In the Northland during the National Day holiday, the golden breeze has brought cool weather and the weather is getting cooler. In the southern Shaanxi Valley between Qin and Ba, the heat has not subsided. Along the Jialing River Baocheng Line heading south to Lueyang, Yangpingguan, and Ningqiang, a jacket became a complete burden and was tied around the waist while performing hula dance.
The Qinling Mountains stretch from east to west, stretching from Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Henan and Suzhou. It is a major landmark in China and a major obstacle to north-south transportation. The Jialing River cuts through the mountains all the way south, opening up a passage south to Sichuan. Thus came the Shu Gate, the Shu Road, Wu Jie's resistance to the Jin, and the Shu Lord's Northern Expedition. They also laid eggs along the way and gave birth to countless ancient towns, villages, and ancient battlefields. Bashan Shushui is like a fossil of history. As long as you are willing to stay, every flow of mountains and rivers will tell you endless stories of past and present and vicissitudes of life.
Today's Baocheng Line follows the ancient Shu Road and can reach the capital. The Yang'an Line and Handan Line run parallel to the Han River from east to west in the hinterland of Qinba and reach Wuhan. Along these two north-south and east-west railways, take the green train, walk slowly, and listen slowly. Along the way, there are mountain village tunes, echoes of the battlefield, and the rolling dust of the world. It's like traveling in another time tunnel.
I boarded the southbound train on the Baocheng Line from Huixian Station at 34 degrees north latitude. It was already afternoon when I arrived at the ancient town and street of Yangpingguan. The fiery red sunset dropped bit by bit from the top of the mountain, and countless golden ripples appeared on the river surface.
For five yuan, I took a battery car and left the train station, crossed the bridge to the other side of the river, and reached the old street of Yangpingguan.
The old street is indeed old. It is steeply downward at a fork on the south side of Daqing Highway and extends to the river. The whole street looks like it's completely underneath the road. The old tile-roofed houses on both sides appear even lower. The facades are all darkened by the passage of time, and the color of the wood cannot be seen. The shops along the street used bamboo poles to hold up black sunshade nets, and the two houses facing each other were almost right next to each other. Colorful clothes and plastic products are placed on the street. It was past five o'clock, but there was not a single customer or idle person. There were a few women playing cards by the shop, a child playing skateboard, and the door of an old barbering house was open, with an old-fashioned barbering chair standing there, but no one was there. The setting sun in the evening was sinking rapidly, and the streets were quiet and deserted. Only the setting sun casts long shadows on the street that went lower and lower.
After a hundred and ten meters, the black sunshade net was gone, the shops were gone, the street became narrower, and there were three or two old people standing on the roadside talking. It looks like it's a residential area. The wooden houses on the street all have a low second floor, where most of the sundries are stored. There are plaques on some doors, but the handwriting is no longer recognizable after the smoke and dust. I walked in along a side alley. Many doors were closed tightly. I didn't know if I was going out or had moved out. There was a door with the name "Clinic" on it. The door was open, but no one was there. The door of a house was half open, and a woman was making dumplings, but there was no sound in the house. The alley is clean and tidy, the firewood at the door is stacked neatly and clearly, and the green gravel road is spotless. At this time, I really hoped to meet one or two people, or hear the sound of cooking in the house, the sound of adults calling children to eat, or the sound of women scolding men, but there was no sound at all. Nearing the end of the alley, I seemed to hear people moving around. When I walked past, I found some weeds. The doors and windows of an old house were crooked, and a few strands of spider webs were swaying in the wind. There is a small alleyway on the side of the old house that extends into a yard, with a door half-opened, but there is no sound. I looked around again, and there was no one around. It was so quiet that it was almost dead. There were only a few bushes of autumn chrysanthemums and wild goose red blooming brilliantly in the sunset, and the Jialing River flowed quietly by me. Suddenly there was a hint of fear, a cold trickle seeping up from his back bit by bit. I quickly followed a path downhill to the river beach.
Standing by the Jialing River, under the faint sunset, the early autumn river breeze blew from the valley, bringing a slight coolness to the face. The sunset is like a piece of soft satin, quietly spreading on the empty river. In the dim dusk, the desolate wilderness and silent villages looked lifeless.
