Jurong There is a "Nian'er Bridge"
▓ Li Ling
Preface: A classmate read "Nian'er Bridge" as "Zan'er Bridge", and the old man slapped the three of them. He dissatisfied and asked, "People pronounce "Feedling Flowers and Grass" as "Feedling Flowers and Grass", who was beaten?" The old man was stunned and stammered, "You also learn Mr. Baizi?"
Hometown has changed dramatically and joy and sorrow
Home in the golden autumn, I am in my 80s fortunately returned to my hometown, Tangzhuang Village, Baitu Town, Jurong City.
Everything has changed. The original thatched huts and earthen walls have long disappeared. Instead, they are replaced by small farmhouses with roughly similar but distinctive characteristics. The dirt road that passes through the village has now become a wide, straight and flat cement road that is open to the world. The hills, barren slopes and pits around the village have long been mixed with the ancestral fertile fields. The fields are connected and block-divided to present beautiful pictures of tea forests, strawberry sheds, vineyards and rice fields.
Leap into the rice fields by the river
The biggest change is the nameless river in the east of the village. This winding river originates from Jiangji Village under the branch of Xiao Maoshan in the north. It is 10 miles below the village and flows through several villages such as Maozhuang. Then, 5 miles Tangzhuang Village is the end "Nian'er Bridge".
Since ancient times, this unknown river, which is less than 20 miles, has not long and is not as abundant as a foreign river, but like a poor mother, it has raised the descendants of several villages on both sides of the dynasty. Therefore, it is appropriate for the villagers to call him "Mother River".
Perhaps the name of a loving mother, or perhaps because of the mythological story mentioned later, this "Mother River" has become an unknown river.
What is amazing is that since the 1970s, there have been earth-shaking major changes here: the old look and new appearance of the last part of the Wuming River has a very contemporary name: "Leaping into the River".
Yuezhi fish ponds by the river
Talking about the origin of "Leaping into the River", the villagers said: "That is the fruit of the whole Baitu Township working together. More than 50 years ago, when we learned from Dazhai in agriculture, many places shouted slogans and acted. And our Baitu Township was working hard and hard, filling and straightening the 5-mile Wuming River east of Tangzhuang Village. This "river-picking project" is for For the Tangzhuang, Miaogan, Houzhuang, Shantou, Xuezhuang and other villages on both sides of the river, there are many benefits to get water near the river. But for Mengmo, Manzhuang, Jiangzhuang, Panxiang, Jietang, Liuyan and other villages far away from the river, they also invested their efforts in cow power and manpower regardless of rewards, and jade became the new life of the river. What a style! "
This matter sounds incredible to people today, but in that era, it was a true fact.
years and months, there was neither bonus nor any "material stimulation". All the men, women, young and old in the village, including the "educated youth" who went to the countryside, had no Sundays or holidays, and did not even rest on the first day of the Lunar New Year. They relied on shoulder loads, stone ramming, and nailed palladium shavings, and finally straightened and filled the five-liver river section. He also dug a large culvert under the high slope to the east to connect to Xingfu Reservoir. It was then adjusted and stored by dams, forming a water network. The water source is sufficient, the river channel is channeled, and irrigation is convenient. River beaches of all sizes have become paddy fields, adding nearly 100 acres of fertile land. "Leaping into the River" is named after this.
The original nameless river is winding and winding, and the flowing water is not smooth. In the year of drought, several villages robbed water and fought hard; in the year of flood, small rivers became big rivers, and crops in the middle and low fields were swallowed up.
Today's "Leaping into the River", Bu Nianhua, Secretary of the Party Branch of Tangzhuang Administrative Village, served as the river chief. The river channel responsibility system has been established, the production conditions on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been improved, the poor villages have become rich, and life has become prosperous.
The people here are not only grateful for the Party’s policy of promoting agriculture, but also remember the great dedication of the old predecessors and the “educated youth” in the countryside back then!
