The hometown of the famous musician Daolang, a quiet check-in place hidden deep in Sichuan - Luoquan Ancient Town

Luoquan Town is a town under the jurisdiction of Zizhong County, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province. Located at the junction of Weiyuan, Zizhong and Renshou, it is the hometown of the famous musician Daolang. It is said that Yang Rudai, former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, also lived here when he was in middle school.

Luoquan, also known as "Luoquan Well", is more than 50 kilometers away from Zizhong County.

The distance from Renshou, Zizhong and Weiyuan counties forms an equilateral triangle.

Perhaps it is because no one wants to take care of it or care about it that this ancient town has been preserved relatively completely.

It is said that Luoquan was built in the Qin Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,700 years.

Today, Luoquan is one of China's 100 thousand-year-old ancient towns and is included in the list of historical and cultural towns in Sichuan Province.

Luoquan in mid-June has entered the season of scorching sun, and the slightest movement will make you sweat.

Therefore, the streets of the town are sparsely populated, and many shops are closed, giving people a slight sense of depression.

Only the Salt Temple in the center of the town is home to many villagers who come to play cards and cool off. They are not resistant to our close-up shooting, and some are very cooperative, waiting for you to press the shutter. .

According to historical records, the rise and fall of Luoquan is related to the local salt production industry.

At its peak in the late Qing Dynasty, Luoquan had more than 1,000 salt wells and more than 50 salt cooking stoves.

Some scholars described Luoquan at that time as "boats were rushing back and forth, horses were neighing and donkeys were crowing." Luoquan salt was transported to various parts of western China via land and water. In the early years of the Republic of China, Luoquan began to decline, and the large and small salt wells gradually dried up. There was no more brine to collect. It seemed that all the prosperity had disappeared overnight.

In less than two hours, I roughly scanned the town. The scenery is not like scenery, and the record is not complete. I can only make a rough record of Luoquan Ancient Town. , if this group of pieces can play a role in attracting others, it will have achieved its purpose.

The history of the ancient town of Luoquan Town

The history of the ancient town Luoquan, also known as Luoquanjing, is a famous historical and cultural town in Sichuan Province. According to the "Zizhong County Chronicle", Luoquan Ancient Town It has a history of more than 1,700 years. It is said that it is related to Zhuge Liang's digging of Luoquan's "Four Wells" to collect water. The rise of Luoquan is inseparable from Luoquan's salt mining industry. According to the "Salt Law Chronicles", "Zizhou Luoquan Well" "An ancient factory was founded in Qin." It can be seen that Luoquan has a very long history. After expansion in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui Dynasty, Tang to Song and Yuan Dynasties, Luoquan Town had begun to take shape during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. In the eighth year of Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, Zizhou Luoquan Prefecture was established. From this, it can be seen that Luoquan Town The history of Luoquan Salt Industry can also be said to be the development history of Luoquan Salt Industry.

Luoquan Town was withdrawn and expanded in 1992. The original four towns (townships) of Luoquan Town, Xiaoqiao Township, Suijia Township and Wanfa Township were merged into Luoquan Town. Luoquanchang Community (No. 20 Guangfu Street), the seat of the People's Government of Luoquan Town, was established in the Yamen of Zizhou Branch in the 10th year of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (1732), 56km away from Zizhong County (Shuinan Town).

Luoquan, which is famous for its salt production, has a long history that can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, salt industry development had reached its peak. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Luoquan had more than 1,500 salt wells. The well salt produced won the gold medal at the Paris World Exposition in 1925. At that time, merchants in Luoquan gathered together, horses neighed and mules barked, and it was very lively. The local Salt Temple is the best witness. According to "Salt Law Chronicles": Luoquan Well in Zizhou was founded in the Qin Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. Salt merchants raised funds to build the Salt Temple in the seventh year of Tongzhi (1868). The temple covers an area of ??1,670 square meters. The temple gate, archway, stage, ear tower, main hall, side rooms, corridors, courtyard dam and other buildings have a coordinated layout, tight structure and smart shape. In the temple, Guan Zhong is worshiped as the God of Salt, and Guan Yu and the God of Fire accompany Guan Zhong as his assistants. The entire Salt Temple has three levels of double eaves, with high wing angles. Dragons on the roof of the main hall are playing and grabbing treasure maps. Even after a hundred years of wind and rain, The fight is still lifelike.

