一
I think that the most exciting project in Chinese history is not the Great Wall, but Dujiangyan.
Of course the Great Wall is also very great. No matter how much the Meng Jiang girls cried and cried, looking at it from a distance, this miserable nation actually used human power to build a barrier of thousands of miles in the wild mountains and deserts, leaving a legacy for our planet. A pride of human willpower. The Great Wall no longer has much flavor in the Badaling area, but in Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia, the strong cold wind howls among the intermittent decaying walls, the faint sunset, and the desolate wilderness merge into one, making it... When a person devotes himself wholeheartedly to the great fear of history, time, and nation, the feeling becomes much deeper.
However, just decades before Qin Shihuang ordered the construction of the Great Wall, a remarkable project had been completed on the Sichuan Plain. Its scale is far less grand than the Great Wall on the surface, but it is destined to steadily benefit thousands of years. If the Great Wall occupies a vast space, then it actually occupies a vast amount of time. The social function of the Great Wall has long been abolished, but it is still conveying clear water to countless people. With it, the Sichuan Plain, where droughts and floods are permanent, has become the Land of Abundance. Whenever there is a major disaster for our nation, the Kingdom of Abundance always calmly provides shelter and nourishment. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that it has permanently irrigated the Chinese nation. With it, only Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei's great talents and strategies can be achieved, and only Li Bai, Du Fu, and Lu You can have their Sichuan travels. To put it more closely, with it, China had a relatively stable rear during the Anti-Japanese War.
Its water flow is not as abrupt as the Great Wall, but penetrates slowly and extends step by step, and the distance it extends is no shorter than the Great Wall. The civilization of the Great Wall is a kind of rigid sculpture, and its civilization is a kind of smart life. The Great Wall looks like a senior citizen waiting for people to repair it, but it sits in a humble corner, like a country mother who never shows off or asks for anything, but only contributes. After checking the resume, the Great Wall is only its descendant, which is Dujiangyan.
II
Before I went to Dujiangyan, I thought it was just a water conservancy project and would not have much tourist value. I’ve even seen Gezhouba, what else can it do? If you want to go to Qingcheng Mountain, you have to pass by the county seat of Guanxian County. It is nearby, so you can take a look. Therefore, when I got off the bus in Guanxian, I wandered around the streets with a lazy mind and unsteady steps, all I wanted to do was see Mount Qingcheng.
After seven turns and eight turns, we walked from a simple street to a place with lush vegetation. My face gradually felt moisturized, and my eyes became clearer and clearer. No one showed me the way, I just walked towards a more moist and clearer place. Suddenly, something strange began to happen between heaven and earth, a faint commotion, a sound that was not too loud but must be very loud, filling the surroundings. Like the precursor of an earthquake, the imminent tsunami, or the imminent landslide, I feel an inexplicable nervousness all over my body, and I am so nervous that I rush to follow it. I don’t know whether I walked by myself or was sucked away by it. Finally, I was suddenly shocked. I was standing in front of Fulong Temple. In front of me, the rapids were mighty and the earth was shaking. Even standing on the rocks by the sea, I don't feel the charm of water as strongly as here. The sea water is a graceful and generous gathering. The gathering is too much, too deep, and vast, making people forget that it is real water, water that can be held in hand. The water here is different. There is not too much water, but the water is full of energy. Together they compete with the power of running and are full of noisy life. This kind of competition is very disciplined. As you run, when you encounter the water dike in the middle of the river, you will cut it into two parts and rush out. The two streams of water will hit a strong dam respectively, and you will immediately turn around and change directions. , then bumped against another strong dam, and then made some adjustments according to the instructions of the dam builder... Maybe the water flow was a little angry at its docility, and suddenly went wild, rolling and roaring violently, but the more it became like this The more it shows a more magnificent docility. It has roared to the point where it is heart-wrenching, and not a single drop of water has splashed in the wrong direction. In the dark air, a thousand-year battle of subjugation continues. Shui has suffered enough and been in the limelight here, like a thousand-year battle of subjugation. Just like a large group of marathon runners who have overcome various obstacles, they give their most powerful lives to discipline, hope, and public view. Watching the clouds, fog, and sunrise are all different places. If you want to watch the water, don’t forget Dujiangyan.
Three
All this must first be attributed to Li Bing, who is so far away that his face is invisible.
Sichuan was fortunate to have an appointment that was not eye-catching in 251 BC: Li Bing was appointed governor of Shu County.
The practice of China's officialdom for thousands of years since then has been to select batches of committed scholars as bureaucrats who have no specialization. However, Li Bing became a practical scientist because of his official position. There are clearly two completely different political trends here. In Li Bing's view, the meaning of politics is to regulate, eliminate disasters, nourish, and nurture. The things it wants to implement are both concrete and simple. He learned a simple truth that even a child could understand: Since Sichuan's biggest problem is drought and floods, Sichuan's rulers must become hydraulic scientists.
Not long ago, I received a business card from a very accomplished mayor. The title on it was only "Civil Engineer", and I immediately thought of Li Bing.
There is no evidence to prove Li Bing’s political talent, but because of him, China has had a pure and pure political program.
He is the county guard, holding a long hoe in his hand, standing on the bank of the roaring river, completing the original shape of the word "guard". That long hammer has been in constant conflict with the golden staff, jade seal, iron halberd and steel hammer for thousands of years. He failed, but finally won.
