The last stop of our trip to Zhangjiajie in western Hunan was the ancient city of Fenghuang, which also fulfilled my long-cherished "border town dream". Xiangxi is a beautiful town described by the master; Xiangxi is a mysterious country in the eyes of the world; Xiangxi is a harbor for tourists to rest in their hearts; Xiangxi is also a land full of mystery and blood ... During the journey, I heard many folk stories about Xiangxi, which were deeply imprinted in my mind and could not be forgotten.
Xiangxi corpse drive
Coming to this hot land of Xiangxi, the locals tell the mysterious story here. The first is to drive away the body. The corpse removal should be unique to this land, and everyone especially wants to know. Listen to the mysterious and scary name, let's start with this.
The origin of the corpse-driving movement is recorded in folk books: it is said that thousands of years ago, Apchiyou, the ancestor of Miao nationality, led his troops to wage a life-and-death struggle with hostile forces along the Yellow River until corpses were everywhere and rivers of blood flowed. After the war, the soldiers had to retreat to the rear. After the wounded soldiers were carried away, Apcheyou ordered Apcheyou to send the brothers who died in battle back to their hometown, and the leaves returned to their roots.
So Apushi's military uniform dressed as Apchiyou stood among the bodies of the brothers who died in battle. After a period of meditation and prayer to the gods, the corpse lying on the ground will immediately stand up and follow Apchiyou's energetic "Jeff" and walk south (in the direction of his hometown). When the enemy's pursuers arrived, Apci You and Apu's strategist joined hands to attract "Lian Fog" and trapped the enemy in a maze, unable to track their whereabouts ... This is the earliest version of corpse driving.
Then spread to the back, there is such a requirement for the corpse driver: the figure should be five big and three thick, and the appearance should be extremely ugly. According to the local people, if it is mainly ugly, monsters are scared to make a detour. In addition, we must have the ability to clearly distinguish between southeast and northwest, so as not to get lost on the road at night.
Most people pay more attention to the authenticity of the corpse. Some scholars believe that the Miao people in Xiangxi mastered the art of smelting cinnabar earlier, and cinnabar will be reduced to mercury after heating, and mercury is the most common anti-corrosion material. Generally speaking, in addition to the ancestral amulet, cinnabar is indispensable for corpse removal. Some people think that the corpse is not the truth of technology, but the truth of occupation. As a profession, corpse drivers really need to master anti-corrosion technology and have great courage and strength to be competent for long-distance corpse transportation. There is no magic to make the dead walk. The mystery of corpse removal lies in raising the threshold and income of this profession. All this is the speculation and opinion of onlookers on the body, and the specific truth is unknown.
Love of Miao nationality
This is what our driver told us. The method of pleading is the most poisonous of all methods (also mentioned in Jin Yong's martial arts novels). The method refers to throwing hundreds of poisons (such as centipedes, spiders, poisonous insects, etc.). ) together, let them kill each other. The last thing that survived was the most poisonous poison. Then a woman feeds poison with her own blood, and when it grows up, she kills it, dries it, and grinds it into powder, which becomes a sentimental method. When people who eat this kind of powder think of their loved ones, Gu will gnaw at his heart and make him feel sad. Only when you see the person you love will the pain stop.
According to legend, it is the unique witchcraft of Miao girls in Gumeishan, central Hunan and western Hunan. It takes ten years to get a charm, which can be put in rice, tea and clothes. Miao girls all use this romantic charm on their lovers. You can also ask the wizard to put the method on the spell. When a woman wears this amulet, she makes a wish that her sweetheart will love her forever.
Tujia people cry and marry.
The custom of crying marriage cannot be said to be unique to Xiangxi. People are happy when they get married, but they are crying for land here. On the trip, I watched their crying wedding performance live, which was quite interesting.
Tujia daughters must be able to cry when they get married. They cry beautifully and touching, and they cry for a long time, which shows that the smarter they are, the richer their dowry will be. Weeping marriage is a knowledge as well as a traditional skill. Tujia girls began to learn to cry and marry at the age of twelve or thirteen. Girls who didn't cry before are not allowed to get married, and girls who don't cry have little dowry and no status. Nowadays, crying marriage is still a custom, which only exists in isolated cottages.
Tujia daughters began to cry half a month before they got married, usually singing or talking while crying. Crying about the kindness of parents, the companionship of brothers and sisters, and the kindness of seven aunts and eight aunts to themselves have greatly moved relatives and friends, and they have come to add dowry to her.
Tianzishan heart-testing stone
On Mount Tian Zi, there is a stone hanging in the air to test the heart. The corridor is narrow and the steps are steep, just overlapping the rocks on the side, forming the shape of a door, which can only accommodate one person.
According to legend, in order to test the loyalty of their sweethearts, Miao and Tujia girls will let their sweethearts walk under the stone before marriage. If the lover doesn't really love himself, this heart-measuring stone will rattle and then fall down and hit the man; If the sweetheart really loves herself, then there will be no movement when she walks under the heart test stone, and the sweetheart will be safe and sound.
This is a scene that only happened in ancient love stories, and it is also interesting to think about it. This trial stone aisle has also appeared in two well-known TV dramas, and everyone is familiar with it. The scene of bandit leader "Tian Daban" often going in and out of the cave in "Wulong Mountain Scenic Resort's Anti-Bandits" comes from this stone. There is also a TV play that everyone is more familiar with. In The Journey to the West, the entrance of Baidong Mansion is also under this stone.
Tusicheng Fuxing chicken
Tusi City is an ancient Tujia village. The chieftain system was first established in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and it was very mature and prosperous in the Ming Dynasty. Tusi King is a "god" in the minds of ethnic minorities and has supreme authority. At that time, there were three chieftains in Xiangxi, namely Sangzhi chieftain Xiang, Yongshun chieftain Wang Peng and Cili chieftain. Every toast king will build a toast city for himself, just as every emperor will build a palace for himself.
Listen to the tour guide tell a magical story about Tusi City. After the founding of New China, considering environmental protection and safety, most of the old stockades of ethnic minorities have to be demolished. At that time, a group of leaders visited Xiangxi to assess whether Tusi City also needed to be demolished. The local toast king wants to keep his stockade very much, and thinks that this toast city has outstanding people and excellent feng shui. Show off in front of the inspection leaders to show that this stockade has a unique atmosphere. I saw him catch a live chicken, cut off the head of the chicken with a knife, and then read some spells. After pouring cold water on the chicken, the chicken actually stood up and ran around the leader for several times before falling down. It is said that the leader also brought this chicken back, trying to develop a famous trick. Needless to say, of course nothing has been achieved. In this way, Tusi City was preserved together with his history.
Well, all the anecdotes I heard in Xiangxi during my trip are similar, which really deserves the title of mysterious Xiangxi. In this way, our trip to Zhangjiajie also drew a perfect full stop. Goodbye, Zhangjiajie, this memory will live in my heart forever.