Longchang Stone Arch is a national key cultural relics protection unit, for this reason, Longchang City (county-level city) is known as the hometown of China's stone arch. Although it is adjacent to Longchang, I have also traveled to it. But without information, without the introduction of the tour guide, we know very little about the archway.
At the end of 2018, the county CPPCC organized the cultural history committee and cultural history researchers to inspect the 4A-level tourist attraction Longchang Stone Arch, and invited the tour guide sister of the Longchang County Cultural and Tourism Bureau to explain, and we were able to understand the past and present lives of the Stone Arch in more detail.
Our visit started at Nanguan. Since ancient times, Longchang has been the land of bullets as the main point of the six roads, and the construction of the post road has carried the official documents of the ancients to upload and issue, and at the same time facilitated the caravans from the south to the north. The statues on the street reflect the old scene at that time, telling the story of Longchang Shangjia Rushing to Zigong in the north, buying salt from Gongjing, and walking south to the Yunnan Sea; carrying back spring tea from Yunnan, going to Chengdu in the west, transporting it to Yunding Chunlan, walking east to Huguang, and driving away Longchang Xiabu's dedication to hard-working and the entrepreneurial spirit of heavy business and change.
According to the "Longchang County Chronicle", there are 33 large and small stone arches in the city. After historical vicissitudes, there are 17 stone arches and 4 stone steles in the Ming and Qing dynasties, which were built for the ninth year of Ming Hongzhi (1496 AD) to the 13th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, respectively, distributed in Beiguan and Nanguan, of which 7 are Beiguan (Daoguanping), 6 are Nanguan (Chunniuping), and 4 are distributed in Xiangshi Town (2), Shiyanqiao Town, and Yujian Town, which can be called the crown of China's stone arches. There are countless moving stories on each archway, and every name engraved on it is a song that has flowed through the ages.
"The arches in Longchang County are different from the arches in other places, and the stone arches in other places are basically one person and one square, and the arches here such as the Jie Xiao Arch and the Xiao zi Arch are multi-person." The sister of the tour guide said that she would introduce to everyone one by one, the overall shape of the Longchang Arch is tall and majestic, and the exquisite carving skills vividly describe the history of the evolution of bashu culture, which is called a three-dimensional history book, and the ancient post road of Bashu that sets off with each other witnesses the development history of Longchang's county town of "because of the knife, because of the station, and the city of Daoxing", leaving behind the ruts of the ancient caravans coming from south to north and the traces of immigrants from Huguang to Sichuan.
1. Monkey Arch
"The Monkey Arch was built by the gentry of Longchang in the tenth year of the Qing Dynasty in praise of the virtue of Zhixian Jueluo Guohuan, about 140 years ago. This archway is strangely built, and the top of the stone arch is a standing pee-like double-sided male monkey. The official seal on the head of the male monkey, so conceived to build the top brake tip of the arch is unique, and it is also rare in the national archway. Therefore, the archway is commonly known as "Monkey Arch", and its conception is based on the folklore of Longchang, which means "Gonghou Wandai", which means "Fenghou Hanging Jade Seal" to express the good praise for Huanzhi County in Jueluo Kingdom, and the exquisite stone carvings reflect the super high skills of the craftsmen.
If no one explains, how can we know that it has such a rich connotation.
The two pillars of the Jueluo Guohuan DezhengFang Arch have two pairs of couplets, and from the right side, "Self-discipline is as clean as water with honesty; nourishing the people is only beneficial to the people is like spring", which is also a good teaching material for the construction of a clean and honest government, and it is also of educational significance today.
2. Li Ji Shou Dezheng Arch
When Li Jishou was in charge of Longchang, Hong Xiuquan had already set the capital nanjing, the power had spread throughout the country's 17 provinces, it can be said that there was wolf smoke everywhere, longchang in Shu was in the middle of Shu, although there was no great misfortune at that time, but the bandits and thieves who took the opportunity to cause trouble were mud and sand gathering fish and dragons, and various cases emerged in an endless stream, after Li Jishou took office, he took a series of powerful measures to protect the peace of the people, maintained the tranquility of the party, and was praised by the county people, and the squire of Longchang County was built in 1855 AD in the fifth year of Qing Xianfeng.
3. Filial Piety General Workshop
The Jiexiao General Hall was built by the imperial court in honor of 188 filial piety women in Xianfeng for five years. On the south side of the main square, the left book reads "Ming Jing Nei Ying Lang Festival Outer New", and on the right is "Xinggao Ice Festival Exercise and Frost Rectification". On the north side, the left sculpture "Longqiao Frost Suhua JieYunGao" and the right side is carved "Gujing Bo Tian Yao Chi Bing Jie".
