An Excursion to Zhuxi

By Xu Kuang

An Excursion to Zhuxi

By Xu Kuang

A Land Full of Cultural Flavors of Qin and Chu

Zhuxi County is located in the Qinba mountainous region in Hubei Province. As the name indicates, Zhouxi means flourishing woods and tall bamboo groves, with streams gurgling.

In the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Zhuxi was a territory of Yong Kingdom and was renamed Wuling in the Western Han Dynasty. It sits at the junction of three provinces—Hubei, Chongqing and Shanxi. The vicissitudes in society and history left a legacy of splendid and abundant cultural connotations here. Here you can witness the ancient Yong culture, Qin culture, Chu culture, Qinba culture, Bachu culture, Bashan culture and Han culture. It also boasts of its cultural melting pot for it blends all merits of culture from Bashu region, Jingchu region, Yongqin region and Heartland areas. What strikes us most is its language, a mixture of Qin and Shu accent, and a style of the South and the North dialect. Hence Zhuxi is a land full of splendid and colorful cultural treasures.

Humanitarian features of this culture are embedded in the grand mountains and long rivers in Zhguxi. Here you can hear high-pitch local opera named Xipierhuang, full of ancient odors and fresh tune; you are lucky enough to touch the timbers chopped and sewed in Mount Cixiaogou, which used only by the imperial family; In addition, here exists the great wall of Chu, parallel to the Famous Great Wall of China, the ancient salt tea road, the original and authentic Xianba folk songs and the peach paradise described by Poet Tao Yuanming. All this shrouded Zhuxi a mysterious and cultural veil.

Today, if you go sightseeing in Zhuxi, you need first arrive at Shiyan Railway Station, and then you can take a ride or coach to Zhuzhi in just three hours. Guzhu Highway went into circulation in December 26th, 2014, which can save 2 hours than before.

秦風楚韻 源遠流長

地處秦巴山區的湖北竹溪縣，地如其名：茂林修竹，溪水潺潺。

竹溪縣東周屬庸國、西漢謂武陵。她腳踏鄂渝陜三省，充滿神奇。歷史的變遷，積淀了竹溪瑰麗多彩、豐實厚重的文化底蘊。古庸文化、秦楚文化、秦巴文化、巴楚文化、巴山文化、漢水文化在這里交融匯聚，她與巴蜀文化結盟，與荊楚文化相承，與庸秦文化交流，與中原文化匯集，語言雜秦蜀，風氣兼南北，亦秦亦楚，亦巴亦蜀，形成南北交融、東西薈萃的區域文化特色，留下燦若星河、多元豐富的文化遺產。

大山、大水、大人文。秦風楚韻、歷久彌新的西皮二黃，采采皇木、奉之如玉的貢木谷慈孝溝，連橫合縱、朝秦暮楚的楚長城，蜀鹽北運、貢茶北上的鹽茶古道，蒼古粗糲，原生純凈的向壩民歌，陶公筆下、世外境地的桃花源地……包隱著竹溪歷史悠久而神秘的色彩。

從十堰站轉大巴至竹溪，如今可走谷（城）竹（溪）高速，耗時3小時左右。谷竹高速于2014年12月26日正式通車，時間比以往的線路快了2個小時。

記者在十堰客運站購票，至竹溪的票價79元，加上1元附加保險。“沒通高速的時候，要走五六個小時的山路，這種山路，開車的比坐車的舒服。”大巴司機告訴記者。

時值暑假期間，沿途經過的小鎮，均有拖著行李的年輕人下車。“如果不是通高速，以往回家才麻煩。”在武漢讀大學的小李告訴記者，“以前從武漢回趟家，山路特別難走，到家基本上都是晚上。”

過去山區交通閉塞，人們日出而作，日落而息，幾乎過著與世隔絕的日子。如今交通日益便利，山里的人們與外界的聯系也漸漸多起來。

名茶之鄉 造福鄉民

竹溪是全國500個資源富縣之一，植被覆蓋率81.2%，森林覆蓋率76.8%，全縣活立木蓄積量超過800萬立方米，居湖北省各縣之首。

境內地勢南高北低，屬北亞熱帶季風氣候，年平均氣溫在12℃～16℃之間，山地氣候的特色比較明顯，雨量充沛，氣候溫和，具有得天獨厚的茶葉生長環境。

It took you 79 yuan to take a coach from Shiyan Bus Terminal to Zhuxi, plus 1 yuan for the life insurance. “When there was no highway, we used to spend 5 or 6 hours on the mountainous road, on which the drivers feel more comfortable than passengers.” The coach driver said.

