Huguang Guild Hall, a pioneering history of homesick people
A pioneering history of homesick people
1. Disasters occurred in Shu and people’s livelihood was in ruins;
Rejuvenation plan, immigrating to Shichuan
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Sichuan-Sichuan region experienced wars, plagues, tigers, and famines. The people were homeless and displaced, the land was barren, and all industries were in ruins.
Wei Yuan's "Huguang Water Conservancy Theory" says: "In the Ji Dynasty of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang bandits massacred Shu, and the people were wiped out." It records the history of the people in Sichuan and Shu being brutally massacred by local warlords; in "Records of the Holy Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty" The record of "Shu Province has arable fields, but no people to cultivate them" is enough to show that the "Land of Abundance" due to the sharp decrease in population has led to the abandonment of cultivated fields and the decline of agriculture; "Ya'an County Chronicle" says: "In Neijiang, 'the plague broke out, and everyone dispersed, and there was no smoke for hundreds of miles'; in Ya'an, 'the plague caused a plague, and people who went south suffered serious deaths.'" The description of shows the tragic social situation where the plague was raging and the people were living in dire straits. The clouds and smoke of the troubled times filled the sky over Shu, and there were cries and wailings all over the land. The population has dropped sharply, industries have declined, and the level of economic development has declined sharply; tigers and leopards are swarming, thieves are rampant, and social order is extremely chaotic.
It was not until the Qing Dynasty unified the country and the government strengthened its management of the southwest region, especially Sichuan, that Sichuan and Shu gradually embarked on the road to revival. In order toincrease the population, restore agricultural production, revitalize the economy, and consolidate border defense, the Qing government decided to implement the "Immigration to Sichuan" policy, encouraging people from the Huguang area and even all provinces across the country to immigrate to Sichuan and revive the once prosperous "Land of Abundance".
Therefore, under the various preferential immigration policies of the Qing government, the "Huguang Fills Sichuan" immigration movement emerged in the early Qing Dynasty.
2. Meeting strangers and feeling deep affection from the same hometown
He left his hometown and traveled up the Yangtze River; he abandoned his family and career and traveled across thousands of mountains. In order to open up farmland, avoid taxes and accumulate wealth, people from Huguang and even Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong and Guangxi areas migrated to Shu.
However, in an unfamiliar environment, conflicts over land ownership between immigrants and indigenous people, and conflicts between immigrants from other areas over various interests, often occur. Due to the mixed population, the social order is unstable, the economic interests of various emerging industries are not guaranteed, and business activities lack fair and safe social norms. At the same time, education, worship, and entertainment activities are also in urgent need of fixed places. As a result, the "Guild Hall", an immigrant organization established by fellow villagers who jointly raised funds, came into being.
The guild hall undertakes many functions, the most important of which is to provide a place for fellow villagers to stay, safeguard the interests of the fellow villagers, and organize sacrificial activities, social activities, commercial activities, and entertainment activities . It can be said that the guild hall is a small society, with the shouts of businessmen, the drama of famous actors, people who worship ancestors, and students who accept the "voluntary learning" of the guild hall. In this micro-society, there is an extra layer of "fellowship" friendship between people. When people who have also traveled to other places gather in the guild hall, business transactions gain a sense of trust, and their difficult lives gain a touch of warmth.
3. Huguang Guild Hall
Yu Palace
Walking into the Huguang Guild Hall, which has gone through more than 300 years of ups and downs, you will be greeted by incense smoke, the gate standing tall, and the majestic Yuwang Palace standing in front of you. King Yu is sitting in the center of the hall, holding a stone in his hand, his eyes are deep, as if the mountains and rivers of Jiuzhou and the surging rivers are still in front of him.
"Zhuangzi Tianxia Chapter" says: "In the past, Yu's floods destroyed the rivers and connected the four barbarians and nine states" . Thinking back thousands of years ago, Dayu dredged rivers and opened up fertile fields so that the people could live and work in peace and contentment. In gratitude for Dayu's kindness, the people offered sacrifices to Dayu to pray for the prosperity of their livestock and abundant grains. The custom of worshiping "Yu God" was born in Shu, and then spread to all parts of the country. With the great migration of immigrants from Huguang, Yu culture was brought back to Sichuan. The majestic Yu Palace in the Huguang Guild Hall represents the integration of the sacrificial customs of Huguang area and the local culture of Sichuan and Shu.
