Does anyone know anything about Guangzhou Longtan

People say that China is the hometown of dragons and Chinese people are the heirs of dragons.

In Huazhou Street, Haizhu District, there is a beautiful village called "Longtan".

This is a typical Lingnan ancient water town, crisscrossing the river to divide the village into several pieces, four stone bridges built in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (called "Yinglong," "Lipu," "Huiyuan" and "Kangxuan"), and four stone bridges built in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (called "Yinglong," "Lipu," "Huiyuan" and "Kangxuan"). ", "Kangji" bridge, build the bridge moment name on the bridge.

), the original head of the village and West York, South York, Central York, East York coherent, sky-high ancient banyan tree standing in the bridge on the shore.

In this village, a number of stories about dragons have been passed down.

Longtan village is located in the ancient sea bottom, "ancient coastal site" is only a few hundred meters away from Longtan.

More than a thousand years ago, this place surfaced as land, the river bends through, and people have been active here, catching fish and shrimp, reclaiming the land for farming, and the "southward army" moved in and developed ......

Our ancestors took the "dragon" as a symbol. The "dragon" as a totem.

The people who live and work here recognize that this is the place where the "dragon" is found.

Longtan when to build the village is difficult to find out, but the village has a few dozens of centimeters thick "red rice stone" columns, the early years of the city cultural relics office of the person has been identified as "Ming Dynasty building" "relics!

What buildings of the Ming Dynasty? It is difficult to find out.

Now Longtan West about the location of the bridge directly opposite the Huiyuan Bridge, there is a "Hong Sheng Temple", this Hong Sheng Temple built in the Qing Dynasty.

Hong Sheng Temple on both sides of the corridors and other buildings have been removed, retaining the main hall, the front wall of the hall painted mural "dragon", this painting in ink painted more than a hundred years ago, although some damage and part of the painting was covered, but you can still clearly see the two vivid dragons of the dragon's head part.

Behind the Hong Sheng Temple, there was a huge banyan tree that many people hugged to hold over, the top has been broken, the center of the hollow smoked black (may have been struck by lightning), and it is said that the "dragon" is "ascending" from here.

Until the sixties, this ancient banyan still existed.

Although it was hollow in the center, some of its bark and branches still existed on the west side, and it grew tenaciously.

Later, this ancient banyan was cut down and a house was built here.

In the past, when winter, long time no rain, the Pearl River water salty tide surging up, rely on the river to drink water to live in Longtan people, the river water is too salty to drink, so in front of the Hong Sheng Temple, the ground hall opposite the outside of the stone, dug a hole, fresh and sweet "Longkou water" will come up.

Families took Shui Cheng (tile pots) and mussel shells (water tools) and lined up here to get water to cook rice and burn tea at home.

This is the case every year when the salty tide comes.

Everyone is very thankful for the grace of the Dragon King.

In the south-east of Longtan village, there was originally a temple of "Master Zhang", decorated with dragons and crayfish, but it was demolished in 1958 during the Great Leap Forward.

Although the temple has been demolished for decades, every time a dragon boat from the village passes by, it must beat a drum to show that the dragon boat is here to see the dragon. ......

Because of the legend that this place is the residence of the dragon and where the dragon hangs out, it was named "Dragon Court", and later renamed "Dragon Court".

Because of the legend that this is the residence of the dragon and the place where the dragon comes out, it was named "Dragon Court" and later renamed as "Dragon Pool".

It is understood that dragon boat activities in Longtan Village began in the Qing Dynasty.

Longtan earlier dragon boat should be the original buried in the West about the side of the "Hong Sheng Gong" dragon boat, it is about the construction of the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

The boat is made of "limit wood", because of the relatively poor quality of wood (not Kundian wood), the dragon boat has basically withered, before liberation has been abandoned.

Japan's invasion of China, the military chaos, everyone is in danger, who went to pick the dragon boat it? After the surrender of Japan, the dragon boat activities were resumed, but the activities were controlled by some of the powerful, they brought with them short and long guns to go, not only to show off, but also to prevent conflict: at that time, a lot of people were fearful.

After the liberation of the land reform, people turned over to be the master of the house, life tends to stabilize, "warmth and entertainment".

