From the Lion Tower to the Tongque Terrace

From the Lion Tower to the Tongque Terrace

Author: Fu Tianlu

The other day, I wrote a short article, "In front of the Lion Tower". So, from the Lion Tower in Yanggu County, Shandong, I can't help but think of Tongquetai in Linzhang County, Handan City.

The Lion House is the restaurant of Yanggu County in the classical literary masterpiece "Water Margin", where Wu Song fought and killed Ximenqing and avenged Wu Dalang. It is a local scenic spot, the original building is a Song Dynasty building, long gone. The current Lion Tower, which has been rebuilt and restored in recent years, is located in the cross street in Yanggu County, Shandong Province. Tongquetai is another classical literary masterpiece "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in the Cao Wei period, it is located in Linzhang County, Handan City, Hebei Province. At that time, Linzhang was called Ye County, which was the capital of the Cao Wei regime and the main base of the Cao Wei regime, and Cao Cao lived here for many years. Tongquetai also has long ceased to exist, and only the ruins remain.

The Lion Tower and the Tongque Terrace, both of which are famous places depicted in the four masterpieces of Chinese classical literature, are important places for the activities of the main characters in the book. But they are also real places for the activities of real historical figures, not just places of interest artificially shaped by literary masterpieces with artistic techniques, but buildings that have actually existed in history.

Du Mu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, has a famous poem entitled "Red Cliff": "The halberd sinks into the sand and the iron is not sold, and the grinding and washing recognize the previous dynasty." Dongfeng does not have a relationship with Zhou Lang, and Tongque Chun is deeply locked with Erqiao". The last line of the poem is an allusion to Tongquetai. In "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhuge Liang deliberately used homophony to outwit Zhou Yu, saying that Cao Cao wanted to take Erqiao on the Tongque Stage. And the eldest Qiao in the second Qiao is the wife of Wu Hou Sun Quan's elder brother Sun Ce, and the little Qiao is Zhou Yu's wife. This kind of hatred of humiliating his wife strengthened Zhou Yu's determination to break Cao. Later, the combined forces of Sun and Liu finally won the Battle of Chibi. Of course, there is also literary rendering and processing in this.

I thought that although both were famous places described in famous books, although there were real buildings in the past, although they have also been handed down to the present day. However, in comparison, it is still the age of Tongquetai. It was built in the Three Kingdoms period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and its historical heritage is also richer. It also has a richer cultural content, it is the main place of the famous "Seven Sons of Jian'an" activity in the history of Chinese literature, and it is the place where Jian'an literature is formed and developed. When the Tongquetai building was completed, Cao Cao held a grand meeting on the stage to celebrate its completion. Ordered everyone to write poems and compositions to remember the grand ceremony. Cao Zhi, the author of the "Seven Steps Poem", made the "Tongque Taifu" that has been handed down to future generations on the Tongque Tai on the spot, the article is sprinkled, the clouds are flowing, the rhetoric is gorgeous, and the talent is brilliant, it is a famous article in the Han Fu, and it is also a masterpiece in the history of Chinese literature. In history, the allusion to "Wen Ji Returns to Han" by Cai Wenji, a talented woman in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao was Cai Wenji who was received here in Tongquetai. And Cai Wenji's "Poems of Grief and Indignation" and "Hu Ji Eighteen Beats" are extremely excellent, and they have also been passed down for thousands of years.

But the Lion Tower is different, it is a building that only existed in the Song Dynasty. In terms of time alone, it is several dynasties later than Tongquetai, and hundreds of years later. In addition, I remember that it seems that except for Wu Song fighting and killing Ximen Qing here, there don't seem to be more anecdotes and allusions circulating in the Lion Tower. Of course, it may be just that I am lonely, too little to see, and have limited reading, so I have not seen the relevant records so far.

I once worked as a rural educated youth in Linzhang County for a few years, and I knew that the people's commune where Hou Tongquetai was located was in Ye Town, and the village where Tongquetai was located seemed to be called Santai Village. Because during the Three Kingdoms period, it was Tongque Terrace, Jinfeng Terrace, and Bingjing Terrace, and the three high platforms were adjacent to each other, and there were long bridges connecting them. Among them, the Tongque Terrace is the most magnificent and the most famous, so later generations called the three collectively called the Tongque Terrace. Linzhang County also produced a kind of liquor with the trademark of "Tongquetai", after the educated youth returned to the city, one year when we returned to the village to visit the villagers, a cadre of Zhangcunji Commune, who was in charge of the educated youth, also warmly entertained us with this wine.

