After sharing with you the scenery, culture and food of this unknown town with an amazing sunset on the island, I finally came to this part of the story.
A small town with a "story"
This is a small peninsula fishing port. People shuttle between the sea, fishing boats and their homes every day, and their lives are simple and fulfilling.
When I first came to this island, the first thing I fell in love with was the big terrace on the top floor in the morning and the French window in the bedroom at dusk.
Looking out of the window, the sea is on three sides, and the fresh blue is full of eyes at once.
There is a residential area with small villages and deep alleys, which extend far along the coast.
When you walk in, the low old tile house is hidden among the colorful buildings that appeared in the early days.
Walking inside, my feet are covered with moss.
Looking back now, compared with the beautiful seascape, my deepest travel memory of Jianghong Town is on the road of collecting "anecdotes" of this town.
During the trip, it is often the "story-telling experience" behind the scenery that makes people remember deeply and unforgettable for a long time, rather than the beautiful scenery pictures themselves.
There are only two main streets in Jianghong Town. Walking on these two roads, I have a very deep feeling: the men in this town are very hard, while the women are "idle" most of the time.
Let's start our "story" with "Men in Jianghong Town".
The man on the island
The host I live in is Xiaoyu, 34 years old this year. He is the kind of man with obvious "Jiang Hong characteristics".
Xiaoyu told me that Jianghong Town attaches great importance to "family" and "family style", which is related to honor and disgrace, success or failure, and most of them are decided by men.
The highest-ranking "principal" in this family is usually the eldest son, and then the eldest son inherits the mantle and the eldest son waits for the position.
For example, Xiaoyu is the eldest of the family and has two younger brothers. Big brother is the father, and he is the master at a young age.
Although the family property can be divided into more points, at the same time, the "main affairs" of the family are on his shoulders, and the responsibility is great.
Like most traditional families in the town, he has been wandering in Guangzhou for more than ten years, and he never dares to forget the principle of the eldest son.
In the process of our chat, kindness and commitment are like "long" in the tone of every sentence.
This is the responsibility of enlightenment education entrusted to him by the town where he was born and raised.
Only when a person has a sense of responsibility can he be credible, accurate, sincere and moving.
Some characters will accompany you for life. Wherever you go, Jiang Hong is the first nutrient.
Just like the vine at the root of an old house, it gives you the simplest soil, rain and sunshine. It has grown tall and crawled away along the eaves, but the roots are still here, and the flowering results are unambiguous.
In Jianghong Town, men's lives are full of sense of ceremony.
[Lighting]
When a boy is one year old, he should invite the whole village to dinner, light a bamboo lamp and tie the lamp in strict accordance with the traditional style, which is called "opening light lamp".
Nowadays, fewer and fewer old gentlemen wear this kind of bamboo lamp, which has become an endangered handicraft on the island.
[married]
The day before a man gets married, a special wedding will be held at home.
First, kill a black pig in front of your house, and then kill a dozen chickens. Every chicken must see blood. Collect the blood and sacrifice it to ancestors, pray for the family's success every year and bless this "town closest to the sea" for the world.
So the most common animal I see in Jianghong Town is chicken, and every household keeps chickens. I often see women standing in the alley, calling the chickens in the alley home from a distance.
Status of women
At the beginning, I mentioned that the women in Jianghong Town look "laid-back".
They either get together to play mahjong in the afternoon, or sit alone at the door and silently weave fishing nets.
A barefoot woman leaned against the door frame from time to time, and the probe kept looking at the alley mouth.
In the old alley, most of the people who stay to look after the house are women and the elderly.
I tried to communicate with these aunts many times, but all ended in failure. I met an uncle who can speak a few words of Mandarin. He said that all his children have gone to big cities, one in Shenzhen and the other in Zhanjiang.
Opposite their newly-built Xiaoyanglou, there is still a low and damp old straw house built a hundred years ago.
During the Republic of China, some rich people could afford to build tile houses, while ordinary people could only live in thatched houses.
At that time, the status of women in Jianghong Town was very low, and there were many restrictions on "female virtue".
In Tomb-Sweeping Day, women can't go to the grave;
Women can't go back to their parents' homes at the age of 30 because they "destroy the reunion";
Women don't need to do heavy work, only washing, sweeping the floor and carrying on the family line are their main tasks.
……
I heard a story that a woman in the town was a widow when she got married for the first time, and her second husband died shortly after remarriage. Usually we call it a "small probability event", which is very unlucky in a small town.
As a result, rumors spread all over the city, and the outside world spread this woman "Foucault" in succession. Relatives rejected her, friends disliked her, and many people abandoned her. The days on the island couldn't go on, so she had to move to another place, with the shadow of "lifting her head all her life" and finally passed away.
Sometimes "environment" is a terrible thing.
When you can't help being influenced by the habits of your superiors, you will change a person's mentality.