Yuejin Cement Road on the west bank of the river
With a sense of respect, I walked south along the straight riverside concrete road on the west bank of the "Yuejin River", and the Ju (Rong) Dan (Yang) Highway, which is about 30 meters wide, is crossing in front of me. I have heard people say that under the highway is the "Nian'er Bridge", but at this moment, I can't find the original "birthmark" of "Nian'er Bridge".
Watching the "Yuejin River" water passing slowly under the road bridge that is almost a tunnel, the shadow of the "Nian'er Bridge" in childhood memory emerges:
This was originally an ingot-shaped depression about 3 miles long from east to west, and the lower part of the depression is the "White Rabbit River" flowing north and south. I heard from the older generation that the "Nian'er Bridge" used to be an arch-shaped wooden bridge. After the Japanese invaders carried out the Nanjing Massacre, in order to allow their tanks, and armored vehicles, , , , , they destroyed the old bridge and stabbed the guns, forcing the local people to cut down a large amount of thick and straight wood. While building the Baitu Village bunker, they built a straight "Nian'er Bridge" with strong tolerance.
After the Japanese surrendered, floods broke out in southern Jiangsu, and the "Nian'er Bridge" was washed away. Nearby villagers repaired the wooden bridge in their original location. This is the "Nian'er Bridge" I saw when I was a child: it was about meter wide, and more than ten logs were formed by crossing the bridge. There are two rows of columns in the water that can be passed by the tractor. Due to the limited load capacity of the repaired "Nian'er Bridge" and the low and concave ingot-shaped road conditions at both ends, the "Nian'er Bridge" has dragged the "hind legs" of road transportation for a long time.
More than half a century has passed, but I really didn’t expect that the ingot-shaped depression here was raised and filled. The high-level Judan Highway is not an overpass, but is better than an overpass, passing through here in a flat area. The low "Nian'er Bridge" was irresistibly ambushed under the cement road. So, even though I looked around, I could no longer find its "birthmark" and logo. After another search, I found that the three words "Nian'er Bridge" were written on the 10-meter highway stop sign and the tall sign pole.
"Nian'er Bridge" on Judan Highway.
So, I suddenly realized: "Nian'er Bridge" has been renamed "Nian'er Bridge".
The difference between "picking" and "reading" reminds me of the ruler of the old man in my childhood school. A classmate read "Nian'er Bridge" as "Zan'er Bridge". The old man slapped the three of them. He also taught a lesson: "Beat your third board to make a memory. The 'Nian' in 'Nian', if you don't read 'Zan', you should read 'Nian' in niān. Three fingers call it 'Nian', do you understand?" The classmate of
was dissatisfied and asked, "'Nian' read 'Zan' to hit the board. People read 'Nian' as 'Zan', who got beaten by the board?" The old man was stunned and stammered, "You can learn the 'Baizi',"
Over the past 60 years, the old man's teachings still seem to have practical significance. "Nian'er Bridge" becomes "Nian'er Bridge". Is this difference? Is this unintentional trampling on the progress of the times, or is it the inseparable "Nian" and "Nian" of "Mr. Bai's"?
I searched for it, but in the end, due to the age of time and personnel changes, even though I had to work hard, I could not solve the mystery. I had to let it go and let it exist. However, the cultural nourishment and moral norms that are nurtured by "Nianer Bridge" cannot be obscured under "Nianer Bridge".
"Nian'er Bridge" was originally named "White Rabbit Bridge"
To show the rich heritage of traditional culture and promote the simplicity and warmth of the homeland style, I use the legendary story of the god rabbit to share with the public the lingering nostalgia.
"Nian'er Bridge" was originally named "White Rabbit Bridge".
A long time ago, a divine rabbit came down from the small Maoshan southwest of Zhenjiang City, , looking for a place to settle down. The hunter was ignorant of the treasure and chased it and fled south desperately. Fortunately, I encountered a large grass and survived. Therefore, this place is regarded as a lucky place, and some people with surnames named Kao settled down here. Although they did not have surnames Mao, they were named Maozhuang. This is a larger village in the northernmost part of Baitu Township.
