千年驛道走馬鎮　道不盡的記憶滄桑

□ 文/本刊記者 李靜

千年驛道走馬鎮道不盡的記憶滄桑

□ 文/本刊記者 李靜

圖片由走馬鎮提供

綿綿細雨，不住地撲向石板路中舊時馬幫踏出的蹄痕，無聲亦無痕，一如古鎮深邃的歷史與昔日繁華；茶館里依舊滿座，系著白布圍裙的跑堂忙著用長嘴茶壺四處招呼，說書人嘴里依然是那部永遠也沒講完的三國，只有那偶爾響起的手機鈴聲和拍照發微信的手機光亮，能讓你不時穿透時空回到喧囂的當下。

如果請今天的人們用時間表述“重慶到成都”的距離，得到最多的答案恐怕是“兩個小時”，幾乎等于和三五朋友一起小聚的時間。但在以前肩挑背馱的漫長歲月中，兩地往來主要是走成渝古驛道。“三街五驛四鎮七十二堂口”，這句老話便是昔日千里古驛道繁華的真實寫照。

城市變遷、滄海桑田，青石鋪就的古驛道早已湮沒，如今，唯有九龍坡區走馬古鎮境內的一段古驛道還保存完好。經過千年風雨洗禮后，再探走馬古驛道，背后已是說不完的故事，道不盡的記憶。

千年古鎮 故事之鄉

民諺有“故事家家戶戶講，男人講，女人講，娃娃也能講；山歌年年月月唱，臺上唱，坡上唱，處處都在唱。”在走馬這座不大的古鎮上，民間文藝的興盛已經滲透到每一個角落。從何時開始修建？又是什么時候發展成了今日的民間故事之鄉？這一說來，皆是故事。

相傳，三國時候，劉備建都成都，趙云鎮守江州，即現在的重慶。趙云的府邸便在走馬崗高家石壩，走馬一腳踏三縣，便于提兵調將。某日，劉備與孔明來此檢閱軍情，遠遠看見此處山形似一批奔馬，于是孔明便給此地取名為走馬崗。

至宋代之時，這里已經成為了一個成形的驛站。而走馬崗的鼎盛時期是在明朝中期，作為重慶到成都必經的第一個驛站，其一腳踏三縣的地理位置，決定了它成為當時的陸上交通樞紐和貿易中心，三教九流匯聚之地，也成了巴渝文化民間繁衍傳播的溫床。

商賈旅人從重慶出發至此已是人乏馬困，還要翻一座大山才能到達璧山縣的來鳳驛，走馬街與來鳳驛之間大山橫亙，越山橫道長約30華里，山上林木陰森，懸崖絕壁，常有虎豹出沒，亦為盜賊猖狂之所，故凡有重慶沿驛道東來的客旅，均多在此集結成對，于白天翻越大山西行，眾多商賈力夫夜宿走馬崗。安頓好馬匹，在這古驛站酒足飯飽后，月亮才升起不到中天，夜未央，人難眠，客商門便不由自主三三兩兩來到茶館。”相逢何必曾相識”，于是相識的不相識的、做老板當小二的、不論貧富貴賤，捧著一碗清茶，或許還就著一碟小瓜子兒，便坐在了一塊。你言我語，好不熱鬧，論國家事，談家鄉情，說言子，談心聲……

小鎮的居民在潛移默化、耳濡目染下，個個都成了講故事的高手。久而久之，在走馬這片熱土上發掘出了以民間故事為主，兼含歌謠、諺語、俗語的蔚為大觀的“走馬鎮民間文學”，其中的“走馬鎮民間故事”篇目繁多、內容浩瀚。更加令人欣喜的是，在走馬這片里弄村舍中，還活躍著一個頗具規模的民間故事講說人群體。1998年，被聯合國教科文組織、中國民間文藝家協會聯合授予“中國民間故事家”稱號的魏顯德先生及其堂弟魏顯發，便是這些民間故事講說人中佼佼出眾的兩位代表人物。

