Hunan’s real paradise—Gaoyi Ancient Village

During the five days of traveling in Hunan, I was very satisfied with Gaoyi Ancient Village on the second day and Langshan on the fourth and fifth days.

The beauty of Gaoyi Ancient Village exceeds everyone’s expectations. In accordance with international practice, I’d better upload the pictures first. Because I forgot to bring my camera when I went out, the device I used to take pictures was a Xiaomi Mi 6 mobile phone. It was already a mobile phone from four years ago, so the clarity was not good.

The last time I saw such a primitive countryside with well-preserved old buildings was when I went to Tang'an Dong Village in Guizhou Province in January 2020. There, like here, there is almost no trace of artificial commerce. Of course, there are businesses everywhere, but the "commercial traces" I am referring to here are unnatural and uncoordinated things created by the joint efforts of the government and developers. They are forced to serve tourists and increase local income. Commercial streets, artificial trails, etc. are created that are incompatible with local culture. Just like a certain mountain, you see more and more man-made ladders, cement roads, sightseeing buses, and so-called local specialties purchased from wholesalers in every scenic spot.

Not here. Not only that, but in order to completely preserve the original style of the place, the local government prohibited residents from demolition and construction. Even if it is your own house, if it is to be demolished, you must obtain the consent of the local government. Such a policy has allowed Gaoyi Village to preserve a large number of ancient buildings that are decades or centuries old. Some buildings are even more than 500 years old. 500 years ago, it was already the Ming Dynasty. I wonder if Tang Xianzu wrote "The Peony Pavilion" at that time? Has Luo Guanzhong started writing "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"?

Over the past 500 years, China has experienced many vicissitudes and turbulent times. China has experienced several disasters that almost led to the country's collapse. Once-famous cultural relics and buildings have been robbed, burned, and smashed, but this small place that no one cared about before has been lucky enough to escape the catastrophe again and again, just like the most inconspicuous creature in the dinosaur era, the mammal, escaped. The extinction disaster at that time...

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Set off

On May 2, at around 7 o'clock in the morning, we got up and packed our luggage. There is free breakfast on the second floor of the Heber Hotel, but it is all bland and tasteless, such as the so-called fried noodles mixed with soy sauce, soy milk brewed with soy milk powder added with a lot of sugar, and steamed buns bought from the supermarket freezer. , boiled eggs in plain water, porridge with added sugar. I resisted and ate an egg, a steamed bun and some porridge. Yuanyuan had more food than me, and she also ate some so-called fried noodles. After a while, Sister Qiu and 43 also came down. They both looked energetic and said they slept until dawn. Sister Qiu and 43 ate a lot, and seemed to enjoy it with gusto. 43 actually drank three large bowls of soy milk. If I had known, I should have told him not to drink. Because this kind of soy milk with added sugar will cause blood sugar to spike. For him who is already overweight, it is really harmful rather than helpful.

We drove from the Hebe Hotel in the center of Loudi to Gaoyi Ancient Village at 8:30. After refueling on the way, we passed the Ancient Shangcheng Bridge in Hongjiang City at 12 o'clock. We found that the surrounding scenery was very beautiful, so we proposed to have lunch here.

The terrain of Hongjiang Ancient Mall is triangular, with two sides facing water, half of which faces the Yuanjiang River, and the other half faces the Wu River, a tributary of the Yuanjiang River. If you have a small boat, you can reach Gaoyi Ancient Village by going straight down the Wu River.

As usual, we searched for nearby food on Ctrip. Yuanyuan searched for a hotel in Hongjiang Ancient Mall, but when she drove here, she discovered that the hotel was gone, and half of the ancient mall was being expanded and renovated.

Although the ancient mall cannot be visited, there are still many old buildings from the 1950s to the 1980s around it, so we stopped the car to visit and take photos.

There is a difference between what we often call nostalgia and nostalgia. Ancient buildings with a history of 100 or even 500 years must be nostalgic for our age. As for the old buildings from the 1950s to the 1980s, after all, we lived in them when we were young, but we have been away for a long time. When we look at them now, we feel nostalgic.

Since the restaurant is closed, let's just find another one to eat. There is a small restaurant by the Linyuan water. When I was taking pictures outside, they had already ordered the food. The food of this restaurant is really bad. The stir-fried pork I cook at home is better than theirs. The fish was even worse. It was called "Jiang Tuan" and had an earthy smell. This kind of fish is really not suitable to be eaten by customers unless it is facing severe famine.