Maozhuang Administrative Village Committee Office Building
Shentu just hid in the thatched bush, and the hunter behind us chased and searched carefully. The Divine Rabbit had to run forward, and the nameless river mentioned above was nearby. The Divine Rabbit originally wanted to escape along Henan, but because the hunter stopped him, it had to flee westward. To avoid hunting, it hid in a big mill. In ancient Chinese, "Meng", "Zhong" and "Ji" are elegant names for "big", "zhong" and "small". Therefore, ancient literati abbreviated "Damofang" as "Mengmo", and Mengmo Village was named after this, although no household in the village had a surname Meng.
There are still people who are good at chasing Damofang, and the divine rabbit has to abandon Mengmo and leave.About two miles south, there is a small temple in front of the left. The Divine Rabbit was thirsty and went into the temple to find water to drink. The monk in the temple closed his eyes and recited the scriptures. The Divine Rabbit had not yet obtained the drip of water, so he had to go south. The Miaogan Village was named after this.
Today Tangzhuang Village
Shentu drank a lot in a large pond 2 miles south of Miaogan Village. Tangzhuang Village was named after this and later renamed Tangzhuang Village. The soil here is fertile and the water and grass are lush. The divine rabbit wants to stop and settle down. Unfortunately, the villagers are foolish and think it is an ordinary white rabbit, so they are fighting to catch it.
The Divine Rabbit escaped into the bamboo forest in the south and rested for a while under the pursuit of the Tangzhuang people. Later, the bamboo forest became a village, which should have been called "Xiezhuang", and was homophonic with "Xie", and was named Xuezhuang. Until now, most people in Xuezhuang have surnamed Ding, and they have never had the surname of Xue.
The Divine Rabbit came out of the Xuezhuang Bamboo Forest, and there were still people chasing him behind him, and he had to flee south. There was a shepherd boy in front of him who was on the fence of the cattle house. He heard someone shouting "Catch a rabbit", so he picked up a railing and blocked the way. To the west is Huangtugang, and the Divine Rabbit is unwilling to go, so he has to turn northeast. There is a small river in the northeast, which is the Wuming River that originates from Jiangji Village and flows south through the Maozhuang and Tangzhuang mentioned above. The Divine Rabbit crossed the small bridge on the Wuming River and arrived at Baitugang in the east. At this point, the Divine Rabbit disappeared.
Later, someone dug up a silver rabbit in Baitugang, and people woke up as if they were dreaming: this is the treasure land where the divine rabbit is invisible, so Baitugang was renamed Baitu Village. The place where the shepherd boy went to the cattle pen was later Shanglan Village, which was homophonic to Shanglan Village.
Today, Baitu Village
Shentu entered the area named Baitu Township, now called Baitu Town . The small bridge that the divine rabbit passes through was called "White Rabbit Bridge". The river section below the "White Rabbit Bridge" was called "White Rabbit River". Although the nameless river above the "White Rabbit Bridge" was connected to the "White Rabbit River", the divine rabbit was unable to move along the "White Rabbit River" because of the obstruction of the hunters. In order to let future generations remember the lesson of ignorance of treasure, the "White Rabbit Bridge" was still called "White Rabbit Bridge". After the naming of
"White Rabbit Bridge", the ancestors of Tangzhuang Village woke up. Based on the historical story of "Tortoise Race", they specially built a "Tortoise Bridge" on the "Tortoise Race in the East of the Village, intending to use the flowing water under the bridge to convey sincerity: the turtle becomes a bridge, no longer races, and let the divine rabbit sleep peacefully in the White Rabbit Village.
Leap Entering the river,
"White Rabbit Bridge" is renamed "Nianer Bridge"
"White Rabbit Bridge" is renamed "Nianer Bridge", which originated from another legend.