Ranking of Zizhong tourist attractions

1. Luoquan Ancient Town.

Luoquan Ancient Town is located in the deep hills at the junction of Renshou, Weiyuan and Zizhong counties in Sichuan, hidden beside the Zhuxi River, a tributary of the Tuojiang River. Its fame comes from the discovery of salt wells in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, Luoquan Town was crowded with merchants and extremely lively. But now there is only one well-preserved Salt Temple left, revealing the desolation of ancient times.

Walking through the ancient streets and temples of the ancient town, you can enter the leisurely atmosphere of the ancient town in the winding green-tiled wooden rooms. The people of Luoquan who have gone through many vicissitudes of life are hard-working, simple, honest and generous. Women like to busy themselves with their needlework in intimate chats, and the old people drink tea and listen to operas, and the warm sunshine shines on their contented faces.

There are more than a dozen teahouses on the five-mile-long old street alone, and business is booming. Walk into a teahouse with a patio by the bridge, order a cup of tea with a bowl cover, and listen to the old people talking about the glorious yesterday of the ancient town. Luoquan, which is famous for its salt production, has a long history that can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the development of the salt industry had reached its peak. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Luoquan had more than 1,500 salt wells, and the well salt produced was produced in 1925. Won the gold medal at the Paris World Exposition.

At that time, Luoquan merchants gathered together, horses neighed and mules barked, and it was very lively. The Salt Temple on the other side is the best witness. The Salt Temple was built in the seventh year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1868 AD). The Salt Temple is an important symbol of the ancient town's former glory.

In the temple, Guan Zhong is worshiped as the God of Salt, and Guan Yu and the God of Fire accompany Guan Zhong as his assistants. The entire Salt Temple has three levels of double eaves, with high wing angles, and dragons on the roof of the main hall are playing and grabbing treasure maps. , even after hundreds of years of wind and rain, it is still lifelike. Nowadays, the Salt Temple has become a gathering place for people in the ancient town.

2. Ningguo Temple in Zizhong.

Zizhong Ningguo Temple was built in the 5th year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 200). It is known as the "No. 1 Zen Forest in Bashu" and is the last place where kapok cassocks were stored. Historically, the Silla Kingdom (now South Korea) The third prince once practiced here for 14 years. Ningguo Temple integrates long history and Buddhist culture and has great influence in Sichuan and even the country. However, it was destroyed in the 1950s.

In order to further promote its long history and Buddhist culture, transform the rich historical and Buddhist cultural resources into historical and Buddhist cultural capital, better demonstrate its magnificent momentum to the world, and inject new ideas into Zizhong tourism. Due to its vitality, Zizhong County launched the Ningguo Temple restoration project in 2006. The project lasted three years and cost nearly 10 million yuan.

Initial construction: It was first built in the fifth year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty and was originally named Dechun Temple. Prosperity: It was still named Dechun Temple in the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Wu Zetian gave it the name "Bodhi Dojo". In the early Tang Dynasty, Zen Buddhism was divided into the Northern School headed by Shenxiu and the Southern School headed by Huineng. The Baotang Zen School founded by Zhishen neither relied on the south nor the north. It was the first to introduce Zen Buddhism to Sichuan, so Ningguo Temple was known to later generations. It is regarded as the ancestral temple and is also known as "the first Zen forest in Bashu".

The four founders of the Baotang Zen School all came from the Tang Dynasty and made important contributions to the cause of Buddhism in Sichuan and even China. This was also the most prosperous era for Ningguo Temple in Zizhong; in the Song Dynasty, Dechun Temple was officially renamed. It is Ningguo Temple.

In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Taizong's personal letter "Zhicao Ganoderma" was hung in the temple. In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, Ningguo Temple still had a high reputation. Qin Hui collected "auspicious things" from all over the world for his sake, including the "Zhicao Lianli" of Ningguo Temple.

3. Dechun Temple in Zizhong.

Dechun Temple, also known as Ningguo Temple, is located at the foot of Qishen Mountain, ten miles north of Zizhong City. It was first built in the fifth year of Jian'an (200), the fifth year of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. During the reign of Wu Zetian, Master Zhishen, an eminent Zen monk, lived here. He wrote many Buddhist works such as "Xu Rong Guan", "Dependent Origination", "Prajna Heart Sutra" and other works. He is not the founder of the Southern Zen sect, nor the Jiannan Zen sect of the Northern sect.

