Five Notes on Zunyi

1. Climbing Phoenix Mountain in the Morning

In the autumn morning in Zunyi, the sun shines down from the sky and shines on Phoenix Mountain, covering the entire mountain. The greenery reflects the autumn light. Along the mountain path, there are complete stone steps. Regardless of wind or rain, people who like to climb can go straight to the top of the mountain along the steps.

After walking not far along the steps, a small platform appeared in front of you. Several old people wore slow robes and light sleeves, and their bodies were like flowing clouds and flowing water, doing Tai Chi. But I saw an old man in the slightly cold morning breeze, wearing only shorts and naked upper body, his eyes were slightly murderous, his feet made a sound as he tossed and turned with strong and powerful movements, but it was not Tai Chi. Someone among the bystanders asked, and the old man proudly replied loudly: Arhat Fist! It turned out to be Shaolin Luohan Boxing, which is famous for its powerful power in actual combat. No wonder the old man performed it so powerfully.

As the platform goes up, the road splits into two. One path to the right is a road paved with stone steps; the other path to the left is a narrow earth and stone path in the forest; visitors should walk left. Tens of meters away, the noisy city noise passed through the woods and became inaudible; the birdsong in the forest was clear and sweet, as if they were claiming that they were the real owners of these mountains and forests. From time to time, yellow leaves fall from above, reminding visitors of the arrival of autumn. A flat stone at your feet was covered with pine branches. Maybe in the past, when tourists came here, they might stop and sit on the rocks to rest for a while. Looking back, there are few people in the mountains and forests, only birds singing and fallen leaves blowing in the wind.

Suddenly there was a barking sound in the ears, and several dogs rushed out from the side, shouting at the tourists, startling the tourists. If you look closely, you will see a few red-brick farmhouses popping up at the corners of the trail. It turns out that the guard dogs mistook the tourists as uninvited guests, and grinned to express their disapproval. When they see tourists stretching out their hands to say hello, the dogs turn around and run away. When they reach a distance, they continue to shout at the top of their lungs, as if they are defending their homeland in this way. Of course, tourists are just passing by and have no intention of invading their homes.

The trail became narrower and narrower, the thorns and vegetation on both sides became deeper and deeper, and the dew on the trees and grass blades became heavier and heavier. Not only did it wet the entire road, It also wetted less than half of the tourists' clothes. Plants almost completely covered the road. Tourists walked carefully on the grass, but still missed the path several times and almost fell down. After several turns, a small flat land appeared in front of us. The grass was knee-deep, and drops of dew slowly fell from the grass tips. The gentle slope in front is full of green shrubs, swaying in the wind. The chirping of the birds was still sweet, but no shadow of the birds could be seen, and the dew soaked the corners of the tourists' clothes.

There is no way ahead. Tourists turn back. At the corner ahead, a figure bent down, picked up a mineral water bottle that had been discarded in the grass, and put it in a plastic bag in his hand - that was a middle-aged man about fifty years old.

A piece of green, a figure. Phoenix Mountain is indeed a mountain that makes people feel peaceful.

2. Listening to the Xiangjiang River at Night

Some of the scenery in the world are beautiful and suitable for seeing with your eyes; some are ordinary, but after you feel it carefully with your heart, you will also There is a different feeling. The Xiangjiang River is such a river that must be felt with heart and flows with history.

The Xiangjiang River flows quietly at night. On the stone embankment, unknown plants grow from the top of the embankment and extend to the foot of the embankment. On the promenade by the river, people walking at night quietly walked out of the darkness, passed by quietly, and then quietly disappeared into the darkness. The neon lights inlaid on both sides of the river bank are like two colorful belts of the Xiangjiang River, reflecting the river water and emitting a mysterious light. With the flowing river water, the light belts seem to be flowing slowly.

I forgot where I heard this saying: A great city must have a great river. In fact, for any city, great or not, the river flowing beside it must be a great source of life. The history of mankind is a history that relies on rivers. Just like the Yellow River and the Yangtze River are to China, the Tigris River and the Euphrates River are to Babylon, and the Nile River is to Egypt.

Even though thousands of years later, the civilizations that relied on these rivers have become the light and shadow of history, these rivers are still nurturing billions of its people.

The Xiangjiang River naturally cannot be compared with these long-standing rivers. But for Zunyi, the Xiangjiang River is still a great river, a river flowing with history.