So people will organize themselves, in the early 1950s, the original belongs to the "Guangyuan Hall" of the Dragon Boat (stolen during the war, "the dragon cable (tendons) can not be used"), "flip-folding "(i.e., rebuilt) to become the villagers' "new boat", and the dragon boat originally belonging to the "Shanqing Hall" was called the "old boat", a pair of boats for the use of all villagers, regardless of their family names and clans. The pair of boats are used by all villagers in the village, regardless of family name and clan.

The two dragon boats were built in the late Qing Dynasty, and have a history of more than a hundred years since they were first built.

The "new boat" is mixed with part of the iron limit wood, while the old boat is purely "Kundian" wood.

It is said that the old boat was built by a good master, one of the best two or three dragon boats in the Xinjiao area.

In 1956, the old boat on behalf of the village to participate in the city *** organization in Guangzhou "Cape Red House" held on the dragon boat race, the first time to win the championship return.

Peak dragon boat has always been a man's patent, female compatriots is no contact, the traditional dragon boat is especially so, even when the dragon boat from the bottom of the bridge, the bridge pedestrians have to avoid, the bridge onlookers are often driven away from the unpleasant events.

However, in recent years, we have also occasionally heard of women's pickpocketing the phoenix boats.

Up Dragon Boat

"April 8, dragon boat through the low digging".

Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, to prepare for the dragon boat.

The dragon boat, that is, last year's Dragon Boat Festival grill after hiding a good dragon boat, from the bottom of the Chung dug out, clean and ready for this year's Dragon Boat Festival.

A few days before the start of the dragon boat, find a sunny day, the dragon boat drums out of the sun, in preparation for the start of the dragon boat.

When it comes to the dragon boat, the drums and gongs are moved to the shore where the dragon boat is hidden, and the incense and candles are burned first, and then the firecrackers are put on, and then the gongs and drums are beaten and the dragon boat is dug.

After a lot of hard work, the dragon boat can be surfaced, the boat mud wash clean, the boat to the pre-built bamboo and wood boat O, and so on when the water rises, it is fixed, so that the boat under the air dry, can be repaired.

The first is to use tung oil ash and other repairs, and then on the dragon cable to tie the dragon root, and finally is to use tung oil or lard, the dragon boat from head to tail coated once or twice, so that you can wait for the launching of the water.

Dig the dragon boat out of the mud, this is the first song every year before the Dragon Boat Festival, first come to a worship ceremony.

Burning incense and loud firecrackers is even less, it seems that the three dragons have to spend a lot of time to dig up.

The end of the ceremony, the village of young adults can not wait to get off the pond boat.

In the southeast of Haizhu District, there is an ancient village that has lasted for hundreds of years: Longtan Village.

For a long time, it does not move to hide in the corner of the city neon.

Years like water, quietly flow through the bridge, around the eaves and go.

The green wall stripped, the temple, even though the world is in turmoil, it is still as peaceful as running water.

Until one day, experts in literature and history came here, surprised to find that in this village has been slightly modernized appearance, still retains the old school, exquisite ancestral temples.

Pushing open the heavy door is like pushing open a new world.

There is also a rare nowadays, deep hidden village a little-known past events ......

Wandering in Longtan Village, in the gurgling water, in the verdant ancient banyan, caressing the mottled bricks, crossing the old stone bridge, time in the moment as if it is still.

Listen to the villagers who have lived here for hundreds of years to tell about the ancient and modern of this village, and tell the story behind each antique, which is a watery time as beautiful as a song ......

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Unique custom "Nyima Christmas"

In the past, Longtan Village, is an affluent township with beautiful scenery, and there is a saying: "There are women married Longtan, lemon into an orange," meaning that the life of a sweet as orange.

And the simple villagers of Longtan, the establishment of a number of ancestral temples, temples, the continuation of some of the ancient *** custom, "Nyima Christmas" is one of the unique.

The villagers of Longtan said "Nyima", is the Queen of Heaven.

In the past, no matter how big or small the affairs of the village, weddings and funerals, we have to burn incense in front of Nyima, and seek her advice by throwing the chalice.

Legend has it that at the beginning of Longtan's opening, a piece of wood floated on the river, hovering for days without leaving.

A good person approached to take a closer look, and found that it looks like a woman, the townspeople believe that this is a sacred object, so they invited skilled craftsmen to carve the wood into a statue of the Goddess of the Queen of Heaven, burn incense and worship.

Every year, "Nyima Christmas" is a big festival in Longtan village.

Starting from March 19, the villagers will carry Nyima out to the township, and each family will take turns to worship.