The altitude and location were measured with an altimeter: 730 meters above sea level, 33 degrees 1 minute 40 seconds north latitude, 106 degrees 12 minutes 57 seconds east longitude. There is a small creek flowing westward close to the trend of Daba Mountain. I suspect that this is what scholars now consider to be an ancient river channel that once connected eastward with Qingni Gou and flowed into the Han River. I wanted to find someone to ask, but there were very few people walking on the road. It took me a long time to pass two girls of sixteen or seventeen years old. There are also a few migrant workers building roads. Turning into a small village, every house was closed and no one could be found. At this time, I was a little bit unable to urinate, so I simply wanted to solve it on the roadside. Before doing something bad, I habitually looked around, but I saw a woman in a vegetable field. Say hello, ask questions, and just answer, "I don't know, ask others." I said where are the others? Why are there so few people in this village? Where have all the people gone? The woman said that young people and men who would stay at home all went out to work. I see! No wonder I felt weird on Yangpingguan Old Street last night.
After taking a few photos of Xiangshuigou, a woman walked out of the yard. I said hello and asked what the name of this mountain was? Where does this river come from? The woman looked at me doubtfully and didn't answer. Instead, she asked me, "What's the point of asking?" I mean, I just want to understand it. The woman lost interest. While taking pictures in a yard, a woman threatened me to be careful about dog bites.
Back on the road, after walking for a while, I finally met a man, a lean old man in his sixties. This river is called Xiangshuigou River, coming down from Longdong Mountain in the north. There were three holes. He gestured with his hand, and they were as thick as a cup. The water is large in the summer and small in the winter, just like it is now. I asked if he came down from the Jieguan Pavilion, and he shook his head, no, he just came out of the Dragon Cave.
I asked Fenshuiling Village, and the old man pointed and said, it’s up a slope in front.
After blocking a small van, we arrived at Fenshuiling Village in less than ten minutes. At the highest point, a car stopped and people were getting on and off. I quickly measured the altitude and location, took out my notebook and copied it down. The altitude is 787 meters, which is 57 meters higher than Xiangshuigou. The longitude is 106 degrees, 14 minutes and 7 seconds, which is 2 minutes and 50 seconds east of Xiangshuigou. Latitude 33 degrees 2 minutes and 7 seconds. 27 seconds north of Xiangshui Village. After walking for another five or six minutes, the driver said this is Qingni Gou, can you get down? I said get off, get off, right here. The Qingni Gou in front of us no longer looks like a river. It is indeed called Hegou. After walking on the roadside for a while, a man in his thirties was brushing his teeth by the courtyard. Hurry up and ask. The man said that the water in Qingni Gou is usually not large, but in summer the water will rise and flow down into the Han River. Is this exactly what modern scholars call the Yangpingguan ancient riverbed? But it seems that it will take some trouble to find the clues of history.
Get off at Liejinba and stop right next to the small square of the village committee. Like all rural cultural squares, there is nothing new. But there is a river in Liejinba, which comes from the source of Hanjiang River in Da'an, flows to Qingnigou River in the west, goes south to Wuding Pass, Jinniu Station, passes through Jianmen Pass in Shumen, and reaches Chengdu. This is the famous Sichuan-Shaanxi Road. There is a legend about Wudingguan. It is said that during the Warring States Period, King Qin Hui wanted to capture Shu, but was blocked by Daba Mountain and could not go south. So I sent someone from the Kingdom of Shu to send you a stone cow that can produce gold. The King of Shu was overjoyed and ordered Wu Ding to dig into the mountain to clear the way. Qin immediately entered Sichuan and destroyed Shu. This place is called Wuding Pass. It is said that the road passes through narrow mountains, and the walls on both sides are as if cut with knives and axes, and only a sliver of sky can be seen when looking up. Liejinba, Wudingguan, Jiamengguan and Jianmenguan are all important stations and passes on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Road. This path is therefore also called the Golden Bull Path.
There are still five or six kilometers from Liejinba to Daan Town. Another six-seater was taken, and 11 people were quickly packed into it. The driver said there were two more people to board. I was surprised and scared and said I wanted to go down and take the next bus. The driver then closed the door and drove the car towards Da'an like an acrobatic.
Like most towns in the north, Da'an, known as the largest town in Ningqiang County, has brand-new shops squeezing in scattered low adobe tile houses, and motorcycles, tricycles, and carriages can be seen everywhere on the streets. . The most eye-catching one is the mobile phone store advertisement. Pedestrians are crowded and busy, looking here and there. Women carrying children, old people carrying mountain goods, and teenagers riding motorcycles made the street lively.
