Liang Yuxin (Guangdong University of Technology), Wu Sitong (Guangdong University of Technology)
In order to implement the important spirit of cultural self-confidence and "let the heritage displayed on the vast land come alive" and "retain the historical roots", respond to the "Belt and Road" and the strategy of creating a "culturally strong province", and boost rural revitalization and precise poverty alleviation, since 2016, Guangdong has taken the lead in carrying out the protection and utilization of the Nanyue Ancient Yidao in the country.
Nanyue Ancient Yidao originated in the Qin and Han Dynasties, also known as the Ancient Yidao of Guangdong Province, refers to the ancient Guangdong Province used to transmit documents, transport materials, personnel exchanges and passages, including water and land, official roads and folk ancient roads, has a history of more than 2200 years. The nanyue ancient yidao protection and utilization project should not only be repaired, but more importantly, it is necessary to tap the potential value and make good use of inheritance, and give play to its sustainable vitality. Actively explore new paths for ancient yidao and regional development, and realize comprehensive and systematic social projects for the innovative protection and innovative utilization of cultural heritage.
Professor Zhu Xuemei from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Guangdong University of Technology has long been committed to teaching, research and practical work in the fields of heritage protection, vernacular architecture and human settlements. It has systematically studied the architectural culture and traditional villages in Lingnan, and has many research and practice achievements in the fields of protection and development of ancient villages, ancient yidao and South China research bases in Guangdong, as well as cultural relics buildings, renovation and utilization of historical buildings and new residential research. Although Zhu Xuemei comes from an engineering college, she has always been concerned about the protection and development of traditional culture. In her eyes, the cultural relics scattered in the land of Lingnan, even if they have been turned into ruins and broken bricks and tiles in the wind and sun, are still worth cherishing and using. Because whether it is the present or the future, we must understand the history, culture and spiritual world of our predecessors, and only through the details of these relics can we study and interpret them, so that we can find the true meaning and recall the nostalgic memory.
Continuing traditional culture and reshaping the value of the ancient road
Most of the existing Nanyue Ancient Post Roads are scattered in remote areas, and a large number of once glorious ancient villages are distributed along its route. Due to the rapid development of the city, these distinctive ancient villages are gradually decaying and are in danger of extinction. Zhu Xuemei, who has been running for more than 20 years to protect and save ancient villages, frankly believes that rescue ancient villages are actually a race against time. "With the demise of ancient villages, many traditional cultures will also lose the carrier on which they depend, and naturally they will face the dilemma of disappearing."
The ancient yidao in southern Guangdong is an important part of China's Maritime Silk Road and an important manifestation of Lingnan culture. Here there are typical Cantonese, Hakka, Chaoshan and Leizhou ethnic cultures, Yao, She, Zhuang, Yanjia and other ethnic minority cultures and overseas Chinese cultures, which are intertwined and integrated, forming a colorful, open, inclusive, mutually beneficial And symbiotic Lingnan culture.
In Zhu Xuemei's view, only by making good use of the Southern Yue Ancient Road can the protection be sustainable. It is necessary to make good use of the precious cultural resources of the ancient road and the ancient villages along the route, more closely combine the protection of cultural heritage with the protection of natural environment, highlight the historical thickness and cultural self-confidence of the place where the immigrant culture is concentrated, give full play to the maximum benefits of resources, show the glory of the past, the current efforts and the beauty of the future, and truly turn heritage into assets.
Guangdong Province to carry out the protection and utilization of the Nanyue Ancient Yidao to promote rural revitalization, Zhu Xuemei believes that this is the use of the theory of cultural routes, through the ancient Yidao to organically link traditional culture with local natural landscapes, life and production, to promote the ancient village tourism, education, cultural and creative development, is the reshaping of the value of the ancient Yidao, is the characteristics and path of Guangdong rural revitalization, to seize this opportunity.
