On February 14, 2021, an exclaim came from Wengding Old Village, Cangyuan County, Lincang City, Yunnan Province: "Not good! It's on fire! Come and put out the fire!"
A fire destroyed an ancient village.
The village, which was originally beautiful and had a strong cultural atmosphere, was left with only ruins after the fire.
Wengding Village is known as "the last primitive tribe in China". The Wa people living here have lost their buildings that have been passed down from generation to generation due to the fire.
The ancient Wengding Village
Wa is one of the 56 ethnic groups in my country. Their birth is also very mythical.
According to their national records, they "walked" out of the gourd.
According to later archaeologists, Wa people originated from Awashan . Thousands of years ago, they had been living in caves .
Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Wa people lived in the deep mountains. Because of poor communication with the outside world, they formed their own system and had an independent social system.
At that time, the Wa people did not become a system law. They had their own principles for judging good and evil. Following the habits passed down since ancient times, it gradually became a kind of customary law .
According to their laws at that time, the "heads" had great rights. For tribesmen who violated their own laws, they would be scolded and apologized at the least, and the houses were searched and executed at the worst.
At that time, due to the lack of written laws, all "bloody crimes" caused by revenge occurred from time to time. The grudge between the two can sometimes last for generations.
Their way of revenge is basically based on armed fighting, in other words, whoever has the right fist is hard.
At that time, as long as you were an adult male at home, you had to participate in armed battles, otherwise it would be a violation of the law and would be punished if it was serious.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Wa people were liberated, and this nation that had been in the mountains for a long time understood the outside world. Wengding Village is also a part of it.
With the development and progress of the times, Wengding Village has become the last pearl of China's Wa culture and is an important reference material for studying "Wa culture".
However, because this place is too remote and has poor communication with the outside world, before 2018, the residents here still retained their ancient living habits, had very low incomes, and lived a very difficult life.
When everyone lives in a cement-built building, the villagers live in a simple thatched house.
In order to improve the quality of life of local residents and change the poor living conditions of villagers, the country decided to develop tourism there, explore local tourism resources in depth, and let local villagers get rich through this.
This practice is very effective. In just one year, all local villagers have been lifted out of poverty, and their per capita income has reached 11,000 yuan.
As Wengding Village becomes more and more famous, tourists from all over the world come to visit. Wengding Village, which was once unwelcome, has gradually become bustling.
Relying on tourism income, local infrastructure construction has gradually improved, and villagers have also begun to use modern home appliances.
But as the villagers' lives get better and better, there are fewer and fewer tourists in Wengding Village, which makes the local government a little confused.
Later, after investigation, it was found that it was because the villagers' income was high and the village was well built, and when all outsiders arrived, they no longer saw a village full of "primitive atmosphere", but a modern village . The huge contrast of
disappointed tourists, and gradually fewer and fewer people came.
found out the reason, The local government decided to rebuild a modern village for the villagers, and their original village was opened to the public as a tourist attraction .
But this work encountered a big obstacle: the villagers did not cooperate.
They lived here for generations and had already had a deep affection for this place. They could not accept it at all when they moved away.
In order to let them understand their interests, government staff kept lobbying and explaining variously, and finally convinced the villagers.
, and the villagers gradually formed a very unique lifestyle: During the day, they returned to the old village to work, received tourists, and at night they returned to the newly built village to rest . After construction, Wengding Village is beautiful.
Because there are many primeval forests in the area, can easily form the wonder of "clouds, mountains, fog, and sea". Especially at the end of each year, that kind of scene often appears, making people linger.
The local Wa ethnic culture is even more feasting.
Many Wa people’s unique buildings and artworks can be seen everywhere in Wengding Village, which will make people immerse themselves in it without realizing it and feel the charm of culture during the visit.
Every morning, the villagers of Wengding Village start a day's work, and the smoke mixed with mist enveloped the entire village.
The rising sun ripped open a few small holes and fell on the thatched huts and stone walls, giving the looming Wengding Village a hazy beauty.
