Guiyang, Guizhou. From Qingyan Ancient Town and Yelang Valley to Guiyang Marathon and Fanjing Mountain, this was a Guizhou climb for both body and heart.
Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau A big tree
When I start running, I don’t take long strides.
You must not know the ancient country of Yelang
Yangming Zhisi I really want to become my teacher
The running figure should shine like a star
Write down every street in Guiyang
To be honest, I have never thought about going to Guiyang to race horses. We have long heard that there have been frequent complaints about the situation of Guima in the past few years, and the addition of Zhimei this year has made it even worse. Therefore, I would never dare to run against an expensive horse.
It wasn’t until I listened to Ming Yue’s “Those Things About the Ming Dynasty” that year. Out of my admiration for Mr. Yang Ming, the most perfect person in the Ming Dynasty, and the promotion of Gudong’s one dollar all-horse race quota, I made up my mind to visit Mr. Yang’s place of enlightenment, and horse racing was a bonus. On a hot summer day, it is a good social practice lesson to rush to the refreshing Guiyang to undergo dual cultivation of body and mind. Therefore, the trip to Guiyang, which originally did not exist here, took shape.
The last time I traveled westward, I went to the northwest, Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province, where there was loess and sand all the way. This time we were still heading west, but to the southwest, to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province. The scenery turned into green mountains and flowers all the way. I have to sincerely sigh that China has a vast land, abundant resources, and magnificent mountains and rivers. After sitting on a hard seat for 15 hours, looking at the green mountains and green waters outside, I seemed to have forgotten the fatigue of sitting for a long time. Thinking of Zeng Guofan's famous saying, "The wonderful years bring blessings to the bright light, and the stars are sent to Yelang." I am even more looking forward to this trip.
In fact, before the Spring and Autumn Period, Guizhou was a barren land and was part of the "Southern Barbarians". By the Warring States Period, the ancient Yelang Kingdom as we know it appeared and ruled this area. It was not until the time of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty that Guizhou developed rapidly. Zhu Yuanzhang warned Fu Youde before the southern expedition to Yunnan and Guizhou: "Every obstruction in Guizhou will cause the interruption of southern Yunnan." "Although there is Yunnan, it is difficult to defend it." Therefore, after the war, the Ming army left hundreds of thousands of troops on the spot to cultivate land, and moved in a large number of people from the south of the Yangtze River to cultivate wasteland. Therefore, in Guiyang today, many historical monuments have obvious traces of the Ming Dynasty.
It was already noon when we arrived in Guiyang. Brother Xiaolong had been waiting at the station for a while. Xiaolong is a brother I met at the Youth Hostel in Changsha. The friends I met through running are always very friendly. This time I came to Guiyang to join him. Then we went to Guiyang Olympic Sports to pick up equipment. It was so far away, and it took more than an hour for the bus to finally arrive. I scanned my face to get the equipment. It was simple and efficient. There were no horse expos around. Then it took nearly an hour for the bus to arrive at Xiaolong's house. There was a serious traffic jam on the road, electric vehicles were rampant, and there were no shared bicycles in sight (it was said that they were all wiped out by motorcycle drivers).
In the evening, we went to the Jiaxiu Tower, which was built in the Wanli Year of the Ming Dynasty. The Jiaxiu Tower is one of the top ten famous buildings in China, like the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, and the Big Computer Tower in Kunming. As the city card of Guiyang, you must not miss it. Maybe it was because of the long ride, the small plateau of Guiyang, and the hottest days here. It can be said that I was in awe while walking. The night view of Jiaxiu Tower was very beautiful, and I saw many people running along the river. This is the first day in Guiyang. It’s a bit congested, a bit hot, and my feet are a bit wet.
The next day, we took the early morning bus and arrived at Qingyan Ancient Town. Qingyan Ancient Town is known as one of the four ancient towns in Guizhou and is also the most popular attraction around Guiyang. It has buildings such as Wenchang Pavilion and Zhaogong Temple. You must buy a ticket before entering the city gate. Tickets are 10 yuan, and passes are 80 yuan. The pass is for several paid attractions together. Each attraction requires a stamp to enter. As a poor student, I only bought a 10 yuan ticket.
