The former Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Road
Today's road to prosperity
Beginning in the Han Dynasty, formed in the Tang and Song dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, an ancient road from Chengdu to Chongqing connects the clouds and moons of thousands of miles of Sichuan and Chongqing, witnessing the changes of the times and the change of dynasties. From Chaotianyi in Chongqing to Jinguanyi in Chengdu, this 1,080-mile-long Sichuan-Chongqing passage integrates the economy, society and culture of Bashu.
Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Road out of Chengdu to Jinguanyi as the starting point, to Jianyang bifurcation for the north and south two roads, the south road to the southeast, through the current Ziyang City Yanjiang District, Lezhi County, Anyue County, Neijiang City Zizhong County, Shizhong District, Dongxing District, Longchang City to Chongqing, is the most important official post road between Chengdu and Chongqing, known as the earliest "Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway", a total length of 1071 miles; The north road is a small road, from Longquanyi to continue eastward, through Anyue, Tongliang, Bishan to Chongqing, the whole journey is 815 miles, but on the way you need to keep going over the mountains and mountains, the mountain road is narrow, and most of the monks and traders who take this road do not pursue transportation efficiency.
The sweetest section of the Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Post Road is the Anren Station section in Shizhong District, Neijiang City. Anren Station was built in the Ming Dynasty, 120 miles east to Longqiao Station in Longchang County, 90 miles to Zizhou Zhujiang Station in the west, and its address is not far from the east of the People's Government of Shizhong District, Neijiang City. Now standing here and looking around, the ancient buildings of the former post station have been lost in the long river of time, only modern buildings have risen from the ground, noodle stalls, commissaries, candied fruit shops and other shops are interspersed.
An-jin-hsien
Neijiang is closely related to "sugar culture", according to Weng Dezhi, director of the local chronicle office of Shizhong District of Neijiang City, Neijiang sugarcane cultivation has a history of thousands of years, as early as the Tang and Song dynasties, Neijiang is the main production area of Sichuan sugarcane. The sugar industry using sugarcane as raw material began in the Southern Song Dynasty, extended in the Ming Dynasty, and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. With the development of sugarcane cultivation, candied fruit production and sugar industry, Neijiang has the reputation of "the hometown of Chinese candied fruits" and has won the title of "sweet city".
As early as the Tang Dynasty, Neijiang began to use honey to impregnate fruits to make honey fruits (the prototype of candied fruits). Because of its bright color, fresh mouth, sweet and fragrant, it was once listed as a royal tribute. With the development of the sucrose industry, sucrose gradually replaced honey-impregnated fruits, and developed to be boiled from sucrose to make candied fruits with better color and flavor. Among them, orange cake candied fruit, cherry candied fruit, winter candied fruit, etc. have not only become a good gift for Neijiang people to visit relatives and friends, but also businessmen and pedestrians who travel to and from the ancient post road also like to buy some when passing through this place, in addition to satisfying their own cravings, but also as a gift to bring back to their families to taste.
Today's Shizhong District is still inseparable from "sweetness". In 1716, Zeng Dayi, a native of Changting County, Fujian Province, invited two sugar craftsmen from his hometown to come to Longmen Town with sugarcane, opening the history of planting sugarcane and making sugar in Neijiang. More than 300 years later, Neijiang introduced a local enterprise, Sichuan Han'an Sugar Grass Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., on the basis of the Zengjia compound in Longmen Town, with Longmen Village in Longmen Town as the core area, to implement the construction of the "Sweet Source Cane Township" agricultural and cultural tourism industry science and technology demonstration project, and build a 500-acre sugarcane expo park, a new sugar story hall and a memorial hall in the sugarcane park, continuing to write the sweet story of Neijiang.
Located on the bank of the beautiful Tuojiang River in Longmen Town, Shizhong District, Han'an Sugar Grass Project has created "one square and four halls" in order to inherit the Neijiang sugar culture, namely: Brown Sugar Workshop, Zeng Dayi Memorial Hall, Neijiang Sugar Industry Story Museum, Forest Library, and Sugarcane Expo Hall.
Brown Sugar Workshop
The workshop adopts a fully transparent display method to show the public and tourists the process of boiling brown sugar by intangible cultural heritage craftsmen. Next to the workshop, there are more than 40 old houses that are more than 100 years old, which are the places where Zengda makes sugar and writes sweetly. The old house has been protected and renovated and designed as a memorial hall for Zeng Dayi, a story museum for Neijiang Sugar, a forest library, a food experience, and a cultural and creative workshop.
Tsang Da Yi Memorial Hall
Walking into the museum, pictures and texts told us in detail about the origin, rise and fall of Neijiang sugar industry.
Forest Library
The Forest Library provides a reading space for children or people who like to read, drink a cup of tea, drink a cup of coffee, and read a book in a century-old mansion...... Feel the culture of the birthplace of the 100-year-old Neijiang sugar industry.
Here, you can learn about the origin and development process of Neijiang sweet industry, you can also taste the brown sugar boiled by the ancient method, and you can also drink the wine made from sugar cane...... In the fresh air, in the courtyard where the old and the new alternate, and in the spacious and comfortable leisure space, you can feel the ancient "sweet" smell here.
For thousands of years, there have been endless business trips and pedestrians on the Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Road. Nowadays, although it is difficult for us to see the former Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Road, its prosperity has never left us. Cars, high-speed trains, and airplanes have replaced cars and horses, and they are all traveling between Chengdu and Chongqing at a faster speed.
In the new era, amazing changes are taking place every day, and the Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Road has evolved into a new Chengdu-Chongqing Road, which will also bloom more flowers of prosperity along the road.
(This article was originally published as the cover news, and the "Fang Zhi Sichuan" new media matrix and the "Sichuan Provincial Information Network" were deleted when they were released)
Source: Sichuan Provincial Office of Local Chronicles
Contributed by: Neijiang Municipal Party History and Local History Research Office