Ancient Villages and Gem Dwellings in Hubei Province

Baoshi residential group

? A rusty iron lock locks the dust of years, but it can't lock the fresh morning light. Blue bricks and gray tiles, cornices and arches, tirelessly tell the numbness of the bustling hollow wood carvings. The study studio, while engraving the knife marks of the years, also engraves the elegance of the owner.

In the deep courtyard, the fragments of carved beams and painted buildings remain in the depths of the years, covered with antique simplicity and dignity and covered with the footprints of time. Being in this corner of the ancient village, wandering in the dark and a bit shabby courtyard, reading the legendary stories that happened here, or being alone with an ancient tree, or talking with a flower, is like walking into an ancient ink painting, with a faint ancient rhyme, looking at stubborn plants in the crevices and smelling the humid atmosphere, which seems to have the taste of dreaming back to the south of the Yangtze River.

How deep the yard is, the old house is always suitable for the elderly to live in. The old house is new red. The old house hopes that the black and white of blue bricks and black tiles is the color of the village. A long blue river runs through it. This river is the Gem River, and the riverside is the Gem Village. In spring and March, it is the flower season. Looking from the stone bridge at the head of the village, peach blossoms, plum blossoms and rape blossoms are endless, bright as snow and pink as sunset, and a century-old house with white walls and tiles is dotted with it, which is picturesque and beautiful.

A winding river gurgles down from Jiugong Mountain, dividing the village into north and south banks. Because the pebbles covered with riverbed are as wet as gems, this river is called "Gem River" and has been endowed with such a rich and auspicious reputation by local ancestors. And this village is called "Gem Village". During the Ming and Qing dynasties, villagers used local materials, paved roads and built walls, and built houses and weirs, making it the title of "the first ancient residential group in Chutian" today.

Gem Village is a place of outstanding people. Since the Shu surname came here in the early years of Hongwu, it has flourished rapidly. At the peak of the late Ming Dynasty, there were more than 1000 households, most of which were famous families. There is still the Shu family temple on the south bank of Baoshi River. At that time, the gem village had four characteristics: first, there were many officials, including Shu, who was famous for his national history, and Shu Daohong, who was famous for his time. According to Shu's genealogy, there were more than 100 officials with more than eight titles; Second, there are many professionals. There are many "litigators, thugs, doctors and dramatists", which are very famous in the local area and even in Beijing. Third, there are many wealthy businessmen. There is a commercial street on the north and south banks of Baoshi River, which has gradually become a trade distribution center in the Hubei-Jiangxi border region. Fourth, social undertakings are developed. There are more than 10 charitable associations, such as "Yi Society" to donate children to school. Flying dragon eaves, hexagonal tiles, cornices and arches, relief carvings, cobblestone paved alleys criss-cross, quiet and deep. Blue bricks, tiles, white walls and broken walls seem to be writing a history; The dark and bright old raft door, full of vicissitudes of life, seems to hide the lyrics that have been sung for thousands of years in the dark green moss.

Surrounded by green hills, the ancient village has a strange mountain shape. People stood in the village and looked around as if they were enjoying a beautiful picture. The endless Baoshi River flows in the village, just like a fluttering jade belt, surrounding the village, adding a bit of spirituality to the village. In the village, the first mountain on the left is like a golden rooster, and the first mountain on the right is like a phoenix. The two mountains extend in the same direction and continue to flock to Jiugong Mountain in southern Hubei. There is a mountain on the north and south banks of the village. It looks like a man and a woman, with blurred eyes and closed nose, locking the water mouth. In the south of the village, there is a mountain like a jade bottle lying by the water. There are two mountains, one big and one small, like a lion and a lioness snuggling up to each other. To the north of the village, a mountain flies like a tiger, its teeth reaching to the river; On the back of the elephant next to the evil tiger, there is a protruding earthen bag that looks like a gauze cap. The auspicious gauze hat indicates Wenchang's prosperity in the village for generations.

As a well-preserved ancient village group, the ancient residential groups in Baoshi Village are distributed on the north and south banks of Baoshi River, with ancestral halls on the north bank and commercial streets on the south bank. There are more than 30 buildings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including three types: houses, shops and ancestral halls. 10 Many well-preserved buildings are mainly distributed in the middle part of the North Shore, with the Shushi Ancestral Hall as the center. These include Shu Ancestral Temple, Shu House, Shu Chunfang, Shu Shangxi House and Shu House.