Entering Qingyan Ancient Town, the first thing you see is a majestic city gate. The city gate and city walls are all made of stone and are well preserved. The word "Qingyan" is written in cursive on the eaves of the second floor, which is particularly eye-catching. There is an endless stream of tourists here at the city gate, and everyone takes photos here. The streets in the ancient town are not wide, and there are low ancient houses on both sides. Walking along the crowded streets, you can see a dazzling array of shops selling special snacks, ethnic costumes, silver jewelry and other handicrafts to tourists. I walked and walked on the street, salivating at the delicious and tempting food in the shops, and finally ate the Qingyan pig's feet, rose ice porridge and bayberry drink on the roadside, which tasted good.
The ancient town is basically built with rock bricks. Due to the weather in Guiyang, a large number of green plants naturally grow in the damp areas of the bricks. It was my first time to visit a similar ancient town. I just felt that there were so many people and the cultural heritage had been washed away by commercialization, which was a bit regretful.
But the surprise is that climbing up the ancient city wall and looking out at the entire Qingyan Ancient Town is so beautiful. Surrounded by mountains, the entire ancient town is shaped like a mouth; the castle built on the mountains has the characteristics of "easy to defend but difficult to attack". During the ancient cold weapon period, it played a very important role as a military fortress. Finally, the aerial photography of Yaowang Temple is majestic.
Then take the bus and walk 3 kilometers to Huaxi Yelang Valley deep in the mountains. Huaxi Yelang Valley is located in a small canyon at the foot of Doupeng Mountain in Huaxi University Town, Gui'an New District. Opposite to Doupeng Mountain, it is said that this was the residence of Queen Yelang's successor Jin Zhusi. The ruins of the ancient Yelang Tun Fort are still preserved on the top of the mountain, hence the name Yelang Valley. The ruins of the ancient Yelang city wall and fort are still preserved on the top of the mountain.
Here is Yelang, who works for Song Peilun, an art worker who returned from the United States. Song Peilun, the owner of Yelang Valley in Huaxi. Every time I listen to his story, I always think of the legend of Huang Yaoshi and Peach Blossom Island. With 22 years of persistence, he brought the Chinese people's chivalrous dream and pastoral love into reality. In 1996, Song Peilun put aside his countless labels: he resigned as a university professor, he stopped being an "artist living in the United States", he refused all commercial projects, and he stopped even drawing the comics that made him famous. In the most remote corner of Guiyang, he transferred his life savings to three hundred acres of forest.
The admission fee for Yelang Valley is 20 yuan, half price for students. I heard that there was no admission fee before. Since Yelang Valley is not in the Guiyang travel recommendation list, the old artist has no choice but to start charging admission tickets recently in order to pay off his debts.
The land where Yelang Valley is located has a typical karst landform, with rocks all over the mountains and plains. Using an iron pestle to tilt up the stones and stack them into tall and abrupt stone pillars, the male worship of the ancestors directly expresses their feelings; they pick up discarded pottery pieces and paste eyes and lips on the sculptures, and the thick and crazy lines condense into a mysterious smile; some people think that this is fertility worship and vulgar; it is the graffiti of young children with no rules and techniques; others think that these primitive and backward pictures are strange and confusing. But in my eyes, some are just shocking.
I admire Mr. Song’s persistence. His innocent heart, his natural Taoism, and his return to nature. Since no one else will accept your innocent imagination or magical style, then hide in the small building and become one, regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter. From 1996 to 2018, the 22-year-old Yelanggu has not yet grown up, and the 78-year-old stonemason has not yet aged. "I will do whatever it takes for the sea in my heart." Xu Wei's song brought out the dreams of many people. But dreams are just Inception for many people. Most of us learn to be content at the beginning of our lives. In fact, just like the sea, it's never too late to pursue it. You just need to figure out: is it worth it or is it worth it? Thanks to Mr. Song’s creation, we still have a fantasy home where we can dream.
Then we walked three kilometers to leave Yelang Valley and took the bus to Huaxi Park and Guizhou University. Huaxi Park was beautiful and Guizhou University was great. Finally, I packed up and returned to Xiaolong's house to prepare for the noble horse the next day.
If I could use a few words to describe my most intuitive feeling about the Guiyang Marathon, it would definitely be “the climb is 67.5%, the temperature is 30+, and it’s so brutal.” The sky is never sunny here, and the ground is never flat. A normal marathon in Guiyang can be considered a mountain marathon in other cities. Coupled with the endless jokes that have emerged in recent years, the funeral parlor incident in 2016 and the 6:30 start of the new district in 2017 have made people laugh and cry. It’s just because it’s weird, so it doesn’t hurt to give it a try just for the freshness.