迄今為止，走馬已發掘出故事家群體316人，全鎮已搜集民間故事目錄10915則，已采錄故事9714則，民間歌謠3000余首，記錄各類文字資料近700萬字。

2006年8月，走馬鎮民間故事被列入首批“國家級非物質文化遺產”；2007年12月，走馬古鎮被評為國家級歷史文化名鎮”；2009年8月，走馬鎮被授予“中國曲藝之鄉”稱號。

走馬古民居 攝影：曾朝文

古道西風“瘦”馬

尋訪如今的走馬古鎮，乘車至白市驛轉車，半個小時后便可到達。抬頭望去，是一段不長的青石梯坎，一矗斑駁而古老的宅子，一棵上了年紀的黃桷樹。拾級而上，便來到走馬場的城墻前面，高大恢弘的城墻呈弧形，中間是拱形石門，上書“走馬場”三個繁體字，兩旁一副對聯，左邊為“現實講團體關了門既是一家”，右為“入世多迷途由此去方為正路”，字字力道遒勁，寓意深邃，充分體現出走馬人的大氣。街門旁邊的墻上嵌著刻有“中國曲藝之鄉”、“中國歷史文化名鎮”等字樣的石碑，著名相聲表演藝術家姜昆為走馬鎮題詞的石碑也立于石門前：“黃桷正陽，走馬鎮一語千言萬人心，今古悲歡故事里，明朝盡是聽說人。”這些都表示著走馬古鎮的地位與榮耀。從石門向內望去，一條悠長的青石板路，兩排古老的舊時民居，白天街上零星的幾個人，似乎都在訴說著今日走馬的落寞。

步入門內，一眼便被左邊雄偉的的關公武廟戲樓鎮住了。這座建于明清的戲樓，至今依然保存完好，戲樓分兩層，上面是戲臺，下面是茶園，整座戲樓以石料托底，木料為身，滾筒瓦為蓋；風檐龍柱，雕閣畫屏，噴漆涂金，精妙絕倫；龍鳳棱爪，人物舉止，栩栩如生，巧奪天工。聽說以前每逢佳節廟會，均有戲班登臨，獻藝者既有吳曉雷、陳淑芳等川劇名家，又有本鎮的業余演員，每每看到精妙絕倫之處，臺下看客爆發出的掌聲、吶喊聲經久不息。

而如今，在朝云暮雨的輪回中，千年走馬驛道只留下了些許的清冷與寂寥。我們只能站在這戲臺下想象著昔日的繁華景象，一切似乎都消失在冷冷的“西風”中。漫步久遠的青石路、馬幫的蹄痕、深深的槽印雖依舊清晰可尋。“噠噠”的馬蹄聲卻已經遠去，那段因驛站而興旺的歲月也以這樣的方式，永遠存在在古鎮的記憶里。

沿著這條青石板路向前，街兩邊為依山就勢、自由排列、錯落有致的商鋪店面、民居院落、宮廟建筑，形成一個具有古典韻味的傳統街區。剃頭鋪、茶館、飯館、照相館、客棧……每個店面屋檐下掛著的招牌旗幡搖曳在風中，似乎在為這匹古道“瘦”馬增添幾分蕭瑟與涼意。

挽留最后的古驛道

走馬驛道是重慶主城區內僅存的古驛道，為重現驛道昔日風貌，政府將投入8000萬元集中升級改造走馬古鎮。走馬鎮目前已完成古鎮改造及風貌設計，形成修建性詳規，恢復關武廟建筑群，并修復古成渝驛道3公里。該鎮還將逐步恢復文昌宮、南華宮、萬壽宮等建筑群；打造劉家、鄧家、孫家大院等院落群；恢復茶館酒館、劇院等臨街商鋪群；恢復古驛道，收集成渝古驛道上的歷史遺存和典故，修建成渝古驛道三街、四驛、七十二堂等景觀，修建驛道博物館，配套開發明清時期的商鋪、民居，打造驛道文化區。