Thousands of years ago, a group of ragged people walked out of a cave. They supported the old and the young, overcame obstacles and walked countless miles. Suddenly one day, people cheered. In front of them, a small river appeared. The river bank was a flat land between mountains. Various plants grew vigorously in the sun. Animals showed their figures in the grass. Looking at the people, a He turned around and disappeared somewhere else. The respected old leader stamped his foot: Don’t leave, this is our home!

From then on, men farmed and women weaved in this rich land, and people survived. As time goes by, the ancestors have long gone, but the city has gradually transformed from huts and wooden houses into high-rise buildings. The Xiangjiang River has witnessed the city's vicissitudes of change over millions of years. Whether it is war and peace, survival and development, migration or distance, they all happen next to the river. No history book in the world can record the history of Zunyi more profoundly than this river.

The most well-known history of the contemporary Xiangjiang River is naturally the red years of the Red Army’s Long March. Coincidentally, there is a river with the same name as the Xiangjiang River in Zunyi, which has also carved a deep mark on this period of history, and that is the Xiangjiang River in Hunan.

In the history of the Long March, the Xiangjiang River in Hunan and the Xiangjiang River in Zunyi are both rivers with extremely special significance, and both are famous for their red color. The difference is that the red color of the Xiangjiang River in Hunan is dyed red by the blood of Red Army soldiers. "In the Battle of Xiangjiang River, more than half of the troops were lost." The 86,000-strong Central Red Army that set out from Jiangxi was reduced to more than 30,000 people after the Battle of Xiangjiang River. It was the Red Army's heaviest defeat in the Long March. At the critical moment of life and death, the Central Red Army was forced to divert troops and march westward to Guizhou, bathing in blood all the way to the foot of Zunyi City and the banks of the Xiangjiang River.

Here, the river is gentle, the products are rich, and the people are enthusiastic. The team holding the red flag breathed a sigh of relief: Let’s take a rest here, it’s really too tiring. What's more, since the expedition, there have been many setbacks, and it is time to discuss the next step.

This meeting led to the Zunyi Conference that will shine through the ages. From then on, an army in desperate situation buried the bodies of its comrades, wiped away the blood marks on their bodies, and flowed 25,000 miles straight in one direction. This red ribbon of the earth, after experiencing the bloodbath of the Xiangjiang River in Hunan, was reborn in the Xiangjiang River in Zunyi, flying in the wind, until 14 years later, it dyed the whole of China red!

Zunyi and Xiangjiang River have since used that red flag to dye themselves with a touch of Chinese red forever!

At the foot of Phoenix Mountain, the singing is still faintly heard.

Phoenix Mountain is also called Red Army Mountain, where the Red Army martyrs headed by martyr Deng Ping are buried. In the Battle of Zunyi, the Central Red Army won a complete victory, but it also paid a heavy price. Before launching the attack, Deng Ping, chief of staff of the Third Red Army, personally lurked by the Xiangjiang River to observe the enemy's situation. Unfortunately, he was shot coldly by the enemy and died in the arms of his comrade Zhang Aiping. The sculptures on the Red Army Mountain faithfully restore historical details: Deng Aiping, who was shot, fell into Zhang Aiping's arms, her right hand seemed to have been raised, and the look in her eyes gradually disappeared; the grief-stricken Zhang Aiping loudly called out the names of her comrades in arms, but she could no longer recover. The lives of comrades...

The past is like passing water, never look back. But history will not disappear without a trace like flowing water. Even though the hero's back is far away, his glory remains forever.

The heroes are heroic and the people of Zunyi are kind.

There is a statue of "Red Army Female Medical Doctor" on Red Army Mountain, which is called "Red Army Bodhisattva" by Zunyi people. It is to commemorate a Red Army medical doctor who was left behind and killed while treating common people in Zunyi. The statue is of a female Red Army soldier, but in fact the Red Army doctor is a man. This military doctor is Long Siquan, a health worker in the Second Battalion of the 13th Regiment of the 5th Division of the Third Red Army Corps. During the Battle of Zunyi, Long Siquan went out late at night to treat sick people and escaped danger. However, he fell behind and was caught and killed by the enemy.

The local people felt his kindness and built a tomb and monument for Long Siquan. Because Long Siquan's name was not known, the inscription was engraved as "Red Army Tomb." When the Kuomintang local police learned the news, they sent people to destroy the tomb many times, but they were blocked by local people desperately. For fear of arousing public anger, the Kuomintang local police had no choice but to give up the move to destroy the graves. The people were grateful for Long Siquan's treatment of the people, and often paid tribute to him as the "Red Army Bodhisattva". Bodhisattva is a female image in the minds of Chinese people. Over time, people regarded Long Siquan as a woman. Later, when building a statue of a Red Army doctor based on Long Siquan's deeds, the creators simply made a mistake based on this legend and made the image of Long Siquan a woman.

