Editor's note: The soul of the nation is transformed by culture and cast by culture. As an ancient city with 8,000 years of culture and 3,000 years of history, Handan has rich historical and cultural resources inside, with beautiful ancient town blocks, exquisite intangible cultural heritage skills, and cultural heritage that has passed through time flowing with charm, and it is also shining in the new era.
In order to implement the requirements of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee on carrying out the theme publicity activities of "Cultural China Tour", starting today, this newspaper will launch a special column, which will focus on the discovery of cultural relics and historic sites, the protection of ancient villages and streets in famous cities and towns, the protection and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations.
Wang Zhanyuan ancestral hall
Twists and turns, and travels to the depths of the alley. Whenever you walk into Taoshan Old Street, Guantao County, people will be deeply attracted by the bricks and tiles here. As the "origin" of the development of modern Guantao County, with the transfer of the urban development center, the once glorious Taoshan Old Street is now gradually submerged in the noisy market, the ancient shed of the Ming Dynasty, the Republic of China General archway...... Many of the ruins are no longer to be found, and this bustling street is gradually getting old and deserted.
However, the turning point came in March this year, when Taoshan Old Street in Guantao County was successfully selected as a provincial-level historical and cultural block, bringing new hope for the development of this old street with a history of more than 2,000 years.
When "old traditions" meet "new measures", when "old memories" meet "new nostalgia", how to unify the transformation and upgrading of old neighborhoods with the protection of historical relics and the preservation of historical context? Recently, the reporter went to Guantao to explore the prosperous past of the old street and feel how it has been rejuvenated.
Zhang Yuxing introduced the historical and cultural block of Taoshan Old Street.
Profound heritage
A common memory of the old town
Taoshan Old Street is the name of the old city of "South Pavilion Tao" located in the southeast corner of the county. Every building here is deeply engraved with traces of the historical development of the museum.
Walking in the old street, the front merchants and the back houses on both sides of the street are intertwined, and the residents who come and go can tell a few stories about the old street......
"This part of the old street is really prosperous because of the water, and the water transportation here was still very developed when I was a child, but if you want to ask when it rose, it was even older in that era." Zhang Yuxing, the third-level chief staff member of the Guantao County Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, introduced that the prosperity of the old street is inseparable from the "station red" system established in the Yuan Dynasty.
At that time, because the South Pavilion Tao is located in the north-south direction of the canal water transport, and the junction of the east-west direction of the road and land transport, so it became a water horse post with both land and water, a large number of personnel and materials gathered here, and with the later development, to the Ming and Qing dynasties, every autumn in the Wei River when the water rises will form the spectacular scene of "the boat is like a shuttle, and the road is connected", and the area of the South Pavilion Tao has gradually formed a canal commercial town.
"According to historical records, at that time, the cargo handling volume of the ships waiting for loading and unloading was more than 2 million catties on the Gudu Wharf of Luma." Following the direction pointed by Zhang Yuxing, the reporter saw the flow place of China's Sui-Tang Grand Canal located on the east side of Taoshan Old Street, which was historically an important canal tributary connecting the Central Plains, southern Hebei and Luxi.
It can be said that Taoshan Old Street carries the political, economic, historical and cultural process of the canal and the development and evolution of the canal, and is a witness to the rise and fall of the canal town and the pavilion. It's just ......," Zhang Yuxing said regretfully, "In recent years, due to the erosion of the years and the relocation of the main urban area of the county, Taoshan Old Street has gradually declined, and many buildings with great fame and important influence in history are slowly deteriorating or even disappearing. ”
As a result, the protection and reconstruction of the historical and cultural district of Taoshan Old Street is imminent, and this has become a top priority for groups of local cultural and tourism workers.
Repair the old as the old
Protecting the cultural fabric
On a summer morning, the bluestone brick and plaster walls paint a different kind of beautiful scenery of the ancient city, and the deep alleys are dotted with a touch of green, casting a small cool shadow under the scorching sun.
Walking through the streets and alleys, it is not as lively as the new town, and time here seems to slow down. From time to time, people ride through the narrow road, leaving a crisp ringing bell. The old man sat at the door of his house, choosing vegetables and pulling home cooking.
