A brief introduction to Gaoping Town and its customs

There are still many villagers who are accustomed to writing "Gaoping". Located in the northeast of Longhui, it borders Xinshao to the east, Xinhua to the north, and Baoqing to the east.

Coming north from Longhui, passing through Liudu Village, crossing the Qijiang River and under the bird tree, you enter Gaoping. After crossing Leechjie and Yan Gong and entering the Gaoping Town Bridge, keep going straight in the direction of Shaoyang via Xinshao Yingguang. This is also an ancient trade road. After turning left in the center of the town, walk forward to the wheel. Then to the left are Meng Gong and Luo Hong, and to the right are Houtian and Maoping. This small street in the center of the town becomes the vertical character in the word "work", connecting the entire Gaoping. In my impression, Luo Hong was an integral part of Gaoping before the district was withdrawn and merged with the countryside. After the districts were withdrawn and merged into the countryside, Luo Hong and Gao Ping became known as each other. These two connected places were transferred from Xinhua Yonggu Town in the early 1950s. The four capitals of Yongning in the early Qing Dynasty were basically consistent with the jurisdiction of Gaoping and Luohong, except for the addition of Xinshao Yingguan, Liping, Longhui Changjuan and other places. Gaoping is a place with history. According to "Baoqing Prefecture Chronicles" of the Qing Dynasty, in the first year of the Three Kingdoms period (AD 266) by Wu Sun Hao Baoding, Zhaoling (today's Shaoyang City, Shaoyang County, Shaodong County, Xinshao, and Longhui Part One) was divided into Gaoping County. In the first year of Taikang (AD 280), Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, the name was changed to Nan Gaoping. Nanchen Province entered Shaoyang. The former seat of the county seat is the ancient county seat of Xiao'ao Village, Daqiao Township. There are still place names such as "Tangxia", "Yingguan" and "Maluo". It was the place where the county government held ceremonies and administrative meetings at that time. The name "Gaoping" is still used today. The ancestors of Gaoping lived here with a longer history. It is said that the ancestors rested here 15,000 years ago. The Chu people, Yue people, etc. who moved in due to wars in history integrated into the local area and have multiplied from generation to generation to this day. Gaoping is surrounded by four mountains: Gaofeng Mountain rises in the east, Jinfeng Mountain meanders in the south, Wangyun Mountain stands in the west, and Tongfeng Mountain flies to the north. There are three water divisions in Gaoping: Chunxi River originates from the east foot of Wangyun Mountain and flows into Xinhua Yangxi from south to north; Chenzhou River originates from Tongfeng Mountain and flows into Shima River from north to south; Shima River originates from the south of Wangyun Mountain Lu, flows into Xinshao from west to east. Surrounded by mountains and separated by three rivers, it looks like a pot when viewed from the air. A piece of flat land that is connected intermittently supports more than 70,000 people in more than 50 villages. According to folklore, in the early Southern Song Dynasty, some Feng Shui observers came here and climbed up to the Baini Ping (in present-day Yan Gong Township) to have a look. They were deeply impressed by the beautiful terrain and praised: "There are high phoenixes and sunrises in the east, and there are mud flats in the west to offer treasures. How beautiful!" " Later generations took one word from each of the two lines of praise and named it "Gaoping". This is also the reason why "Gaoping" is often written as "Gaoping". In terms of topography, Gaoping, a flat land surrounded by mountains, may be more appropriate. "Gaoping", or "Gaoping", is just a name and a symbol. The important thing is that in the hearts of the villagers, this place has their own home; in the hearts of the tourists, this place has their own roots. Gaoping people are hospitable and attach great importance to courtesy. When friends, relatives, gentlemen, and wise men come to visit and spend all their money, setting a table is a must.

Set up a table of Eight Immortals, with culture on the table. If you don't know how to set up a banquet, it's impossible to entertain guests from all walks of life. There are rules for guests to sit down. The one on the upper left is the distinguished guest, and the one on the lower left must be the distinguished host invited by the host to accompany him. Others take their seats based on their seniority and reputation. If there are two tables or three tables, the arrangement is different. The serving of food must start from the host and guest. Each dish is intended to be tasted first by the host and guest. There are also sayings for toasting, such as double wealth, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, the fortune of six or six, or the red moon. Every time we eat, we must put down our chopsticks, talk about the past and present, meet relatives and friends, and show respect to each other. It is very lively. If the guest is drunk, the host will be very happy and thinks that he has been polite; if the guest is not drunk, the host will feel guilty and feel that he has not entertained well. Especially when entertaining the groom, the official will pay more attention to the guests and must aim to get them drunk. Therefore, it is almost impossible to be a domineering groom in Gaoping without getting drunk a few times.

