In the early morning of April 13th, accompanied by a light rain and the fragrance of flowers, in the unique comfort of spring, a team composed of cultural scholars, writers and news media from all walks of life set off from Lanzhou and headed for the highest peak of the Loess Plateau - Mount Mabit.
Mabit Mountain, also known as "Majie Mountain", is the watershed at the junction of Yuzhong County and Lintao County, located on the south side of Xinglong Mountain, and is the only mountain with an altitude of more than 3,600 meters on the Loess Plateau in Longzhong. The huge altitude difference and severe cold climatic conditions have created the unique landform of Mabit Mountain covered with snow all year round, and "a mountain has four seasons and ten miles of different days".
The mountain is huge, has a rough character, and a majestic body, however, the horse bit is also humble as a gentleman, and has an extremely noble side, which comes from its jade culture. In the past, the local people had the habit of picking up jade in the ditch after heavy rains. Now, due to ecological management and the filling of mine holes, it is very difficult to pick up. After the field investigation of many routes in Gansu Province on the Jade Silk Road, Professor Ye Shuxian proposed "Jade Out of Ermagang" in 2015, believing that the raw materials of a large number of jade ritual vessels of Qijia culture are produced in the Mabitshan and Horsehair Mountain areas. Qijia cultural jade ritual utensils are rich in connotation, variety, exquisite craftsmanship, simple and heavy. Therefore, the horse bit mountain jade is also "famous" and its status is extremely important.
There is an article on the official website of Yuzhong County Museum: there is a mountain called Jade Cliff in Huangyagou, Shangzhuang Village, Mapo Township, Yin of Horsebit Mountain, which contains rich jade;
Horsebit jade has a certain oiliness and lipid structure, belongs to tremolite, from the color and texture structure, the best quality is leek yellow, chanterelle yellow, white and high transparency of jade. Many experts believe that most of the jade materials used by the ancients to make jade were "taken from the nearest source" or "local materials", and that the Mabitshan jade mine may be an important source of jade materials in the area west of Longshan, and even spread to the Jin-Shaanxi Plateau.
On the way to Mount Mabit, the members of the delegation were not idle. Everyone exchanged the natural geography and human history around Lanzhou, and shared their experiences around the understanding of the horsebit mountain jade.
After a three-hour drive, we finally arrived at the destination "Yushan". It has long been closed to mining and has become an ecological reserve. The caves where the ancients mined jade have also been backfilled and overgrown with vegetation. However, the "Jade Mountain" raised on the top of the mountain still stands proudly, as if telling the old past and the prosperity of the past. The former site of the jade mining in Mabitshan is at the highest point of the mountain. According to reports, it takes at least 40 minutes to walk to get there, and the road is difficult. Feng Yulei, a member of the delegation, proposed that based on respect and respect for the ancient Jade Mountain, everyone stopped at the foot of the mountain and paid attention. As we look up at the sacred mountain, our thoughts seem to travel back in time to 4,000 years ago. At that time, in this high mountain valley, how many jade stones carried people's expectations and hopes, along the winding river, to the ethnic groups in various places, and was carved into exquisite jade.
The local villagers showed the group a few pieces of jade he had picked up under the "Jade Mountain", as well as the jade pendants he had polished and made. Everyone looked at it one by one, and Feng Yulei said excitedly: "This is the most typical tremolite jade of Horsebit Mountain, which can be preserved as a specimen in the Lintao County Museum......"
At this time, the rain stopped and the sky gradually cleared. The cold wind blows from the mountains, carrying the coolness through the clothes, making people shiver. When the breath of spring permeates the mountain, it towers into the clouds, as if isolating the hustle and bustle of the world.
At the end of the inspection of the former site of the Mabitshan jade mine, everyone went to a small restaurant in Shangying Township to taste the farmhouse food and exchange with great interest.
After lunch, the car spirals down the winding mountain road, sometimes slowly, sometimes at a gallop, until it reaches the wide, flat national highway. At a three-way intersection, the escort introduced that another road leads directly to the town of Xiakou. In the nineties of the last century, the ruins of the Qijia cultural jade workshop were found in Xiakou Town, and a large number of jade materials, semi-finished products and production tools were discovered. Due to time constraints, it is not possible to visit the site where the ancient jade workshop was found this time.
Arriving at Lintao County, full of antimidity and curiosity, we went to China Taoyan Museum, Lintao County Strange Stone Museum and Museum in turn to visit.
China Tao Yan Museum brings together many exquisite Tao Yan works, each inkstone carries the memory of history, cultural inheritance and innovation, its exquisite carving and unique craftsmanship is amazing. The strange stone hall is even more eye-catching, with a variety of different forms and colorful strange stones, which makes people sigh at the miraculous creation of nature. The whole visit process is like a colorful cultural feast, which makes people immersed in it and forget to return.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, at the Lintao County Museum, it was as if through a time tunnel and appreciated the long history and rich cultural heritage of this land. I visited the Qijia jade on display, and had an in-depth understanding of the development and evolution of the jade culture in Mabitshan, as well as the current excavation and protection situation.
In the discussion and exchange of "integrated development of jade culture and literature" in the tour of Mabit Mountain, everyone spoke freely and agreed that jade culture is an indispensable core part of Chinese civilization, and Lintao culture is profound, and the Majiayao culture named after the place and Gansu painted pottery are famous all over the world, and have the historical origin of the Great Wall of Qin in the Warring States Period. Lintao County seizes the opportunity, combines jade culture, Taoyan culture, Great Wall culture, etc., and continues to tailor the exclusive business card with distinctive regional characteristics and outstanding advantages, and through the integration and utilization of tourism and cultural resources, to create a "horse bit mountain jade road" style line, Yuzhong County, Lanzhou City, Lintao County string up a collection of pastoral scenery, forests, snow mountains, rivers and other scenic corridors, to create a set of camping, hiking, exploration, self-driving in one of the "trekking resort". Through media communication and promotion, improve its visibility and attractiveness, and drive local economic growth.
At dusk, embark on the journey home. When the car crossed the seven beams, my thoughts drifted into the distance with the scenery outside the window, and my heart swelled with infinite emotion. Horsebit, this majestic mountain, it contains endless mysteries and treasures, not only the natural scenery is magnificent, but also contains rich cultural connotations and historical heritage. Today, this mountain is also a wonderful and intoxicating cultural tourism experience line, with its unique cultural charm, attracting many people to come to explore and discover the unknown.
Source: Dingxi Daily