Gaosha---A land of Water And Cloud
Source:Shaoyang Art NetworkWriter:Tang LanTime:2014-12-30Clicks：次
The Liao River rolls out from the inside of the Xuefeng Mountains and also from the depth of history. With turbulent waves it joins the upper reaches of the Zi River, moistening the land of southwestern Hunan. Gaosha (meaning high sands) was initially an islet in a river in ancient times. With time going on, the river course changing and sand piling up, the islet grew into land, on which a village came into being and then gradually developed into a well-known town. No matter how much seasons and time changed, the affectionate Liao River kept watch for this historic cultural town, bringing forth talented and romantic generations one after another with its milk like an a mother.
As if to fulfill a thousand year’ s appointment, I, a little woman who placed her childhood feelings on the lanes and streams of the town, returned after ten years of departure and roamed like a fox fairy through its old lanes and history in a March with spring trees in full bloom.
In the secluded scenery of the winding river in late spring, wine cups float on the green water in drunken moonlight
Gaosha dated from the Qin Dynasty through the Han Dynasty and then the Tang Dynasty when a city with a port was set up, so it has a history of a thousand years. In the past when water course was the main approach of transportation, Gaosha enjoyed the reputation of ‘Little Nanjing’ as a large port town in southwestern Hunan connected with Guizhou. Today’ s Gaosha still has its ancient poetic pictures in sight.
‘The town is surrounded by fields and brooks with narrow paths running through.
Long bridges go just over water and houses stand close to each other along lanes.
Shops are crowded with goods, customers busy and sign flags inviting wine drinkers.
Monks are seated in tranquility on the bed while crows are setting down in dusk.’
This poem titled Lodging For The Night At Gaosha Town, written by a royal scholar named Peng Kaiyou between the 35th and 38th year of Emperor Kangxi’ s reign during which time he was assigned chief official of Wugang Prefecture, describes the populated and prosperous town and his own loneliness of traveling. However, the following poem presents a poetic and romantic picture of the old commercial town.
‘In the secluded scenery of the winding river in late spring,
Wine cups float on the green water in drunken moonlight.
I invite close friends to see sights along the bank lined with blossoms,
And prepare wine to drink together with good mates on the river.
Peach tree branches touch waves reflecting the glow of the setting sun;
Pillow catkins fall into the breast; and the Venus floats in the sky.
I can not draw myself from here partly due to the river,
For I can ride in a light boat from the ancient ferry when free.
This poem was written by a student of an official school at the end of the Qing Dynasty. He was not an official but famous for his poems.
The poems came to my mind when I was wandering on the scenic belt along the river bank appreciating flowers. I saw the corridor bridge with surrounding water and hills, and I also saw dripping pillow branches dancing over the water of the Liao River, while thinking of ancient sages.
Legends are passed on in every June, the mountain town is beautifully decorated like a mirage
When the huge trees are in full green and the mother-like Liao River contains rolling water, the ‘Little Nanjing’ begins its ‘welcoming stories’.
Stilt teams are stamping up, land boats rowing over, dragons and lions dancing near, and young men and women gathering from the fields, out of low huts and courtyards in all directions.
Every place, whether the Corridor Bridge, the Town God Temple, the Qianyuan Palace, the Fire God Temple, the Fortune Pavilion or the colorful shining streets, is filled with crowds and songs. The whole Gaosha Town is busy with selling and bargaining shouts and people dressed in red and green, all with fragrant sweat on their faces.
At one of these busiest seasons, I came to Gaosha. Standing on the bank of a ferry, my thoughts went back to the past. It appeared as if I saw crowds of people in every place, the gathering of rice boats in the constantly flowing river, carved carriages and grand horses running in the streets. Then when I wandered along the bank, I saw the green waves in the river, heard the songs of boatmen and smelled the fragrance of wine from boats. Again when I stood under the erecting memorial limestone arch on the river bank, I saw the river water reflecting the sky with clouds and roads lined with flowers.
‘Legends are passed on in every June,
The mountain town is beautifully decorated like a mirage.
All passengers on the roads of Dongkou, Huangqiao and Shijiang,
When asked, will say that they are traveling to Gaosha.’
This is one of the poems written by a poet named xiao Hongjun during Daoguang Emperor’ s ruling years in the Qing Dynasty. He wrote altogether 16 poems that formed a series titled Songs Of Gaosha about the water and clouds of his hometown. The seventh one of them quoted above should be the most popular. All the poems describe the prosperity of Gaosha of that time and the people’ s feelings behind the prosperity.
The Cloud Tower stands in dim moonlight, and the stilt houses line the river bank stiff one by one
The tower and the buildings witnessed the past happiness and sadness of Gaosha people.
In the literary history of Gaosha, the ones I admire particularly are two noble and graceful women poets. .In Gaosha there were two gifted scholars named Yuan Zizhu and Yuan Fengxiang, uncle and nephew. Unfortunately they both died young so few records of them can be found in local annals. However their widows with their literary talents were both so famous for their The Poetry Of The Woodcutter On The Henglu Mountain and The Poetry Of The Messenger On The Xiang Mountain that they were recorded in The Literary & Art Chapter of The Records of Wugang Prefecture.