This event starts from the Guiyang Olympic Sports Center on Yuntan South Road and follows the main arterial road in the Guanshan Lake District of the "Lakeside Flower City", passing by city landmarks and scenic spots such as Karst Park, Guanshan Lake Park, Guizhou Provincial Museum, Guiyang International Financial Convention and Exhibition Center, Guiyang High-speed Railway North Station, and Yueshan Lake Park. As a "Running China" theme event, Guima will be broadcast live on CCTV5.
Along the way, the biggest feeling I felt about Guima was that there were so many climbs, and I felt like I was climbing all the time. According to officials, the cumulative elevation gain of Guima was 326 meters, including 15 heroic slopes, which are comparable to the Hong Kong Marathon’s “Three Bridges and Three Tunnels”, the most brutal track in Asia. But after one race, my Garmin recorded a cumulative climb of 675 meters.
Then there is the feeling of being exposed to the sun. As for Guiyang, which is said to be refreshing, although the temperature in Guiyang is in the early 30s compared to Wuhan where the temperature is often 40 degrees, it is not an exaggeration. However, there is little cover in the second half of the track, so it is still very hard to run. Even the native Xiaolong, whose normal level is 330, has reached 440. The scorching sun in Guiyang, coupled with the altitude of 1,100 meters, is very strong in ultraviolet rays. The direct sunlight at noon seems to be able to penetrate the body at any time. This blazing sunshine has made me black to a new height.
However, the supplies along the way exceeded my expectations, including water, drinks, raisins, mustard, salt pills, small tomatoes, bananas, and bread. The portion was sufficient, and with the four energy gels I brought with me, I ran and ate all the way, and finally my stomach was not treated badly. The supply point was very special. There were actually many uncles and aunts participating in it, and the citizens were generally quite enthusiastic.
After finishing the race in 454, I stretched and took the shuttle bus back to Xiaolong’s house. Then I had a stomachache and slept all afternoon.
I went to Qianlingshan Park in the evening and stayed in the toilet for an hour when I entered the park. It was already dark when I came out. I went back to eat Miao's hot pot and drank some wine with Xiaolong's brothers. They are all natives of Guizhou. They are very enthusiastic and happy to meet these friends.
Admire the sages and gain enlightenment in Longchang
After the horse race, I specially set aside a day to go to Xiuwen, where Mr. Yangming attained enlightenment in Longchang. Xiuwen is 20 kilometers away from Guiyang and you have to take a shuttle bus to Anyang to get there. The first time I learned about Wang Yangming was probably from the junior high school history textbook. At that time, my concept of him was still very vague. Later, after listening to "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty", I had a general understanding of Yangming's psychology. A while ago, I read Professor Li Bo's "Wang Yangming in Five Hundred Years" from the Hundred Schools Lectures, which made me realize the greatness of Mr. Yangming. When I have nothing to do, I occasionally flip through "Chuan Xi Lu". Although I know a little about it, I still feel that the meaning of "unity of knowledge and action" is extraordinary. Today, as material civilization becomes more and more abundant, why our spiritual world has become more and more empty. This is indeed worth reflecting on. Following Yangming's philosophy, I came to study and start a cultural journey of "toward conscience".
After getting off the bus, I walked straight to Yangming Cultural Park. Yangming Cultural Park is located in Qixia Mountain in Xiuwen County. It is the place where Mr. Yangming achieved enlightenment. There are two perfect men in ancient and modern times, one is Wang Yangming and the other is Zeng Guofan. One is the struggle of geniuses and the other is the struggle of ordinary people. Longchang Enlightenment is very legendary. You can experience the life scenes of ancient sages. It is worth a visit. When you see the big characters "Knowledge and Action Unity" at the park gate, you can't help but feel your heart. I think of Mr. Yang Ming's "The Ocean": "The dangers and barbarians are not stuck in the chest, how are they different from the floating clouds passing through the space? The night is still and the sea waves are thirty thousand miles away, and the moon is flying and the sky is windy." How magnificent, as broad as his mind.
The greatness of Yangming is that it overthrew the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism that lasted for hundreds of years. The young Mao Zedong was highly regarded by Yang Changji for his article "The Power of the Heart" on the study of psychology, and started a great life. Xi Jinping has repeatedly praised the greatness of Yangming's psychology and advocated the "unity of knowledge and action." Professor Du Weiming of Harvard University also said that the 21st century must be the century of Wang Yangming. Yangming's philosophy of mind advocates "the unity of knowledge and action, leading to conscience, and practice in action", and explores whether "action comes first and then practice, or knowledge comes first and practice is followed, whether it is easy to do but difficult to do, or easy to do but difficult to do." When Mr. Yangming gave lectures at Yungang Academy, there was a grand occasion of "scholars and admirers gathered to listen to the lectures". It is said that the academy in central Guizhou began with Longgang, and the academy in Longgang began with Mr. Yangming. An interesting person must be a person who combines knowledge and action. If you only read, you will easily become a nerd. If you only walk, you will definitely be a postman. I always feel that reading cultivates people's connotation, while walking expands the pattern of people. They are both equally important.
