酉陽桃花源

□ 文/本刊記者 胡睿

酉陽桃花源

□ 文/本刊記者 胡睿

雄奇險峻的自然山水風光，造就了《桃花源記》原型地—桃花源，“武陵之魂”—龍潭古鎮、“絕壁音符”—龔灘古鎮，“峽谷仙境”—阿蓬江大峽谷等令人神往的山川奇景。這里是人們遠離塵世喧囂、回歸綠色天堂的絕佳旅游目的地和度假天堂，也是國家AAAAA級旅游景區，國家森林公園，國家地質公園，中國最具國際影響力旅游品牌，最負國際盛名景區，國家戶外運動基地，重慶市文明旅游風景區。

酉陽桃花源位于重慶市酉陽土家族苗族自治縣，地處武陵山腹地，渝、鄂、湘、黔4省（市）在此接壤，距重慶主城區360公里，面積2734公頃，森林覆蓋率80%，由世外桃源、伏羲洞、桃花源、金銀山、酉州古城、二酉山等六大部分組成，是重慶“特色森林公園”。

酉陽有2200多年建縣史，800年州府所在地，600余年土司制史。來到酉陽桃花源，欣賞土家族的風土人情是旅行的一大亮點，土家吊腳樓，土家擺手舞，土家木葉情歌，面具陽戲，儺戲，梯瑪跳神，打饒棺都是酉陽特有的文化特色。其中，擺手舞是土家族最主要的標志性文化形態之一。是以擺手為特征的祭祀性舞蹈，是土家先民在進行圖騰崇拜、祖先崇拜、土王崇拜和漫長的生產生活實踐活動中創造出來的。

對于酉陽豐富的文化底蘊和美景，被多數人知曉的是來自《酉陽直隸州總志》的記載：“核其形，與淵明所記桃花源者毫厘不爽。”被廣泛認定為就是陶淵明筆下的《桃花源記》的原型地。景區里面除了有“世外桃源”的美麗田園風光外，還有被“天坑學之父”朱學穩先生稱為“世界奇觀·地下石林”的伏羲洞，有“天下第一洞”“地下桃花源”之美譽。緊鄰世外桃源的酉州古城，依山而建，風格各異的土家吊腳樓矗立在青石板街的兩旁，氣勢恢宏，展示著土家族的建筑、歷史、民俗、文化，是武陵山土家族的“清明上河圖”。還有“巴蜀第一鎮”“絕壁上的音符”之稱的龔灘古鎮坐落于烏江之畔。

Mysterious and magnificent natural landscape leads to the prototype of“Peach Blossom Spring” (written by Tao Yuanming, a Chinese well-known writer of the Eastern Jin Dynasty) – Peach Blossom Valley, "Wuling Soul" - Longtan Town, "cliff note" - Gongtan Ancient Town, "Canyon Wonderland" - A Pengjiang Grand Canyon and other fascinating natural scenery. It offers an excellent and ideal tourist destination and holiday paradise for people who want to keep away from the bustling world and return to the green heaven. It was selected as “National AAAAA Level Scenic Spot”, “National Forest Park”,“National Geological Park”, “China's Most Globally Influential Tourism Brand”,“the Most Famous International Scenic Spot”, “National Outdoor Sports Base”,“ Chongqing Municipal Civilized Tourism Scenic Area”.

Youyang Peach Garden Scenic Area is located in the Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County of Chongqing Municipality (hereinafter refered to as Youyang County) and the hinterland of Wuling mountain area in the junction of Chongqing, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Guizhou Province. It is 360 km away from the main urban area of Chongqing, covering an area of 2734 hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 80%. Composed of Ancient Peach Garden, Fuxi Cave, Peach Blossom Valley, Gold and Silver Hill, Youzhou Ancient Town, Youyang Peach Blossom Valley is a "characteristic forest park" in Chongqing.

Youyang has a long history of being a county for more than 2,200 years, being a state capital for some 800 years, and establishing the Tusi system for over 600 years. When traveling in the Youyang Peach Blossom Valley, to appreciate Tujia local customs and folks is a major highlight of your trip. Youyang has numerous unique local cultures such as Tujia stilting wooden houses, Tujia hand-waving dance, Tujia Leaf Love Song, Mask Yang Opera, Nuo Opera, Tiema god dance, Buddhist ceremony to release souls from purgatory, among which Youyang hand-waving dance is one of the Tujia most symbolic cultural forms. Youyang hand-waving dance is a sacrifi cial dance characterized by waving, which was created by Tujia ancestors in the practice of totem worship, ancestor worship, Tujia chieftain worship and long life.

Most of people know Youayng’s rich culture and scenic beauty from the record of Youyang Direct-administrated Prefecture Annals, which said: What Youyang looks like is exactly what Tao Yuanming described about Peach Blossom Valley in the essay of “Peach Blossom Spring”. For this reason, it is widely hailed as the prototype of “Peach Blossom Spring”. In addition to the beautiful rural scenery featuring "the Land of Peach Blossom ", Fuxi Cave, honored as " the most spectacular cave" and "underground Peach Garden", also lies there, which is reputed as "underground stone forest and the world's wonder" by zhu xuewen, " the father of Chinese sky hole". Neighbouring with Peach Garden, Youzhou Ancient Town was built on the hillside, in which on the both sides of flagstone road, astonishingly stand diff erent styles of Tujia stilted wooden houses, displaying the Tujia architectures, history, folk customs, and culture. Therefore, it is regarded as "the Qingming Festival" of Tujia minority groups in Wuling Mountain. Besides, Gongtan Ancient Town, praised as "the first town of Ba" and " cliff note", is situated by the Wujiang River.

Youyang, the Realistic Peach Blossom Valley

□ J ournalist/ Hu Rui