為保護走馬民間故事這一非物質文化遺產，當地還成立了走馬民間故事保有會，負責保護、傳承走馬民間故事。同時，還組織了“走馬民間曲藝協會”，由“國家級故事傳承人”劉遠揚擔任名譽會長，下設民間山歌隊、故事隊、川劇坐唱隊、曲藝隊、民樂吹打隊和書畫協會等20余支基層隊伍，常邀請市內外的專家學者，進行故事講述、舞臺表演、曲藝賞析等方面的指導。

如今的走馬正在被努力打造成重慶的口岸重鎮、文化名鎮和旅游強鎮。頭頂“國家級歷史文化名鎮”、“國家級非物質文化遺產”、“中國曲藝之鄉”、“中國傳統村落”四塊“國字號”招牌的走馬鎮，正像一匹奔騰的駿馬，大踏步地向前發展。

● 編輯：曾睿

Chengdu and Chongqing are nothing less than A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and the quasi high-speed train Harmony brushed a legendary chapter of the two-hour economic circle. The launch of the high-speed train will make Sichuan and Chongqing closer in the future. Nevertheless in those days the shoulder carrying was considered the main transport on the ancient route. As an old saying goes， “three streets， five post stops， four towns， and seventy-two fairs”truly depicts the vicissitudes of the century-old post road.

The world evolved， so did city. The ancient post road with stone pavement is long gone. Nowadays， only a section in Zouma town under the jurisdiction of Jiulongpo remains intact. Paying a visit to the post road once again may unveil stories behind.

Ancient streets in ZouMa Town Contributed by Zou Ma Town

Century-old Town - Hometown of Stories

As a proverb goes， “every family tells story， so do men，women， and kids； folk songs can be sung on the stage， at the slope， and everywhere at any time”. In such a little town，the booming folk arts permeated to every corner. When was the town built？ Since when did it evolve to a birthplace of folklore？ It's intriguing.

It's said Liu Bei established his state in Chengdu during the Three Kingdoms period， whilst Zhao Yun grabbed Jiang Zhou （present Chongqing） as a stronghold. Zhao Yun's residence was located at Gao's Shiba of Zoumagang， which bordered three counties， it's therefore convenient for him to mobilize and command his troops. One day， Liu Bei and Kong Ming came to inspect the troops and saw the mountain resembling a running horse from afar， and the latter named it Zoumagang （literally a running horse at the hill）

Up to the Song dynasty， it turned out to be an established post station， its climax dated back to the middle Ming Dynasty. As the first post station on the route from Chongqing to Chengdu， its geographical location made it then a transport hub and a trade center， a place of receiving people from all walks of life， and a hotbed of cultivating Bayu culture as well.

Tradesmen and travellers had been exhausted since they left Chongqing， and not until they crossed a grandiose mountain did they arrive at the Laifeng post station. However the mountain in between was 15 kilometers long， with ghastly and gloomy forests， precipitous clif fs， and the haunt of tigers and leopards as well as the robbers and thieves. Passengers from Chongqing， therefore， either got together here to cross the mountain at daytime or stayed overnight at the station. The moon was still not full yet after they settled down the horses and were replete with food and drink， andthey would go to the teahouse in twos and threes. “Both of us in misfortune go from shore to shore”，rich or poor， high or low， regardless either their background and social status， or whether or not they knew each other， a bowl of tea in hand and going with a dish of sunflower seeds， they spoke their minds freely. With time went by， the town nurtured folk stories， ballads， proverbs， and idioms.

old trees Photographer： Zeng Chaowen

ZouMa Academy Photographer： Zeng Chaowen

Having been imperceptibly influenced by what one saw and heard， the residents become a master of story telling. Since then， the folk stories，ballads， proverbs and idioms were formed for a splendid sight， among which the Zouma town folk stories are multifarious. What's more， there was a sizable group of storytellers in the town. The UNESCO and the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society endowed Mr. Wei Xiande and his cousin Wei Xianfa the “Chinese Folk Story Master” for their excellent performance in 1998.

Up to date， there are 316 storytellers， 10，915 folk stories， 9，714 compiled stories， 3，000-odd ballads， and nearly 7 million words of all kinds recorded.

The Zouma town folk stories were made on the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage in August 2006； the town was honored the National Historical and Cultural Town in December 2007；and crowned A Hometown of Chinese Folk Art in August 2009.