On March 23rd, Nyima will choose a new place to live, and the villagers, who have been selected in advance, will decide whose family will welcome Nyima back to the village by throwing the chalice.

Later, due to various reasons, Nyima was placed in the ancestral hall of Longtan Village. Every year, before the dragon boat leaves the village, the villagers would offer incense to Nyima and pray for her blessing.

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The beauty of the water town was once familiar to me

Canghai has changed into a good land

The white lotus of the orchid everywhere

Thousands of years ago, Longtan Village, two kilometers away from the ruins of the ancient coast of Qixinggang, was still asleep in the vast waves of the smoky sea.

The Pearl River, and the South China Sea waves, **** with the changes in the ancient city of Yangshan.

I do not know when to start, with the coastline to the south, Longtan Village, the area gradually surfaced, the original reefs into the mountains, and gradually formed a number of sizeable islands, that is, today's East, Central and West about the prototype.

These small islands are densely populated with streams, gurgling water, separated from each other by a clear river, lush grass, green trees, fish and shrimp, the first to come here, is a number of people on the water, where they fish for shrimp, harvest is very rich.

The history of people settled in Longtan Village, about the end of the Song Dynasty.

The ancestors of this village, from the Central Plains or deposed, or fleeing, or with the army, south into Guangdong.

They first settled in Zhugui Lane in Guangdong, and then moved to Longtan Village.

The first to arrive at Longtan Village were people with the surnames Yang, Che, and Ma, who reclaimed an enclosure near the head of Longtan Village in the olden days and settled there, naming it the "Three Surnames Enclosure", and later the "Three Shengs Enclosure".

From the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, there are Huang, Bai, He, Li, Du, Wu, Chen, Liang and other surnames moved in one after another, the original few surnames moved away.

These eight surnames in this land, living by the water, build ancestral halls, *** with thousands of acres of good land, and live in harmony for hundreds of years.

With the other surnames moving in, the "three surnames around" has lost its meaning.

As the area is surrounded by water, which is the habitat of dragons, and it is said that there was a dragon that had become a spirit in the area, it was renamed Longting Village.

Later, probably to avoid the emperor's taboo, but also because of the village of armed struggle, the nearby thirteen townships, often come to the provocation of trouble, so the name was changed to Longtan Village, a "dragon pool and tiger's lair" is not easy to take the meaning of the hope to play a deterrent effect.

The white lotus everywhere

The wheel of time, slowly moving forward.

In the small bridge, flowing water between the quiet, watery years in the old Longtan village quietly flow away.

In the Qing Dynasty, Longtan Village is under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Province Panyu County Zizantang Division of Henan Fort, gradually developed and expanded to become a famous water village on the south bank of the Pearl River.

The village is rich in fruits, with fruit trees such as poplar peaches, pineapple, longan and plum trees planted both inside and outside the village, and the scenery is particularly beautiful.

The water is like a belt, the mountains are like a screen, and on both sides of the river, there are ancient banyans, white lotuses, and lotus leaves.

Now in Longtan Village, Xingren Academy, there is still a "Xingren Academy to help the silver tablet", there is a paragraph above, describes the Longtan Village, the beauty of the year: "its mountains are azure deep show, its water is gurgling sound, hibiscus and lotus of the drip drip leaching, orchids and white Lotus of the fragrance, Xun Yidu's resort ..."

Water as a belt, the mountains are listed as a screen, ancient banyan, white Lotus everywhere, fields of leaves. ..."

Today, Longtan Village's iconic pagoda gatehouse, towering majestically on the side of the wide new Kau Chung Road, another old gatehouse, located in the northwest of the village.

But according to the memories of the older generation of Longtan villagers, the early gatehouse of Longtan Village was a few dozen meters away from the old gatehouse.

The disappeared gatehouse, ancient color, the wall of the brick was worn smooth by the years, the top of the gatehouse tiles, mottled by the wind and rain, more and more to show its ancient simplicity.

The doorway is inlaid with a stone quota, which is engraved with the words "Longtan Tongjin".

It turns out that, in the past, access to the water network of Longtan Village, land is very inconvenient.

If you have to enter the village by land, you have to take the winding, muddy Tianji path that belongs to Datang or Xincun.

As a result, most of the boats that traveled through the village were squeaky wooden boats, giving rise to the name "Longtan Tongjin".

In those days, after entering Longtan Village from the gatehouse at the head of the village, the Dragon Bridge was not far away.

