Beautiful Countryside Jide Village By Li Zheng.
Beautiful countryside - Songming Jide Village. Photo by Lee
Dawn breaks. When travelers tranquilly set foot on the land of Kunming City, Songming County more than 40 kilometers away has taken on its most vivid aspect of the day. Songming, not only the first significant node in the northeast of Yunnan capital city but the most important industrial cluster and urban function development area of the Province, must always be prepared to participate in the daily life and fast changes of the new modern Kunming.
When the morning light first bloomed, when the traveler quietly pushed open the gate of Kunming City, the county town of Songming, more than forty kilometers away, had already spread its most vivid expression of the day. As the first important node of the capital city of Yunnan Province facing the northeast, as the most important industrial agglomeration and urban function expansion area in Yunnan, Song Ming must always be ready to participate in the ordinary life and rapid changes of Greater Kunming.
At this time when clouds wreathe the rounded peak of Yaoling Mountain, water of Niulan River also flows to awaken cheerful fishes, and Shuiguan Street’s stone paths reflect the glimmer of harmony. With such a grand picture unfolding, the cultural journey of Vocational Education Park has started, coupled with the brewing up of scientific and technological innovation in modern workshops of Yanglin Industrial Zone.
At this time, the clouds of Yaoling Mountain surrounded the rounded peaks, the water of the Niulan River reached the happy moment of the fish, the stone road of Shuiguan Street reflected the harmonious light, the cultural journey of the vocational education park had begun, and in the modern workshop of Yanglin Industrial Park, the power of scientific and technological innovation was converging.
Stand at the pinnacle of culture
Standing on the peak of culture
Looking back, as participants of the ancient Dian culture, Songming residents left their footprints earliest in the Paleolithic period. In the 1980s, Songming people chanced upon evidence of ancient humans living in Huanglong Mountain in the north of the county: some roughly-made stone tablets and axes. With the sparked of these stone implements, civilization evolved in a booming way. During the Warring States Period when the Chu general Zhuang Qiao conquered Dian (Yunnan), the new ground was opened up in the ancient Dian civilization, and Songming was included in “lands of plenty that extended dozens of miles” in the ancient Dian Kingdom. Yizhou Prefecture was first established in Yunnan with twenty-four counties set up in the Western Han Dynasty, a time from which on a county-based system begun in Songming.
Time back in time. As a participant in the ancient Dian culture, the earliest human footprint in songming in this region was in the Paleolithic age. In the 1980s, the Song Ming people inadvertently found evidence of ancient human life in the Huanglong Mountain north of the county seat: some rough stone chips and stone axes. Relying on the sparks of these stone tools to flint, civilizations evolved rapidly. To the Warring States Zhuang Wang Dian, creating a new atmosphere of ancient Dian civilization, Songming belonged to the ancient Dian state of "fertile tens of miles" land. In the Western Han Dynasty, Yizhou County was set up in Yunnan, with twenty-four counties, and the Songming region became a county system.
Statue of Lan Mao.By Li Zheng
Statue of Lan Mao. Photo by Lee
Nothing is more imaginable than the history in the Shu Han Period. If the Songming folklore about Zhuge Liang's expedition to the south proves true and reliable, the name of Songming would have its origin. In general, the story unfolds as it was in 225 AD, when Zhuge's invincible and intrepid expedition troops stationed for a while in Yaoling Mountain in Songming, and they arrested and released the local tribal leader Meng Huo several times, thus making him surrender sincerely and establish an alliance with Zhuge, known as "Songmeng". This event was recorded on a small stone tablet, named as GuMengTai. Nowadays, GuMengTai still stands in Songming County, like a withering courtier acting as a hostage to history.
Magnificent clouds bloomed from the imagination of the Han Dynasty, and the Shu Han dynasty was already flying horseshoes. If the various legends in the Songming countryside about Zhuge Liang's trip to nanzhong are true and reliable, the name of Songming has a source. The general situation is: in the third year of Jianxing, Zhuge Kongming's southern expedition army stepped on the sunset like the wind. These fierce armies stopped for some time at yaoling mountain in Songming territory, and several times captured and released the local tribal leader Meng Yu, making him submit, and building an alliance for the "Song Alliance". This big narrative, inscribed on a small stone tablet, known as Gu Mengtai, is still standing in Songming County today, like an old minister who has been eroded by the wind and the past, acting as a hostage of history.