I remember when I was still in primary school, my cousin got married. In order to train me, who was not yet ten years old, my third uncle, who was in charge of the banquet, asked me to sit at the end of the table. The banquet started at nine in the morning and ended at two in the afternoon. The elders accompanying the guests were respectful and the in-laws sitting at the table were courteous. The whole table was harmonious and everyone was affectionate. Every time I pick up the chopsticks to pick up a dish, you must push me to give way, and every time you toast a glass of wine, there must be a thousand explanations. As you came and went, drinking glass after glass of wine, everyone became more enthusiastic and more interested. They didn't realize that the food had been heated for several rounds. Poor me who was still young, I couldn't hold on until later, so I found an excuse to sneak out and ran to the kitchen to fill my stomach.

Of course, now that young people are together, they don’t have to pay so much attention to it, and eating is a pleasure. The so-called official etiquette and shopping mall etiquette that are popular nowadays have a bit of the style of that time, but they lack the foundation of simple friendship. There is less respect for the elderly and virtuous people, and more power and interests. Those who come are not necessarily guests, there are also jackals.

In the hearts of elderly Gaoping people, 1945 will always be remembered. That year, the desperate Japanese invaded Gaoping, and many Gaoping people suffered greatly in the "Escape to Japan". The stone lions on Jinfeng Mountain that have been hidden in the grass have witnessed the fierce battles of the Japanese sneak attacks; the camphor trees that once towered into the clouds and looked eastward at Baoqing have witnessed the bestiality of the Japanese. And my mother, just two months after she was born, was carried by my grandmother in a basket and hid in the mountains. The tragedy of national hatred and family feud is not a legend, but a history!

The army is fighting bloody battles and trying its best to resist; and the villagers are also rising up to resist. It is said that a villager encountered a Japanese soldier who was alone on the mountain road. In desperation, he grabbed a straw gun (a bamboo product that functions like a pole, with two pointed ends, often used to carry straw and firewood) and shot the Japanese soldier. Reimbursement on the spot. The Japanese soldiers armed with steel guns couldn't help but fire their guns. This incident greatly inspired the villagers. From then on, the Japanese soldiers who raided everywhere were often attacked with straw guns, hoes, poles and hatchets. And the saying "Gaoping is a pot, and the Japanese will cook one by one" also began to spread. After liberation, many villagers still kept Japanese helmets, bayonets, kettles, leather boots and other trophies in their homes. During the large-scale steel smelting, most of the helmets, bayonets and other items were turned into iron ingots in the blazing flames, and then recast into pots, hoes, rakes and other utensils. But the hatred against the Japanese still continues in the hearts of generations of Gaoping people... The countrymen like martial arts. During the Republic of China, a martial artist named Yuan once won the national gold medal.

In the slack season, young people often get together to compete in martial arts. Sometimes, a pole can also be used in many ways. The old masters in the village also guided the apprentices to practice a few tricks in Shaiguping. During the Spring Festival, young people from different villages would dance the yellow dragon to challenge other villages from time to time. The competition items are traditional martial arts routines. There are routines for fists, sticks, knives, spears, halberds, and benches. First, see who has more routines, and secondly, who has a stable and powerful stance. Or compete in lifting a stone lock, competing in an arch, or competing in hand strength and flexibility. If you win, you take the glutinous rice cake provided by the loser and go away; if you lose, you keep the yellow dragon. Dancing the black dragon means seeking revenge, and there will be a fight. And in my impression, there are clan fights between different surnames because of the competition for tombs. The style of martial arts creates strong folk customs.

In the mid-1980s, Shaoyang was at its most chaotic. The rotten boy who chopped off his hamstrings made the people of the country change their minds when they heard about it. One day, perhaps because they were tired of staying in Baoqing Mansion for a long time, a group of about ten people went to the countryside and came to Gaoping on a whim. Walking on the road beside the bridge, I saw fresh pears placed by an old farmer on the roadside, so I picked them up and ate them without any scruples. And when the old farmer asked them to pay, the arrogant bastards pushed the old farmer down, kicked over the fruit burden, and tried to walk away. The twenty or so father-in-laws and mothers-in-law who were setting up stalls around them gave up and picked up their carrying poles and swarmed over. I saw carrying poles and stones flying together, and the rotten cubs were like bereaved dogs. In desperation, they hid in the police station and allowed the mother-in-law and father-in-law outside to yell and scold them. They were determined and refused to come out. Since then, no bad boy from Shaoyang has come to Gaoping to play.

With the development of the economy, the migration of young people and the passing of old people, the scenes of martial arts practice during slack periods have gradually become rarer, and dragon dancing has become a legend. Young people who return to their hometowns during the Spring Festival tend to compare each other's wealth and achievements.

A sage once said that for Chinese people, we should civilize their spirit and barbarize their body. In fact, for a nation, if it wants to survive and develop in a world where the law of the jungle is rampant, it needs to be mentally tough and barbaric. In an atmosphere where money is paramount, the bloodiness of Gaoping people may be a little diluted. But I firmly believe that Gaoping people are united and tough at heart. This is the inevitable result of being nurtured by the soil and water here.