He began to ask people to draw water maps. This map echoes today’s disarmament data and moon landing routes.
Of course he did not learn water conservancy anywhere. However, taking the mission as his school and working hard for several years, he summed up the three-character mantra of water control: "Walk deep into the beach, build a weir low" and the eight-character mantra "When you meet the bay, cut off the corner, and draw the heart when the time is right", which remained the standard for water conservancy projects until the 20th century. . This bit of knowledge he had was always dripping with moisture, but the thick classics he had written for countless years had long since dried and were too brittle to be read.
He did not expect that his strategy of controlling water would soon be replaced by a strategy of controlling people; he did not expect that the fertile soil he wanted to irrigate would become a battlefield from time to time, and most of the rice on the fertile soil would be filled. For military rations. He only knows that if this person wants to avoid extinction, he must have clear springs and rice.
He is both foolish and wise. He is both clumsy and skillful. He entered into the clearest anthropological thinking with the thinking of an old farmer in the field.
He left no biographical information, only a hard-hitting dam for people to guess. People come here and wonder again and again: Who is this? He died two thousand years ago, but he is still directing the water flow. Standing in front of the sentry box in the middle of the river, the shouts, admonitions and comforts of "You go this way, he goes that way" can be heard. No one can live such a long life.
Qin Shihuang’s instructions to build the Great Wall were majestic, brutal, and cruel; his instructions to build weirs were wise, kind, and transparent.
Whatever the starting point is, there will be the continuation. The Great Wall is part courage and part pomp, and it has been like this for generations. To this day, the Great Wall often becomes a spectacle. Dujiangyan was clear from the beginning, and as a result, its history has always shown an extraordinary style. When Li Bing was still alive, he had considered the continuation of his career and ordered his son to make three stone figures to stand in the river to measure the water level. 400 years after Li Bing's death, the three stone figures may have been damaged. The water officials of the Han Dynasty rebuilt the "Three Gods Stone Figures" with a height of 3 meters to measure the water level. One of the "Three Gods Stone Figures" is the statue of Li Bing. This water officer of the Han Dynasty must have inherited the great spirit of Li Bing, because he dared to put his respected ancestor in the river to measure the water. He understands Li Bing's thoughts, and only there is the most suitable position for him. This design was successfully implemented without any opposition. It can only be said that Dujiangyan has created a unique spiritual world for itself.
The stone statues were finally buried in the mud of the years. When they were unearthed in the 1970s, one stone statue had a mutilated head and was still holding a long hammer in its hand. Some people say that this is Li Bing's son. Even if not, I still regard him as Li Bing's son. A modern writer was moved when he saw this statue. "There is no mud but a kind smile, a broken neck but a long hammer in the hand." From this, the writer asked the modern officialdom: Where should we stand, alive or dead? The unearthed stone statues are now on display in Fulong Temple. People silently paid their respects to them amidst the thunderous sound of water. Here, I suddenly felt a certain optimism about Chinese history. As long as Dujiangyan does not collapse, Li Bing's spirit will not dissipate, and Li Bing's sons will reproduce from generation to generation. The roaring river water is the last words of the most holy and good.
Four
Continue walking forward and see a cable bridge across the river. The bridge is very high, and the bridge cables are made of hemp rope and bamboo strips. When you step on it, the bridge swings violently. The more you hesitate to advance or retreat, the greater the swing becomes. It would be confusing to peek under the bridge from such a high place, but this is a rope bridge with leaks everywhere, so you can't help but look. At first glance, I was amazed. The river under our feet, rushing from such a far away place, has a decisive momentum without hesitation, carrying the cold wind, spitting out white foam, and advancing sharply. Standing so high, I could still feel its cold air, so I guess it came from the snow-capped mountains. However, looking at the other side of the bridge, it has turned into many shiny rivers, changing evil and doing good. How well man has tamed the forces of nature. If human beings could do everything so easily, the earth would already look different.
However, human beings always lack self-confidence, advance and retreat, stop and go, constantly depleting themselves, and constantly depleting themselves again. As a result, Li Bing, who had just a little more confidence, became a god in people's hearts. Not far from the east end of the cable bridge, at the foot of Yulei Mountain, there is an Erwang Temple to worship Li Bing and his son. People are worshiping devoutly, worshiping people who are more human-like among their own kind. Bells, drums, cymbals, and chimes sound loudly and softly day and night, accompanying the roar of the river waves.
People like Li Bing should find a quiet place to commemorate him. Building an Erwang Temple is also in line with the public's wishes.
When people who truly benefit the people are promoted to gods, the world of gods will become reasonable, peaceful and approachable. Chinese religion has a very secular flavor, so secular human relationships will also be tainted with a religious flare. Over time, Dujiangyan turned into a bridge connecting the two worlds.
I went to a remote area to watch a Nuo opera, but I was not interested in many of the contents. What particularly pleased me was that the water god Hebo in the Nuo opera was replaced by Li Bing from Guanxian County. Li Bing, the water god in Nuo opera, is much more lively than Li Bing in the Erwang Temple. People dance and shout wildly around him, praying for countless Dujiangyans to bring good weather and moist soil and water to the country.
Nuo opera originally started with a myth, but with Li Bing, the myth became reality, and the deep spiritual heaven was suddenly close to the earth and the common people.