The south bank of Baoshi River used to be a bustling commercial street, where rich businessmen gathered, and it was the trade distribution center of Hubei and Jiangxi provinces. During the Republic of China, it was called "Little Hankou". Today's commercial street has long lost its former scenery, mottled walls and sparse fences, just like an elderly woman watching the changes of the world in the village.

On the other hand, the north bank of Baoshi River is a residential area. After the ancestors of Shu became rich, a large number of houses and houses were built on this land. Left a precious legacy to future generations.

The residential style of Baoshi Village is obviously similar to that of southern Anhui and northern Jiangxi, whether in plane, elevation or indoor and outdoor decoration. The tall white powder wall tightly wraps each family in a narrow courtyard, and the internal and external boundaries are very clear. There is a tall window on the wall, which seems to be a strong fortress. The horsehead wall at the top of the wall is low and quiet.

The plane types of residential buildings are mostly combined, three-in-one and five-in-one. The combination is different from the quadrangle in the north, it is not a real quadrangle, it is a continuous monomer, as if the patio is a crack dug out of it. When the combined basic unit can't meet the housing demand, it expands vertically to form an "old" shaped plane, that is, a three-way residence. Even expand to form five depths, and never expand to the left or right. This overall structure, which is symmetrical in the center, clear in primary and secondary, deep in level and prominent in the order of formal levels of architectural forms, is concentrated in architecture. This combination is not only suitable for foundations with different shapes, but also convenient for expansion by stages, and no matter how much expansion, the integrity of the unit itself will be lost. The main building is generally square, but it is not limited to the terrain. All parts of the building are staggered, and there are even corners before and after, which is flexible and changeable.

Siheyuan is the basic residential type, and the main hall is open, with no doors and windows, connected to the patio and integrated into one. It is an important place for family life and receiving guests. When there are no guests, women do needlework in front of the gallery, and children read and write in front of the gallery. The patio is surrounded by spacious open space, where all family members exercise. The main hall is also a ceremonial center, where ancestors' birthdays, anniversaries or weddings of new couples are held. The front of the main room is beautifully decorated. Generally, the lower floor is used as a bedroom, and the upper floor stores food. Because the lighting is small, dark and humid, and the ventilation is not good, it is actually not suitable for living. The houses around the courtyard of Baoshi Village are very compact, with two floors connected as a whole and a narrow patio. It has the functions of lighting, ventilation, rainwater collection and smoke exhaust. The southern latitude is low, the summer is hot and humid, and the sun shines at a large angle and for a long time. A small patio is conducive to the formation of a cool environment. In winter, daily life and housework will not be affected by the wind and snow. The patio is a part of the whole house, which permeates with the indoor space, making the whole house feel stronger. This practice of connecting the hall with the patio makes the internal space of the closed house very smooth, showing a strong introversion, which is also a reflection of the family concept under the patriarchal clan system.

In the 11th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, Shu, who was 265,438+0 years old in Baoshi Village, passed the imperial examination and later worked as an inspector in the official department. Although there are only five products, you can report things directly to the emperor.

His former residence is located on the north bank of the Baoshi River, facing south, with three rooms wide and two entrances, covering an area of about 200 square meters. Now only Shu's study is called "Caotang". It is said that it is warm in winter and cool in summer, and there are no mosquitoes. As a trusted minister of the emperor, Shu is in this bare thatched cottage, separated from heaven and earth by a fairy. In my life of more than twenty years, I wrote many masterpieces that inspired future generations until my death. After Shu's death, the educational case of Prince Yu, which he participated in and tried his best to fight, was completely rehabilitated. He is loyal to his duties and abides by moral standards. He was highly valued by the imperial court. Emperor Apocalypse made him the King of Chu in western Guangdong, gave him a memorial archway and wrote "Tian Yuanbu Prefecture". This archway still stands on the west side of the south bank. Most of the houses on the north shore are "luxurious", with dragonfly eaves, hexagonal tiles, carved beams and painted buildings, and finely carved. But it happened that the comfortable room was short and narrow, made of blue bricks and extremely simple. It's hard to imagine that this used to be the bedroom of a generation of powerful people.

Not far away, there is a magnificent building. This is the former residence of Shu Daohong, located on the south bank of Baoshi River. Different from Shu, Shu Daohong, a three-time county magistrate and two-time examiner of rural examination, was born in a wealthy family, with many family members, luxurious former residence and meticulous carving. The former residence faces south, with three old houses, new houses and official halls, covering an area of more than 2,000 square meters. There is an exquisite screen wall 3 meters high and 6 meters long outside the gate. There are 45 old houses, 3 new houses and two official halls. The plaque of "Tang Shaoyi" hangs in the nave. When the host was a local official in Jiangxi, the local people felt its kindness and made a plaque as a gift. In his later years, Shu Daohong built a peak tower at the entrance of the village. The pavilion is three stories high and sits at the top of the mountain wing. On the second floor, there is a plaque of "Looking at the Ancient Remote Collection" in memory of Academician Li Yingxi, a scholar born in rejuvenating the country.

