Located in the center of Longxi County, Gansu, Weiyuan Building, with its ridged tile cylinders and carved beams and paintings, was built in the first year of the Tiansheng of the Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (1023), a full thousand years ago. It is famous for its majestic momentum, long history and exquisite shape, which is a symbol of Longxi's long history and culture, and is also a national key cultural relic protection unit.
(i)
Weiyuan Tower is located in the center of Longxi County: there are no winding walls around it, but the swarthy city bricks are the most powerful proof that Weiyuan Tower is old enough.
Weiyuan Lou, which was built in the first year of the Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (1023 AD), was built and named after Han Qi, a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty. Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan jointly defended Western Xia, then called "Han Fan", and at that time Bian Sai recited such a ballad: "There is a Han in the army, and the heart of Western Xia is cold." There was a fan in the army, and Xixia was shocked when he heard it. ”
Out of the need to strengthen armament, when Han Qi planned the border defense, he built a tower in Beifang, one mile east of Longxi City, called "Weiyuan Building", which means to shock the distance.
At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the founding hero Wang Shixian and his son moved the Weiyuan Tower to the city when they expanded the city wall. At that time, the Yuan Dynasty implemented a combination of military and political rule, and the office of General Marshal Gongchang was in Weiyuan Lou.
In the second year of Yuan Shizu's reign (1261 AD), he moved to the city. In the first year of Emperor Yuanshun's reign (1341 AD), he set up a copper pot to drip and put a drum on it, hence the name "Drum Tower". In the first year of Hongwu (1368 AD), the construction and reconstruction were carried out, and the plaque of "Gongchangxiong Town" was hanged, and it was called "Xiongzhen Lou". In the 55th year of the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty (1716 AD), it was repaired again. In the sixteenth year of Qing Daoguang (1836 AD), a stone dial was set up in the southeast corner of the building, and the bronze bell cast in the Song Dynasty (the fifth year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty) was moved to the upper floor, and the sound of the strike was heard for more than ten miles. Since then, it has been named "Bell and Drum Tower".
It was also known as Xiongzhen Lou, which was built and rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty due to the decay of the building. At that time, the craftsmen first built a huge brick pier foundation, and then erected a wooden tall building on the foundation, which made its appearance more majestic, so it was renamed Xiongzhen Lou.
As for the current appearance of Weiyuan Tower, it was expanded in the 55th year of the Kangxi Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty (1716 AD) and transformed into a brick-based three-story wooden building.
(ii)
In the gap between the white horses and the change of dynasties, the military background of Weiyuan Tower gradually faded, but it was integrated into the daily life of all living beings in the morning bell and twilight. Even if the sound of the bells and drums on the Weiyuan Tower has long been heard, you can still imagine the extraordinary charm of the past as the dominant time and space, reporting and fainting.
Two legends about Weiyuan Tower, Rao is interesting:
It is said that in the sixteenth year of the Qing Daoguang (1836 AD), the local gentry wanted to move the bronze bell weighing 4 tons to the upper floor, but because the base of the building was more than 10 meters high, no one could help, but there was a ragged old peasant sneering on the side. Seeing this, the county guard asked the old farmer what good method he had. The old farmer replied lukewarmly: I am already a man with soil up to my neck, what good way will there be? When the county shou heard this, he suddenly realized that the earth was piled up, and the large bronze bell was slowly transported upstairs along the soil slope. This bell is still hanging on the upper floor of Weiyuan and is a national first-class cultural relic.
Another story says that the 8.5 magnitude earthquake in Haiyuan, Ningxia, on December 16, 1920, affected Longxi and cracked a 3-inch-wide hole in the base of the impregnable Weiyuan Tower. Later, a skilled craftsman punched a few large leech nails on the crack, and it was strange that the crack slowly closed... It is said that you can still see those leech iron nails when you go to Weiyuan Lou.
(iii)
The Weiyuan Building that visitors see now is a three-story wooden building with a brick base of 15 meters and a height of 26 meters. The first floor has 24 columns. According to some sources, its base alone is 11 meters high, 27 meters long and 17 meters wide.
The three floors of Weiyuan Building are all four cornices, and the bucket arches support the weight of the beams, fangtou and outer eaves, and 102 bucket arches decorate the building magnificently and gloriously. The unique curved roof, huge volume and gentle curves make the roof one of the most beautiful parts of this building. The straight and curved lines in the roof are cleverly combined to form a slightly upturned cornice, which expands the lighting surface, is conducive to draining rainwater, and increases the beauty of the building's flying light. The two snouts of the ridge squat high, the ridge carved lifelike, the middle of the ridge is decorated with a tower bottle, the bottle is 2 meters high, the weeping spine flying dragon walking beast looks down in all directions, the ridge set beast is cranes, lions, horses, monkeys, the cornices are angled in a winged trend, its contour line is not a straight line but a curve like a bird's wing, and the wing angle gives people a light and lively feeling.
Not to mention the majesty of the city tower, just the two huge plaques of "Gongchangxiong Town" and "Sound and Hearing" hanging on the east and west eaves of its third floor have silently confirmed the glory and momentum of Longxi for thousands of years.
Open China's vast literary and historical texts, and you can see the place name "Longxi" (Longxi County, Longxi Chengji, Weizhou, Gongchang Fu, Gongchang General's Mansion, Gongchang Bu Political Envoy) everywhere.
Located in the upper reaches of the Wei River, the largest tributary of the Yellow River, Longxi is one of the birthplaces of the ancient culture of the Chinese nation, as well as the birthplace of Qin culture and Tang culture, carrying a rich human history of more than 2,000 years. Longxi has always been the seat of counties, prefectures and prefectures, and once became the political, economic, cultural and military center of Longyou and the earliest provincial capital of Gansu Province, which is like a thick seal, covering the picture of the people's lives, making people feel solid and belonging.