After that, the Yuan army went through a myriad of hardships and miraculously arrived in Yunnan. Here in the grand event of Sayyid’s water control, a governor named Gao A’kuang appeared at the node of time, who changed Songmeng to Songming. Since then, this name has been officially recorded in important passages of various ancient books. In the Ming Dynasty calling for farmland reclamation, hundreds of thousands of people swarmed into Yunnan from the Central Plains as migrants. It was this major wave of migration that brought Yanglin the great recluse Lan Mao with spectacular literary talents in him.
In the grand event of the Saidian Chi yunnan zhishui, a Zhizhou named Gao Ah Guan appeared at the node of time, and he changed the Song League to Song Ming, and since then this name has been officially recorded in important passages in various classics. In the Ming Dynasty, tuntian immigrated, and hundreds of thousands of people from the Central Plains seemed to be rolling red dust into Yunnan. This mighty torrent gave Yang Lin the remnants of the Great Hidden Lan Mao and his qi through Changhong.
Lan Mao Memorial Hall in Songming County. By Yang Yanhui
Songming Lanmao Memorial Hall. Photo by Yang Yanhui
Songming after the arrival of Lan Mao, standing at the pinnacle of culture, brought forth the fresh through the stale and gradually cultivated the humanistic characteristics, with its people "engaging in farming, skilled in singing and dancing, keen on lantern activities and fond of writing and reading". Regardless of the administrative division, Songming eternally is the "home to lantern festival", "land of dragon-lion dance", as well as "brithplace of Fei Jiu (a medicinal liquor)". These cultural symbols all standing out, can mutually reinforce modern agriculture, industry and commerce, thus leading Songming to glory.
Song Ming after Lan Mao, standing on the peak of culture, introduced the old and the new, and gradually became the humanistic characteristics of "farming, good at singing and dancing, happy flower lanterns, and heavy poetry books". Regardless of whether the administrative division belongs to Qujing Special District, belongs to the jurisdiction of Kunming City, and belongs to the Central Yunnan New Area, cultural symbols such as "the town of flower lanterns", "the town of dragons and lions", "the town of fat wine" and so on can flourish, and integrate with the symbols of the times of agriculture, industry, commerce and trade.
Ramo is a hidden exclamation point
Lan Mao: A hidden wonder
Let us retrospect those beauteous mornings!
Let's go back to those beautiful mornings!
Were it a morning in the countryside of the Ming Dynasty, the peerless master named Lan Mao might have already collected a bunch of "Shengma" (rhizoma cimicifugae) from dewdrops and held it tightly in the palm of his hand. Why this herb is mentioned here lies in a fact that it was once used as an administrative name for quite a long time for Songming, that is, "Shengma County". Yet such emphasis on the existence of a plant is not accidental, which, at least, illustrates the fertility and strong land capability of Songming Dam, paving the way for the emergence of Lan Mao with his Materia Medica in South Yunnan. Lan Mao, a hidden wonder of Songming, has significantly influenced the cultural orientation of this region since the Ming Dynasty.
If it was a ming dynasty rural morning, the supreme master named Lan Mao might have stepped on the crystal dew, collected a cohosh plant, and held it tightly in the palm of his hand. The reason why this herb is mentioned is because Song Ming once used "Cohosh County" as an administrative name, carrying a distant time. It is no accident that such an emphasis on the existence of a plant is at least an indication of the abundant growth ability of the Songming Dam, and also lays a powerful foreshadowing for the emergence of Lan Mao and the Southern Yunnan Materia Medica. Lan Mao is an exclamation point hidden in the land of Songming, which has clearly influenced the cultural orientation of this region since the Ming Dynasty.
Dragon Dance. By Li Zheng
Dragon dance performance. Photo by Lee
In Lan Mao's eyes, every inch of Songming's land is soaked in inherently herbal scent and poetic charm. By the shimmering Jiali Wetland and on the top of the Yaoling Mountain embraced by clouds and mists, he "tasted herbs to distinguish medicinal properties, collected specimens, clarified characteristics, drew images as well as gathered data", finally completing China's first endemic drug monograph Materia Medica in South Yunnan. Lan Mao, who lived in seclusion in the countryside, spread the knowledge of Yunnan plants' pharmacological and medicinal properties to distant places. Innumerable copies of this monumental work have emerged one after another, continually passed down because of its loyal fans who also carry out relevant researches constantly. However, Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica didn’t appear in people's lives until 142 years later.
