More than thirty miles southeast of Lanling County, fifteen miles east of Changcheng Town, and south of Xuelian Highway, there is a village called Chikou Village. Chikou Village is adjacent to Jizhuang in the south, Zhaolou Village in the north, Shadun in the west, and Nanliuzhaizi in the southeast. The Wu River meanders from the west of the village.
Chikou Village is an ancient village with a history of hundreds of years. It originally belonged to Ermiao Township, which was originally located in Ermiao Village. It was settled in the early Yuan Dynasty. Erlang Temple was built in the west of the village, so it was named Ermiao. In 2011 AD, the township was withdrawn and merged into Changcheng Town. Every spring and summer, a grand temple fair is held here.
To the east of Chikou Village, there is a large north-south river called Wu River. On the west bank of Wu River is Nanliuzhaizi Village, which faces Chikou Village across the river.
South Liuzhaizi Village is located in the southeast of Shengli Town, Tancheng County, Shandong Province. It was originally called Chiqiaokou. During the Daoguang Period of the Qing Dynasty, Xu Quanquan, Liu Zhaizi, and Dongyunchang merged to call Liuzhaizi because it was the most popular village in Shengli Town. There is Liuzhaizi Village in the north, so it is called South Liuzhaizi Village based on its geographical location, and the village near Zhuangwu Town is called North Liuzhaizi Village.
The Wu River originates from the northern foot of Yulin Mountain in Shaoyao Township, Fei County, and runs southward along Linyi, forming a "ji"-shaped bend at Chikou Village and Nanliuzhaizi Village. This ancient tree The ginkgo tree stands right in the field on the bank of this bend.
A temple was built here in the late Sui Dynasty and early Tang Dynasty. The monks in the temple planted two ginkgo trees in front of the temple. It is said that Luo Cheng once tied his war horse here. It was more than 1,400 years ago.
According to legend, when the world was in chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, Luo Cheng, a heroic man, was nicknamed "Luo Cheng, a handsome man with a cold face and a cold gun" because of his fair skin, handsome face but unsmiling face. Jialou became a sworn brother, participated in the Wagangzhai Uprising, and later joined Li Shimin's army. He was an unparalleled hero. He charged into battle many times and killed the enemy bravely. He was invincible and made great contributions to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.
Later, he served as a pioneer officer to attack Liu Heitai. He passed by this place, went into the temple to burn incense, and tied his horse, the Lightning White Dragon Horse, beside a ginkgo tree. Later, Luo Cheng was framed by Li Jiancheng. He fell into a muddy river in the south of Linyi City and was shot to death by random arrows.
Due to the war, the temple was destroyed and one of the trees was washed away by the flood. Only this ginkgo tree remains today.
Because there is a temple here, people from hundreds of miles around meet here every spring and summer.
Chikou Temple Fair is a very grand temple fair. It is located at the intersection of Tancheng and Lanling counties. It is well-known in southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu, and is even famous throughout the country. There are two meetings every year on the fourth day of the fourth lunar month and the nineteenth day of the fourth lunar month. In the past, agriculture was very important. This time of year was the slack season, the eve of the wheat harvest and autumn planting. On the one hand, people went to the meeting for life and entertainment, and on the other hand, they could buy labor products such as sickles, wooden forks, buckets, dustpans, etc. Tools to be fully prepared for harvesting crops.
Merchants from all over the world come here to do business in an endless stream, and they all make a lot of money.
My hometown is not far from Chikou. I remember that when I was a child, I would dance happily every time there was a party in Chikou. At that time, everyone was walking to catch up with the meeting. The whole village set off collectively, and there were very few people left in the village. People from hundreds of miles away, including young and old, will all come to Chikou to meet.
At that time, the Chikou Temple Fair was held along both sides of the Wu River. From Zhaolou Village to the south, with Chikou Village as the center, and all the way to Nanliuzhaizi Village, the road is nearly three miles long. There are many stalls from all over the world, and the meeting is crowded with people. It is so lively! There were shouts, various hawking sounds, and a dazzling array of products. Everyone is smiling and full of energy. Under this thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, it is very lively with acrobats, monkey performers, magicians, liuqin opera singers, drummers, etc. When I was a child, I had never seen so many people, nor had I seen such a grand scene. I felt that this was the happiest moment in my life, and I still remember it vividly.
The big ginkgo tree was very tall at that time, but it had been hollowed out. It seemed that a fire had burned a big hole in the heart of the tree. The hole was very spacious, and three or five people could sit inside and play poker. Maybe the tree was too big. Gaolao was struck and burned by lightning on a rainy day, but it is still full of life, with lush branches and leaves.
"The green grass reflects the spring color on the steps, and the oriole's voice is heard in the sky through the leaves." Time flies, decades have passed, and I rarely go to catch up with others. Chikou Village is developing rapidly, and Nanliuzhaizi Village has also become an important cultivation base for the famous ginkgo trees. The ancient ginkgo tree has been properly managed and protected by the local area. It still stands quietly by the river, telling people about the vicissitudes of time.
Author Meng Li