In fact, more than 300 years ago, Qiaokou had a relatively mature urban planning. Xishi Street had docks and warehouses, Dongshi Street had land transportation such as camels and mules, and Zhong Shi Street had banks and restaurants serving land and water transportation. Since the Qianlong period, commerce has become increasingly developed, with boats and rafts shuttling through the Yellow River, camel bells echoing in valleys, Wuli Long Street and merchants Yunlin, so it is known as "the first town of Jiuqu Yellow River".
These prosperous times mainly benefited from the special geographical location of Qikou Town. "There is no town in Qikou, just because there is a broken road in Qikou." This is the most heard sentence in the mouth of local old boatmen. In the middle of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon, downstream of the intersection of the Yellow River and the Lvshui River, the gentle Yellow River suddenly became choppy, and the 400-meter-wide channel quickly turned and shrank to less than 100 meters, forming the famous Datong moraine.
The original meaning of moraine is sand and gravel in shallow water. Locals call Datong moraine natural moat "Ermoraine" and Linfen Hukou the "first moraine" of the Yellow River. Qikou got its name from this. The upstream of Datong moraine meets the Qiushui River, facing the Yellow River and facing Wohu Mountain in the north, forming a semicircle Qikou Town. Houqikou has gradually become a transit point for the waterway of the north main stream of the Yellow River. At that time, a large number of materials from all parts of the northwest were continuously transported by river. After arriving in Qikou, it was transported by land to Taiyuan, Beijing, Tianjin, Hankou and other places, and then the local materials were transported back to the northwest from Qikou.
Now standing in the ancient town of Heilongsi overlooking the Drum Tower, the Yellow River comes from the north, and the gurgling water comes from the east, which seems to be constantly telling visitors the glory of the past. The ancient town embedded in the Yellow River water is more mysterious and heavy under the sparkling mapping.
When you come to Qikou, you must not rush to find scenic spots, because the ancient town itself is a natural museum worth tasting again. The 2.5-kilometer-long old streets of Ming and Qing Dynasties are all over warehouses, banks, pawn shops and other commercial buildings, temples, houses and docks. , including almost all types of typical folk grain transportation commercial market towns. Although some shops have closed, from the ancient buildings and mottled traces, we can find that it is closely related to the past business.
Ancient dwellings are the largest landscape in the area. Houses in Ming and Qing dynasties were arranged in an orderly way, forming a strange architectural form connected with mountains and streets. On the street, the ancient cobblestones of the Yellow River paved the street; Outside the street, the Yellow River flows downstream, which makes people marvel at the wisdom of their predecessors. Buildings and courtyards are mainly caves, with a courtyard of an intermediate people's court and a courtyard with a maximum of six floors. Courtyards and eaves are mostly carved with beams and painted buildings, with brick carving, wood carving and stone carving, and culture and art are everywhere.
In addition to the three main streets, there are dozens of alleys with different widths around them, which are connected with each other and inclined upward, flowing with an ancient rhyme. Walking in the streets and alleys, there are slightly protruding bluestone strips between the steps, even if climbing is effortless, people pay more attention to the residential courtyards on both sides. Rows of big urns and oil baskets, although broken, are extremely strong. From time to time along the way, I met photographers who liked the ancient town culture, recorded the unique customs of northwest Shanxi, and lamented the magical scenery while taking pictures.
Under the guidance of the local people, we came to Sihetang, which was the largest oil mill in Qikou at that time and is now an antique inn. This surviving ancient building was built in the light years of Qing Dynasty, more than 80 years ago/kloc-0. It is named because it is jointly funded by four shareholders. Since its establishment, it has been dealing in rich linseed oil in northwest China. During the Republic of China, it was acquired by Pingyao people and changed to "Tianjuyong" to continue to operate grain and oil. The yard here is very spacious, and there are more than 20 holes in the small caves for storing oil baskets side by side. Now they are all changed into rooms for tourists from all directions to live in.
If you look closely, you will find that the open columns in the yard are different in thickness, straight and curved, while the caves are made of stones and bricks with different sizes. According to the local people, because these caves are used for storing things, not for living, they don't pay attention to material selection and beauty, but only pay attention to practicality, saving and utilizing space to the maximum extent. The so-called high platform under eaves refers to this unique architectural style in northwest Shanxi.
Visiting the ancient town, the whole environment is relatively original, and the pasta and snack bowls are quite refreshing. The town can also enjoy the stage plays and interesting shadow plays left over from history. Not only can you watch it at the front desk, but you can also watch how to operate it in the background, and your understanding of local culture has deepened.
In addition, not far from Qikou Town, it was the painter Wu Guanzhong who went to Qikou to collect the wind and exclaimed that it looked like a desolate Han tomb from the outside, but it was a very old and exquisite cave. The ancient village is relatively closed and completely primitive, and only some old people in the village still live here. Perhaps only these small ancient towns and villages are real antiques, standing quietly in place until someone is destined to open them.
Transportation:
Taiyuan-Qikou, take a bus at Taiyuan West Railway Station to Lishi, and then take a bus to Qikou.
Lvliang-Qiaokou, Lvliang Li takes a long-distance bus to Qiaokou.
Peak season month: May -65438+ 10.