A story eventually became a legend; a hero finally became the god of a city; and the incense in front of the god witnessed the kindness and remembrance of the people in this city.

The sound of flowing water in the Xiangjiang River became louder. Looking up, the river rushes forward over the dam. Looking back, the neon lights by the river were still flashing, but there were no traces of pedestrians.

This night, listen to the Xiangjiang River quietly.

3. Strolling through the Old Town of Zunyi

A city must have its own cultural and geographical soul; the cultural and geographical soul of a city must have a corresponding carrier, just like Wangfujing in Beijing. Xujiahui is to Shanghai, Confucius Temple is to Nanjing. Without such a soul, a city is just a collection of steel and concrete and a symbol on a map. The cultural and geographical soul of the city is the accumulation of history. It becomes more fragrant with the passage of time, but does not lose its appearance due to the change of time.

Zunyi Old Town has entered the eyes of tourists with such an appearance that will not fade away with the passage of time.

The old city is not big, the houses are not high, and the streets and lanes are not wide. Pedestrians on the street walk neither fast nor slow, their eyes are flat, and their movements are calm. Street shops facing the street, no matter what kind of business they are doing, rarely shout about soliciting customers. The bosses are either doing business calmly, or they are sitting calmly at the door, watching people coming and going.

At first glance, it can be seen that the houses in the old city have been treated with modern means. However, this kind of treatment is not as rough as the demolition and construction of contemporary cities, but more cautious and respectful. This respect makes this kind of treatment appear gentler, allowing the old city to retain the characteristics of ancient architecture. Just like an ancient beauty, after putting on light make-up again, she still wears heavy make-up and always sits in front of her home, showing her most beautiful appearance in front of the world.

The old city is not big, and the Red Army Street, which is the core part, is even smaller. The buildings here retain more of their ancient charm and appear neat and orderly due to unified planning. In this small market, the essence of Zunyi's products is concentrated: fine wine from Renhuai, tea from Meitan, bambooware from Chishui, and of course, the chicken cake that Zunyi people are familiar with. On the streets paved with bluestones, tourists coming and going from north to south were going in and out of street shops, either carrying Zunyi's specialties, or taking nothing with them, leaving only a slight smile on their faces.

At the corner, two plaques were hung on a small facade. One said "Red Army Bookstore" and the other said "Zunyi Writers Book Club". Walking into the bookstore, the enthusiastic hostess Fang Zhu smiled before saying anything. She was enthusiastic and hearty, making you feel like you are taking a breath of spring breeze. In an era when the tide of commercialization is sweeping across cities and fewer and fewer people are reading physical books, in a corner of the city, there are still people who stick to this cultural land and hold on to their cultural beliefs despite many difficulties. Whether it was his poor family background when he was young or his bumpy life journey after entering society, Fang Zhu never gave up his interest in literature and books. When she was still a young girl in her 20s, the hostess published her first collection of essays, and then carried the book to the foot of Fenghuang Mountain to sign and sell books. From then on, people in Zunyi began to recognize this stubborn and strong woman. Persisting in literary writing and inheriting the culture of the Long March, Fang Zhu has now published nine books. The Red Army Bookstore has also become a resounding cultural brand in Zunyi. The reputation of the bookstore has also spread beyond Zunyi. Countless people who love literature and Zunyi visit all over the country. Spread the reputation of the bookstore.

The tourists who walked out of the bookstore had several works by Fang Zhu in their hands. Maybe her words may not necessarily be exquisite, but her perseverance and strength are enough for people to feel and taste them.

This persistence and strength are the most beautiful works in the world.

4. Suffering and Glory

An army turned defeat into victory because of a meeting; a long march came back to life because of a meeting; a city became famous because of a meeting. In contemporary Chinese history, only the Zunyi Conference can leave such a profound memory.

"Zunyi Conference Site Memorial Hall" has been famous for a long time. But it was only when I reached middle age that I walked into this building for the first time. So, what can I see and feel in this building?