As it was during the summer vocation, many young men, carrying baggage, could be found go in and off at each station. “But for the highway it would be troublesome to go home.” Xiao Li, who was a student in one of universities in Wuhan, told us. “In the past, it was so hard to walk through the mountainous path that nearly every time I didn’t arrive until night fell.”

In the days when the traffic is utterly backward, the villagers lived an isolated life, going out to work at sunrise and going back home at sunset. Today the connection between villagers and the outer world is on the increase as the traffic becomes convenient.

A Land of Tea Trees, Benefiting the Villagers

In China, there are 500 counties rich in natural resources and Zhuxi is listed among them. The rates of vegetation and forest coverage are 81.2% and 76.8% respectively and the timber stock is over 8,000,000 steres which tops No.1 among all other counties in Hubei.

The terrain of Zhuxi is high in the south and low in the north. It belongs to the north subtropical climate and its annual average temperature is between 12℃ and 16℃. It has the typical mountain climate with ample rainfall and mild climate, providing a favorable environment for tea planting.

Zhuxi has a long history of planting tea. It was first entitled “the Land of Tea in China” and later “the County of Chinese Organic Green Tea”. Tea has already become one of its shinning “green card” of Zhuxi.

In Zhuxi, tea is regarded as one of the pillar industries which can raise up the farmers’ income and improve the agricultural efficiency. Organic green tea plays a dominant role. Now tea plantations occupy a land of 220,000 mu (146.7 square kilometers), which is the largest in Hubei province.

There are two main tea companies in Zhuxi now, one is called “Longwangya” and the other is named “Meizigong”. In 2016, both of them were entitled “the Thirty most Beautiful Tea Plantations in China” by the tea sub-council of China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation (CAPIAC).

After driving over 10 kilometers from Zhuxi County towards the southeast, you can reach Longwangya Tea Plantation. Far off, the Plantation is deeply embraced by surrounding mountains covered by green pines and bamboos; Near, a belt of green tea terraces stretches over the slope, which constitutes a splendid green ribbon of tea world. Once you step in, you will be surrounded by a sea of tea, trees of tea, tea leaves and the smell of tea… In a word,all you can feel is green.

Rambling in the tea world, you can enjoy the fresh air and have a good time here. The hills, groves, tea, flowers and birds perfectly match the tea culture.

When you feel tired and prefer to have a rest, you can go to the hall of tea pavilion in Mingjian Tower. Here, you can experience an ancient poetic life by asking for a cup of tea accompanied by the Chinese Zither music and the performance of young tea masters. After tasting the tea, you can wander around the “Longfeng Lake” , appreciating the landscape. Also, there is a platform for fishing where you can see a school of fish swimming in the lake.

Intangible Cultural Heritage, Sparkling in the Human World

The local folk arts in Zhuxi are characterized of abundance, richness and peculiarity, which are closely related to the origin of people and culture of Chu.

Folk song, one form of the folk arts, enjoys a longest history. It reflected the life and willpower of working class in content, and also showed the aesthetic standard and artistic creation in form. It plays an important position in rural culture, today and in the past.

“Mountain Erhuang”, also named “Erhuang in the tune of Han Opera” is the origin of what we called “Han Opera”. It is a kind of opera popular among the northwest of Hubei Province. As a rare local opera, it was listed into the directory of the first national intangible cultural heritage.

Tong Jueping (1900-1983) is a veteran artist of Mountain Erhuang in Zhuxi County whose ancestral home was Loutian County, the Prefecture of Huangzhou. And they moved here during Qianlong period. At first, they made a living on business. They were not famous for performing Mountain Erhuang until the third generation.

Today, the Opera Troupe of Mountain Erhuang in Zhuxi County is a professional art group, and the only one that creates and performs Mountain Erhuang in China.

Except for Mountain Erhuang, Xiangba Township was entitled “Land of Folk Songs in Hubei Province” by the Association of the Folk Artists in Hubei Province. In 2013, it was listed into the fourth directory of intangible culturalheritage in Hubei Province. Han Shaogong, a famous writer said:“Xiangba folk song is the only living fossil of Han nationality.”

Generally the villagers in Xiangba like to hold the bonfire parties to entertain guests. Although it was raining that night when we arrived, the villagers were still hospitable and enthusiastic and insisted on holding the party. With the pattering of rain, the whole valley echoed with sonorous singing.

Zhouxi Shadow Play, also known as classical cartoon drama, is similar to Shanxi and Henan Shadow Play in its shape and style which best illustrates the cultural exchange between the three provinces.

