Today's master is a writer, and his romance novels "Golden Powder Family" and "In distress situation" are extremely popular. It is said that the manuscript fee is100000.
He is the famous Zhang Henshui.
Zhang Xueliang wanted to invite him to work in Northeast China, but he was politely refused. Kenya Hara, the famous leader of the Japanese invaders, is also a big fan. He asked for his autograph, and he teased him cleverly.
Zhang Henshui (1895 1967)
1934, Zhang Henshui came to the northwest and felt a lot along the way. He wrote down the places of interest along the way.
Originally published in the journal of tourism, volume 9, issue 7, 1935.
Let's take a look at Lanzhou written by this great writer.
Journey to the west: Zhang Henshui in the eastern suburb of Lanzhou
We went to Lanzhou from Xi 'an. Because of the rain and general manager Liu's project inspection, we walked for nine days. It's refreshing to hear that Lanzhou is coming soon. About 30 miles from Gancaodian to Zhuzui, through the triangle city, the road is flat, the villages are opposite, and it goes down the river. The clear water rolls outside the mill to urge the waterwheel, which is a bit like Jiangnan.
Walk ten miles to Majiasi River. The river is wide, rocky and rugged, with a wisp of clear water flowing. The people on both sides of the strait use poplars as fences and big bluestones as walls, which is also a landscape that has not been seen for more than a thousand miles.
Map of Lanzhou, Republic of China
Five miles across the river is the Yan Wanggou, also known as Wang Wanggou. There is a small crack in the dirt mountain, just to let the car pass. There used to be robbers here. Now Silan Highway has been changed to go from the top of the mountain. Two peaks separated by a deep valley are crossed by a long beam. There is a pool-type flowing water culvert under the long beam. Light it up, enter from the south gate of the culvert and exit from the north gate. I walked two or three hundred steps in the culvert, but I came out in the same place. This project is very clever.
It was introduced by China International Relief Association and supervised by the Swedish Ministry of Engineering. However, chief engineer Liu said that this was because foreign engineering departments abused the policies of relief associations. Charities will only provide relief, not afraid to spend more wages. The Economic Commission used to be practical and realistic, so why waste it? (The estimated salary is 20,000 to 30,000. In fact, the expressway can cross without taking the hill.
Lanzhou airport, 1930s.
Ten miles west of Yan Wanggou is Donggang Slope, and Gaolan Mountain outside Lanzhou City can be seen far away. Go two or three miles and arrive at Lanzhou airport. The airport here is very big, about three miles away. To the north of the airport, there is Lanzhou Camp. There is a castle at the gate, and the weather is strict. From here to the east gate of Lanzhou, about ten miles away, the road is flat, the car is flying, and people are flying when they see the Beiping-style four-story gate watchtower.
Lanzhou City, 1936
Lanzhou market
Although Lanzhou is the provincial capital, it refers to ancient times. Now let's open the map of China and have a look. There is a cross in the middle. Then, we can find the place name Lanzhou near the center of the cross. So Lanzhou is nominally a prosperous frontier, but in fact it is in the middle of China.
In the eyes of westerners, it is also Shanghai in the northwest, Xinjiang, Qinghai and northern Tibet in the west, where goods are shipped out. As far north as Ningxia and Mongolia, there are also businesses, so Lanzhou is very important in business.
We walked more than a thousand miles of dry and tasteless dry roads, passing through a big place like Pingliang, and it was only a straight street, so our ideal Lanzhou was also desolate.
The car entered Dongguan, which was not satisfactory. Lanzhou, like other cities in the northwest, has another pass outside the city wall, namely Dongguan and Nanguan, both of which are metropolitan areas. It doesn't matter that only the north gate is the Yellow River. From the east gate to the front of the provincial government office building, there is a dry road, with a wide place and a narrow place of more than two feet, but only one car passes by.
The shops are completely old-fashioned, and the counters are mostly like pawn shops in the south, with a row of doors. All the goods are displayed on a tall wooden frame with many squares. The so-called window decoration is naturally out of the question. Even the styles of goods are rarely displayed. The reason is simple, because glass is not easy to move to Lanzhou. The glass here is more expensive, about one foot square, so you have to sell it for one yuan here.
As a result, there are few such things in the buildings in Lanzhou city. Merchants put their goods on shelves in the oldest way, and some of them must be displayed, either under the eaves or on the walls for customers to use.
Nine times out of ten, the house is old-fashioned, with low eaves extending into the street and various brands lined up under the eaves. The slightly newer houses I have seen are just a few newly opened hotels. Northwest China has a continental climate with little rain, so the streets in Lanzhou are also very dusty, but the dust is not as serious as Xi 'an. Moreover, the mill motor of the provincial government is used here, and there are electric lights all over the city, which is better than Xi 'an's.