A Lean Horse Comes Plodding

In search of Zouma town， you may take a ride to Baishiyi and change buses， half an hour later， a section of stone-paved steps， a mottled house， and an old Ficus vlrens var. sublanceolata are seen. A section of city wall in a grand shape of arc comes into sight with a stone gate in the middle， three Chinese characters Zou Ma Chang above， and “In reality we unite as one after the door is closed” on one side， and “In the world we easily go astray but the direction inside is right”on the other， calligraphy of which is vigorous and profound. A Hometown of Chinese Folk Art and China's Historical and Cultural Town inscribed in the stone tablets nearby are read. Mr. Jiang Kun，a well-known talk show artist wrote an inscription for commemoration： “Huangjiao Zhengyang， the town of Zouma mirrored the vicissitudes of life and the storytellers carried out the tradition of legend”， which exactly embodied the position and glory of the town. Looking inside from the stone gate， a winding stone road with an array of century-old buildings on both sides received a few passers-by， exuding a desolate air.

Once setting foot inside， you may be blown away by the imposing Guan Yi open-air theater on your left. The theater built in the Ming and Qing dynasties remains intact now. With the opera stage above and teahouse underneath，the premise as a whole was braced up by a stone foundation with wood framework and tiles roof. Wind eaves， dragon columns， sculptured windows， and painted screen are magnificent，vivid， and superb. It's said there used to have Sichuan opera performances with prominent masters Wu Xiaolei and Chen Shufang and local amateurs as well in shows， usually the audience would blast a thunderstorm of applause when they saw marvelous acts.

Nowadays， the century-old post route remains with tranquility even loneliness. W e may imagine then hustling and bustling scenes from the opera stage simply because everything faded away in cold “west wind”. Roaming aboutthe stone road， we still can distinguish the footprints of the house caravans. It's believed the exciting years arising out of the post route will forever be frozen in the memory of the ancient town， albeit the clatter of horses' hoofs are long gone.

Along the stone-paved road， the stores，residential courtyards， and temples backed by the hills and elegantly scattered here and there formed a traditional block oozing a classical climate. The store posters of hair dressing， teahouse， restaurant， photo studio，and guesthouse fly high in the air， seemingly adding some chill to the town in decline.

Retain the Last Century-old Post Route

Known as the only ancient road of this kind preserved in the Chongqing proper， the government poured 80 million yuan in the town renovation in order to reproduce the prosperity. The town has finished the renovation and landscape design and stipulated restoration specifications including the Guan Yu temple block and 3 kilometers of ancient Chengdu-Chongqing route. The town will progressively restore the Wenchang temple， Nanhua temple，and Wanshou temple block； shape the Liu' s， Deng's， and Sun's courtyards； reconstruct the teahouses， restaurants， and the theatre etc.； rebuild the ancient route； collect historical relics and stories； repair and re-erect the three streets， four stations， and seventy-two fairs etc.； build the Post Road Museum， and develop the stores and residences of the Ming and Qing dynasties in an ef fort to put up a post road cultural block. In order to protect the intangible cultural heritage， the town established the Zouma Folk Story Preservation Society responsible for protecting and carrying on the folk stories. Meanwhile， the Zouma Folk Art Association was constituted with Mr. Liu Mingyuan， a National-level Storyteller， as its honorable chairman， under which there are 20 teams specializing in folk song， storytelling，Sichuan opera sit-to-sing， folk art， and folk music， and calligraphy and painting etc. They will often invite experts and scholars in the city and beyond to give guidance on storytelling，theater acting， and folk art appreciation.

Zouma tries utmost to be a key town of Chongqing in gateway， culture， and tourism. Wearing very well the tile of being National Historical and Cultural Town， National Intangible Cultural Heritage， A Hometown of Chinese Folk Art， and China's Traditional Village， the town， like a running horse， is making great strides in development.

Joseph W. Stilwell， an American General in Chungking（Ⅹ）

Centuries-old Post Road - Zouma Town A Mirror of History

□ Written by Li J ing

Guangong Temple Fair Photographer： Xie Jie