Dengfeng, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, once the land of the Central Plains, was the real center of the universe in the hearts of the ancients.

"China Kyushu, heaven and earth. Where is Zhongzhou? Here it is! Where is the Central Plains? Here we are, Henan! " This is the opening word of the Dengfeng chapter of the Form of Culture, which clearly reveals that the Central Plains is the most important birthplace of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization.

As the most important plate in the Central Plains, Henan witnessed the 5,000-year historical changes and regime changes in China, and it is also a master of Chinese civilization.

Of the eight ancient capitals in China, Henan accounts for four, accounting for half of the country, namely Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Anyang and Kaifeng. It can be described as "a history of Henan and a history of China"!

Henan is not only an ancient capital, but also a world heritage. At present, there are five world heritages in Henan, namely Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Yin Ruins in Anyang, Dengfeng Historic Building, Henan Section of the Silk Road and Henan Section of the Grand Canal.

Henan dialect has always been easy to recognize. As a populous province, there are many people who speak Henan dialect, so Henan dialect can be heard on the screen and in life. In Henan dialect, the word "zhong" is frequently used, such as "zhong bu zhong" and "hen zhong". For outsiders, "zhong" is almost the representative word of Henan dialect.

When listening to the cross talk, we often hear him speak dialects, and the word "zhong" is used a lot. It seems that the dialect spoken by Henan people is not authentic without the word "zhong", for fear that others will not recognize it as Henan dialect. Similar to the northeast people who speak "Gaha", the Sichuanese speak "Bashi". Of course, this is all ridicule, but it also reflects the characteristics of dialects. In Henan dialect, the original meaning of "zhong" is action, kindness and praise. A word "zhong" is not only convenient to express, but also reflects the low-key modesty and moderation of Henan people.

Then why do people in Henan like to say "China"?

This actually stems from the orthodoxy of the Central Plains, which can also be called "centralism", which is not only reflected in geography, but also deeply influenced in politics and culture.

As the birthplace of Chinese civilization, the Central Plains, represented by Henan, has always been the center of China in ancient times, so Henan has the ancient name "Zhongzhou", which means "in China, in China". Henan is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, the "mother river", which was the most prosperous area in China in the early days. More than 20 dynasties established their capitals in Henan. Early humans multiplied here, and the vassal States of Xia, Shang and Zhou were also enfeoffed here. With the continuous expansion of territory, various surname families began to move out, but the Central Plains will always be the core birthplace of hundreds of surnames and the origin and center of Chinese civilization, which is cultural identity.

Therefore, some people joked that the word "China" came into being because Henan people were right before.

Some people say that only by understanding Henan can we understand China. In fact, this sentence is not unreasonable. After all, the roots of Chinese civilization are in the Central Plains and in Henan!

The best understanding of Henan, in addition to the cultural classics that have survived to this day, is the weather-beaten cultural relics. Among them, Henan's five world cultural heritages are exemplary.

If you want to get close to Henan, feel the magnificent civilization of China for 5,000 years, and truly understand the centralization of power in Henan, then the "Heaven and Earth" historical building complex in Dengfeng is the best choice.

Dengfeng is a historic building in the middle of heaven and earth. Listening to this name is remarkable enough, and it has the domineering spirit of "standing proudly in the world and being unique in the world".

Dengfeng "Tiandi" historical building complex, located in Dengfeng City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, is different from other world heritage sites. It is composed of eight buildings (including the Zhougong Observatory and Dengfeng Observatory, Song Yue Temple Tower, Taishuque and Zhongyue Temple, Shao Shi Quemen, Qimu Tower, Songyang Academy, Huishan Temple and Shaolin Temple). 165438+.

Some people may despise "Is this a packaged application?" However, if you have a deep understanding of each of these buildings, you will find that any building is unique, irreplaceable and a treasure of history and culture. Even some buildings can be applied separately, which is called "the treasure of the town and province" in other provinces!

The word "in heaven and earth" not only shows Henan's "centralism", but also truly reflects China's ancient world view.

So, what is the concept of "heaven and earth"? What's the connection with historical buildings?

There is a traditional cosmology of heaven and earth, and eight outstanding historical buildings of 1 1 have been built with the concept of heaven and earth.

Based on the relationship between heaven and earth, it was built according to four types: sacrifice, science and technology, thought and culture, and today's historic building in Dengfeng was built.

Among the 1 1 excellent historical buildings in the "Tiandi" historical complex in Dengfeng, Taishi Que, Shao Shi Que and Qi Mu Que belong to sacrificial buildings and are called "Three Wonders of Zhongyue and Han Dynasty".

"Que" and "Que" are interlinked, indicating that there is no beam in the building, and it can be divided into temple que, tomb que and palace que, which first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty, especially in the Qin and Han Dynasties.

