An Excursion to Zhuxi

2017-08-03ByXuKuang

Special Focus 2017年7期

By Xu Kuang

By Xu Kuang

A Land Full of Cultural Flavors of Qin and Chu

Zhuxi County is located in the Qinba mountainous region in Hubei Province. As the name indicates, Zhouxi means flourishing woods and tall bamboo groves, with streams gurgling.

In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Zhuxi was a territory of Yong Kingdom and was renamed Wuling in the Western Han Dynasty. It sits at the junction of three provinces—Hubei, Chongqing and Shanxi. The vicissitudes in society and history left a legacy of splendid and abundant cultural connotations here. Here you can witness the ancient Yong culture, Qin culture, Chu culture, Qinba culture, Bachu culture, Bashan culture and Han culture. It also boasts of its cultural melting pot for it blends all merits of culture from Bashu region, Jingchu region, Yongqin region and Heartland areas. What strikes us most is its language, a mixture of Qin and Shu accent, and a style of the South and the North dialect. Hence Zhuxi is a land full of splendid and colorful cultural treasures.

Humanitarian features of this culture are embedded in the grand mountains and long rivers in Zhguxi. Here you can hear high-pitch local opera named Xipierhuang, full of ancient odors and fresh tune; you are lucky enough to touch the timbers chopped and sewed in Mount Cixiaogou, which used only by the imperial family; In addition, here exists the great wall of Chu, parallel to the Famous Great Wall of China, the ancient salt tea road, the original and authentic Xianba folk songs and the peach paradise described by Poet Tao Yuanming. All this shrouded Zhuxi a mysterious and cultural veil.

Today, if you go sightseeing in Zhuxi, you need first arrive at Shiyan Railway Station, and then you can take a ride or coach to Zhuzhi in just three hours. Guzhu Highway went into circulation in December 26th, 2014, which can save 2 hours than before.

秦风楚韵源远流长

地处秦巴山区的湖北竹溪县，地如其名：茂林修竹，溪水潺潺。

竹溪县东周属庸国、西汉谓武陵。她脚踏鄂渝陕三省，充满神奇。历史的变迁，积淀了竹溪瑰丽多彩、丰实厚重的文化底蕴。古庸文化、秦楚文化、秦巴文化、巴楚文化、巴山文化、汉水文化在这里交融汇聚，她与巴蜀文化结盟，与荆楚文化相承，与庸秦文化交流，与中原文化汇集，语言杂秦蜀，风气兼南北，亦秦亦楚，亦巴亦蜀，形成南北交融、东西荟萃的区域文化特色，留下灿若星河、多元丰富的文化遗产。

大山、大水、大人文。秦风楚韵、历久弥新的西皮二黄，采采皇木、奉之如玉的贡木谷慈孝沟，连横合纵、朝秦暮楚的楚长城，蜀盐北运、贡茶北上的盐茶古道，苍古粗粝，原生纯净的向坝民歌，陶公笔下、世外境地的桃花源地……包隐着竹溪历史悠久而神秘的色彩。

从十堰站转大巴至竹溪，如今可走谷（城）竹（溪）高速，耗时3小时左右。谷竹高速于2014年12月26日正式通车，时间比以往的线路快了2个小时。

记者在十堰客运站购票，至竹溪的票价79元，加上1元附加保险。“没通高速的时候，要走五六个小时的山路，这种山路，开车的比坐车的舒服。”大巴司机告诉记者。

时值暑假期间，沿途经过的小镇，均有拖着行李的年轻人下车。“如果不是通高速，以往回家才麻烦。”在武汉读大学的小李告诉记者，“以前从武汉回趟家，山路特别难走，到家基本上都是晚上。”

过去山区交通闭塞，人们日出而作，日落而息，几乎过着与世隔绝的日子。如今交通日益便利，山里的人们与外界的联系也渐渐多起来。

名茶之乡造福乡民

竹溪是全国500个资源富县之一，植被覆盖率81.2%，森林覆盖率76.8%，全县活立木蓄积量超过800万立方米，居湖北省各县之首。

境内地势南高北低，属北亚热带季风气候，年平均气温在12℃～16℃之间，山地气候的特色比较明显，雨量充沛，气候温和，具有得天独厚的茶叶生长环境。

It took you 79 yuan to take a coach from Shiyan Bus Terminal to Zhuxi, plus 1 yuan for the life insurance. “When there was no highway, we used to spend 5 or 6 hours on the mountainous road, on which the drivers feel more comfortable than passengers.” The coach driver said.

As it was during the summer vocation, many young men, carrying baggage, could be found go in and off at each station. “But for the highway it would be troublesome to go home.” Xiao Li, who was a student in one of universities in Wuhan, told us. “In the past, it was so hard to walk through the mountainous path that nearly every time I didn’t arrive until night fell.”

In the days when the traffic is utterly backward, the villagers lived an isolated life, going out to work at sunrise and going back home at sunset. Today the connection between villagers and the outer world is on the increase as the traffic becomes convenient.

A Land of Tea Trees, Benefiting the Villagers

In China, there are 500 counties rich in natural resources and Zhuxi is listed among them. The rates of vegetation and forest coverage are 81.2% and 76.8% respectively and the timber stock is over 8,000,000 steres which tops No.1 among all other counties in Hubei.

The terrain of Zhuxi is high in the south and low in the north. It belongs to the north subtropical climate and its annual average temperature is between 12℃ and 16℃. It has the typical mountain climate with ample rainfall and mild climate, providing a favorable environment for tea planting.