In the second year of Wu Zhou’s Long Live Tongtian reign (697), Wu Zetian sent Zhang Changqi, one of the Heavenly Officials, to invite him to Chang’an. He was given the title Zhishen as the “National Zen Master” and Dechun Temple as the “Bodhi Dojo”. When Zhi Shen retired and returned to his hometown, Wu Zetian also "gifted a new edition of the Huayan Sutra, an embroidered image of Maitreya, flags, flowers, etc., and the letter cassock of Patriarch Bodhidharma", making Dechun Temple in Zizhong a "treasure" regarded by Zen disciples. The kapok cassock of "clothes" was returned to the treasure temple.

In the 16th year of Kaiyuan of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (728), the prince of Silla Kingdom came to Dechun Temple and became a disciple of Zen Master Chuji, a disciple of Zen Master Zhishen. After studying for two years, he established his own school. He went to practice under the rocks of Jingu Mountain (now known as Yuhegou), which is only about ten miles away from Dechun Temple, and became another generation of Zen masters. Silla is now North Korea and South Korea.

The prince who came to Zizhong was the third son of Kim Heung-gwang, Seongdeok King of Silla Kingdom, and was known as the "Third Prince". He had a little sister who didn't want to get married, so she cut her face with a knife, joined Buddhism and became a bhikshuni.

4. Chonglong Mountain Scenic Area.

Chonglong Mountain Scenic Area in Zizhong County covers an area of ??86 acres. It is located in the northeast corner of Zizhong County in the southeastern part of the Sichuan Basin. It is within the urban planning area and is a national-level scenic spot. The mountains are flying and you can see them when you climb the mountain. , Jiangshan city scenery, countless. The mountains are lush with trees and lush green, and there are places of interest and historical sites all over the mountain.

The area preserves ancient buildings such as Yongqing Temple, Laihe Pavilion, Wenming Danfu Archway, Chonglong Pavilion, and Shouyin Pavilion for rest, as well as Junzi Spring, Beiyan Cliff Statue and Fish Calling Pond. It is a famous tourist attraction since the Tang and Song Dynasties, with simple natural features and rich traditional cultural characteristics.

The mountain shape is winding and undulating, and the mountain is surrounded by tigers and dragons. It has a long history, rich resources and convenient transportation. It is now a comprehensive tourist area integrating landscaping, scenic spots, historical relics, entertainment, leisure and fitness, sightseeing, inspections, vacations, meals and accommodation, photography, etc. The scenic area integrates mountains, rocks, forests, springs, and scenery. Integrated into one, there are newly built facilities such as an amusement park, nursery, Wangjiang Pavilion, Junziquan Garden and Five Hundred Arhat Hall.

The Moyan statues in the scenic area are key cultural relics protection units in Sichuan Province. They are distributed between Junzi Spring and Gubei Rock. There are 162 niches and more than 1,600 statues. Such as the beehive, according to the inscription next to the niche, it was carved during the Tang and Song Dynasties, and it has a history of more than a thousand years.

The belly of Junzi Spring is wide and concave, spreading out in an arc. There is a spring between the walls. In the old days, the spring water was in a favorable location and was available all year round. There is a square pool below. When the spring water enters the pool, it makes a rhythmic and pleasant sound, hence the name "Junzi Spring". "Lingyan Spring Rhyme", commonly known as "Drip Water Playing the Qin", is one of the eight scenic spots in ancient Zizhou.

5. Salt Temple.

In the history of the development of the human salt industry, salt producers and operators have built various temples or guild halls on site to show off the county and wealth.

There are more than 10,000 temples and guild halls built in the world due to the salt industry, but they are all named after place names, historical figures or the names of the main builders.

The most representative salt industry guild hall in China is the original Zigongxi Qin Guild Hall, which was mainly built by Shaanxi merchants at that time. It houses the shrine of Guan Yu, so it is called Shaanxi Temple or Guandi Temple.

So far, among the temples around the world, only Luoquan Town has a Salt Temple. It is located on Hedong Street at the east end of Zilai Bridge and is known as a wonder temple in the world. As early as the Qin Dynasty, there were many derricks and salt stoves at the bottom of the mountain stream in Luoquan Town. It became one of the important bases for salt production in the Land of Abundance. Its history of salt production is more than 500 years earlier than Zigong, the salt capital.