"With the relocation of the city center, the number of indigenous inhabitants of Lao Cai has gradually decreased, and many houses have become dilapidated due to abandonment, but many of these buildings contain rich historical information and have important cultural value, so we have carried out rescue protection." Liu Junfeng, a member of the party group and director of the office of the Guantao County Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, said that over the years, they have carried out key protection and repair work on the three cultural relics protection units and five historical buildings in accordance with the policy of "overall protection, repairing the old as the old, respecting history, and using the market carefully".
The first step of renovation is to retain the greatest features of the architectural style and repair the old as before. Liu Junfeng introduced that when the representative Wang Zhanyuan's former residence was repaired, according to a large number of historical materials and photos, the color, size and style of various components such as paving, doors and windows, beams and columns were quantitatively mapped and compared horizontally, so as to finally determine the repair plan.
"Some of the green bricks used to restore the courtyard wall are preserved by themselves, and some are new materials fired by the old process according to the records in historical materials." Liu Junfeng told reporters that the restoration of the ancient buildings of the old street is not "antique" or even "fake and real", but through appropriate "traces" to preserve the information in its historical process.
Under the guidance of this concept, after the preservation and restoration of the traditional houses here, you can still see their architectural characteristics in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, such as the unique layout form of "three bright and five dark five sleeves"; The vernacular architectural characteristics of "thick base wall, mounted brick internal ramming, ridge roof, narrow doors and horizontal windows"; The wooden grille and wooden carved patterns, the shadow walls, eaves, gatehouses and other exquisite carvings, the building is more exquisite.
From a street to a city, and then think of a piece of history, touch the old buildings with different styles, its carved wooden window lattices and polished door steps, in the simplicity and heaviness of the years all show its longevity.
"In recent years, on the basis of our efforts to preserve the traditional features, we have left some memories of Lao Cai and let people remember their nostalgia." Liu Junfeng said.
Embroidery kung fu
Lao Cai has been rejuvenated
"1,000 meters, it only takes 10 minutes to walk normally, but in the future Taoshan Old Street Historical and Cultural District, it takes nearly 1 hour to walk." When it comes to the development of historical districts in the future, Gao Yuliang, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Guantao County, has long had a prospect.
In his opinion, many places in the development of cultural and tourism resources in the historical district, all the aborigines moved out, in a completely commercial way to develop the ancient block, so that it lost its original taste, only the local residents and the ancient street harmonious coexistence, is the biggest charm of the ancient city alley tour.
"The preservation of historic streets and alleys and the improvement of residents' lives are two sides of the same coin. The life of the residents is also part of the cultural heritage, and after the completion of the future historic district, you can see not only tourists walking into the museum, but also the most authentic market life, and residents leisurely walking, exercising, and chatting. Gao Yuliang said that under the premise of adhering to the premise of protection first, residents in the historic district should also enjoy the convenience of modern life.
Through a day's visit, a picture of the old street with a new look emerged in front of the reporter's eyes: strolling in the historical and cultural block of Taoshan Old Street, the blue bricks and gray tiles and the bubbling spring silently tell the solemnity and vicissitudes of the years, interpreting the rich connotation of the old street; In front of historical buildings such as the former site of the people's court, the former site of the housing management office, and the former site of the supply and marketing cooperative, people are in it and relive the eventful years; Cultural tourism consumption scenarios such as characteristic homestays and themed catering are gradually "born" here; Cultural and creative activities such as the production skills of black pottery, grain painting, copper engraving, four-strand string, shadow puppetry, and the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage skills attract tourists to be overwhelmed......
"In the later stage, we planned several research and study boutique tour routes, connecting important scenic spots such as Grand Canal culture, merchant culture and human settlements culture." Gao Yuliang told reporters that in the future planning, they have always adhered to the concept of not only protecting the material entity of the old street, but also paying attention to the historical context of the old street, so as to truly make the old street old and new, and rejuvenate.
Defend an old street and inherit an ancient city. At present, with the successful declaration of Taoshan Old Street as a provincial historical and cultural block, the old street has re-entered the city's development vision. We believe that in the future, with its strong historical heritage and unique cultural charm, it will attract visitors from all over the world, and the moving stories of the integration and symbiosis of traditional culture and contemporary life, and the protection of cultural heritage and urban and rural construction will continue to be staged.
Handan News and Media Center reporter Xue Yalan/text Qiu Yonghui/shadow