Gucheng Village, Zhaozhou Town, is located in the south of Zhaoxian County.
Qing Guangxu Ding You's "Zhaozhou Chronicles" Volume 1 "Domain Chronicles" contains "Ancient City", and notes: Sanli, Guping Thorn. The old city is Gucheng Village. Sanli, refers to Gucheng Village is 3 miles away from the then Zhaozhou Prefecture City, that is, 1.5 kilometers. Ancient flat thorn, that is, this place was called flat thorn in ancient times. At present, Gucheng Village has been connected with the county seat of Zhao County.
In the map of Zhaozhou village in Zhaozhou Chronicles of Zhaozhou by Ding You, Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, this village is written as "Gucheng".
"Zhao County Gazetteer" contains: "The village was called Pingjian in the Western Han Dynasty, and it was named because there was Pingjian Mountain in the northwest of the village. According to the "Book of Han": "In the seventh year of Gaozu (200 B.C.), Lin Zhi was the Marquis of Pingjian Yi", which is here. In the sixth year of Emperor Xiaowen (174 B.C.), his son was guilty of opening up Xinjiang, removed the Hou State, and changed to Pingjian County. Since then, Pingjian (now Gucheng) is the seat of Pingjian County. During the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316 AD), the thorn pu (now Zhao County) was renamed Pingjiao. The original flat thorn (now Gucheng) is called the south flat thorn. Later, it was called the old city, and it evolved into a solid city. ”
"Zhao County Gazetteer" also contains: "Pingjian County, set up in the Western Han Dynasty, the seat of governance is now Gucheng Village, and then moved to Jianpu (now Zhaozhou City Site)." According to the Book of Han: 'In the seventh year of Gaozu (200 B.C.), Lin Zhi, a meritorious hero, was named the Marquis of Pingjiaoyi. Pingjiao thus became a prince. In the fifth year of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty (175 BC), his son conquered the throne. In the sixth year of filial piety, due to the crime, the Hou State was removed and Pingjian County was replaced, which belonged to Changshan County. ’…… At the beginning of the Three Kingdoms, Pingjian County was under the jurisdiction of Changshan County of Cao Wei, and later it was the land of Zhao State. …… During the Western Jin Dynasty, the Zhao State Governance Office was moved from Pingjian to Jianpu (now Zhaozhou City), and the ancient city of Pingjian was changed to South Pingjiao. ”
Geng Chun persuaded Liu Xiu to be the emperor, and that it was here. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty" contains: "When you go to Nanping Thorn, the generals will restore it. Guangwu said: "The thieves have not yet been pacified, and they are being attacked on all sides, so why do you want to be in the right position? Geng Chunjin said: "The world's corporal doctors donate relatives, abandon the soil, and go from the king between the arrows and stones, and his plan is to hope that he will climb the dragon scales and attach the phoenix wings to become his ambition." Today's deeds are determined, and the heavens and men should also be, and the king stays against the public, not in the right position, and the pure fear of the doctor is desperate, so he has the idea of returning, and he suffers for a long time. When the public is scattered, it is difficult to reunite. Time cannot be left behind, and many cannot be reversed. The pure words were very sincere, Guangwu felt deeply, and said: "I will think about it." Soon after, Liu Xiu was proclaimed emperor.
People in Zhao County know that the tofu made by Gucheng people is delicious, and they like to buy or exchange soybeans for tofu made by Gucheng people. However, many people don't know that there is an interesting legend about Gucheng and tofu.
According to legend, Gucheng in the southeast of Zhao County was not called Gucheng at first, but was called Pingjian, which was the county seat of Pingjian County at that time. Because soybeans are abundant here, at that time, people here regarded soybeans as a staple food. The fact that Pingjiao is rich in soybeans, I don't know how to let an immortal in the sky know. When the god found out, he wanted to see what kind of place Pingthorn was and how the people there ate soybeans. On this day, he took advantage of the Jade Emperor's absence and secretly came to Pingjian. He saw that Pingjian was not large in scale, just an ordinary village. He wanted to help the people here and turn the village into a county seat. He wondered what the people in the village were thinking. So, he went to the house to investigate.
Wherever he went, the people of which he entertained him wholeheartedly. However, without exception, every household eats soybeans at every meal. People say that the beans are too hard and not very tasty. Knowing that he wanted to turn this place into a county seat, people were very happy. After investigation, the immortal had a clear understanding of the situation in the village. Later, the Jade Emperor knew about his descent to earth. The Jade Emperor was very angry and sent the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals to issue an edict asking him to rush back to the Heavenly Palace before the rooster crowed the next day. When the immortal heard this, he wanted to repair the county seat before he returned to the Heavenly Palace. However, before the county seat was repaired, the rooster crowed. He had no choice but to sigh and rush back to the Heavenly Palace. Suddenly, he remembered that there was still one thing left to do, so he took a piece of paper from his sleeve and threw it into the village.
When people picked up the piece of paper, it turned out to be the secret recipe for making tofu. People follow the secret recipe and make soft and tender tofu. Since then, there has been a delicious food called tofu in the world. Later, Pingjian was renamed Gucheng. Because the tofu made by the people of Gucheng is delicious, people call Gucheng a tofu village.
Gucheng salted donkey meat is a famous food in Zhao County. Gucheng salted donkey meat takes a long time to cook. Generally, it is cut after lunch, and the next morning is out of the pot, and the cooking time is as long as fifteen or sixteen hours. After the cooked meat is out of the pot, the color is ruddy, the texture is clear, soft and tender, the meat is delicate, thin but not firewood, mellow and delicious, it is the top grade with wine and rice.
It is reported that Gucheng Village once had the old residence of Feng Tang, a famous minister in the Western Han Dynasty. "Zhaozhou Native Chronicles" contains: "The old city is in the south of the state, and there is the mansion of Feng Tang, the commander of the Western Han Dynasty, which is now abandoned. It is rumored that Gucheng Village is also the hometown of Lin Xiangru, a famous minister during the Warring States Period, and there was the former residence of Lin Xiangru and the ancestor of the Lin family.
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Source: Zhao Changqing Writers' Studio
Editor: Zhu Lina
Review: Fan Jingfang
Producer: Nie Congchao