In Lan Mao's eyes, every inch of Song Ming's land was filled with bone-chilling medicinal properties and charming poetry. On the banks of the sparkling Jialize, on the top of the yaoling mountain where the clouds are steaming and fogging, he "tasted hundreds of herbs, identified medicinal properties, collected specimens, ming characteristics, plotted shapes, and collected information", and finally achieved China's first local medicine monograph "Yunnan Materia Medica". Hidden in the countryside, Lan Mao spread the pharmacological properties of Yunnan herbs and trees to distant places, and the models, wu ben and countless manuscripts "Yunnan Materia Medica" were written, never interrupting the pace of inheritance, and those tireless fans never tire. It was not until 142 years later that Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica appeared in people's lives.
Lan Mao not only used technical terms to record plants, but also resorted to poems to praise everything in this world. "Emerald mountains are shrouded in clouds, and golden paddies are blooming with madrigals", "I hope for the rest of my life to feed on the tomato and potato, and stay away from all the worldly hustle and bustle". These realistic poems, lyric poems, object-chanting poems, pastoral landscape poems, and philosophical poems sorted out by later generations are all writen for the all in Yanglin, sublimating the rustic charm of Songming.
Not only did he use technical terms to record the grass and trees, Lan Mao also used poetry to praise the things on the earth. "Clouds and Yao Mountains, Early Rice yellow in agricultural songs" "Sincerely can eat white sweet vegetables, no red dust is allowed to dye cloth clothes", these realistic poems, lyric poems, poetry poems, landscape idylls, and philosophical poems sorted out by posterity are all closely related to Yang Lin's all kinds of objects, and all sublimate the local charm of Song Ming.
Let’s continue our voyage of time.
Time continues to flow in the spring breeze.
If we, like the great traveler Xu Xiake, stood on the top of Yanglin Mountain and gazed into the distance, would we perceive the contribution of Langong Temple in tranquility and melancholy in its depth? After hundreds of years of immense history, nowadays, we are even more able to fully understand the Ming Dynasty from its silence where Lan Mao’s everlasting spirit lies. In addition to the medical achievements, he also perfected the phonology of national mandarin on the basis of Yunnan dialect, who authored Introduction to Phonology that has improved the most critical cultural compatibility between the southwest border areas and the Central Plains, and is widely referred to as the "Chinese pronunciation dictionary" in today's academic circles. Besides, our omnipotent genius also wrote Strategies for Frontier Stabilization to provide military guidance, and passed on the essence of Neo-Confucianism with drama creation.
If we stand on the top of Yanglin Mountain and look at it like Xu Xiake, the great traveler of that year, will we perceive the spiritual contribution of langong temple, and the most melancholy look in its deep eyes? After hundreds of years of alternating wind and rain, today, we are even more able to see the Ming Dynasty from the silence of the Lan Gong Ancestral Hall. Lan Mao is immortal here for eternity. He "actually changed the ancient method with square tones" and wrote "Rhymes Are Slightly Easy to Pass", which brought the southwest frontier closer to the most critical cultural code of the Central Plains, and is widely known as the "National Pronunciation Dictionary" by today's academic circles. He also used the "Anbian Policy" to guide the battlefield, and continued to pass on the essence of science with theatrical creation, omnipotent and omniscient.
Songming County. By Zhou Mi
Songming County. Carefully photographed
Wandering in the shiny green idyllic world, Lan Mao might have understood the phenological secrets behind every single plant and the infinite vitality of the whole nature. As science and technology develop over time, Songming Dam has become an extremely important commodity grain production base with everything flourishing and an agriculture prospering in all seasons. Here in the state-level modern agricultural demonstration zone, a combination of population, commerce, and services has been achieved, traditional and modern planting methods complement each other, machine production is mutually reinforcing manual labor, and the production structure is constantly adjusted and updated. Smokes curling up from kitchen chimneys, the village brims with joy: rice fragrant, fishes fat, lotus elegant and tweedle melodious. What the picturesque poetry of the countryside! It tactfully neutralizes the rigidity of the commercial era.
Wandering in the green countryside, Lan Mao should have insight into the phenological secrets behind each smell of grass and trees, and insight into the infinite vitality above the thick soil and flowers. With the help of time and science and technology, everything in Songming Damzi has flourished, and agriculture has become an extremely important commodity grain production base. Here, the state-level modern agricultural demonstration zone has realized the grafting of population, commerce and services, traditional planting and modern means complement each other, manual labor and machine production resonate at the same frequency, and the production structure is constantly adjusted and updated. In the smoke of cooking, the village grows taller and taller, the rice and fish fat, the sound of lotus rhymes, and the poetry of the countryside skillfully overcome the blunt expression of the commercial era.
Lan Mao ought to be familiar with every tune and beat of the Songming lantern drama, and silently resonate with the great music of this folk song art by his aesthetic state. Since the cultural prosperity during the Ming and Qing Dynasties made the art of lanterns bloom, the emerging lanterns art of Songming after the founding of New China outshine others and enrich people's spiritual world like mushrooms after spring rains.