The salt industry development in Luoquanjing went through the Han, Three Kingdoms, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and continued to develop over the years. By the Qing Dynasty, the salt industry development in Luoquan Town was At its peak of development, during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, there were 1,515 salt wells in Luoquan Well. The well salt produced won the gold medal at the World Expo in Paris, France in 1925.

With the booming development of the salt production industry, Luoquanjing Town’s merchants gathered, horses neighed and camels croaked, and it gradually became the political, economic and cultural center of Zizhong, Weiyuan, Renshou, Jingyan and Ziyang. . Salt merchants, in particular, are inseparable from the precious land of Luoquanjing, the salt production base. They transport salt by ship, mules and horses to Chengdu, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Tibet, Xinjiang and other places for sale.

6. Yongqing Temple in Zizhong.

Yongqing Temple is located on Chonglong Mountain in the northeast corner of Zizhong County, Sichuan Province. It is located in the middle section of the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway, 142 kilometers away from Chengdu, and has been designated as a place for religious activities and sightseeing. Yongqing Temple was first built in the Tang Dynasty, continued in the 38th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1559), rebuilt in the 60th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1721), and repaired many times during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns.

There is a stone archway in front of the temple, with the name "Chonglong Historic Site" on it. There is a couplet on both sides that says: "Two cranes cross the river, traces of the immortal officials, look for the crane frame at the top of the hundred-foot building; the heavy dragon surrounds the Guo, heel Mingxian's former site, looking at Longmen at Santai Ferry. "On the back of the archway is written - "A famous temple in Western Sichuan."

There is a couplet on both sides that says: "Relying on the Lingyun of the Han Dynasty, Xun is the Western Dharma Realm; hearing the water, it is clear that Caoxi is the best place." Behind the archway is the "Wenming Danfu" archway, followed by the Tianwang Hall of Yongqing Temple , there is an octagonal pavilion with double eaves behind the palace. It is said that the "Laihe Pavilion" was built in the Song Dynasty, and the Putuo Hall was built behind the pavilion. Behind the palace is the "Tianchi" where drought never ends.

Behind Tianchi is the Main Hall, with the Moon Pond on the right. Allusions: Thousands of feet of green mountains reach into space, and towers decorate the Brahma Palace. Wandering around Angxiao Yuanling Ridge is like taking the Pearl River to Gu Zhong. This is a poem in praise of Zhonglong Mountain originally written by Yang Shun, the inspector general of Sichuan in the Ming Dynasty. The Brahma Palace in the poem refers to the ancient temple on the top of the mountain, Yongqing Temple.

Although the whole poem has only twenty-eight characters, it vividly depicts the scenic spots of Chonglong Mountain and Yongqing Temple. History Yongqing Temple, "a famous temple in Western Shu", is located on Chonglong Mountain in Zizhong County, Sichuan Province. Zen Master Wuyun gave lectures here during the Ming Dynasty, and it was very popular at that time. According to historical records, the temple was built on the mountain in the Tang Dynasty, and the current Yongqing Temple was rebuilt in the 38th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1559). It has a history of more than 400 years.

7. Zizhong Ganlu Temple.

Ganlu Temple is located in Guangji Mountain on the eastern outskirts of Ganlu Ancient Town, 22 kilometers west of Zizhong County. According to the "Zizhong County Continuation of Zizhou Chronicles", the temple was built with funds raised by monk Zhende in the Tang Dynasty. The existing buildings maintain the style of the Ming Dynasty. The stone square on the temple gate still retains the banner "Zizhong's No. 1 Zen Forest" inscribed by Sun Hongshi, a doctor in the Ministry of Justice of the Ming Dynasty.

In 1973, it was listed as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit, and in 1991, it was listed as a Sichuan provincial-level cultural relics protection unit. Ganlu Temple is built on the mountain, facing south and facing the Tuojiang River in front. The West Rock next to the temple is said to be the site of many eminent monks from the Tang Dynasty. There is a spring under the rock that can cure diseases, and the temple is named after it. In the 12th year of Zhengtong in the Ming Dynasty (1447), the monk Mingyi renovated the hall, and again in the early years of Qianlong and the sixth year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty.

During its heyday in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, it had five front and rear halls and dozens of houses, covering an area of ??more than 8,130 square meters. The earliest temple gate is very close to the ancient town. It can be seen that the whole temple was quite large at that time.