In ancient times, there was a widow in the local area who gave birth to an illegitimate child. In the eyes of today, it belongs to "single mother" and "single parent family", which is not surprising and treated equally. But in the long-standing feudal era, we had to be punished and discriminated. In order to avoid humiliation from children, the widow's family was poor and unable to raise them, he abandoned the baby on the "White Rabbit Bridge".
A middle-aged farmer who passed by heard the crying of the baby on the bridge, stopped and saw a baby boy wrapped in a roll of baggage. He picked up the crying baby and shouted loudly around: "Whose child? Who lost the child? "
The north wind was howling, and no one answered. He wrapped his child in his arms and waited for his family to pick him up. After waiting for a long time, no one came. From this, he concluded that this was an abandoned baby.
He was embarrassed: adopt him? His wife had just given birth to one, and was worried about his life! If he abandoned it, such a cold day would be a life!
He thought about it and finally took the child home with that kind heart.
His wife, who had just passed the whole month, took the baby and hesitated for a while. When she saw the tears on the child's face, she felt distressed and made up her mind and said, "Just think I gave birth to twins ! "
She immediately fed the child. From then on, she gave birth to a brother and a younger brother. Her two sons loved each other regardless of relatives and distance, and later she also sent her to school to study.
But this biological child did not like to study and became a farmer. The one who came from Ni was particularly smart. The provincial examination, county examination, and provincial capital examination were all on the list, and finally became a county magistrate in the neighboring county.
Shortly afterwards, the adoptive father and adoptive mother passed away. The county magistrate was grateful for the raising of his adoptive father and adoptive mother, and developed a unique emotion for the "White Rabbit Bridge". He invested his brother to build the "White Rabbit Bridge" that had been disrepair for many years into an arch-shaped new bridge where two carriages could run parallel. The people praised it for their convenience and unanimously renamed the newly built "White Rabbit Bridge" to "Nian'er Bridge". The meaning is very clear: this is the Thanksgiving Bridge built by my son.
news reached the officialdom, and the widow's abandonment of the baby was "invisible". The county magistrate was discriminated against for revealing his "abstentional child" and died of depression within a few years. The local people expressed deep sympathy for him and cherished him very much. This is completely contrary to the "Jingliu Bridge" and "Jingfu Bridge" that were officially advocated at that time. Therefore, the official does not promote it, and the county chronicles do not record it.
Jurong County hilly landforms have been in ancient times, with "five mountains, one water and four parts of fields". Because the gullies form rivers, there are many bridges in the territory. There are 5 stone bridges on the Wuming River 20 miles above the "Nian'er Bridge". "Guangxu Successive Compilation of Jurong County Chronicles" (hereinafter referred to as "Guangzhi") Li Hongwen's version page 55-56 records:
Panqiao was built in the east of Maozhuang and was originally built for the Pan family. In the third year of Guangxu, Guanghu, Guangcheng, Guangsheng and others were rebuilt.
Pingyang Bridge was rebuilt before the Dongjiang River was governed by Guangxu Jimao.
Dingjia Bridge is built in the south end of the east manzhuang, Jiaqing .
Yuzhen Bridge, in the north of Panzhuang. It was rebuilt in the seventeenth year of Daoguang. In the third year of Guangxu, Zhu Zhaocheng and others practiced it.
Ping'an Bridge was rebuilt in Panzhuang South and was rebuilt in the 19th year of Daoguang.
On the Jue (Rong) Dan (Yang) Highway within 5 miles east and west of "Nian'er Bridge", the name of the bridge recorded in "Guangzhi" is as follows:
Guantang Bridge : about Baitu Town. In the 16th year of Jiaqing, Shi Yunzheng donated the construction and rebuilt it in the 12th year of Guangxu.