In the old days, Zhouxi shadow play was very popular. It was closely related with some local customs and ceremonies, especially in worshipping gods and ancestors. The shadow play performance could be found in many folk activities and even at weddings or funerals.

Zhuxi, a poetic name it is! In Zhuxi, it seems that even a road, a clump of flowers, a piece of tea, a house or an elder all have their stories to tell you.

At that night , after it stopped raining, we looked outside the window and surprisingly found a hazy moon hanging in the dusky sky. With bird’s singing in the distance, the clouds changed their shapes constantly. it made us forget where we were.

竹溪種植茶葉的歷史悠久，先后被譽為“中國名茶之鄉”“中國有機綠茶之鄉”“中國茶葉名縣”，茶葉已成為竹溪的“綠色名片”。

茶葉是竹溪農業增效、農民增收的支柱產業之一，以生產有機綠茶為主。現有茶園22萬畝，位居全省第一,其中投產茶園面積已達13萬畝。

竹溪現有“龍王埡”和“梅子貢”兩家茶葉龍頭企業，2016年，兩家茶園均被中國農業國際合作促進會茶產業委員會評為“全國三十座最美茶園”。

從竹溪縣城往東南行駛十多公里，即可到達龍王埡觀光茶園。極目遠眺，山巒蒼翠挺拔，起伏連綿。近處可見，一片片綠油油的梯田茶園隨著山勢延伸開來，層層疊疊，線條優美，宛如一條條寬闊的綠帶，十分壯觀。踏入其中，茶海、茶樹、茶葉、茶香……五官感知的全是綠。

呼吸著新鮮的空氣，在茶園漫步，茶園內的山、林、茶、花、云、鳥與茶園深厚的文化底蘊相得益彰。

小憩漫步覺得累時，可以到茗箭樓茶藝廳，沏一壺龍王埡茶，在幽雅古箏的奏鳴中，伴隨著年輕淳樸的茶藝師純熟的茶藝表演，感受古人詩情畫意的生活，意境高雅。喝完茶后，可以在龍鳳湖邊漫步，欣賞碧波蕩漾的湖水，還可以在釣魚臺上看湖中活蹦亂跳的魚兒。

非遺文化 燦若星辰

竹溪民間文藝蘊藏量之豐富，品種之繁多，藝術形式之奇特，這與楚人的起源和楚文化的淵源密不可分。

民歌，是歷史悠久的民間藝術之一。在內容上反映了勞動人民的生活和意愿；在形式上體現了勞動人民的審美和藝術創造。從古至今，它在農村文化生活中占有重要的地位。

有“漢劇之母”之稱的“山二黃”又名“漢調二黃”，是流行于鄂西北地區的皮黃劇種，是湖北省稀有地方劇種，被列入第一批國家級非物質文化遺產擴展項目名錄。

竹溪縣山二黃老藝人童覺平（1900～1983）祖籍為黃州府羅田縣。其家于乾隆中期遷居竹溪縣城，始以經商營生，至第三代即以傳唱山二黃出名。

時至今日，竹溪縣山二黃劇團是以專門創作演出“山二黃”劇目的專業藝術表演團體，也是目前全國唯一一個創作演出“山二黃”劇目的藝術表演團體。

除了山二黃，竹溪縣向壩鄉被省民間文藝家協會命名為“省級民歌之鄉”。2013年，被列為湖北省第四批非物質文化遺產名錄項目。

著名作家韓少功在考察向壩民歌項目后認為：“向壩民歌是中國漢民族僅存的一塊活化石。”

向壩民歌篝火晚會，是山區人民迎接來客的特有方式。當晚，大雨如注，村民們熱情不減，篝火晚會依然如期舉行。伴隨著滴答雨聲，高亢的民歌在山里回響。

不得不提的還有古典卡通大戲——皮影戲。竹溪皮影的形制及風格與陜豫皮影相似，是陜豫鄂三地民間文化交流融合的結果。

過去，竹溪縣皮影戲非常流行，與當地祭祀請神、酬神還愿的風俗習慣有著千絲萬縷的聯系，民間習俗活動以及紅白喜事助興，都少不了皮影戲班。

竹溪，一個詩意的名字。一條路，一叢花，一片茶，一所房屋，山中老人仿佛都能給來者道明一個出處。

是夜，倚窗遠望，陣雨過后，竟然立刻出現一輪朦朧月亮，云層變幻無窮，遠處不時傳來雞鳴鳥叫，讓人幾乎忘了身居何處。

客往竹溪去

文 |許曠

● Shadow Play Photo by Wang Daguo皮影 (王大國攝)