Zhongshan Market, formerly the famous Zhuang Yan Temple in the city, was renamed in the hands of the Northwest Army in the east street of the provincial capital. Now, except for the main hall in the temple, all of them have been converted into shopping malls. The content of shopping malls is also modeled after various markets in Beiping, but there are many mobile stalls and few shops. In terms of selling things, there are probably daily necessities, and what women need is particularly well prepared. Therefore, it is necessary for modern women to be in the Zhongshan market in Lanzhou.
This border town is old-fashioned, there are no public places for men and women, and there are few such things as men and women walking together. Only in Zhongshan market, both men and women go, and occasionally they can see men and women walking together. Some people say that nine times out of ten, the men and women in this industry are all from the East, and the people here are still different from men and women. This is what gentlemen who really emphasize retro expect.
Speaking of the Zhuang Yan Temple itself, it has indelible value. Above the main hall, both walls are murals of the Tang Dynasty. The Buddha in the painting is entirely Indian. Because the upstairs doors and windows are closed all the year round, the sun rarely shines in, so it still retains its original color. According to local people, at a certain period, this mural was in great danger of being completely destroyed. Fortunately, a few clever locals hid the clay tablets and buried the murals, which saved them.
In addition to murals, some people say that there is a kind of Buddha lantern in this temple, in another secluded temple. The lantern is like a wooden tower, the lower part is in the cellar, and the upper part goes straight to the top of the temple. If someone touches the device, the light will turn automatically. I haven't seen this thing with my own eyes, and I dare not think it is completely true. My friend told me that because I was swimming in Zhuang Yan Temple. If you want to watch it again, you have to find someone from Guanting to accompany you, so you have to give up. Otherwise, the monk in the temple will not speak.
Three wonders of the Great Buddha Temple
When it comes to solemn Zen temple, it is necessary to talk about Hong 'en Temple. This temple is commonly known as the Big Buddha Temple because there is a big Buddha statue in it. Now Lanzhou Guanting has used this place and turned it into a people's library. The address is in the west street of the provincial government, which is not remote.
There is no need to introduce the furnishings of the library. Here are the three wonders of the Great Buddha Temple. What are the three wonders? These are books, paintings and plastic.
First of all, this book is unique. The following are the words of Yan Zhenqing and Chu Suiliang.
Second, painting is absolutely. There are murals of the Ming Dynasty in the first hall, and there is no shortage of them. On the back wall of the temple, there is a Guanyin statue, which was painted by Wu Daozi himself. The elephant is about seven or eight feet tall and very detailed. Needless to say, it's just the yarn on Guanyin's body, which vaguely reveals the clothes inside. It's a stunt. It's just that it's too old and the color is not very clear. Many people tried to take some photos of this mural, but all failed. Soon, a white man said that he could paint it by spraying a chemical on the wall with paper. However, Lanzhou Guanting was afraid of corroding the original painting and did not agree.
The third is plastic. As I said before, the statues of many ancient temples in the north can remain intact, and the wall buddhas of the Great Buddha Temple have all been preserved, so the old statues in the temple will naturally not be destroyed. According to my observation, several Buddha statues in the East Annex of Houdian are the most swaggering. There are three giant buddhas in Daxiong Hall. Although the sculptors are not bad, they are far from those with temples. Some people say that these statues are Tang sculptures, while others say that they are meta sculptures. However, there is no textual research, but they are not the products of the Qing Dynasty, so it can be asserted.
Huanghe railway bridge
A bridge across the Yellow River? . Before the construction of Jin-Pu Railway and Ping-Han Railway, there was only one pontoon bridge outside the gate of Lanzhou on the Yellow River from Qinghai to Haikou, Shandong Province, so there was the old saying of these seven words.
Republic of China Lanzhou bridge
The bridge is outside the north gate. You can see it when you leave the city. But it used to be a pontoon bridge, and now it is an iron bridge. The structure of the pontoon bridge is different from that of the southern pontoon bridge. Instead, float the wood in the water, twist it into a rope with a thousand grasses that are a specialty of Ganxi, tie it up, and then spread a board on it. The bridge deck is wide so that mule cars can pass on it. However, there is another layer of trouble. The bridge should be built once a year, because the Yellow River freezes in winter, and the bridge will be damaged if it is not put away properly and frozen in the ice.