Mishu Bridge is 35 miles east of Zhidong, and was donated to build Mi Meiqian during Qianlong's reign. (The following Yongfeng Bridge is the thoroughfare of Tong Danyang )
Baihe Bridge is located 25 miles east of the east. In the 13th year of Daoguang, Wang Tinglan, Zhang Tingzong, Wu Qingzhi and others donated it. In the 14th year of Guangxu, the magistrate Zhang Wenqing donated his integrity and ordered Yang Guangchang and others to rebuild it.
Lingzhu Bridge is located in the east of Xingxiang Town. In the 18th year of Daoguang, Zhu Dingzhou built it alone. In the 14th year of Guangxu, he practiced with Baiheqiao.
Today, Mishu
and above are written into the county annals of the 10 bridges (including Yongfeng Bridge) in the county annals. Except for Mishu Bridge, which was rebuilt because of Mishu Village, 4 of the other 9 bridges have long been dead. The remaining 5 bridges will be preserved. However, the nameless "Nian'er Bridge" in the county annals has been popular in the world for a long time. What is the reason?
A bridge of civilization that challenges feudal ethics
The fundamental difference between humans and animals lies in the word "human nature".
Flexible and human talent. Although the story of "Nian'er Bridge" is far away from us, talking about it and savoring it still gives endless thoughts to the increasingly rational today.
read "Nian'er Bridge" carefully, and I am proud of the unique cultural heritage of my hometown!
Because, "Nian'er Bridge" is a civilization bridge that challenges feudal ethics. The highlights of its civilization are reflected in the following aspects:
1. "Nian'er Bridge" Pudu Doomsday infants and young people, which praises Buddhism.
In the old society, some poor families had a large group of children who could not support them, and some even drowned their newborn babies in the toilet. This is illegal today. At that time, although the law was not investigated, everyone condemned: "Is it good to send it to the 'Nian'er Bridge' and let others adopt it? It's a sin!" Therefore, "Nian'er Bridge" kept on "Nian'er Bridge", and expressed in Buddhist language: "Nian'er Bridge" became a bridge to save bad luck young babies. When some Buddhist masters and disciples pass by the "Nian'er Bridge", they often bow with their hands together and say "Amitabha Buddha".
2. "Nian'er Bridge" abandons cruelty and humiliation and puts a "blind" of privacy for single-parent families.
Nowadays, some movies and TV shows such plots: when a widow or a girl gives birth to an illegitimate child, she will be tortured by "beating a stick" and "sinking a pig cage". "Nian'er Bridge" is not the case. It not only blocks punishment and humiliation for single mothers, but also brings them a "blind" of privacy. All of us in our octogenarians have seen the fact that some widows bravely gave birth to children for successors, and then they said: It was picked from the "Nian'er Bridge".Due to the moral influence of the "Nianer Bridge" story, the "long-tongued women"'s mouths are effectively controlled, which allows these single parents and children to live in the world with decent preference.
Such examples of babies becoming "nian" are common in many nearby villages. The end of this "universal existence" began with the PLA's army heading south.
1949 on April 21, 1949, Nanjing was liberated. The next day, a defeated Kuomintang army fled south along the village mid-dirt road in a certain village. One of the porters hid in the straw pile in the back garden of the family's family on the excuse of going to the toilet. That night, the defeated soldiers had already left the village south. The villagers who "run against the enemy" returned to the village one after another. There was a widow who felt something was happening in her back garden. When she went over, she saw a young man in his 20s knelt down to her and begged for mercy. He said that he was a porter among the defeated soldiers. His hometown was in Jiangbei and was arrested by the Kuomintang. When marching and fighting, others carry guns, they have to carry heavy loads and run with them. If they walk slowly, they will get whipped, so they hide here and run for their lives.
The widow saw the whip marks on the man's body and concluded that this was a good person. She brought him food, asked him to change into her dead husband's clothes, and helped him burn off the yellow old military uniform. From then on, he became her family's "dummy long-term worker".
