both real and illusory. You can't help but admire the ingenuity of nature as well as the unique design and exquisite craftsmanship of the builders.

Three

? Walking out of the Nine Female Fairy Temple and overlooking the surroundings of the Fairy Lake, beautiful legends have added a layer of mystery to nature. A group of gray-white pigeons sometimes fly towards Sendai, sometimes swooping down and skimming the mirror-like lake surface, as if they are dating the nine-day fairy to play in the lake, adding a bit of interest to the mythical Qilong Bay.

After having a light meal at a stall in the scenic area, I came to the newly developed glass plank road.

? The glass plank road is a steel cable glass bridge suspended in the air, about 100 meters away and 5 stories high. The bridge body is made of transparent materials and blends in with the surrounding beautiful scenery. It is currently the only challenging amusement project in Shanxi Province.

? I stood at the end of the bridge and looked at the tourists walking on the bridge, which was as clear as water. Some are walking on thin ice, some are cowering, and some are so frightened that they squat there covering their faces and cry... After crossing the bridge, there is another "ladder" made of welded iron plates, with a 70-80-degree The slope seemed to be falling into an abyss, which frightened many people and stopped them in place. Of course, there are also a lot of brave young men and women, smiling, holding hands, walking side by side along the long glass plank road; there are also some couples cuddling tightly together, hanging in mid-air on the glass plank road On, capture the romance in the picturesque scenery. This situation is truly enviable!

? Because of this, the designer gave the glass suspension bridge a poetic name - "True Love Bridge". There is also a deliberately created "love platform" at the other end of the bridge. This very exciting name attracts couples, both male and female, who are eager to try it out and have sex with each other. On the "True Love Bridge", in front of the "Love Affair Stand", in an extremely romantic atmosphere, each other vowed to be destined for life, taking the "True Love Bridge" to a new level.

? I carefully stepped onto the transparent bridge deck, and also tried to stand alone in the middle of the glass plank road, and suddenly felt like clouds and mist hanging in the air.

Whether it was the clear blue sky in front of me, or the rippling blue waves under the suspension bridge; whether it was the endless green mountains around me, or the Nine Maidens Fairy Terrace so close at hand, I stupidly did not dare to look directly at it. Until I stepped off the glass suspension bridge, my mind was still filled with smoke and my head was dizzy. In a daze, the story of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei's "Qixi Festival Oath" appeared in my mind...

? 1,400 years ago On the night of the "Chinese Valentine's Day", the eternal romantic emperor Xuanzong Li Longji and his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan came to Qilong Bay and performed an eternal love story. Concubine Yang Guifei and Emperor Ming of Tang pledged their loyalty here. On the Milky Way, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl also witnessed the sweetness of their love. Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a convoluted "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" for this purpose. Yang Yuhuan, who "is hard to give up because of her natural beauty, once chosen to be at the king's side", made Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty "the spring night is short and the days are high, and the king will never come to court early from now on". But the subsequent love vows and happy times were turned upside down due to a riot in the Tang Palace...

? Being in the holy love place of Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei's "Qixi Festival Oath", I seemed to have seen it. Brocade flowers bloom, smell the fragrance of colorful flowers, hear the splendid song of playing the piano, and enter into the dream of "asking the blue sky with wine"...

? The eternal "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" has been a source of reverie for thousands of years. Due to the "Anshi Rebellion", "the six armies had no choice but to do nothing, and they died in front of the horse." The giant hand did not return to the sky, and the two sides were uncertain from now on. "The king hid his face and could not be saved. Looking back, blood and tears flowed together." A generation of talent and beauty turned out to be unlucky, and true love finally became an eternal song. "Eternity and eternity will eventually end, and this hatred will last forever"...

? What a pity!

Four

? Leaving the glass suspension bridge, I came to the via ferrata climbing wall.

It is said that via ferrata is an outdoor sport originating from Italy. It uses fixed cables and iron handrails to allow ordinary people to climb unique and steep cliffs along climbing trails. Qilong Bay is surrounded by steep and precipitous peaks. The designer cleverly set up a via ferrata climbing wall here to provide visitors with a thrilling and exciting playground.

? I didn’t have the guts to give it a try. I just stood there and watched the warriors climbing over each other.

? On the rock climbing wall that is tens of meters high, there are rock climbing fulcrums of different colors and sizes. Several young guys and girls, protected by safety ropes and knee protectors, Use your hands and feet to climb from bottom to top. There were one or two older scholars who were already exhausted and sweating profusely when they reached two-thirds of the height. They seemed to have the idea of ​​stopping for a while. However, in the shouts of the onlookers "Come on! Come on!" I didn't dare to show any cowardice, I just mustered up the courage to climb up step by step with great difficulty. Those athletes who had climbed to the top boldly grabbed the rope and descended quickly. When they stood firmly on the ground, the fatigue and tension during climbing seemed to disappear a lot. They huffed and puffed, looked at the climbing wall, and danced about how they really felt when climbing.

? I secretly admire the designer's uniqueness. Today's young people are open-minded and wild in behavior. Both men and women like to let their hearts go free and challenge their limits while experiencing thrilling rock climbing. They are more willing to show strength and feel romance while contending with cliffs.

? If Qilong Bay is a tourist attraction with mountains and rivers, and Nine Maidens Fairy Terrace is a holy land of fairies that has been passed down through the ages, then the Via Ferrata climbing wall can truly be regarded as a pleasing Eden paradise. "A cut of clouds, a stream of moonlight, a journey of mountains and rivers, a year of happiness." The fun of life is not only to appreciate the scenery, but also to relax the mind, fight against the wind and waves, and challenge the limits.

? Time flows endlessly amidst the bustle of Qilong Bay Scenic Area, and it is almost dusk before I know it. I hurriedly got on the return car, but my eyes looked back from time to time, feeling a little reluctant to leave:

? The majestic and straight mountains, the gentle and lingering water, the ancient courtyard hanging halfway up the mountain, and how many people there were. Kind and simple old people... They are the ones who never give up and are unwilling to be lonely. They guard the mountains day after day and year after year. They witness the past and present of Qilong Bay and the generations to come as time goes by. Things have changed in the modern era, and it has also witnessed countless myths and stories being circulated among tourists.