The entrance fee to Yangming Cultural Park is 30 yuan. It is mainly divided into two major themes: Yangming Memorial Hall and Yangming Cave. The memorial hall mainly tells the story of Mr. Yangming’s life and Yangming Cave is the birthplace of Xinxue. The whole park is not big, one hour is enough to visit, and there are not many people.
After the tour, to be honest, I was a little disappointed. Wang Yangming is such a great Chinese thinker, but for today's young people, only a few people know him. The park is desolate and desolate, and there is no buzz about other attractions at all. Yangming's philosophy of mind directly guided Japan's Meiji Restoration. It can be said to be a household name in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, but it has been gradually forgotten in the place where it originated. I don’t want to say that there is a problem with our “cultural orientation”, but Brzezinski’s “nipple music theory” is indeed increasingly becoming a reality in China. A while ago, I watched a selection of people in the 40 years of reform and opening up. Most of them were famous actors and directors. We can't help but think of the "immortality fake vaccine incident" again. How far is the so-called "conscience" from us?
Mr. Yangming said something before his death: "This heart is so bright, what else can I say!" As an engineering man who has just come into contact with Yangming's mind science, I don't dare to interpret it randomly, so I just stop there and don't dare to say more.
After leaving Guiyang, it was difficult to buy a ticket, so I transferred to Tongren and took a trip to Mount Fanjing. On July 2, 2018, at the 42nd World Heritage Conference held in Manama, Bahrain, Mount Fanjing was successfully applied for World Heritage. Mount Fanjing was named after the "Pure Land of Brahma". It is the famous Maitreya Bodhisattva dojo in China and one of the five famous Buddhist mountains in China. The bus from Tongren city arrived in one and a half hours. After a long queue, people took the sightseeing bus to the cable car, then took the cable car to the 6,000 steps of the Wanbu Ladder, and went up the stone ladder to the top of the mountain. It’s extremely cool in the mountains, and this is the refreshing Guizhou.
Standing on the top of the mountain is a strange stone, like a thumb outstretched to praise people: You are the most beautiful! This is the famous "mushroom stone".
The upper half of Fanjing Mountain is divided into two, with two peaks. When viewed from the air, they look like Buddha's two-finger Zen. The auspicious aura of red clouds often surrounds it, so it is called the Golden Summit of Red Clouds, which means "Golden Summit of Good Luck". There is a temple on each of the two peaks, one dedicated to Sakyamuni Buddha and the other to Maitreya Buddha. The old Golden Summit is slightly higher at 2,494 meters above sea level, while the New Golden Summit is 2,336 meters above sea level.
The original plan was to climb the Old Golden Summit and the New Golden Summit. Due to the large queue and tight time, I retreated halfway through the queue for the New Golden Summit. Then I planned to climb the Old Golden Summit, but ended up taking the wrong route and missed the opportunity to climb the Old Golden Summit. It can be said to be a great regret. I can only feel the clouds and mist at the foot of the mountain, and I never know where the new Golden Summit is! Hidden in the vast sea of clouds, I can only secretly regret in my heart. But at this time, a mountain wind blows, the clouds on the opposite side disperse, and a pillar stands in front of the sky. The temple on the top of the mountain is looming. The so-called "City in the Clouds" has appeared. It can be regarded as a unique cave before reaching the top of the Golden Summit.
I didn't climb any of the golden summits. With a little regret, I went back and lined up to take the cable car and sightseeing car. In the evening, we will drive back to Wuhan and end our trip to Guizhou.
A trip to Guizhou,
Running in the sea of people with noble horses,
Shi Hai, who was moved by Song Lao,
Worshiping Yang Ming’s heart,
Indulge in the sea of clouds on the sacred mountain.
The trip was finally worth it. When I returned to Wuhan, the heat wave was still the same, making people unable to lift their heads due to the scorching heat, but my heart felt a little calmer and cooler.
In fact, the so-called "original mind" is not far away from us.
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Words | Arsenan
Photos | Arsenan
Design | Arsenan