I am the kind of person who can keep every meal very simple. For example, breakfast only requires a cup of coffee and a steamed bun, which is enough for me. Lunch and dinner only require a bowl of rice and a portion of tomato scrambled eggs and you can enjoy it with gusto. But if I'm ready to order something, I hope this restaurant can do it well. Just like when I usually do things, I either don’t do them at all, but when I do, I do them meticulously and perfectly.

After lunch it was already 14:00. There is a S222 provincial road from Hongjiang Ancient Mall to Gaoyi Ancient Village. From here, drive south to Gaoyi Ancient Village, which only takes 30 minutes by car. The scenery along the way is beautiful and you will never feel sleepy while driving.

I know Gaoyi Ancient Village is a niche attraction, but today is May 2 after all, and there are still fewer tourists here than we expected, and I feel overjoyed. Because I am too afraid of crowded tourist attractions.

When we drove in, it felt like we were in a natural village, not an attraction. Because no one here will guide you to park, and no one will collect your parking fees and village entrance tickets. And in Guangdong, there are many so-called rural areas that are much worse than here. They actually charge entrance fees for outsiders. This is really unbelievable. I even want to know which law in China allows a natural village to charge entrance fees for outsiders.

Opposite the parking lot and walking 30 meters up is the Gaoyi Ancient Village Folk Museum, founded by a private citizen named Yang Guoda. He is 68 years old this year and only has a fourth-grade elementary school education. He became a famous bamboo carving master in China through self-study. After he made a fortune growing chestnuts and carving bamboo carvings in the 1980s, he purchased a large number of folk antiques for his collection. Later, as the collection grew, he rented a small cabin locally as a collection exhibition hall. More than ten years ago, he only charged a nominal 10 yuan for admission, which was used for rent and utility bills. After so many years, the ticket price has only increased to 20 yuan.

 

I could only see people like this in novels before.

The most special thing about this museum is that you can get up close and personal with the collections and touch them. In my impression, among all the places I have been to, there seems to have never been a museum like this. Not only is there not, but it is often separated by a layer of glass, which makes people feel as uncomfortable as wearing a condom during sex.

Just because you can touch it with your hands, the 20 yuan ticket is a great value.

But I didn’t go in because I had seen too many museums and ancient artifacts.

Yuanyuan and I first went to the dry pier in the ancient village to take pictures. There were several huge geese here, estimated to weigh more than 20 kilograms. Yuanyuan was so scared that she didn't dare to approach. I encouraged her to be bold and she said that geese will attack people. Did I say its attacks can cause pain? Come closer so you can take pictures. When she finally had the courage to lean up, the two geese seemed not to be interested in Yuanyuan, they flapped their wings and walked away.

At this time, 43 and Sister Qiu were also missing. I told Yuanyuan that the village is not big anyway, so everyone can do their own thing, and we can meet in the parking lot later.

The weather was unbearably hot, and while I was thinking about how the ancients spent such a summer, we walked into the blue-tiled wooden house in the alley, and instantly felt cool and pleasant, without even using a fan.

The ancient house is very similar to the Huizhou architecture we saw in Wuyuan, but there are some subtle differences. I can't tell what the difference is at the moment. It may be because the people in Wuyuan are authentic Han people, while Gaoyi Ancient Village still retains some Dong customs. But it is different from most of the strong Dong-style buildings we see in Guizhou. Perhaps it is because Gaoyi Ancient Village has been Chineseized very early.

Since all the houses in the village are made of wood, the villagers have a strong awareness of fire prevention and fire-fighting. Almost every household has a large water tank in the yard, or has dug a well or dug a pond, and is equipped with equipment for fire-fighting. . It is said that there has been no fire here for more than a hundred years.

Yuanyuan and I wanted to go to a higher place to overlook the whole village, but when we reached the halfway point of the mountain, we could no longer move forward. We continued walking to the other side of the village, and soon we arrived at the visitor center on the street. There was a shop on the street cooking something in a big iron pot, and the smell came from a distance. There was no one in the shop, so Yuanyuan opened the door rudely. Hey, Yuanyuan has always been unable to resist food.