Later, I went to see the ruins of Tongquetai, and the existing ruins seem to be the temples of Wenchang Pavilion built on the ruins of Tongquetai during the Ming Dynasty. From the appearance, it naturally looks very low, narrow, simple, cramped, and completely like the posture of a county-level dilapidated temple. There is no heroic spirit of Cao Wei left over from Tongquetai, which makes tourists feel disappointed after seeing it.

I think that if Handan City can also spend money to rebuild the Tongque Terrace like the Yellow Crane Tower, Tengwang Pavilion and Stork Tower, it will be a major cultural event. It will certainly greatly enhance the gold content of Handan City's historical and cultural city, and it will definitely soon become a well-known cultural landscape in the country, and will also greatly promote the development of Handan's tourism and culture. Although the cost will not be less, it also provides a new long-term economic growth point for the subsequent development of the cultural economy.

Because the Yellow Crane Tower has been Wuhan, Tengwang Pavilion is Nanchang, and the Stork Tower is Yongji, Shanxi, all of them have provided a resounding business card for cultural tourism, enhanced the gold content of the city's regional history and culture, and greatly promoted the local tourism culture and economic development. And, economically, they all naturally contribute. Doing such a thing can be said to be beneficial to the present generation, merit in the future, the predecessors planted trees, and the descendants enjoyed the shade.

Xu Guangchun was a visionary leader, and later when he was the secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, Anyang City reported that he would build an "Anyang Character Museum" in the local area. At that time, the scale of the design was not large, but it was just a prefecture-level city with a very average level of museum. Xu Guangchun pointed out that if we want to build it, we must directly build it into a national museum, and we should not make it a third-rate and small-scale family. Now, standing in Anyang City is a top-notch text museum, which is neither the "Anyang City Character Museum" nor the "Henan Provincial Character Museum", but the national "Chinese Character Museum". It is also the only museum in the world with the theme of writing, which displays, exhibits, researches, and researches Chinese characters and foreign characters. It occupies a very important position in the ranks of cultural museums in the country. With such a large museum, it really adds a lot of luster to the historical and cultural city of Anyang. It can be said that this leader is really a leader with vision, foresight, and ability to do great things.

The existing Congtai ancient buildings in Handan were also rebuilt during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and were often maintained later, so that they can survive for hundreds of years. In front of the Congtai City Tower, the ancient monument of "Zhao Wuling King Congtai Ruins" during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty was erected, which recorded this matter. This ancient monument itself is now a precious cultural relic. I recently visited Congtai and found that this ancient monument has been newly made with a glass cover and is closely protected to prevent it from continuing to weather. The Congtai City Tower has also become a key cultural relics protection unit in Hebei Province, and it is still for us to visit and pay respects. I speculate that Congtai will definitely continue to be upgraded in the future, and then become a national key cultural relics protection unit.

I think that in the vicinity of the original Santai ruins, the construction of Tongque Terrace can be resumed. The original ruins and monuments of Tongque Terrace, Jinfeng Terrace, Bingjing Terrace, as well as the Tibetan Soldier Cave of Cao Cao, can also be preserved together, so that the new landscape and the old cultural relics become one, thus forming a complete cultural relics and historic sites protection area. Just like the West Lake in Hangzhou, the Leifeng Pagoda was rebuilt on the original site, and the "Leifeng Sunset", one of the ten views of the West Lake that had been lost for many years, was restored. It also makes the moving love legend of Bai Niangniang and Xu Xian have a more beautiful basis. Due to the reconstruction of Leifeng Pagoda, the West Lake Scenic Area has also become more complete, more beautiful, brighter and more moving.

Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower has the famous poem "Yellow Crane Tower" by the Tang Dynasty poet Cui Hao, "the people of the past have ridden the Yellow Crane to go, and the Yellow Crane Tower is vacant here." Climb the Yellow Crane Tower, raise your eyes to watch the "Qingchuan Calendar Hanyang Tree, Grass and Parrot Island", carefully appreciate the author's feelings in the poem, and how relaxed and happy it should be. Yongji Stork Tower has the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhilian's poem "Climbing the Stork Tower", "The day is at the end of the mountain, and the Yellow River flows into the sea." If you want to be poor, go to the next level". You can only look at the clairvoyance if you go to the next level. Without this building, you would not have such a profound experience.