Lan Mao should be familiar with every tune and plate eye of the Song Ming Flower Lantern, and use his aesthetic height to silently respond to the big sound of this folk music art. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, powerful cultural forces urged the art of lanterns to violently spit out, so that after the founding of New China, Songming lanterns flourished, like new shoots sprouting in the spring rain, vividly enlivening people's spiritual pastoral.
Lan Mao should have smelled the long-standing fragrance of Yanglin liquor early. Thanks to the nourishment of his watery liquor prescriptions, all Yanglin people kept extracting the magical liquid essence from the plump grain, thus rendering local liquor-making industries thriving in a picture that “all households engage in brewing, with the fragrance floating in the air”. In the Qing Dynasty, the famous Yanglin medicinal liquor was finally formulated, which once became the support of the economy and the spring of happiness of local people.
Lan Mao should have smelled the long-standing aroma of Yanglin wine early. Relying on the nourishment of his water and wine prescriptions, Yanglin people constantly extract the liquid essence of the spirit from the full grain, "a hundred li stoves, a thousand villages are fragrant", and the winemaking industry is booming. In the Qing Dynasty, the famous Yanglin Fat Wine was finally formulated, which once became the support of the economy and the sweet spring of life.
Lan Mao should have heard beforehand Songming's ceaseless reading sound. To enlighten students, he set up old-style academies and private schools, from which Yanglin Vocational Education Park inherits. This new city of vocational education in provincial colleges and universities possesses quite complete disciplines and increasingly mature teaching concepts, where students of science and engineering are indulging in modern laboratories, looking for the scientific fulcrum to move the world, while their mates of literature and history are chanting ancient poems under vigorous old trees, like "Sky to sun, rain to wind, summers to winters, breeze skimming over willow-leafs by pond, to moon melting within pear-blossom in yard."
Lan Mao should have foreseen the sound of Song Ming's everlasting roots. From the beginning of his establishment of apprenticeships and private school education, those distant figures who shook their heads and shook their heads gradually changed into xinxin students in Yanglin Vocational Education Park. In this new city of vocational education in provincial-level colleges and universities, there are very complete disciplines and mature teaching concepts. Science and engineering students indulge in modern laboratories, looking for scientific fulcrums to pry the earth, and children of literature and history are still under the old trees, chanting the old era's "day to day, rain to wind, nine summers to three winters, willow pond wind is faint, pear blossom courtyard moon melting." ”
The luxuriant mother earth represents the mysterious cradle of culture.
The land of all things is the secret place of cultural derivation.
The Night of Songming. By Li Zheng
Song Ming night. Photo by Lee
According to data, Lan Mao's ancestors came from Luoyang, Henan, who followed the immigration wave of the Ming Dynasty and settled in Yanglin, Songming. This was a long journey and a path through which information flowed. Relying on rich external cultural deposits, Lan Mao, like a plant full of medicinal properties, absorbed wonderful spirit of both nature and culture in ancient Yanglin. He studied diverse books on religion, medicine and divination, continuously exploring profound mysteries within them. He reached the highest level of life as a hermit and celebrated scholar, showing his independent mind and talent in medicine, phonology, literature, philosophy, education as well as military science, and spreading the Songming culture for hundreds of years more widely on his own.
According to the data, Lan Mao's ancestors came from Luoyang, Henan, and were wrapped in the torrent of Military Reclamation immigrants in the Ming Dynasty, and settled in the Songming Yang forest. It's a long journey, and it's also a path where information flows. Relying on the thick foreign cultural background, Lan Mao, like a plant full of medicinal properties, obtained the aura of heaven and earth in Yanglin Ancient Town, "exhausted the yellow crown, the stream, the medical prescription, the book of bu zheng, the phoenix horn, and the mystery of the mystery", completed the highest life realm of the hermit and the celebrity, revealed the unique knowledge from medicine, phonology, literature, philosophy to education, military and other aspects, and single-handedly stretched the cultural coordinates of Song Ming for hundreds of years.
"A veritable man of prestige in ancient Dian, a gerontic wiz at poetry nicknamed Xuan Kun". Behind every splendor of Songming culture, there is the dim silhouette of Lan Mao.
"Ancient Dian true celebrity, Xuanzang old poet", but the glittering parts of Fan Songming culture are set off from the dark.
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Produced by the editorial department of Kunming Daily Comprehensive News Center "Kan Kunming" magazine
Wen | Liu Guangping
Released | Songming Media