Republic of China Lanzhou Railway Bridge
At the end of Guangxu, a governor of Gansu, as a once-and-for-all plan, spent 500,000 taels of silver (including freight) and asked the Germans to build this iron bridge. The bridge is about 200 steps long and 10 foot wide, which is roughly the same as the iron bridge on the railway. However, on the bridge deck, there is a thick layer of wooden boards, heavy mules and carriages, and rolling bridge slabs rattle and drill around under the viaduct. Something new and something old, but it's not funny.
Baita Temple in the Republic of China
On the north bank of the river is Baita Mountain. There are several temples on the mountain, which are interlaced with different levels of the mountain. There is no vegetation on it, and the pale yellow soil is illuminated by strong sunlight, which is obviously not the scene of the Central Plains.
Upstream and downstream of the bridge, there are large circular waterwheels lined up, driven by the Yellow River water. The water in the Yellow River is always swift. People passing by the bridge can hear the sound of the river rushing on the bridge. The cowhide raft, without any support, went down the river on the water and walked very fast. These, as seen on the Yellow River Bridge, are of the greatest interest to southeast people.
When we arrived in Lanzhou, all the eight newly-built hotels in the center of Lanzhou were declared full. Thanks to the letter of introduction from Chairman An Zhu, we were received by the provincial government and lived in the garden of the provincial government.
Gansu provincial government, 1930s.
Gansu, the capital of the province, was originally the Suzhou Palace of the Ming Dynasty, with a large place. When Zuo was governor of Shaanxi but Gansu, he renovated this place. So this garden is not only decorated with pavilions and ponds, but also the trees in it are very old, tall and big.
There are more than a dozen pavilions in the garden. The first one is Wanghe Tower, which is on the back wall of the garden. Looking upstairs to the north, the Yellow River is rolling, just under your feet. There is a stone tablet outside the building, which is slightly flushed. It is said that King Su was killed by bandits and died in the mansion.
The second is the boathouse, which is in the rockery, where the office was left in the past, and now the provincial government banquets are all here. The third is the tomb of King Su. During the bandit rebellion, Wang Su's family disappeared, but there was no body, so they were buried here. Later generations built a fake grave here to commemorate the loyalty of his family, and there was a two-story pagoda outside the grave. This place is also one of the best in the country. The tall locust tree stretched out into the sky. Rockery with winding steps, with rugged rocks, there is a ditch flowing in the grass below the mountain, which is very picturesque. The fourth is the stone tablet cave, a square stone gate with primitive style, which entered the cellar of the square. Stone tablets are embedded in the walls around it, and the words engraved on them are poems written by Wang Su that day. Before his death, the stone tablet was probably put up.
In addition, there are lotus ponds and several platforms. There are several twists and turns in the water in the pool, and the water flows all day long. This water is not a spring or an open ditch, but the Yellow River water pumped up by the water pump in the Yellow River, so it is inexhaustible.
Although this is the garden of the provincial government, it is the only scenic spot in Lanzhou, so every Sunday, the west side door of the provincial government is open and people can visit it for free. It's just different from other parks. There are no hotels, teahouses and rest places here. Only in this way can we keep it clean.
Wuquanshan
Wuquan Mountain is Gaolan Mountain, and the county government in Lanzhou is called Gaolan County, which is the name of this mountain. The mountain is about five miles outside the Nanguan of Lanzhou. The mountain is tall and straight. Although there are still stones missing from the mountains, the mountains and valleys are covered with vegetation. Seen from a distance, it is a lush color. In this place in the northwest, it is very satisfying to have such green hills to see.
The road of chariots and horses leads directly to the foot of the mountain, facing you is a wooden archway with four big characters written on it: Lezhi Famous Mountain. On this mountain, there are six or seven state pavilions, all of which were built layer by layer with the mountain. Nine times out of ten, all the houses are new buildings.
According to legend, before the Qing Dynasty, there were only two temples on the mountain. Twenty or thirty years ago, there was a Wu in Lanzhou who thought this place could be decorated, because there were houses along the high and low peaks, as well as the original Wuhou Temple, Thousand Buddha Pavilion, Zuogong Temple and Mani Temple. Several places are really five steps on the first floor and ten steps on the first floor. Trees were planted along the valley, and now it has become a scenic spot.
Small and medium-sized Penglai in the valley has the most trees, blocking the land on both sides, crossing the valley as a bridge and building a pavilion on the bridge. The shade is deep and there is no road ahead, which is the most unforgettable place. Therefore, there are many teahouses here.
Wuquanshan architecture in the Republic of China
In addition, Wuquan Mountain has pavilions and pavilions all over the country, but in recent years there have been two jams. Wuquan Mountain is actually Sanquan Mountain. There is a house in front of the mountain, which is a stone fence built in the north of Santaige. It is commanding and the blue city of the Yellow River can be pointed out one by one.