Nanchang Tengwang Pavilion, there is the Tang Dynasty Wang Bo's "Tengwang Pavilion Preface" famous endowment. Yueyang Tower, Hunan, and the immortal "Yueyang Tower" by Fan Zhongyan in the Song Dynasty. If you are in these two famous buildings, looking at the scenery outside the building, and reciting these two beautiful essays, you will naturally be open-minded and full of pride. Only by touching the scene, can there be love, it can be seen that the pavilion is the foundation of poetry, and the poetry adds glory to the pavilion. Famous buildings and beautiful texts, the two are not only interdependent, but also complement each other. Poetry and literature are indispensable. No matter which aspect is missing, it will be a great pity.

There is this building, read this article. There are famous buildings, read American literature. Climb this floor and read this article. That understanding, that feeling, that shock, that profundity, how strong it should be. It is by no means without this building, and reading this article, can be compared. Because only by being in the scene can we be immersive, and the reader can connect with the author. The reader's understanding and experience can also be combined with the content of the article and will never be forgotten.

I have a deep understanding of this, during the Cultural Revolution, I once looked at the green Xiangjiang River in Changsha, Hunan, looking at the green Xiangjiang River in front of me, and reading Chairman Mao's poem "Qinyuan Spring, Changsha" in the "Xiangjiang River goes north, orange island head, see the mountains are red all over, the forests are dyed, the river is clear, and hundreds of boats compete for the stream", it is really "all kinds of frost and heaven are free", and the impression is very deep. It's really different from sitting in the classroom and reading this poem away from the scene.

Before the Cultural Revolution, in the original Handan Ancient Road, which was later renamed the middle street in the city, there was "Lin Xiangru Carriage Lane", which I went to watch many times. I still remember that it was an alley with high walls on both sides, but it was not too wide. However, it has a certain length, at least much longer than the current return lane, because at that time, the northern extension of Lingxi Street has not been built. At that time, there was a stone tablet at the entrance of the alley, which was engraved with "Lin Xiangru Carriage Lane", which was inscribed by the magistrate of Handan County in the Ming Dynasty, and was preserved in the past dynasties. And now the carriage lane tablet is written by Li Shoucheng, a contemporary Handan calligrapher who is good at Nangong tablet, and the length of the lane alley has become very short compared with the original, because its west side is the Lingxi Street that was built later, and it really can't restore the original length.

It can be seen that since ancient times, all those historical and cultural projects that have value, basis and inheritance have always been designed, constructed, maintained and protected by the government of successive dynasties. It is not like a small temple on a very small scale, which can be built by the people themselves. Historical and cultural projects are to be passed on to future generations and become an integral part of the history and culture of the region. Some of them will become an integral part of the history and culture of the entire nation of the nation. Where there are many historical monuments and cultural relics that have been preserved so far and are well protected, they will definitely be inseparable from the attention of the local government.

I think, if Handan City does not retain Congtai, does not retain the toddler bridge, does not retain Lin Xiangru Lane Lane, does not retain these ancient monuments, and then talks about the allusions of Handan toddler, and then talks about Lin Xiangru Lianpo's general together, and then talks about Zhao Wuling King and Hufu riding and shooting, how pale and sparse it should be, and how weak and powerless it should be. Even, there are some untargeted.

I think that after the reconstruction of Tongquetai, the history and culture of "Three Kingdoms", the famous culture of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", the literary culture of Jian'an, and the culture of Cai Wenji will all have architectural carriers that can be seen and touched, which will increase the sense of gravity and concreteness of history. I saw from the books and periodicals that the tiles left by the Tongquetai building were extremely hard porcelain. In the Tang and Song dynasties, there were literati bachelors at that time, who used the remnants of the bronze bird platform to make inkstones, write and paint, which was enviable for a while. After the reconstruction of Tongquetai, the poems and songs, calligraphy and danqing of Tongquetai, the surviving antiques and unearthed cultural relics of Tongquetai in the past dynasties have the specific direction of the expectations and have the most suitable destination.

And now there is no Tongquetai, Cao Zhi's "Tongquetai Fu" is like a person, giving people the feeling of homelessness, nowhere to live, nothing to rely on, wandering in the wind and rain, and no fixed place to live. Of course, if the skin does not exist, the hair will be attached? Tongquetai is gone, and the "Tongquetai Fu" derived from Tongquetai, where can it be home?

I thought that after the reconstruction, it would definitely become another cultural treasure. It will also be rebuilt from the current cultural landscape, and after many years, it will gradually evolve into a famous cultural monument in the city, the province and the country.

I thought, since the Lion Tower can be rebuilt in Yanggu County, why can't Tongquetai be rebuilt in Handan City?

I hope this dream can come true.

But even if that dream doesn't come true, it's nothing.

Because, no matter whether this dream comes true or not, life will always go on.

March 25, 2024