The biggest feature of the workshop is the multi-person workshop, which is unique in the country. The common feature of the 188 filial piety women who were commended was that young widows observed the festival, honored the elderly, raised their children kindly, were kind and frugal, and endured hardships and hard work. This stone arch is carved with a variety of motifs, highlighting the theme of filial piety.
4. Centenarian Fang
The Centenarian Arch is the Shoufang where the imperial court commends a local centenarian, because Guo Laoxiang is charitable and charitable in the local area, enjoys a high reputation in the local area, and on the day of the centenarian, he was enshrined in the archway of the priesthood by the imperial court, which shows that this centenarian is a kind-hearted person. You must know that at that time, the average life expectancy was only more than forty years, and it was possible to live for hundreds of years, which was not the embodiment of the Taiping And prosperous world.
The imperial court enshrined the original text of the Holy Will below the inscription "Happy Charity and Good Charity". On the outer doorposts on both sides is inscribed "Baili Le Quail Ju Ren Ren Ji (Ji) Shangshou, Six Dynasties Mian (Mian) Crane Emperor Xi Period Age." "The left side of the archway is engraved with a pair of yin engraved couplets, and the right side is not clear. First, let's take a look at this picture of "how the situation of the original family in the world is related to the pain and itch of the same father and brother."
At that time, in order to protect these arches from the ten years of catastrophe, these stone arches were wrapped in the inside of the house, so the stone arches were preserved, but the font was smoked by smoke and fire and the smoke became black, but because of this, these stone arches were preserved.
5. Suqing Dezhengfang
Suqing Dezhengfang was built by the township gentry to highlight the virtue of Suqing in Zhixian County, and when he was less than a year in office and still in office, he was built in the sixth year of Xianfeng, more than 150 years ago.
Suqing's surname was Nala, and he was given the title of county in the style of a pen, Yilongchang County. When Su Qing came to Longchang, longchang was seriously drought-stricken, the seedlings withered, the crops were not harvested, the price of rice soared, and the people could not live, so Su Qing led the county's township gentlemen and people to fight drought, open wells to find water to fight drought and protect seedlings, and on the one hand, he calmed down the price of rice and cracked down on treacherous businessmen, on the one hand, he risked being killed, opened warehouses and released grain to save the people and the water and fire.
6. Liu Guangdi De Zhengfang
Liu Guangdi Dezhengfang is a stone arch erected by local squires to praise the virtue of Liu Guangdizhi County. According to the data, Liu Guangdi served in Longchang for 12 years, during which he advised Nongsang, summoned loyalty and filial piety, cut off prison lawsuits, created a perch, sheltered displaced people and taught them technology, and was deeply loved by the gentlemen and people of Longchang Township.
The inscription on the square is "Good Governance of the People's Hearts, And The Success of Government" is the full affirmation and high praise of the gentry of Longchang County for Liu Guang's achievements in Longchang in the 12th year and the implementation of "benevolent and good governance and support for vulnerable groups". Judging from the inscriptions on the square, what can put the people in their hearts deserves the words "Li Min, Huaizhi" on the square.
7. Filial Piety General Workshop
The Filial Piety General Hall was built by the imperial court in recognition of the five filial sons of Chen Xiandian, Zhu Zuoyao, Liu Tenglong, Hua Yuanrong and Yan Shaojing in the sixth year of Xianfeng, which has been about 150 years ago. Xiaozi General Square, like the previous Festival Of Filial Piety Arch, is contrary to the architectural convention of "one person and one square", and one square commends five people at the same time, which becomes an example of the many people in Longchang County's Stone Arch, which is a plain archway, without too many carvings, which reflects the simple customs of Longchang people, filial piety and style, and also reflects that the late Qing social economy has shown a trend of decline.
8. Niuzhi County Dezhengfang
Niuzhi County Dezhengfang is a moral monument of Daoguang's 25-year candidate for Tongzhi Niuzhi County, which was also erected by local squires. According to the data, Niuzhi County was a native of Pingliang, Gansu, who had been a jinshi of Daoguang for twenty-three years, and went to Longchang to serve as a jinshi in the following year, and during his tenure, he was deeply loved by the township gentry and people for reducing servitude, quannong sang, xing education, abstaining from science and drinking, yangxu officials, and prohibiting rape. "Parents of the people" This is the highest evaluation of the people in power.
During the Daoguang years, the squire of Longchang also erected a meritorious monument to Niushu Meizhi County of "Hoeing and Anliang". As a scenic spot, the Longchang Tourism Bureau has imitated a county court opposite the inscription for people to experience and visit.