It was a small bridge, more than two meters wide, paved with six or seven meters of hemp stone.

The clear river water, flowing slowly under the bridge, rises and falls with the Pearl River twice a day.

Near the bridge, there are ancient banyan trees, tall cottonwoods, tall pines, and a forest of cambium, which makes a rustling sound as the wind sweeps through the bamboo trees, creating a fascinating view.

Until the 1980s, a lot of people came to Longtan Village and entered the village from the northwest, and were immediately attracted by the scenery.

Because of the special location of Longtan Village, there was a period of time when villagers from Xiaozhou, Tuhua, Xiaoguwei North and South Erting villages, had to go out of the provincial capital, and this was the way to go.

The villagers of these places, often in the Tuhua village of the rat post, boat to Longtan Village, a place called Xin Li, and then walk to the Zhangwang Temple, in front of the Zhangwang Temple, and then take the boat, through the "goodwill and good charity" Square, Longtan West about the village to the head of the gate.

After coming out from the gatehouse, you will walk through Datang Village, Dunhe and Lujiang Village, and arrive at Xiandu Village, where you can take a boat to cross the river north.

Searching for the old days

"Goodness and charity" memorial tablet

Lun Sheng Bai Gong Ancestral Hall

Early in the morning of midsummer, in the bright sunshine, we came to Longtan village.

In the process of urbanization, the gray reinforced concrete gradually replaced the old brick and tile, and a large number of foreigners began to live in this ancient village.

However, the ancient and profound beauty of Longtan Village still flows unnoticed.

Turning into the village from the roaring main road, it is like entering another world.

The river flows slowly, not too clear, but outlines the unique layout of the village: a herringbone-shaped waterway that encloses a small island, which is the village's Zhongyao.

By the river, the stone fence protects the bank, a row of verdant ancient banyan, such as a top cover, sprinkled all the way to the green shade, the long bearded roots hanging down to the water, and the color of the water, one can not help but think of the old days here.

Between the land and the island, there is a stone bridge connected, people walk leisurely on it ......

The classical temperament of Longtan Village is much more than that.

He Liqian, the old mayor of Longtan Village, who has worked and lived here for most of his life, takes us through the village to recognize a real and ancient Longtan Village.

The "Goodness and Charity" Pavilion

Not far from the entrance to the village, we saw a three-room, four-pillar granite pavilion, which He Liqian said is one of the most precious cultural relics in Longtan Village: the "Goodness and Charity" pavilion.

This plaque is the only one in Guangzhou used by the emperor to recognize philanthropists, and it is related to a legendary celebrity in the history of Longtan village: Bai Lunsheng.

Bai Lunsheng, known as Jinxian, was a poor, kind-hearted man who worked as a handyman in a foreign bank owned by his cousin's uncle in Guangzhou at the age of 15.

As he was smart and studious, he was able to work as a laborer in his cousin's foreign bank in Guangzhou at the age of 15.

Bai Lunsheng's life took a turn for the worse in 1841.

He was fired by his cousin's uncle for helping an English merchant in distress with a contract.

When the British merchant learned of this, he felt guilty and took out 10,000 taels of silver as an order payment and gave it to Pai Lun Sang to encourage him to set up his own business.

Bai Lunsheng first started to operate a mat shop, and later opened the Yue Sheng Hao trading company, operating firecrackers and grocery business.

As a result of his good management and trustworthiness, his business became more and more prosperous.

More than 20 years later, he became a well-known wealthy businessman in Guangzhou.

Bai Lunsheng, after making a fortune, actively donated money to the community for disaster relief.

In the 10th year of the Tongzhi era (1871), he founded the Aiyu Shantang in Guangzhou together with several wealthy merchants to provide medical treatment, clothing and coffins to the poor.

Aiyu Shantang was the first private charity in Guangdong Province, and was so influential that it became one of the nine major charities in Guangzhou at the end of the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, Bai Lunsheng also donated to the Convenience Hospital, the Four Temples Goodwill Hall, Guangji Hospital and other charitable organizations, becoming a famous philanthropist in Guangzhou in the late Qing Dynasty.

In the 16th year of Guangxu (1890), there was a big flood in Hunan, and Pak Lun Sang donated a huge amount of money for the relief of the flood, and he was awarded by the government, and was granted the title of Taoist officer.