After the Spring Festival, the widow gave birth to a boy and said to the village chief: "This is what the mute came from the 'Nian'er Bridge'." He requested to register for the household registration.
village chief smiled: "Liberated, I'm still 'Nian'er Bridge'? That mute is really your long-term worker? You are a widow, and you pull two children, and eating is a problem. How can you have money to pay for your wages? The villagers sympathize with you and let me tell you: Land reform is about to be carried out. If he is really a long-term worker, you will be a rich peasant. If you live with that mute and give birth to this child, your family will be at most a middle peasant!" After hearing this, the widow suddenly enlightened and truthfully told the whole story.
The "dumb" also spoke, and he told the village chief with tears in his eyes the detailed story of being forced to be a porter.
After investigation and verification by the village government, the village chief was the witness, and Yu Cheng made the marriage.
After that, widows no longer need to hide their children.
Later, family planning advocates only children. In order to ensure that there is a "single seedling" in succession, most men and women in love live together first, and then get marriage certificate when the woman is pregnant.
Looking back at the changes in folk customs, we must say that the door of benevolence opened by the "Pianer Seal" has played a certain role.
3. "Nian'er Bridge" plays a silent promotion role in "accumulating virtue and doing good deeds" and "repaying kindness with kindness".
Unfortunate families have their own misfortunes, and the influence of "Nian'er Bridge" has turned some unfortunate families into good fortune. For example, at a young age, you have to live with your stepmother or stepfather. Whenever these poor children encounter family abuse, Murakami’s enlightened elders will inspire and induce them with the story of “Nianer Bridge”. This moral constraint has enabled many poor children to receive human care.
There is another scenario: some adopt other people's children, and in order to prevent the two families from tangling in the future, they also lied that they were picked up from "Nian'er Bridge". Most of these adoptive parents who "nian" children are inspired by the story of "nian'er Bridge". This allowed many poor children to enjoy the joy of childhood seamlessly.
People were also happy to see this scene: after some "Nian'er" grew up, some adoptive fathers and mothers told the truth to them. "Nian'er" not only did not have emotional distancing, but instead respected and intimate the kindness of raising them. Although they cannot build bridges to repay their kindness like "County Magistrate Nian'er", they are unambiguous in their care and sent their kindness to their parents. Some even hung a red lantern on the "Nian'er Bridge" on the 15th of the first lunar month, aiming to illuminate the passers-by in the world with gratitude.
(This article was reviewed by Zhang Xiaohu, former Jiangsu Provincial People's Congress representative, Li Jianzhong and Bu Nianhua, the two party secretary of Tangzhuang Administrative Village, and the pictures provided by Tangzhuang Administrative Village Committee. Thank you!)
was written at the Fourth Military Retirement House of Fengtai District, Beijing
in mid-October 2022
Author of this article Li Ling. Guangrong took a picture in the 50th year of the Party
Author profile: Li Ling, born in Jurong County, Jiangsu Province in 1940, joined the army in 1961, and retired in 2001. He was originally the director of the Creation Office of the Political Department of the Second Artillery (the predecessor of the Rocket Force), a member of the Chinese Writers Association, and was awarded the third-class three times. He has written the novel "The Valley of Yuanyang", the documentary literature "The Secret Envoy of Yang Hucheng", "The Rainbow of Green Mountains", "The Smoke of Wolf", "The Shocking Drum", "The Overture of the Xi'an Incident", "1933: The Secret Agreement of Hanzhong that Influenced the Direction of Chinese History", "The Strange Marriage of Founding Generals", the reportage collection "The Tragic Women", the TV series "The Morning Bell of the Zeguo", etc. Its forward-looking reportage "Tibet Water Rescue China" provides new ideas and long-term goals for the development and utilization of surface water. Its sister chapter "Tibet Water Rescue China - Groundwater Chapter" is hailed by the public as "providing an underground path for a water-scarce China." Pursuit of topic selection: I don’t know what people know, but I don’t know what people know.