"The stone arch of Longchang is extremely exquisite in terms of construction, carving, seal writing, etc., so the "high, fine and rational" of the stone arch is prominent. The high and finger arches should have momentum, fine, exquisite carving technology, unique use of stone, "reason" is the inscription on the arch, the pattern has a profound ideological connotation, profound culture and philosophy of life. ”
9. Yu Wanggong Mountain Gate Fang
Next to the longchang no. 2 middle school campus, there stands a 15-meter-high Shanmen Stone Square. This is the Yuwanggong Mountain Gate Square, which is shaped as a bluestone imitation wood single-sided carved archway with four pillars, three doors, three eaves and five drops of water. Originally built in the early years of the Qianlong Dynasty (1736 AD) and rebuilt in the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867 AD), it has a history of 140 years and is well preserved, as if it were newly built, which is really rare.
At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, temples and theaters were demolished, leaving only the Shanmen Stone Fang. In order to ensure that the stone square is not damaged, the local residents cover the five opera stories and inscriptions carved on the south side of the stone square with lime, and the carving can be preserved. Today, the smeared lime has been cleaned up, the entire archway has a new look, as if it were newly built, and spotted lime traces can still be seen next to the four characters of "Lingcheng Chushu" directly above the south direction, which is a memorial to the witty behavior of local residents during the Cultural Revolution.
The whole square is tall and majestic, and above each tip stands a sacred beast like a dinosaur, looking at it from a distance, as if these sacred beasts are worshipping the heavens, making people have a sense of solemnity.
However, among all the arches, the Yuwanggong Shanmenfang has a long history, in addition to the most ornate and exquisite carving, but also because it has "three absolutes".
One must be the highest ceremonial Kowloon plaque in ancient and modern times. Beware of the "Kowloon Plaque" under the top floor of the archway. In ancient times, nine was the pole of numbers and represented the supreme status. According to records, the Yu King's Palace, also known as the Yu Temple and the Huguang Guild Hall, was built with funds raised by large merchants who immigrated to Sichuan from Huguang during the Kangxi Period of the Qing Dynasty. The Huguang people take Dayu as their ancestor, Dayu governs the water, dredges the Nine Rivers, and covers jiuzhou, and should enjoy the highest level of etiquette; Yu is the ancestor of the true ancestor of Huaxia, the orthodox king, enjoys the dignity of the Nine-Five, and then builds the Yu Palace to sacrifice.
The second is the only plaque in the country from left to right. In the plaque on the ming square of the mountain gate of the Yu King's Palace, the four characters of "Shu Chu Chengling" are very eye-catching, which is the inscription of Fan Taiheng, a famous calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty. It means that Sichuan (Shu) and Huguang (Chu) are united to inherit the will of the schering spirit.
"The reason why we read 'Shu Chu Chengling' instead of 'Ling Chengchu Shu' is mainly based on the location of the year." The tour guide sister introduced. Looking down at the hand of the tour guide's sister, I saw only the right top of the four words, and the drop of "Six Years of Tongzhi" was still faintly visible. This is different from the traditional "right to left, the year falls to the left bottom" writing format.
"Such a format should be unique among the stone arches in the country, becoming the second best in the Mountain Gate Of the Yu King's Palace." The tour guide sister said that this way of writing was 52 years earlier than the 1919 "May Fourth" New Culture Movement proposed to change the writing format, and 85 years earlier than the proposal at the 1952 National People's Political Consultative Conference to "change the Chinese writing format from right to left vertical books to horizontal books from left to right". "This should be the earliest attempt to change the format of Chinese character writing." Fan Taiheng, on the other hand, may have been the earliest practitioner of reform. ”
The three absolutes are the three British battles Lü Butu lack of Guan Yu. The ShanmenFang is a four-pillar, three-gate, and triple-eaves archway, and its south-facing side is carved with five opera stories, Yang Lian, and inscriptions, with story patterns such as "Water Flooding the Golden Mountain", "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea", and "Three Ying Zhan Lü Bu".
The peculiarity of this group of carvings is that there is no "beautiful haired gong" Guan Yu who dances the Green Dragon Yanyue Sword in sanying, but only Liu Bei who dances with a double-stranded sword in his hand and Zhang Fei who has a leopard eye ring beard, and the two fight with Lü Bu who holds the Fang Tian painting halberd. Zhang Fei's hand was not the Zhangba Snake Spear, but the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Because Guan Yunchang was honored as Guan Sheng Emperor by the later emperors, he could not appear in such carvings, which would reduce his status. Therefore, Guan Yunchang was replaced by the Green Dragon Crescent Sword in Zhang Fei's hand to show his reverence for the sanctity and untouchability of "Guan Sheng Emperor". In this way, the material is unique and ingenious.