We sat inside for a while, and then the lady boss came over. She was probably only about 32 years old and a local. Judging from her fluent conversation and precise word choice, she has a good level of education. She said that there was originally a fee, but it was canceled last year due to the epidemic. Later, the government seemed too lazy to collect the fees because the village had too many entrances and exits, making it inconvenient, so it has been delaying the collection until now.

I told the boss lady that your village is so beautiful, it is like a paradise in Hunan. You see, it is adjacent to the river and highway, with convenient transportation, but it is unexpectedly quiet and peaceful. There are mountains on three sides, but there is a lot of flat land suitable for farming. I think that even if this place is completely isolated from the outside world, with the wisdom of the Chinese people, the villagers here can still live a prosperous life.

The landlady said it was beautiful here, but it cost the local boss a lot. I said what price? She said people here haven't built a new house in 20 years. I was shocked and asked why? She said that in order to maintain the original appearance of the place, the government has always prohibited local residents from demolition and construction, and all demolition and construction must apply to the government. Almost all the buildings here are already cultural relics. If they are cultural relics, they cannot be demolished randomly. If the family size increases, you can apply to the government for a new homestead.

Hearing this, my heart is full of respect for the villagers and local government here. At first I was opposed to a natural village charging entrance fees to outsiders. But if there is a village as beautiful as Gaoyi Ancient Village, with ancient buildings and cultural relics so well preserved, not to mention the 30 yuan ticket, even the 100 yuan ticket, I think it is worth it and should be given.

Before we left, the landlady told us to drive up to the winding mountain road. In a short while, we could see the whole place from the top. However, the mountain road is difficult to navigate, so we must be more careful.

As soon as we stepped out of the store, the outside of the house was like a steamer. When we opened the car door, a wave of heat rushed over us. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the inside was an oven. At this time, I had a deeper respect for the architecture of the ancients.

Scenery along the way:

At 18:00 in the afternoon, we returned to Hongjiang City. We found many hotels and hotels, and they were all full. In a small hotel converted from a residential building, we went in to bargain, but the boss refused to budge and said that this was already the lowest price. I originally wanted to forget it, but since it is the May Day period, the price is acceptable. But Yuanyuan said she didn't want to live here. She couldn't stand the tone of the landlady, as if she was great. I said that's fine, but the one next to it might be a little more expensive. She said it was expensive, but we couldn't afford it.

It seems that Yuanyuan likes to compete sometimes.

The hotel next to it is called "Xiyuan Hotel". A single room is 128 yuan and a double room is 248 yuan. We asked for a double room, but we didn't expect it to be 50 square meters. There was a mahjong table, a treadmill, and a 2-meter-wide bed, which still seemed spacious.

Tonight, a netizen drove over from Huaihua City to meet us for dinner. His name is Ah Dan, and we have known each other for many years. 43 I met him 12 years ago and never got together again.

43 I picked him up from the hotel and brought him to our room. I finally saw him. He was taller and stronger than I expected. Because 43 once told me that Ah Dan is a thin and small person.

Not long after entering my room, Ah Dan couldn't find the trash can and ashtray, so he spit out the betel nut he was chewing on the ground. This behavior made me very uncomfortable. Because Yuanyuan and I are both very clean people. In fact, the trash can is right next to the TV table. From this point alone, I know that his quality will not be very high. But I never wanted to have a deep friendship with him, so I just pretended to be easy-going.

He handed me the cigarette, and I declined, saying that I didn't smoke or drink. He said, what’s the point of being a man? Can a man still look like a man if he doesn’t smoke or drink?

Many thoughts flashed through my mind at once. I want to tell him that long-term smoking and drinking are very harmful to the body, and whether a man looks like a man depends not on whether he smokes or drinks, but on what he does. The meaning of life is not to smoke and drink. Think about it, what did humans do before they invented tobacco and alcohol? There are so many meaningful things in life, so why bother being trapped by tobacco and alcohol?

This thought of instructing him just passed by for a moment, and I immediately realized that he had been hanging out in this small place for a long time, and the friends and circles around him were also such people. It was definitely not something I could change with a few words. Moreover, I have never seen a person who is so incompetent and speaks arrogantly right after meeting someone. I have been preparing to quarrel with him for a while when there are many people at the dinner table to dampen his spirit. This is much more useful than being mean-spirited.