A large truck heading towards Chengdu passed through the street, honking loudly. Motorcycles, pedestrians and stalls on both sides moved back in fear.
A larger river runs from north to south, all the way into the mountains. After asking the local people, they said that this river is called Hanwang River. It comes down from Hanwang Mountain in the north and is the source of Hanjiang River. It flows down into Mian County.
This statement is generally consistent with what I understand. The official information of Da'an Town is introduced as follows:
Ten kilometers to the west is the birthplace of the ancient Han River - Hanwang Mountain Shiniu Cave. There are seven thousand-sister golden osmanthus trees and a stele of King Yu that reads "Jiang Tomb Guide Yangtze" "Flow eastward to Han" is interpreted as the origin of Han River. It is said that the Palace of King Yu in the mountain was built by the King of Han to commemorate Yu the Great for controlling floods and benefiting the people.
It’s just that the direction is different from what the locals told us. The stele of King Yu and the text "The tombs lead to the Yangtze River and flow eastward to the Han Dynasty" are recorded in the "Han Shu Yu Gong". Could it be that Jizhong Mountain is the Hanwang Mountain here? Is the handwriting on the Monument of King Yu still legible?
Unfortunately, these sudden problems were not planned in advance. There was no vehicle or assistant during this trip. Considering that the source investigation was difficult and dangerous, no further action was taken. We will try again next time when we have the opportunity. Find out.
I took a few photos in a hurry and stopped a car to go to the train station. When we got off the bus, the driver insisted on not wanting any money. He said, "I see you are from outside and are not familiar with me, so I will give you a ride." This is a private vehicle and is not used to haul people.
I walked along an uphill ramp in the direction pointed by the driver for four or five minutes, but saw no one. I wondered if I was going the wrong way. Until you see a railway freight yard, and beyond that is the railway. Still no station. There is a small shop on the roadside, and in front of the door there is a woman playing with her mobile phone with her head down. I asked where the train station was? The woman raised her head and pointed, then lowered her head. After walking along the railway for several hundred meters, we came to a large, closed iron gate with a yellow warning sign: No entry for non-staff members. Could it be that the woman pointed out the wrong thing? Look around, there are no other forks or entrances. I tried pushing it, and the small door opened, but it was not locked! After walking another hundred or two hundred meters, I finally saw the platform. Three or four people were sitting on chairs in front of the duty room, carrying luggage in their hands. They seemed to be waiting for the bus.
The platform is very small, but the two gilded characters "Ning Qiang" look very big. The waiting blue seats only have five seats in a row. I found time to sit in and chat with the people next to me. This train from Yangpingguan to Ankang only leaves once a day. It’s actually very convenient, time-saving and cheap if you get used to it. The whole trip costs 7 yuan. To the north is the Qinling Mountains and to the south is Daba Mountain. When talking about Wei Futang in casual chat, everyone expressed regret.
At 11:40, the train marking the "Happy Village" slowly entered the station from the west. The ticket was bought in Mian County for two yuan. The train travels through mountains and ridges and across rivers in the Qinba Mountains. Passengers boarding and disembarking along the route are all residents along the route. There were people carrying burdens, carrying baskets, carrying school bags, carrying gifts and visiting relatives and friends, playing cards, and cracking melon seeds. The whole carriage was filled with the strange smell of sweat, tobacco, and instant noodles. The scenery outside the window keeps changing, slowly becoming wider, and the river becomes vaster. The train drove from the mountains of southern Shaanxi into the Hanzhong Plain. The Qinba Mountains are opening and closing, and a broad stage is unfolding here.
Visiting Wuhou Town in Mian County is basically boring. The big sign at the entrance reads an inscription from a Minister of Culture: Wuhou Town is the most cultural ancient town I have ever seen. This is indeed the best travel advertising slogan. It seems that China's tourist attractions are all built according to a model. The mature tourist attractions almost all look the same. As someone who has just come from the countryside, I have no feeling for this kind of "created" culture. Borrowing arrows from a straw boat, Zhuge Thatched Cottage, and Zhuge Divine Calculation are just very good photo props. The so-called culture is all transplanted and spliced ??together.
This trip was just to avoid popular attractions and routes during the National Day, and there was no itinerary planned or written. While walking, there are many unknowns and many accidents, which add unexpected gains and fun to this trip. Perhaps the meaning of travel lies in the discovery and exploration of unknowns.