Confucius said, "Living with kindness is like walking into Lan Zhi's room. If you don't smell its fragrance for a long time, you will melt with it. " Living with the wicked is like entering the abalone house. If you don't smell it for a long time, you will melt with it. "
He who can still keep a clear mind in the "hidden place of paint" is also a wise man.
Walking in the alley, I saw a woman sitting in front of her house, not very old, about 50 years old.
I used to chat with her. She was talkative and mumbled a lot. Unfortunately, I didn't understand a word of Leizhou dialect, so I recorded it quietly and translated it by Xiaoyu. These are small things:
The children at home work in Suixi city ... the house leaks when it rains. ...
The environment will restrict a person's vision and cognition. This family is short-lived, and this is the "world" of women in small towns.
When young people receive higher education, they leave the island and go to the outside world, and they can't bear to come back.
Fortunately, Jiang Hong's life is much better now. Some very capable women earn enough face for their families by selling fish, doing business and receiving higher education, and are no longer bound by "status".
It's just that the comfortable and beautiful tradition of "women don't have to work" seems to have been continuing.
Continuation of tradition
Jianghong folk customs are very simple, and people have been doing their duty for thousands of years.
In recent years, with convenient transportation, many foreigners have set their eyes on this "undeveloped land" and come to invest, do business, engage in maintenance and build farms ... The traditional thinking of "locals" and the divergent thinking of foreigners have collided on this small island, and the fate of Jianghong Town and Jianghong people has been rewritten unconsciously in the long river of history.
[Simplification of old customs &; Refine]
There are several important festivals in Jianghong Town, such as Tomb-Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival.
In the past, the procedures of festivals were very complicated, and the time of burning incense lasted from the first day to the fifteenth day. When Xiaoyu took her mother to live in Guangzhou, her mother still kept the habit of returning to her hometown hundreds of miles every once in a while, rain or shine.
Soon after, my mother realized that the pressure on young people to pick up and drop off was too great, and she was impatient.
As a last resort, my mother simplified the procedure and only burned incense on major festivals.
At first, I was worried that I was not "sincere" and would be "accused" of doing so. Later, I found that "it doesn't matter" and I settled down in Guangzhou.
The change of people's ideology has always been a generation of new people to influence the old.
"The world is yours in the final analysis."
The change of the overall style of Jianghong Town is also based on the change of people's ideology.
When young people have ideological conflicts with the old people at home, we should give them more time to feel and realize the positive side, and gradually they will understand. Time can solve all problems-as long as you don't stop "changing".
[Please God&; Ancestor worship]
When I visited people in the town, I was curious to see a small shrine above the hall where every household opened the door. Xiaoyu said that this small ranking was found from the ancestral temple in the town.
The ancestral temple in the town spent a lot of money to build, which is the most cohesive place in the town. The ancestral hall is dedicated to the stone tablets of ancestors who moved here in their early years. Sacrificing ancestors means "never forget one's roots".
【 Witch &; Taoist priest]
In the past years, especially in Jianghong Town, a place near the sea, people can only find temporary peace of mind in the face of natural forces that human beings can't overcome.
Until now, there are still some very rich "witches" and "Taoists" living on the island, who charge thousands of dollars each time.
"When these new people who went to college grow up, they are likely to lose their jobs. They will eventually give up and change their destiny by their own hands. "
General Fu Bo.
If "God" is illusory, then Jianghong Fubo Temple is dedicated to a real hero.
It is said that during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the national strength became stronger and stronger, and talents came forth in large numbers. This Fubo Temple is dedicated to General Lü budd, who was a hero when Huo Qubing conquered Xiongnu.
I can't find out the date of birth of Lubbard, but I found some pen and ink about Suixi by looking through the history books.
"In the autumn of the fifth year of Ding Yuan, Lu Weiwei Bode was the general of Fu Bo. He went to Guiyang to get water ... Xianhui Panyu." At that time, Lu Bode went south along the Belt and Road in western Guangdong, passed through Zhanjiang and went straight to Hainan Island. Hainan was a wild place at that time. After Lubbock went there, the Han Dynasty set up nine counties there.
Since then, Hainan Island has been formally incorporated into Chinese territory.
From the perspective of historical development, lubbock can be regarded as a person who has made great contributions.
Sima Qian praised Lu Bode as "wise and resourceful, and misfortune is also a blessing". He achieved excellent results in military service, and was even named Hou.
Lubbock was also "the first general of Fu Bo in the history of China".
Surrender to the waves-literally, it can be understood that this is a supreme honor, only in ancient coastal areas.
By the Ming Dynasty, the fishing port in Jianghong became more and more prosperous. Due to the shipwreck and the harassment of pirates, the town built a temple for the first general Fu Bo to pray for peace.
Strangely, since the emergence of Fubo Temple, people here have never been seriously hurt by seawater.