I saw the bedrooms of Peng Dehuai, commander of the Third Red Army Corps, Yang Shangkun, political commissar of the Red Army Corps, and their subordinate Peng Xuefeng. Unexpectedly, the bedrooms of Peng Dehuai and Yang Shangkun only had a quilt and a mattress, and a wooden board placed on two benches. This was their bed. Peng Xuefeng's bedroom next door not only has far more lighting and furnishings than Peng and Yang's bedrooms, but even the bed is a solid wood double bed. The contrast between the two bedrooms is impressive. As a subordinate, Peng Xuefeng was able to receive better treatment than his superiors, obviously because he was seriously injured on the battlefield on the eve of the Long March and thus received care from his comrades. At that time, the Red Army had not only a superior-subordinate relationship, but also the principle of equality for everyone, comradeship, and a hard-working and simple style of struggle.

Many years later, on the northwest battlefield of the Liberation War, a People's Liberation Army soldier in old clothes and tattered shoes came to an old farmer's bucket and asked for a bowl of water, and laughed and chatted with the old farmer. A captured Kuomintang general who witnessed this process learned that this soldier in shabby clothing turned out to be Peng Dehuai, deputy commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army, and sighed: There is no justice for the party and the country not to be destroyed!

From Zunyi to Northwest, from the Red Army to the People's Liberation Army, the true character of Peng Dehuai's generation of soldiers has never changed.

I saw photos of Luo Binghui, Dong Zhentang, and Chen Shuxiang.

Luo Binghui, commander of the Ninth Red Army. This famous war general, the prototype of Luo Xiao, the protagonist of the movie "From Slave to General", spent his whole life in the military and experienced thousands of battles. Both the Kuomintang troops and the Japanese invaders were afraid of him. However, this general died of illness after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. What is outrageous is that after the outbreak of the civil war, the general's body was dug up from the grave by the Kuomintang troops and tortured in every possible way. The Kuomintang troops who were beaten to a pulp by the generals on the battlefield used this extreme method to vent their fear and anger towards the generals. A famous general of a generation was bullied by a dog when the tiger fell flat!

Dong Zhentang, commander of the Fifth Red Army Corps. This general who transferred from the Kuomintang camp to the People's Army was determined and good at fighting tough battles. On the Long March, the Fifth Red Army Corps served as the rear guard of the entire army. It blocked the attacks of the Kuomintang army countless times with iron style and ensured the safety of the main force of the Red Army. It was affectionately called the "Iron *** of the Red Army" by the Red Army soldiers. In a blocking battle, the Fifth Red Army Corps fought desperately with the enemy and suffered heavy casualties. But an order came from the superior: a female Red Army soldier was about to give birth, and the Fifth Red Army Corps must resist until the child was delivered safely. Dong Zhentang immediately ordered the entire army to block the enemy's attack until news came that the mother and son were safe. It is a pity that such a tiger general was ordered to defend Gaotaicheng during the Battle of the Hexi Corridor of the Red West Route Army after the end of the Long March, and all 3,000 soldiers of the Fifth Red Army died heroically! The general's head was chopped off by the brutal enemy and hung on the city gate! Many years later, Marshal Mao Zedong wrote a poem for the general with tears in his eyes: The hero died in battle on the wrong road. Today, I only cherish Dong Zhentang. The hanging towers have shocked the world, and the high platform is glorious for you!

Chen Shuxiang, commander of the 34th Red Division. At the beginning of the Long March, he led the entire division as the general defender of the Central Red Army. In the Battle of Xiangjiang River, the Red Army forced its way across the river in an extremely dangerous environment. The Red 34th Division fought fiercely with an enemy that was more than ten times their size, ensuring that the entire army could cross the river, but they were surrounded by the enemy. At the last moment, Chen Shuxiang was seriously injured. He pushed away the guards who defended him, drew his gun and fought. Finally, he was captured after running out of ammunition.

Unwilling to be humiliated, Chen Shuxiang took out his intestines from the abdominal wound and cut them off while the enemy was carrying him to ask for merit, and died heroically! Those who died with him were almost all 6,000 soldiers of the Red 34th Division!

I saw the text description in the memorial hall: During the days when the Red Army moved to Guizhou during the Long March, more than 19,400 Guizhou people joined the Red Army. In the end, most of the nearly 20,000 Guizhou children did not return to Guizhou. I also know another figure: the Central Red Army had 86,000 people when it set out from Jiangxi, and only 7,600 people arrived in northern Shaanxi at the end of the Long March.

The Long March was undoubtedly glorious, but there was no doubt that it was also a painful journey. The sun was scorching, the storm was raging, the mountains and rivers were rushing, and the enemy army was besieged by thousands of people. During the Long March, every day was spent in hardship, and every mile of the Long March was trekked in hardship. There are really very few people who can complete the journey. The vast majority of people fell on the road...