And Wengding Village under the night sky has a unique charm. Wengding Village does not appear dim under the night.
is still moving under the illumination of stars and moonlight. The bright yellow lights that light up in every household are complemented by the silver-white brilliance in the sky. The two colors are clearly separated, and a beautiful landscape painting collides in the air.
People think that Wengding Village, which has crossed the long river of time, can be preserved forever and let the world appreciate its charm.
But a fire ruined all efforts.
The sudden "accident"
In fact, someone pointed out the local safety hazards long before the fire broke out.
At that time, a scholar went to Wengding Village for inspection. After the inspection, he pointed out that local scenic spots did not pay attention to supervision.
At that time, more and more tourists came to Wengding Village, so it was very important to establish a good safe and sanitary environment.
However, during the on-site visit, someone found that the road was full of garbage at that time, and there were always sanitary dead corners in the village.
When summer comes, the rotten smell and the flying mosquitoes and flies are annoying. These are just hygiene problems.
and there are still great hidden dangers in terms of security. The most serious problem of is the local illegal construction of wires .
In order to preserve the original historical style of the local area, the local government has not made any changes to the environment of Wengding Village, and the houses where the villagers originally lived.
The roof is made of thatch, and the main structure of the house is also made of wood, all of which are flammable.
Those wires that are connected horizontally are rubbed over the thatched roof. As long as there is a little spark, the whole house will be ignited in an instant.
This report attracted the attention of the local government, and immediately issued a document to the local scenic spots, ordering them to make rectification within a specified period of time.
In the document issued by the government, in addition to security issues, it also stated that the local government did not "adapt to local conditions" when developing tourism and cultural resources.
The modern facilities are completely incompatible with the overall style of the town, and the infrastructure construction is not perfect enough.
The local government carried out a year of rectification according to the requirements of the document, and finally passed the review and canceled the "yellow card warning" to the local area.
. Just before the fire broke out, the local area also carried out a disaster prevention and mitigation drill, including fire prevention drills.
, and in the relevant information briefing, it was stated that the drill was successful and the purpose of the drill was achieved, and the whole drill was very smooth.
But practice is the only standard for testing the truth . A fire broke out, exposing all shortcomings .
On the afternoon of February 14, 2021, people ended their work that day as usual and prepared to go home.
But in a place where people cannot see it, a beam of flame quietly appeared. As time goes by, the fire becomes bigger and bigger, and thick black smoke rises slowly, and it comes into the eyes of local villagers.
When they saw the fire, people called the police while rushing towards the fire point to prepare to put out the fire.
However, the wind was very strong that day, and the wind helped the fire, and the surroundings were full of flammable materials, so the fire soon was beyond the control of human resources.
When the fire truck arrived, several houses had been swallowed by flames. firefighters tried their best, but the fire was getting bigger and bigger, and the expansion was extremely fast. There were fire points everywhere, so there were no way to start.
In desperation, the firefighters could only temporarily give up controlling the fire, instead evacuating local villagers and moving them to a safe place.
Fortunately, the fire did not cause any casualties. After all the villagers were evacuated, after several hours of full efforts to extinguish the fire, the fire finally went out.
But the damage caused by this fire is heavy. The village gate of the village has become ruins. The ancient trees that have grown since ancient times have been burned out, and the branches of some surviving ancient trees have also been dried.
The original characteristic architecture and cultural expressions turned into ashes, but they could not recognize their original appearance.
Originally, there were only 4 old houses left in the village, and the losses of villagers' property could not be counted .
The Wengding Village, which was built with great effort, disappeared into the world in just a few hours.
The reason for the outbreak of this fire was simply because an eight-year-old child was playing with fire outside. Because of this, the leader of Wengding's old village almost turned white with his hair.
Post-disaster reconstruction is even more difficult
The reconstruction of Wengding Village is not simply built according to the original house layout. It will only make Wengding Village seem "unparalleled" and lose its original historical charm. The rebuilt Wengding Village can only be regarded as "just showing."
Experts have reached a consensus on the reconstruction of Wengding Village, but how to rebuild and where to rebuild is the issue that everyone needs to pay attention to. If the Wengding Village after reconstruction cannot be built completely according to the customs and habits of the Wa people, this ancient village will lose its vitality and become unworthy of its name.