But to say that ordinary villagers have the most luxurious and exquisite rooms, it must be "thousands of households". The two houses are side by side and interconnected, covering an area of nearly 300 square meters. Rooms and buildings are all wood-carved lattice fans, and there are many carved beams. Some people describe it as "a pavilion with Dan, magnificent and magnificent, with lions carved on the beam and dragons painted on the phoenix, cornices arched". The owner of the house, Shu Shifang, used to be a military attache with six products. His family is also an official and a businessman, with many fields and pawn shops.

Shujinpeng House, located in the west of the ancestral temple, was also a relatively luxurious residence in that year. The old house was built in the early Qing Dynasty, facing south, with 3 rooms in width and 4 rooms in depth. It has a brick-wood structure with a eaves height of 6 meters, and there is a house on the east side with an area of 4 18.85 square meters. The hard top of the mountain is covered with bluestone, and the gables of Wuhua are patchwork. The blue brick door is concave. The buildings are symmetrically arranged along the axis: one enters the hall, the other enters the curved hall, the third enters the open-air courtyard, the two sides are opposite, and the fourth enters the ancestral hall. The front and rear patios, back doors and service roads are set in front of and behind the main hall. Wooden structure, hanging beam between lamp and tail bucket; Stone structure, square drum shape, two-story platform drum-shaped stone base decoration geometric pattern, flower-and-bird relief pattern, bluestone paving patio. The decoration between the beam and the column is exquisite, and the fish and wishful patterns with fine relief are used as the moon beam and pointed beam. The west wall is sealed with eaves, and the beams are decorated with brick arches and lotus-shaped components. Wing grid fans use water ripples to set off the axis. The bucket arch placed on the ridge is small and exquisite for viewing only.

After walking along a cobblestone road, a magnificent building stands by the river. Write "Gem Hall". As the spiritual symbol of the clan system, the ancestral temple occupies a particularly important position in the feudal society with a particularly strong blood relationship. It undertakes the functions of ancestor worship, welcoming guests, gathering family affairs, holding funerals and weddings. The Gem Hall is located in the center of the village, on the north bank of the Gem River, facing the road in the south. It is a place where villagers gather. Several ancestral temples are scattered around the village temple, all located on the north bank. Due to the war and disrepair, these ancestral halls have been damaged to varying degrees and lost their previous status and utilization value. At present, there are two carved pillars at the entrance of the ancestral hall, carved with stone lions, which are realistic in shape and different in shape. Gables are mostly in the form of cloud walls, highlighting the sense of movement.

The scale of Gem Village is not large, but it contains many spatial forms, such as dynamic and static, internal and external, narrow and open, public and private. Different activities take place in different spaces. From the outside to the inside, the outermost space is the whole "Tai Chi Eight Diagrams", where people farm, build, log, fish, spin, play games and so on. Entering the village, rivers and avenues along the river are the most open and lively spaces. Women wash clothes by the river, children play in the river, rafts wash sand in the river, and buffaloes bathe safely ... this is the most lively place in the village. The river has brought people joy and wealth, but also taken away people's unhappiness and filth. When you enter the driveway from Yanhe Avenue, you enter the narrow space from the open space. First build Baoshi Village, and then form streets and lanes. Streets and alleys are the remaining parts between groups and houses within groups, which are tortuous and changeable, like a maze. In the cracks in the high wall, there is no personalized building, only a sky with cracks on it. When you enter the house, you enter the private space of farmers. Patio and Tang Ming are public outdoor activities in the yard, with a strong family atmosphere.

Time flies, the Baoshi River still flows, and the stone roads, pebbles and long alleys connecting families are not only the way to go, but also the indelible visit. The voices and smiles of the ancestors of the Shu family are all records of time. Over time, they were passed down by the descendants of the Shu family. History, culture, folk customs and customs have been handed down from generation to generation, and also spread to the distance with the bamboo raft of Baoshi River. Thousands of years have passed, and the years are not what they used to be. The cultural foundation of Baoshi Village is laid by history, built by tradition, with soft customs, classical and beautiful architecture and elegant villagers. Gem village is like a gem, which is more dazzling after years of carving and moistening; The polishing of the years is even more vicissitudes.