Zhuxi has a long history of planting tea. It was first entitled “the Land of Tea in China” and later “the County of Chinese Organic Green Tea”. Tea has already become one of its shinning “green card” of Zhuxi.

In Zhuxi, tea is regarded as one of the pillar industries which can raise up the farmers’ income and improve the agricultural efficiency. Organic green tea plays a dominant role. Now tea plantations occupy a land of 220,000 mu (146.7 square kilometers), which is the largest in Hubei province.

There are two main tea companies in Zhuxi now, one is called “Longwangya” and the other is named “Meizigong”. In 2016, both of them were entitled “the Thirty most Beautiful Tea Plantations in China” by the tea sub-council of China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation (CAPIAC).

After driving over 10 kilometers from Zhuxi County towards the southeast, you can reach Longwangya Tea Plantation. Far off, the Plantation is deeply embraced by surrounding mountains covered by green pines and bamboos; Near, a belt of green tea terraces stretches over the slope, which constitutes a splendid green ribbon of tea world. Once you step in, you will be surrounded by a sea of tea, trees of tea, tea leaves and the smell of tea… In a word,all you can feel is green.

Rambling in the tea world, you can enjoy the fresh air and have a good time here. The hills, groves, tea, flowers and birds perfectly match the tea culture.

When you feel tired and prefer to have a rest, you can go to the hall of tea pavilion in Mingjian Tower. Here, you can experience an ancient poetic life by asking for a cup of tea accompanied by the Chinese Zither music and the performance of young tea masters. After tasting the tea, you can wander around the “Longfeng Lake” , appreciating the landscape. Also, there is a platform for fishing where you can see a school of fish swimming in the lake.

Intangible Cultural Heritage, Sparkling in the Human World

The local folk arts in Zhuxi are characterized of abundance, richness and peculiarity, which are closely related to the origin of people and culture of Chu.

Folk song, one form of the folk arts, enjoys a longest history. It reflected the life and willpower of working class in content, and also showed the aesthetic standard and artistic creation in form. It plays an important position in rural culture, today and in the past.

“Mountain Erhuang”, also named “Erhuang in the tune of Han Opera” is the origin of what we called “Han Opera”. It is a kind of opera popular among the northwest of Hubei Province. As a rare local opera, it was listed into the directory of the first national intangible cultural heritage.

Tong Jueping (1900-1983) is a veteran artist of Mountain Erhuang in Zhuxi County whose ancestral home was Loutian County, the Prefecture of Huangzhou. And they moved here during Qianlong period. At first, they made a living on business. They were not famous for performing Mountain Erhuang until the third generation.

Today, the Opera Troupe of Mountain Erhuang in Zhuxi County is a professional art group, and the only one that creates and performs Mountain Erhuang in China.

Except for Mountain Erhuang, Xiangba Township was entitled “Land of Folk Songs in Hubei Province” by the Association of the Folk Artists in Hubei Province. In 2013, it was listed into the fourth directory of intangible culturalheritage in Hubei Province. Han Shaogong, a famous writer said:“Xiangba folk song is the only living fossil of Han nationality.”

Generally the villagers in Xiangba like to hold the bonfire parties to entertain guests. Although it was raining that night when we arrived, the villagers were still hospitable and enthusiastic and insisted on holding the party. With the pattering of rain, the whole valley echoed with sonorous singing.

Zhouxi Shadow Play, also known as classical cartoon drama, is similar to Shanxi and Henan Shadow Play in its shape and style which best illustrates the cultural exchange between the three provinces.

In the old days, Zhouxi shadow play was very popular. It was closely related with some local customs and ceremonies, especially in worshipping gods and ancestors. The shadow play performance could be found in many folk activities and even at weddings or funerals.

Zhuxi, a poetic name it is! In Zhuxi, it seems that even a road, a clump of flowers, a piece of tea, a house or an elder all have their stories to tell you.

At that night , after it stopped raining, we looked outside the window and surprisingly found a hazy moon hanging in the dusky sky. With bird’s singing in the distance, the clouds changed their shapes constantly. it made us forget where we were.

竹溪种植茶叶的历史悠久，先后被誉为“中国名茶之乡”“中国有机绿茶之乡”“中国茶叶名县”，茶叶已成为竹溪的“绿色名片”。

茶叶是竹溪农业增效、农民增收的支柱产业之一，以生产有机绿茶为主。现有茶园22万亩，位居全省第一,其中投产茶园面积已达13万亩。

竹溪现有“龙王垭”和“梅子贡”两家茶叶龙头企业，2016年，两家茶园均被中国农业国际合作促进会茶产业委员会评为“全国三十座最美茶园”。

从竹溪县城往东南行驶十多公里，即可到达龙王垭观光茶园。极目远眺，山峦苍翠挺拔，起伏连绵。近处可见，一片片绿油油的梯田茶园随着山势延伸开来，层层叠叠，线条优美，宛如一条条宽阔的绿带，十分壮观。踏入其中，茶海、茶树、茶叶、茶香……五官感知的全是绿。

呼吸着新鲜的空气，在茶园漫步，茶园内的山、林、茶、花、云、鸟与茶园深厚的文化底蕴相得益彰。

小憩漫步觉得累时，可以到茗箭楼茶艺厅，沏一壶龙王垭茶，在幽雅古筝的奏鸣中，伴随着年轻淳朴的茶艺师纯熟的茶艺表演，感受古人诗情画意的生活，意境高雅。喝完茶后，可以在龙凤湖边漫步，欣赏碧波荡漾的湖水，还可以在钓鱼台上看湖中活蹦乱跳的鱼儿。