After going downstairs, I saw the car he drove over was a Mercedes-Benz. I don’t know if he drove someone else’s car or bought it himself. If you are driving someone else's car, this showing off will be obvious. If he bought it himself, as a civil servant, he is too blatant and something will happen sooner or later.

We came to a restaurant not far away called "Guxiang Antique Fashion Restaurant". Just by looking at the name, I knew that the food here was definitely not much better.

The appearance was not good, the taste was neither fish nor fowl, they made a good sheep and scorpion so unappetizing that I didn’t even eat a piece.

Locals only drink Liquan beer and Yanjing beer. I took a look at these two beers. The alcohol content is 2.5 degrees and 2.8 degrees respectively, and the wort concentration is as low as only 9 degrees. I asked the waiter to return the beer and exchange it for Budweiser. But after switching to Budweiser, I felt a little regretful and worried that there would be fake wine in this small place. Because there are a lot of fake Budweisers on the market.

I have given up drinking, so I just politely toasted them two glasses tonight, and I probably drank less than half a bottle. After changing glasses, Ah Dan talked to us about his work, how he usually drinks and dines with his leaders, and how he collects money to do things. I think he is too reckless in what he does and says. How can he tell outsiders such things? Not only did he not realize that this was very dangerous, but judging from his tone, it seemed that he was using it to brag.

I was shocked by his ignorance. I suspect this is a sign of a decline in his intelligence level caused by long-term heavy drinking and smoking. Or maybe the local officialdom has become so corrupt that it's become routine.

He said that people would give him gifts and money every year and festival, and he laughed so hard that one person even sent him a wall calendar. He continued as if he had been wronged: "Why do I need a calendar? You give me money."

I despise him more and more in my heart. While he was bragging about his drinking, I also talked about how I used to drink at work: "The thing I regret most in my life is drinking, because I drank too much before, and now I really want to slap myself when I think about it. A few slaps (my subtext is to express that I want to slap him a few times). If I could go back to my life, I would never drink again. In the past, beer was just mineral water to me. I would drink at least 8 bottles every time. More than 10 bottles at a time. What about the one-pound Erguotou? When I was working in Beijing, we would drink it all in one go. Man, I realize now that I am stupid. If someone still wants me to get drunk, he is either mentally retarded, or he thinks I am mentally retarded, because medicine has proven that long-term heavy drinking will damage the intelligence level, and it is irreversible. Even if you stop drinking for a day, your damaged intelligence will not return to its previous level. In other words, the more you drink, the more brain-dead you will become (I mean he is already brain-dead after drinking for a long time). It affects sexual function. In other words, the more you drink, the less like a man you are."

After saying this, Sister Qiu said loudly from the side: "Well said, I agree with your point of view."

I guess they didn't expect that my tone of voice would suddenly become sharp and sharp.

Because, what I hate most in my life is that others don’t know how to give me face.

After taking a breath, I decided that I didn’t need to say anything more. Anyway, I didn’t intend to have a deep friendship with him. He could say whatever he wanted to say next, and it had nothing to do with me how he wanted to live his life in the future.

This afternoon, 43 has told me that he will pay for dinner, because neither Sister Qiu nor Yuanyuan knows Ah Dan, and AA is not very good. I think the behavior of 43 pairs of friends is affectionate and polite. When we bought water at a convenience store in Hongjiang Ancient Mall in the afternoon, he bought two packs of 60 yuan cigarettes. He said that he was used to smoking Baisha cigarettes, but when you meet friends, you can't smoke them for a few dollars, right?

After several of us watched Ah Dan get into the car, we repeatedly told him to be careful when driving after drinking. To be honest, if he has an accident while driving back tonight, all four of us will be responsible. I think this person is too ignorant.

The four of us strolled to the riverside and talked about tonight's dinner. Yuanyuan warned me not to associate with him. I said don't worry, I'm not that stupid. I also said with regret that something big would happen to him sooner or later.

We all agreed that the food tonight was too much and a complete waste. What we feel distressed about is not the money, but the food. There is no need to waste these ingredients like this. 43 said this is a small place, maybe the locals have this habit. If it were the two of us, even if we hadn't seen each other for a few years, it would be no problem to go out for a quick meal. Sister Qiu said that this kind of thing would never happen in Guangdong, and that Guangdong people are more realistic.

The Hongjiang Ancient Mall at night had no special features. We stayed for a while and then went back to the hotel to rest.