Into the first prose of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

When I went to Shimengao, it was the season of spring. As you go upstream along the Longshu River, as usual, you won't miss the "singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers" and the "spring and bright scenery" along the way. However, the scenery of mountains and fields in spring is inevitably the same, so it’s okay not to mention it. It’s better to save some words and talk about something else.

First go to the water mouth in the north of the village. In a narrow place, two stones separate the two banks, standing opposite each other, like two portals; this is the origin of the name "Shimen". I thought about how amazing and patient nature is. How long did it take to maintain such a motionless look? I'm afraid no one knows, except the sky and the earth. "Shimen Gao" came later. According to the family tree of the Gao family, the Gao family moved to Shimen during the Xingyuan period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. They slashed and burned in the mountains and multiplied for generations, and gradually became a prominent family in the Qiupu area. It was once said that "the family lived in the Western Han Dynasty for a thousand years and was the first family in the Eastern Jin Dynasty." . Therefore, the world also calls it "Shimen Gao".

After passing Taohuawu, I remembered the words in Guangxu's "Guichi County Chronicle" of the Qing Dynasty: "Chuntai Rock, Taohuawu built by Gao Ji, is where Li Bai and Gao Ji traveled together." I couldn't help but stop for a moment. It is hard to imagine that this place once had peach blossoms covering the mountains and had a paradise-like scenery. The wind of the Tang Dynasty seemed to take everything away. Fortunately, it could not blow the huge rock. The three characters "Taohuawu" on it were simple and vigorous and clearly legible; but it could not tell me whether Li Bai wrote it personally. In fact, it doesn't matter who wrote it. What's important is that it has survived more than a thousand years and still looks like this. It's not easy.

Brushing the horsehair wall, we stepped into Shimen Ancient Village. Walking in the ancient alleys of Younong, I felt very small, as if I was walking in a deep wrinkle, as if I was in another world, and I unconsciously felt that "I have never seen the ancients before, and I have never seen the newcomers after". Sometimes, I will inexplicably have fantasies about meeting someone walking in the tunnel of time at a certain corner, such as Li Bai. I know that this historical giant has an indissoluble bond with Shi Mengao.

I really want to meet Li Bai and see what he looks like when he walks around and composes poems. Li Bai's poems were well written and he was called the Immortal of Poetry by later generations, but after all, he was just an ordinary person, otherwise he would not have been in the world of fame and fortune, thereby offending powerful people. But it’s okay, if you didn’t offend the powerful, you wouldn’t be demoted. There would be no trip to Qiupu in the winter of Tianbao’s eighth year, and maybe there wouldn’t be the couplet known as Jiuhua Mountain’s “Ding Ming Pian”—— ——"There are two wonderful things, Lingshan blooms Jiuhua..." I often wonder why Li Bai, Gao Ji, and Wei Quanyu easily changed the name of Jiuzi Mountain between cups and cups. Woolen cloth? I think that in addition to the celebrity effect, government actions also played a role here. Just imagine, who is Wei Quanyu among the three? Local dignitary, Qingyang County Magistrate, Parent Official! Maybe there will be an edict: Regarding the renaming of Jiuzi Mountain to Jiuhua Mountain, it is also unknown.

Of course I didn’t meet Li Bai, but those ancient houses were amazing, especially the Gao Family Ancestral Hall. This ancestral hall was built in the Ming Dynasty. The entire layout is strung along a north-south central axis. It follows the mountain and rises gradually, giving it a rich sense of hierarchy. In addition to its grandeur and antique flavor, this building also contains the ancient and mysterious Feng Shui science. It is backed by a niu-shaped mountain, which means "sacred cow"; in front of the gate is a square pond made of granite, which filters and collects water and never dries up at all times. It is known as the "square pond living water" and is said to be drunk by the "sacred cow"; There is a tall old tree opposite Fangtang, which means "cattle post" to ensure that the "sacred cow" is always there and the feng shui is not leaked. It's quite interesting to watch and think about. There are many old houses like this in the village, most of them are built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and occasionally you can see the style of the Yuan Dynasty. Walking in the high-walled alley, the stones under your feet are mottled and dark, covered with the dust of the years. Looking up, the upturned eaves, the high horse-headed wall, the "pin"-shaped screen wall, and the ancient fire-sealing wall all make people feel confused, wondering what night it is and where they are.

Walking in the ancient village, sometimes I feel that history is not that far away, as if I only need to take one step across to reincarnate.