Among these three places, Taishique is particularly famous. Taishi Que, built in 1 18, was originally a Shinto Que in front of Taishi Mountain Temple in Han Dynasty. 196 1 On March 4th, 2008, Taishique was listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the people of China and the State Council, and its number was 1, which shows its extraordinary value.

Taishige was selected as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, ranking first in the category of architectural history, mainly for three reasons.

First, the construction time is early. Taishique was built in the Han Dynasty, and it was only completed a few years later. Together with Shao Shi Que and Qi Mu Que, it is called "Three Wonders of Zhongyue Han Dynasty".

Second, the archaeological value is high. Taishi Pavilion is the earliest existing temple in China, an important physical witness of the worship of mountain gods in ancient Taishi Pavilion, and a model of ancient sacrificial architecture in China.

Third, literature is of high value. The inscription on Taishige, which is mixed with Yang seal and Li seal, is an important object to study the evolution of China's calligraphy.

These three historic buildings are sacrificial buildings, which reflect the ancient people's worship of the holy mountain and the traditional world outlook.

The thought of heaven and earth inspired science and promoted the development of science and technology. The Duke of Zhou Observatory and Dengfeng Observatory are the best proof.

The Duke of Zhou viewing platform is located in Gaocheng Town, Dengfeng City, and it is the oldest Taoist architectural site in China. In the Zhou Dynasty, Zhou Gongdan built a landscape observation platform here to measure the four seasons and check the 24 solar terms.

So why build it here?

As a famous astronomer at that time, Zhou Gongdan believed that Polaris was the king of all the stars, and the so-called "star in the sky" was located in the middle of the sky, so the observatory must also be built in the middle of the ground. Finally, after confirmation, he thought Gaocheng Town in Dengfeng City was "the best in the world".

This is the idea of "heaven and earth" that affects the development of science and technology buildings, as well as the development of science and technology.

In the eyes of the ancient ruling class, the Central Plains was orthodox, so they were bent on winning the Central Plains. After the great cause of reunification is completed, the rulers want to spread their ruling thoughts, so the Central Plains is the best spreading area.

Therefore, many temples have been built here. For example, Shaolin Temple, the most famous temple in China today.

"The ancient temple hides deep mountains, and the green stream locks Shaolin" embodies the regional characteristics of Shaolin Temple, which is also related to the origin of the name of Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple is named after being located in the jungle of Shaoshi Mountain in the hinterland of Songshan Mountain.

Among the historical buildings in Dengfeng, the Shaolin Temple complex includes three items, namely, frequent hospitalization, Tallinn and early ancestral hall, and it is also the most familiar building among the eight items of 1 1.

This naturally benefits from the film and television drama Shaolin Temple starring 1983 Jet Li. "Shaolin is the best martial arts in the world", so people think of martial arts when they mention Shaolin Temple.

Legend has it that the Zen Dharma created Shaolin Wushu when it was closed to the outside world and became the ancestor of Wushu. The real status of Shaolin Temple is not reflected in martial arts. As a member of Buddhism, it is the ancestral home of Zen in China.

The rulers built temples in the Central Plains, spread ideas and consolidated their rule, which also proved that only with the support of the people of the Central Plains can they be recognized by the world.

In addition to spreading ideas, rulers must also educate the public. There are three major religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. There is Zhongyue Temple in Dengfeng, Henan and Shaolin Temple in Buddhism. Confucianism is Songyang Academy among the four ancient academies in China.

Songyang Academy is the core part of Chinese civilization and one of the birthplaces of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, which is located here because of the concept of "heaven and earth".

There is a horizontal plaque hanging at the entrance of Songyang Academy. In front of it, there is a couplet written by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, which describes the geographical location and surrounding shape of Songyang Academy.

Henan, located in the Central Plains, is the birthplace of Chinese civilization. Since ancient times, it has been deeply influenced by the traditional cosmology of heaven and earth, not only because it is in the center of China, but also the capital of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, even dating back to the ancient Yellow Emperor period.

By understanding these world heritages belonging to China, we can better understand the Central Plains culture and Chinese civilization!

While exploring the world heritage, we also find that many heritages are facing destruction or have been destroyed. Some were stolen in ancient times, some were destroyed by tourists in modern times, and some were because the heritage itself was in disrepair, so this is also a warning that we should not only acquire knowledge from the heritage, but also protect our own heritage.

Heritage itself is a part of culture. Only by protecting the heritage can we inherit the culture better!

Rich drunkards, guarding the world heritage. We follow the shape of cultural footsteps, understand and protect our own Chinese heritage, so that future generations can see it with their own eyes, not just in front of the screen.

Dengfeng heaven and earth, in our hearts! Not here? Yes!