‘Beacon-smoke rising, everything in sight is sad;
Like cypress vine I have no place to dwell in.
Recalling my home that is far away, I wonder
How my relatives are getting along recently.
Who has pity on the land that has changed to the sea?
I do not know the ones singing songs of triumph.
I am so grieved that I can not help shedding tears like rain,
When the setting sun is sinking in the west.
The poem titled Thoughts When Evading War was written by Madame Yuan Xu in the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng’ s ruling when the Peaceful Heaven Kingdom’ s insurrection broke out, describing the riot of the country, the concerns about the family and the pain of thinking of relatives, which touches every reader deeply. And other poems like The Fallen Leaves, Recalling Plums and The Red Plum tell about her diseased husband and chant about love. When she was 60 and her younger generation wanted to celebrate her birthday, thinking of his husband dying young and the successive deaths of her two nephews she refused it by way of the poem:
‘With grief living in the little building all the day,
I cannot tolerate a birthday celebration for longevity.
My youth is dying out by the lonely window curtains;
I shed tears and tears with passing days, months and years.
It is hard for me to be relieved even if I can live to 100,
When two nephews died, which increases my sadness.
Each time when bored, I look at the bush of flowers,
Finding only the plum is the most graceful even in dusk.’
Her bitter looks and deep loneliness will still appear clearly before a reader’s eyes even when it is read today.
Madame Yuan Zeng, an isolated and talented beauty, wrote poems in her letters to her husband who was far away seeking an official post, expressing her love and expectation for him, which was just like the Liao River water flowing and gurgling.
‘I remember I accompanied you reading in those years,
And that we did not retire to bed late till mid- night.
You made a close study without worrying about health,
And melted the icy writing brush by breathing out warm air.
Though I always sign for our doomed separation,
Still I expect you to be well-known like Qi Huangyang.
With scholar honor to comfort our parents,
You’ ll be a successful man riding a horse in Chang’an.’
However, her husband Yuan Fengxiang failed in the royal examinations, though placed on with a high expectation, leaving his wife endless sad when she collected his left papers, which was described in the poem below:
‘With two brows drawn in, my sorrows add up;
The ink slab remains covered with dust till today.
Occasionally I opened your collected books to read,
In which there were left lines of poems with nobody to sing.
The footprints of the swan remain there clearly,
But where can the high sounds of the cloud crane be heard?
Even if we are expected to meet beneath the earth,
The indistinct hope can not calm down my sad heart now.
The poem touched my heart, causing my tears shedding when I read it.
The Liao river before the steps links to the Yi River, while the Phoenix Hill is connected to the Lu Mountain
The filial piety culture has rooted deep in Gasha people’s hearts, who are bathed in Confucianism as an important branch of the Chinese civilization. There is a couplet in the Zeng Family Temple, a cultural heritage under the state’s protection. The couplet goes as follows:
‘With the Zi River like a silk ribbon and the Phoenix Hill like a screen, it is surrounded with civilized air in four directions;
With filial of-springs in the Zhou Dynasty and loyal officials in the Han Dynasty, future generations feel no regret for the family’ s spirit.’
Li Zhongqi, once a successful candidate in the Provincial Official Examinations in the 17th year of Emperor Guangxu’ s rule, went to Japan for further education. After graduation, he returned for his hometown’ s rise without seeking an official post. He and other three outstanding young men Yuan Pu, Yang Jinghua, and Zeng Mengji were determined to develop education. To Continue a civilization of thousands of years and develop the humanity of hometowns are the goals of the filial off-springs of the Chinese Nation.
With the efforts of Li, Yuan, Yang and Zeng, the first middle school ‘Liaomei Middle School’ was set up in the center of the town. From then Confucian culture and the Chinese civilization spread seeds in the earth of Gaosha and a number of young outstanding men with rich knowledge, noble spirit and great aspiration came out from the school as well as from Gaosha Town. Here to name two examples after New China was set up, one is Liu Shouqi, who was in charge of Hunan Teachers’ Institute as the origin of Hunan Normal University and Hunan’ s education for many years, and who edited China’ s first Pedagogy. And the other is Xie Pu, a master literary writer, well-known for his Ode To Perls.
There is a couplet by an anonymous writer, which goes like this:
‘Waves revolting(Qingxi) in a clear stream(Huilan), what day will peace(Taiping) lead to benevolence and longevity(Renshou)?
Respect morality(Zunde) and be devoted to the cause(Jingye), and one day he who is cultivated by civilization(Wenfu) can soar into the sky(Qingyun).’
The couplet is made of the names of places: Qingxi, Huilan, Taiping and Renshou being the names of four bridges; Zunde, Jingye, Wenfu and Qingye being the names of four schools. They are eight scenic spots in Gaosha, sung about by men of letters of generations. They recorded Gaosha’ s past beauty and glory.
A cultural wall is now under construction, which will tell stories of Gaosha. Along the wall, one will be able to feel its history and present time, which composes a symphonic chapter of four seasons---in spring one can enjoy the greenness of plants, in summer the luxury of woods, in autumn the coolness of air and in winter the peace of snow.
(translated by Yi Daoqun)