"Ask me where my ancestors came from, the big locust tree in Hongdong, Shanxi." Because of the singing of this song, the average person only knows "Hongdong", but does not know "Mayi". The "big locust tree" almost drowned out many of the detailed truths of the migration in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
Mayi was an important settlement of immigrants in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. In the decades from Hongwu to Yongle, millions of immigrants have since moved out and scattered to towns and villages in the north and south of the great river, and a large number of foreign soldiers and civilians have moved to Mayi to naturalize and settle. The scale of migration in Mayi is comparable to that of the large locust tree in Hongdong.
On March 14, 1994, the fourth page of the Shanxi Farmers Daily published "There are large locust trees in Hongdong in the south and Mayi Needle Ditch in the north" is a summary of the image of Shanxi settlements in this period. The Hongwu and Yongle dynasties moved out on a large scale to displace the residents of the border area, and Mayi and the surrounding areas were not only the key areas for relocation, but also an important place for the reclamation of the Shubian area. In recent years, the descendants of immigrants from the two places have frequently discussed and exchanged on the Internet about the "Needle Valley" and the Big Locust Tree in Hongdong, and the Mayi Needle Ditch is being recognized and valued by more and more people.
"Needle Ditch" is a summary of the image of the Shanxi settlement in the early Ming Dynasty. According to research, during the Ming Hongwu and Yongle periods, large-scale internal and external migration, Yandun Village, Mayi County, Andigou, was not only a key area for relocation, but also an important place for reclamation in Shubian. Historical books such as the Records of Ming Taizu clearly record the migration of Mayi, but the settlement of immigrants in Mayi is obliterated by history. There are Zhao surnames, Xu Sex, Guo surnames, Dong surnames, Hao surnames, Ren surnames, Feng surnames, etc. all moved from Mayi, these families are very prosperous, and there have been many celebrities. And this is basically in line with the legend of the big locust tree in Jizhuang Village, Shentou Town.
"Concise Chinese Surname Examination" contains: Mayi Qigou is one of the Chinese immigration points, which is a true historical fact! Although Mayi is less well-known than the famous Hongdong locust tree, it played an important role in the history of Ming immigration. Many surnames in the north and south of the motherland have roots in Mayi, and the idea that Mayi is the hometown or place of departure of a considerable number of immigrants has long been recognized by immigrants and their descendants. At the first 3+2 urban mother river - Sanggan (Yongding) Cultural Seminar in Beijing, the descendants of Shuozhou and Datong immigrants held commemorative activities; The Xu, Mi, Hao, Feng and other families in Xinzhou have visited Shuozhou many times to find their roots and ask their ancestors, and one of the founding marshals, Xu Xiangqian, is also from Mayi. Mayi is the hometown of the dream of millions of immigrant descendants, and it is a well-deserved root-seeking holy place!