Remember the "Guangdong's nearest village to the sea" mentioned in my first travel note in Jianghong Town?
The most frequently asked question is: Is this house not afraid of being washed away by the sea? Aren't you afraid of being blown down by a typhoon?
Of course.
The first generation of old houses were built next to the beach dam. When the old house was hastily built, people lived there. Without piling, the typhoon came and fell.
Later, village cadres concentrated on taking everyone to rebuild dams and houses, and then regularly checked the coastal protection every year.
In 20 18, Fubo Temple was renovated in the town.
People living by the sea face an unknown world, and their spirits and hearts sometimes feel helpless and need "sustenance", and General Fu Bo is like a "reassurance" in the town.
I don't think this is superstition, I regard it as a kind of "heroic belief".
On the way to travel, there is often a huge gap between many landscapes, cultures and our daily knowledge. We may not fully understand some ancient traditions, but we can respect them.
Xiaoyu said that since he can remember, Jianghong Town has been in good weather, with occasional minor disasters, but no major disasters. Jiang Hong is a beautiful place, at least his generation is happy, stable and corning.
It is an "initial heart" of Jianghong Town and its people not to forget the kindness of predecessors and benefit future generations.
Island anecdote
Tell a few short stories unique to Jianghong Town.
Abnormal things 1: pork is more popular than gold.
During festivals, pork is a necessary new year's goods for every household in Jianghong Town. Meat sellers were very busy in those two days, and everyone went to grab the best-looking meat, which was in short supply.
Will people with flexible minds feel that "business opportunities" are coming?
However, in Jianghong, the price never rises randomly, and the price is usually the same on this day. Therefore, pork will be sold out early in the morning, and those who go late can't buy gold with pork.
Strange thing 2: There is no fresh water in such a big sea.
Jianghong Town has the largest sea area, but there is no fresh water in many parts of the island.
For example, several wells were dug around the homestay where I lived, and no fresh water was produced, only salt water, so I finally had to refer to the centralized water supply in the town. Perhaps the lack of fresh water has also affected the development of the island.
It is worth mentioning that there is an important monument at the entrance of Fubo Temple: the ancient well of General Fu Bo Gemini.
According to legend, in the Western Han Dynasty, Lyu3 bu4 passed by and found that there was no water to drink. The horse raised its hoof and dug a fresh water well for soldiers and villagers.
Today, these two thousand-year-old wells still have enough drinking water, and the figure is clear, the sky is blue and the texture is very clear.
People who live nearby often carry buckets to pump water home for drinking.
Strange 3: Rare "Prehistoric Civilization" in Leizhou Peninsula.
According to records, in 2003, archaeologists excavated a carp-shaped shell pier in an ancient village in Jianghong Town, and later named it "carp pier shell mound", which preserved traces of ancient people's life 8,000 years ago.
Strangely, the Leizhou Peninsula is 130 km deep from north to south, surrounded by the sea on three sides. From the perspective of location advantages, all counties and districts in Zhanjiang are "evenly matched".
Why did this "only" fall on Jiang Hong?
I didn't find any conclusive research, but from the map, Jianghong Town is indeed a special place.
There is a small "bulge" in this town, and the homestay I lived in is located here. Although it is less than one kilometer, it is enough to form a visual sense of being surrounded by the sea on three sides.
Just like a small bay, it makes people feel safe and practical.
In addition, there is a rare small trench that "hooks" the land, which can nourish a larger area of land and let more people enjoy the warmth of "facing the sea".
It is like a "hand of God", "pointing" to this place to tell people: this is an auspicious and livable land, come on!
The sun is about to set, and people who are going home are coming slowly from the seaside at the corner of the alley.
People live in the collision between the old times and the new life every day, and experience round after round of landscape changes in Jianghong Town.
"Warm people village, a street smoke. In the deep alley where dogs bark, chickens crow and mulberry trees jump. "
Isn't this the seclusion that Tao Yuanming has been looking for?
postscript
Last but not least, Jiang Hong has two times a year that are more suitable for traveling.
One is the Dragon Boat Festival.
During the Dragon Boat Festival every year, Jianghong Town is more lively than the Chinese New Year. Dragon boat teams from several nearby coastal provinces will gather in this bay to celebrate collectively. It can be said that without Jiang Hong and Zhanjiang, we would never see such a "dragon boat crossing the sea" scene again.
The second is to open a fishing festival.
From August to September every year, Jianghong Fishing Port will usher in a bumper harvest season. Zhanjiang's most famous fishing festival is held here. The whole port is crowded with people and all kinds of seafood. If you want to eat the freshest and delicious seafood, you can take this day to taste it.
I'm Sister Hong, the anchor of the audio radio travel channel, a professional traveler, paying attention to minority play and sharing unpopular destinations. Travel is not an attitude, but life itself.