Whenever I describe my hometown, between the lines of those affectionate words, there are nostalgic landscapes, endless aftertastes of food, smiling relatives, and fireworks in the world that heal everything. Writing about hometown, there is no perfect score template, only full score love. Call your hometown with words, how will the writers in Hubei write?
Changjiang Cloud News and Hubei Writers Association invited Hubei writers to write a short essay for their hometown. Today, Li Xingyan, a writer from Shiyan, Hubei Province, will take you into her hometown of Cherry Ditch Village, admire the cherry trees all over the mountains, and feel nostalgia among the white walls and tiles.
Li Xingyan
Pseudonym Li Xiaoben, a member of the Chinese Writers Association, is the author of long reportage "For the Thirsty North" and "The Great River Feihong". His works have been selected for the special project of short and medium-story reportage of the China Writers Association, and have won the "10th Bingxin Prose Award".
Walking into Shiyan, the depths of the sea of flowers are hometowns
Cherry Ditch Village is located in Chadian Town, Yunyang District, Shiyan City, Hubei Province. Cherry Ditch Village is a national ecological and cultural village and a famous tourist village in Hubei Province, and it is named "Cherry Ditch" because there are wild cherry trees all over the mountains in the village.
On April 18, 2024, a small number of early-maturing cherries in Cherrygou Village, Chadian Town, have ripened, with a refreshing fruity aroma, and red cherries are dotted among the lush branches and leaves, which are fresh and tender.
The mountains are full of snow and branches, and the fine feathers are flying down. The cherry ditch in spring, in the small village, changes the scenery, a tree of cherry blossoms blooms on the side of the road, decorated with branches, swaying in the wind; The pastoral paths are longitudinal and horizontal, and the small bridges and flowing water are in full view; The white walls and tiles are scattered, inlaid in the sea of flowers of green mountains and green waters.
Farmers in Cherry Valley have always had the habit of planting cherries, and there are currently more than 40,000 cherry trees in the village, the oldest of which is 100 years old. People walking in the village are like swimming in a painting, and the dreamlike scenery of mountains and rivers attracts many tourists to check in and take pictures, and freeze the spring of Cherry Valley in the lens.
The "Wu0 Courtyard" written by writer Li Xingyan is the only remaining earthen house built in the 50s of the last century in the village. In 2014, the village bought it for 5,000 yuan and carefully renovated. "Old antiques" such as yellow mud walls, mountain wood beams, old-fashioned sewing machines, and hanging kerosene lamps are well preserved, while modern supporting equipment such as water heaters, large bathtubs, corner sofas, and tea props are all available. In addition to the "50 Courtyard", there are also "60 Courtyard", "70 Courtyard" and "80 Courtyard...... These buildings named according to the era were built one after another, and became the "model room" for farmers to renovate and build houses. Walking in Cherry Valley, there is a feeling of time travel.
This is the most simple Hubei countryside, inhabited by the loveliest Hubei people. Everyone watched over their homes and turned every tree and house into a landscape, so that people could see the mountains, see the water, and remember the nostalgia. Cherry Valley Village is fresh and warm, which soothes the heart of every wanderer and evokes the nostalgia of every tourist.
Source: Changjiang Cloud News