The situation in Lanzhou
Lanzhou was incorporated into Chinese territory in the Han Dynasty. Huo Qubing stationed troops here to guard against the Huns. From the Han dynasty to the left hand, there has always been military relations here. According to the situation, this place is very important
North of the city is the Yellow River, and Hebei is Baita Mountain. The mountain winds eastward, more than ten miles from Lanzhou. In the southwest of the city is Gaolan Mountain, commanding, and you can clearly see the enemy coming from the north bank of the Yellow River. As for the vicinity of Lanzhou, it is just a plain, and it is only a few hundred thousand troops. Now, the plain between the two mountains outside the East Gate is still the place where troops are stationed. After this, there is the danger of Yan Wanggou. Visitors to Lanzhou should understand this. If they can understand this, then they can know why Lanzhou is important.
Several traffic accidents
One thing that people who come to Lanzhou will leave a deep impression on is the traffic incident. The traffic here can be divided into three types: land, water and air.
Only cowhide rafts are used in the water. This thing is interesting to say. When you use it, you can put it in the Yellow River and take people all the way to Baotou, Suiyuan. When not in use, people carry this thing on their backs and carry it with them.
It is not our ideal cowhide raft, because we think cowhide is covered on a wooden frame to make a boat shape. It is to remove the hair from the outside and the meat from the inside of the cow, except the head and tail, sew it on, apply ointment, and then fill it with air. The whole cowhide cavity was blown into a big, white and smooth bubble. Bubbles are bigger than books. Such a big bubble, there are dozens, at least six. If you weave it with tree roots, it will become a cowhide raft.
The Republic of China crossed the Yellow River with cowhide rafts.
Put it in water and float naturally. Cowhide is covered with boards, so people can sit or carry things. Although there are short paddles on the raft, the Yellow River is too fast to cross from bottom to top and cannot be cut off. There is only one stupid way, follow the current and walk the raft.
If you are going to cross the river, you must lean over slowly. The raft reached its destination from top to bottom, and its owner dragged it ashore and let the air out of the skin. Cowhide rolled in one place, and the cart was dragged back by land. If it is short-distance, even if you don't put the accelerator, you will resist the ready-made kayak.
In Lanzhou, people with cowhide rafts can be seen marching in the city with a row of cowhide bubbles on their backs every day. The orientals couldn't help laughing when they saw it.
As for land transportation, there are many kinds. There are camels, donkeys, horses, mule carts, carts and cars in the distance. There are cars, rickshaws, camels and donkeys not far away, and foreigners don't use them as transportation. From here to the west, there are many long-distance rides, and the elderly, the sick and the disabled take mule cars.
Riders on the streets of Lanzhou in the Republic of China
The bus comes here from Xi 'an, and you can go west to Qinghai. But that's the old road, not the new one. Getting on the bus is quite dangerous. From Lanzhou to Dihua, Xinjiang, the bus only walked halfway to Suzhou, west of Suzhou, where it was necessary to ride horses. Lanzhou to Ningxia is riding a camel. Car and mule car are the same thing, but people who have lived in the north for a long time will know that there are subtle differences.
Mule carts are used by ordinary people, both for personal use and for office. Its hood is round-backed, much like a small awning in the south. Cars, probably all for personal use, have exquisite bodies and completely sedan chairs under the hood. This kind of car, more clumsy than mule car, is not suitable for long-distance walking. There are only a few such cars in Lanzhou city. Taking a bus here is equivalent to taking a bus in Shanghai.
In addition, there are only one or two hundred rickshaws in the city, which are parked in the west of the provincial government gate all day. Because Lanzhou is a small city, northwest people are used to hard work, so there is no need to take a bus at all, and it is also a walk to go there. In addition, rickshaws are quite expensive. As long as you get on the bus, it is a dime. A dime in Lanzhou is not like a dime in Beiping and Shanghai. The rickshaw pullers here have to wait and sell in front of the provincial capital.
In aviation, the plane from the East only comes once a week, flying every Wednesday and flying back to Xi 'an on Thursday. But ordinary people have no ability to ride. Because the fare from Xi to Lanzhou is 200 yuan.
But for communication, it has increased a lot of convenience. It usually takes at least 12 days to send a letter from Xi 'an to Lanzhou. If the weather is bad and the land mail is blocked, it will take a month. I travel to the west, and the mail to the west is only sent to Pingliang by car, but by cart. I am much happier since I have the opportunity to send an airmail letter once a week.