In terms of tourism, Zhu Xuemei believes that Lingnan culture is formed along with the ancient Yidao, and people have brought the Central Plains Confucian culture, feng shui culture, farming culture, clan culture, etc. to Lingnan through the Yidao, and here they have taken root and sprouted, and finally formed a diversified Southern Cantonese culture, such as: Guangfu culture, Chaoshan culture, Hakka culture and Leizhou culture, etc. Different cultural areas present different rural landscapes, such as Guangfu rural comb layout, Chaoshan rural dense layout, and Hakka countryside built by the mountains, etc. As well as local building materials, colors, rich and diverse architectural styles, and local folk customs, these are of great tourism value and are The cultural business cards of Guangdong.
In terms of culture and education, Zhu Xuemei believes that thousands of years of ancient yidao is a magnificent picture, how many stories have fallen into the rocks, how many characters are gathered, and it is a good classroom for cultural education. It is a road of life, an economic road, and a road of cultural self-confidence. Perceiving the history of immigration in the past, which was full of flames and songs, received patriotic education here and enhanced cultural self-confidence. For example, the construction of the South China Education History Research Base is one of the typical achievements of the in-depth protection and cultural inheritance and revitalization of the Nanyue Ancient Yidao.
The South China Education History Research Base carries a great national memory. The construction of the research base through the protection and utilization of the old sites of the Anti-Japanese War Education School along the Ancient Yidao Road, the revitalization and utilization of the historical value of the Ancient Yidao Road, the display of the fighting spirit and patriotic feelings of Chinese teachers and students during the period of national survival, so that the teachers and students of various schools and the public can understand, commemorate and study this history that can be sung and wept, and provide a new channel for teachers, students and tourists to understand the history of northern Guangdong and perceive the red culture. It has promoted patriotic education and promoted the revitalization of rural areas in the mountainous areas of northern Guangdong.
From the Nanyue Ancient Road, brand activities such as "Ancient Yidao + Culture", "Ancient Yidao + Tourism", "Ancient Yidao + Research and Education" have been derived, reshaping the value of the ancient villages of the Ancient Roads, continuing traditional culture, and strengthening the road of cultural self-confidence.
Give play to the role of post roads and promote rural revitalization
"In recent years, walking on the ancient post road, it is very emotional to see more and more young people returning to their hometowns and participating in the construction of their hometowns." In the initial investigation of the traditional villages around the ancient yidao, Zhu Xuemei found that although there are a large number of ancient villages with different forms, rich types, and full of humanistic and ecological wisdom, due to man-made and natural destruction, most of the ancient residences, ancestral halls, archways and other architectural entities have fallen into disrepair and are in dilapidation, resulting in the stagnation of the development of traditional ancient villages, and the material space and cultural consciousness have been broken with history. In addition, there are many random constructions, which destroy the overall style.
Zhu Xuemei said frankly that "the key to achieving real protection of ancient villages is to enhance the villagers' sense of identity with their own history and culture, and enrich their common sense of protecting the architecture of ancient villages." It is necessary to give play to the initiative of villagers, actively improve the environment, and support functional facilities; We must find ways to keep the original villagers, because they are the masters here, and it is difficult to do without the protection of their ancient villages. "To retain the original villagers, we must vigorously excavate and expand the rural industries." How to attract young people back and ensure the development of young people. Therefore, it is necessary to plan according to local conditions and in combination with the characteristics of rural areas and regional development, so that young people can come back to start businesses, promote rural construction and economic development, and achieve rural revitalization. Zhu Xuemei said: "The protection of ancient villages involves all aspects and is a long-term systematic project, which requires the integration of urban and rural linkage and the empowerment of science and technology. On the one hand, it is necessary to innovate policies, regulations, institutional mechanisms, and on the other hand, it is also necessary to build self-confidence and guide the active participation of the whole people. In short, actively improving the environment, improving supporting facilities and expanding rural industries, and attracting young people to return to their hometowns to start businesses, can we link up and down, and realize a win-win situation in which the protection of village cultural heritage and the construction of the new socialist countryside interact and advance together, which is both livable and distinctive, and reproduces the nostalgia of Lingnan. ”
As Zhu Xuemei wrote for the nanyue ancient yidao poem, "The ancient road is re-opened, and the old and young are directed to drink; There are many interesting things, fists waiting for the king to travel." For the protection and development of traditional culture, Zhu Xuemei and her team have been on the road.