Some experts suggested that the key to this reconstruction work is the Wa people living in the local area for generations. Only they can intuitively reflect the love for their hometown engraved in their bones into the architecture.
Even if outsiders can replicate their homes one by one, the details and local ethnic characteristics are something we will never be able to copy.
In addition to this, there is another very important question: How to convince villagers to stay here?
With the development of the times and the progress of science and technology, people's horizons have become more and more broad. After seeing the prosperity outside, no one is willing to stay in the mountains again.
The Wengding Village, which lost the Wa people, lost its soul.
Only by retaining people first can we consider how to use the Wa people's traditional skills to rebuild Wengding Village.
In other words, the rebuilt Wengding Village is not only a village with an antique appearance, but also needs to meet the living needs of local villagers. Therefore, its various facilities must be modernized.
must have both ethnic characteristics and cannot be the same, which undoubtedly adds difficulty to reconstruction work.
Once a village has no residents, no matter how beautiful it is, it will become a wasteland in a few years.
The reconstruction of Wengding Village is destined to be a long process. In addition to site selection, it is also necessary to consider whether various materials meet the standards, the selection of reconstruction personnel, and the construction plan.
If Wengding Village is to be built on the spot, then the ruins of the original village are destined to be flattened, and the last trace left by the former Wengding Village will no longer exist.
. During the construction process, the materials for building houses must conform to the cultural characteristics of the Wa people. We must never "point in the way according to the ideas of modern people."
More importantly, in addition to the villages of the Wa people, there are many primeval forests in the local area.How to resurrect Wengding Village without destroying the local ecological environment and retaining the original natural landscape is another major problem in reconstruction.
In June 2021, some experts suggested that after reconstruction, this incident should be made into image materials, and an exhibition hall should be built specifically to place it in the most conspicuous position to warn future generations to pay attention to fire prevention.
But these are just later stories. The most urgent task is to prevent the inheritance of the Wa culture passed down from generation to generation.
Regarding the reconstruction of Wengding Village, there is no suitable solution for a long time.
And Wengding Village, which was once full of national characteristics, is now overgrown with weeds and looks particularly desolate. I hope future generations can learn from this and not let similar tragedies happen again. The cause of the accident
is indignant, and its ending is also heartbreaking. The losses caused by carelessness cannot be measured by money.
is not only in tourist attractions, but also in our lives, there are safety hazards everywhere.
For example, plugging a charging cable to play with a mobile phone will not only reduce the service life of the mobile phone, but also the risk of fire.
For example, the wiring board that has not been closed for many years is unwilling to replace when it is worn out. When the wiring board reaches its service life, it is a hidden fire point that continues to be used.
As for lying in bed smoking, charging on the fly, etc., there are countless similar fire hazards.
In fact, everyone usually knows the dangers of these practices, but people like to look at problems with a lucky mentality.
always feels that as long as it doesn't happen to me, then it doesn't exist.
Indeed, they are just hidden dangers after all, but can we really turn a blind eye?
The lesson of Wengding Village is right in front of you. Fortunately, there were no casualties that time, but if a fire really occurred at home, can you guarantee that you will escape unstoppable?
's behavior of ignoring risks is tantamount to betting with your own life and death. Death can lose countless times, but you only have one chance to lose. That time, it is very likely that it is the price of life.
I hope you will be safe and smooth in the future. For the health of yourself and your family, must pay attention to improving your safety awareness and protecting your life.
On October 1, 2022, Wengding Old Village, which once touched countless people's hearts, held its opening ceremony. From this day on, tourists can go to Wengding Old Village to experience the cultural charm of the Wa people for thousands of years.
During the National Day, Wengding Old Village held a seven-day event. Local residents and tourists joined forces to release their emotions in the Wa ethnic group New Rice Festival .
Today's Wengding Old Village was finally reborn after experiencing the fire. This is indeed a blessing in disgrace.
I hope that the residents of Wengding Old Village can learn from their lessons and cherish the hard-won peaceful life!
-end-
edit | Zhang Ah Zhang, Shushu
text | Suspense
