Southern Sichuan Serenade
(Beijing Today)
Updated: 2004-11-02 11:15

For anyone looking for something different from the usual famous beauty spots and places of historical interest, a visit to the less well-known towns in mountainous of southern Sichuan is worth considering. The region is more accessible than it was for the famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, who wrote, 'It is more difficult to go to the State of Shu (ancient Sichuan) than to go to the blue sky. '

[Imaginechina]

The suggested starting point is Longchang, southeast of Neijiang city.

Longchang lies on the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway and the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway with an easy access to traffic. It stands at the crossroads that leads to Shaanxi in the north, Yunnan in the south and Hubei in the east. Historically, it is a place of considerable strategic importance. Anyone seeking to conquer southwest China had first to control Longchang.

Gate towers at Longchang [ynet.com]

Longchang was under the jurisdiction of the State of Ba during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. In 316 BC, after Emperor of Hui of the Qin Dynasty sent General Zhang Yi to unify Sichuan, it belonged to the Prefecture of Ba. In 1567, as the place was wild and became the refuge of robbers and social outcast, the court decided to amalgamate parts of Luzhou, Fushun and Rongchang into a county which was headquartered in Jin (Golden Goose) town.

One of the most outstanding sights of the locality are the numerous groups of gate towers, today rarely seen in China. Now only 20 or so remain, mostly built during the Qing Dynasty. Featuring four stone columns and three gates as a copy of the ancient wooden structures, they were built to commend the virtues of chastity, filial piety, longevity and social service.

Among these gate towers, 13 were of especial long history which spanned the reign of four Qing emperors from Emperor Daoguang to Guangxu (1838-1887).

You will come across time and weather-worn gate towers rising over black tiled flat houses with naked bricks when wander in the streets. A hardy man carrying two barrels of drinking water on his shoulder may pass through. The job is more often than not taken by a woman.

There is a castle called "City on the hill" in Yundingzhai, 20 kilometers from Longchang. With the area of 16 hectares on top of the Yunding Mountain 530 meters above the level, the castle the only one that remains intact in the county.

The castle was first built during the Ming Dynasty. In 1371, a farmer called Guo Mengsi entered Sichuan from Macheng, Hubei. When he came to Yunding Mountain, his luggage came loose from his bamboo pole and rolled down the mountain slope, so he decided to settle and farm there. His descendants Guo Lian and Guo Yuanzhu passed the imperial examination for civil servants and took up high-ranking official posts in the Ming court. The clan of Guo prospered on top of the mountain thanks to imperial grace.

During the reign of Emperor Wanli in the late Ming period (1573-1619), as there were constant attacks from robbers, the village was turned into a fortified castle, completed with cannons. The castle was later expanded and solidified in 1859. The wall measures 7.5 meters high, 3 to 4 meters wide and stretches over 1,640 meters. The wall of defense has six gates. There used to be 54 courtyards in the castle. Now, only one third remain.

When first approaching the castle, you will see a picture-like view. On the dilapidated wall, withered weeds wave in the mountain breeze in the sunset. There are five gates provide access to the castle, Xiaozhai gate, the Moon gate, the Tongyongmen gate, the North gate and the Xiaobeimen gate. A stone tablet stands in front of the Tongyongmen Gate, recording the history and evolution of the castle.

Several dozen Ming and Qing mansions still stand along the stone slab paved lanes. Many have collapsed. In the shuyuan (ancient Chinese private schools) Confucian classics were read, imbuing the young with dreams of a successful official career.

One mile away from the castle is Yunding Market, once the site of banks, restaurants, a pharmacy, tea house, rice store and drapery. Strangely enough, they opened at midnight and closed at dawn. The odd hours were a result of the social habits of the wealthy inhabitants of the castle, who spent whole nights playing mahjong and other games.

Every year, before the newly harvested rice goes to the market every year, the local farmers would cook with the new and the old mixed together to prepare a variety of fresh vegetable dishes for the worship of heaven, earth and their ancestors. According to Chinese tradition, heaven and earth are regarded as gods with omnipotent power and ancestral worship is a long-standing local tradition.

Getting there: Take a bus at the Wugui Bridge in Chengdu, bound for Longchang county for 40 to 50 yuan. From the county seat to Yunding Castle, minibuses regularly make the 17 kilometer trip. The fare is 8 to 10 yuan.

Other places worth visiting in Sichuan:

Fubao Town

On the Dacao River in Hejiang county, This densely forested mountainous region lies on the border of Guizhou province. The town throve during the Yuan Dynasty but was later burned down.

It was rebuilt in the late Qing and early Republic period. The old street of the town perching on mountain slopes with a great variety of housing structures in unique southern Sichuan style remains intact. Specialists of ancient architecture speak highly of the its residential houses, also many films and TV dramas have been shot there. The cliff paintings at Gaocun, created with perfect craftsmanship, are of enormous value for those interested in stone carving.

Getting there: Take long-distance bus from Luzhou to Hejiang county for about 10 yuan, and then another bus from Hejiang to Fubao for 8 yuan. From Chongqing, there is a daily bus to Fubao for 30 yuan.

Yaoba

Yaoba is another ancient in Sichuan, eight kilometers southwest of the seat of Hejiang county, or 39 kilometers from Luzhou.

It is famous for the Dongyue Temple, a sacred place of Buddhism that features special Ming and Qing style architecture. In addition to a group of ancient residential houses, the town boasts the beautiful Xianding Mountain and Xianren (Fairy) Cave, where, according to legend, Liu Zhenren, one of the fathers of Chinese Taoism, visited.

A Chinese once-banned modern movie Big Rice Store (Dahong midian) was shot there. The carved rails, roofed corridors, red lanterns and spacious courtyard, all that appear in the movie stand in the town, attracting tourists.

Getting there: Take the direct bus from Luzhou to Yaoba, or take a bus bound for Hejiang and get off at Xindian and then take a taxi for the remaining six kilometers.

Xianshi

Buddhist temple at Xianshi     [ynet.com]

Xianshi (City of Fairies) is the most picturesque of all towns in southern Sichuan.

The town has a history of 1,400 years and is a salt trade hub on the Fuxi River. The well salt produced in Zigong was transported by river through Xianshi to Chongqing and downstream of the Yangtze River.

Going to one of the tea houses is a good idea. Put the tables on the stone-covered streets, then, experience the leisure of the local farmers who have toiled a whole day.

Most of the local people are Buddhists. It was no coincidence that the local salt tradesmen turned to religion for the protection of the Buddha, as salt laden boats frequently capsized in the turbulent mountain rivers. The Golden Bridge Temple with an inscription by modern calligrapher and Buddhist master Zhao Puchu is bisected by a street that runs right through it, bringing some vitality of secular life to the temple. In Chinese, it is called guojielou, meaning a tower spanning over a street.

Getting there: Take a bus from Zigong to Xianshi

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