In February of the following year, Li Hanzhang, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, reported to the court, and the Guangxu Emperor issued a royal decree granting his parents the title of "Goodwill and charity" plaque, building a memorial hall in recognition.

Nowadays, in this through the face of about 8 meters wide, up to 8.6 meters high on the plaque, "imperial decree" two words are still clear, "goodness and charity" four big words are very eye-catching.

In the second doorway, visible in the "Guangxu 17 years in February, the Governor of Guangdong Province Department of Li Rang奉 "字样.

He Liqian said, the house of cards through the storm, to be preserved is not easy.

"Cultural Revolution", the villagers in order to protect the plaque, covered with lime and gray sand, replaced by "for the revolution to plant" and other words, the plaque to survive.

Nowadays, there are still some yellow border lines on the pagoda, which are traces of the later restoration of the original appearance.

Lun Sheng Bai Gong Ancestral Hall

Saying goodbye to the pagoda, He Liqian took us across the old bridge and through the dense spiderweb of alleys in Xiyao.

Different accents from all over the world wafted in our ears, and on both sides were densely packed handshake buildings a few stories high, looking up, we could only see a line of blue sky.

Just when you want to regret its change, but suddenly realized that the foot is still that walking hundreds of years of hemp stone boards, they have carried generations of Longtan village people countless dreams.

In this piece of gray "matchbox" in the left through the right turn, we soon came to a piece of flat land, a large-scale ancient ancestral hall appeared in front of us.

It is located next to the Longtan Primary School, and from afar, the colorful herringbone sealing fire mountain wall, beautifully carved gray plastic Bogu ridge, people's eyes bright.

Gradually approaching, only to see the heavy gate of the ancestral hall is now tightly locked, above the stone door, "Lunsheng Bai Gong Ancestral Hall" five golden letters shining, on both sides of a couplet: "Ching Fen Chang Qing set, the legacy of love and repayment of grace ancestral hall".

He Liqian told us that this is the only one of the Bai ancestral hall in Longtan Village that has been preserved, and it is also the most exquisite one.

The Qing Dynasty Tongzhi eleven years (1872), Bai Lunsheng funded the construction of this ancestral hall, carving, over a period of 27 years, until the twenty-fifth year of the Guangxu (1899) to complete.

When it was built, Bai Lunsheng had long since passed away, and the villagers remembered this great benefactor, so they called the shrine the Lunsheng Bai Gong Ancestral Hall, commonly known as the Bai Family Ancestral Hall.

Lunsheng Bai Gong Ancestral Hall*** has four front and back, divided into three left and right, we entered from the left side of the small door.

Never thought a countryside shrine can be repaired so beautifully.

That wear smooth brick wall, after a hundred years, is still flat as if ironed with an iron; the ground white clay step bricks, after years of baptism, although some places appear small holes, but unusually straight bond line, obviously can be seen in the year of the painstaking efforts of the craftsmen.

More breathtaking, is the details of the exquisite: whether arch, pillar beams, or the base of the columns, there are fine stone, wood, brick or gray molding, modeling vivid, complex but not chaotic, careful scrutiny, like to appreciate a piece of art.

Especially the gilded wood carvings of the eaves curtains in the main room, with smooth lines, with stained glass decorations that were still rare at that time.

"I heard from the village elders that at that time, on the south bank of the Pearl River, it was a rare thing to have an ancestral hall like this one, built with such good materials and at the same time with such good masters." He Liqian said.

During the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army broke into the ancestral hall to carry out a large-scale search and loot, at that time, there is a stone lion on the railing with a bead, the Japanese army wanted to take away the stone bead inside, they used the bayonet to break the lion's teeth, but the parts of the stone lion are too good to be combined, and they have spent a lot of effort to be able to take out the bead.

In the eyes of the villagers of Longtan village, this shrine has a touch of mystery, as do the temples.

It is said that after the death of Bai Lunsheng, some village fathers and mothers dreamed that he wore an official uniform, sitting in the public hall, to persuade people to be good, so people have rumored that he died for God.

Back then, when the Lunsheng Bai Gong Shrine was completed, the famous Nanhai scholar Pan Yan Tong wrote a congratulatory couplet, the next couplet is: "Born as a righteous man, died as a god, than the years of the word of mouth, said that this old man presided over the law of the underworld, dreaming to tell the good advice is as good as in the world".

What is said inside is the legend of Bai Lunsheng as a god after death.