In the hall, dozens of statues of participants of the Zunyi Conference stood quietly. They looked silent, looking ahead quietly, looking at the people who came after them. Behind these dozens of people are hundreds of thousands of invisible Red Army martyrs...

Time seems to stand still here forever.

The historical record is: January 15-17, 1935, Zunyi Conference.

5. Night Talk in Bozhou City

Tonight will be the last night of my trip to Zunyi. Tomorrow, I will return to Renhuai.

Actually, this trip to Zunyi is not a trip, but I stubbornly regard it as a trip in my heart.

I came to Zunyi to seek medical treatment because of a severe headache. In the early days of hospitalization, I was suffering from headaches and could not think about food or food. Every day I was either drowsily receiving infusions in the hospital or resting in a hazy hotel room. Everything outside is neither attractive to me, nor can I feel it.

Until the fourth day in Zunyi.

When I woke up that morning, my headache suddenly felt relieved a lot. Pushing open the window, the lush autumn light of thousands of trees on the Phoenix Mountain opposite came into my eyes. The early morning wind blew into the room, which instantly lifted my spirits.

I walked out of the room and walked towards Phoenix Mountain.

From this day on, I started walking and experiencing Zunyi.

In the early morning, I climbed Phoenix Mountain and breathed the fresh air in the forest; at noon, I walked into the old city and felt the history and culture of Zunyi; in the evening, I strolled along the Xiangjiang River and listened to the rising and falling waves.

Illness is a painful process that I have no control over.

But for a person who likes to write, he can write down the beautiful scenery he sees with his eyes, the gentle sound of wind he hears with his ears, and the faint fragrance he smells in his nose, and describe it with words. , is something that should and must be done. Zunyi has beautiful scenery for you to see, profound historical and cultural heritage for you to feel, and warm and kind people for you to be moved by.

No one likes pain, including me. But since the pain cannot be controlled, why not make the pain process more enjoyable?

So, there is this "Five Notes on Zunyi".

Zunyi and I are actually both close and far away, familiar yet strange.

Close because the city I live in is only an hour’s drive from Zunyi; familiar because I come to Zunyi several times a year and have a general idea of ??Zunyi’s cityscape; but after all, I don’t live in Zunyi , which leads to a certain spiritual distance from Zunyi. This spiritual distance leads to a sense of strangeness.

Thinking about it carefully, Zunyi and I are destined to be together.

When he was four years old, his family moved from his hometown of Shandong to Renhuai, Guizhou. The first big city I saw in my life was Zunyi; the first time I showed my filial piety was when I accompanied my father to the hospital in Zunyi when I was ten years old; the first time I was hospitalized alone for a long time in another place (this time) was also in Zunyi .

Because of this fate, this time, I can finally breathe the breath of Zunyi up close and feel the soul of this city.

Every morning, I walk through the stone steps in the forest, brush aside the falling autumn leaves, climb to the top of the Phoenix Mountain, and indulge in the greenery of the mountain. Every noon, I welcome the flow of people and walk into the old city, feeling the fragrance of the city from ancient times to the present. Every night, I walk along the Xiangjiang River and listen to the countless city stories told by the river...

Falling in love with someone may be easy, because it is love at first sight. Falling in love with a city takes a certain amount of time. Under the appearance of steel and concrete, you can slowly feel its soul, its history, its culture, and even the people living in this city. Just like the middle-aged man who picked up garbage on Phoenix Mountain, the old aunt who whispered to me in the hospital how to keep my health records, the lady who has gone through many hardships in 20 years and still sticks to her knowledge of books. And the hostess of the Red Army Bookstore in the old city who is ideal for writing...

I think I feel the soul of Zunyi. Those are the four words I see everywhere in this city: follow the moral principles and practice righteousness.

Just like the kindness and gentleness of Zunyi people that I could feel everywhere during my more than ten days in Zunyi; just like the history recorded in the history of a large number of wounded Red Army soldiers being rescued by Zunyi people after the Red Army’s Long March; Just like the story of Long Siquan, a Red Army doctor who treated the common people. After his death, the people tried their best to protect his grave and called Long Siquan the "Red Army Bodhisattva". Zunyi, Zunyi, follow the Tao and do the right, what a perfect match for Zunyi’s soul!

Just fall in love with a city, fall in love with Zunyi.

Tomorrow, we will leave Zunyi.

Life is a process, and illness is the biggest gloomy part of this process. Fortunately, this episode was spent in Zunyi. Therefore, I can see light in the darkness.

Thank you Zunyi for giving me this light.

Goodbye, Zunyi, good night, Bozhou.