Foreigners who have come from afar and live in a strange living environment hope to receive God's blessing. This reminds me of Mazu culture. Mazu is a traditional folk belief spread in the coastal areas of China. For merchants sailing in the wind and waves, no matter where they sail, they believe that the Mazu statues erected on the ships will bless the travelers to return safely. To the harbor of my hometown. With the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the development of sea and water transport in the Yuan Dynasty, and Zheng He's seven voyages to the West, Chinese people went abroad and traveled to other places all over Southeast Asia and even East Asia and South Asia. Mazu culture has also spread all over the world. Today, there are nearly 5,000 Mazu temples around the world, spread across more than 20 countries and regions, with nearly 200 million believers.
In the culture of the Chinese nation, rural culture is one of the important national cultures. Customs and habits are an important part of local culture. Worshiping King Yu traveled from Sichuan and Sichuan to Chu, and then returned from Chu to Sichuan and Shu, and worshiping Mazu from the southeast coast to the other side of the ocean. Worshiping local gods shows that Chinese people who are far away from their hometown adhere to traditional customs and habits and miss their homeland deeply.
The "Yu Palace" and "Mazu Temple" are the hometown and harbor in the hearts of people who go to foreign lands. The people of Huguang, who first set foot in Shu, faced the water of the Yangtze River and the majestic mountains. They humbly prayed to the gods, hoping that there would be no evil tigers on the road to Shu and no turbid waves in the river. They hope to live a prosperous life under the blessing of the gods. This is the belief of the ancient working people. There is no choice to go back to their hometown, and there is no real life now. The people of Chudi worship Dayu. This is not only to worship the gods and miss the hometown, but also to hope that life will be smooth and prosperous. The attitude towards life contained in this is Active exploration of the future.
Qi'an Office, Guangdong Office
The main entrance of Qi'an Office faces the southeast, which is the direction of Huanggang, Hubei Province and the direction of the immigrants' hometown.
The guild hall looks south to the Dongshuimen Pier, with the green hills at its back. After more than 300 years of wind and frost, the Qi'an Office no longer has the same scene of merchants gathering and bustling houses. The yellow walls contrast with the blue bricks and black tiles, and the solemn hall is connected with the exquisite theater building. Today, there are only a few modern people who occasionally pass by the guild hall. Under the square patio, raindrops dripped into the stone jar, and the water overflowed, nourishing the dark green moss on the bluestone board.
Standing in a corner of the theater building of Guangdong Public House, looking at the empty stage and the wet benches under the stage, I imagined the past where people gathered here to watch a play together a hundred years ago. Most of the dramas are performed for fellow villagers, and the troupes invited often sing dramas from their hometowns. Whether they are dignitaries or ordinary people, when they come to sit in this hall, regardless of high or low, they serve tea and pour water, chat about daily life, watch operas and listen to music, and in the interplay of local accents, they are full of nostalgia for their hometown. of remembrance.
The guild hall holds activities such as "watching theater" and "sacrifice", which not only allows immigrants from afar to feel the warmth of their hometown, but also enhances the cohesion of fellow residents. As a spiritual sustenance for immigrants from the same region, the guild hall also achieves the purpose of entertaining the masses, comforting the masses, and uniting the masses.
In the middle of the Huguang Guild Hall's meeting hall hang four big characters "Come and you will be safe". Since the immigrants from Huguang have crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to come to Sichuan, they might as well put aside their longing for their hometown and start a big career. Working people have the spirit of "enterprising". Whether they are "walking to the west exit", "traveling to the east of Guandong" or "going to Nanyang", from ancient times to the present, how many ordinary people have left their hometowns and headed for unknown lands with their yearning for a better life. Living a good life - this is the eternal pursuit of the people. For ordinary working people, life is all about a few more acres of land, a few more stones of rice, and a good life. The working people in ancient times not only had the traditional concept of "restoring their land and relocating", but also had a pioneering spirit of pursuing a happy life.
"Come and find peace" is the best spiritual comfort for these strange visitors, soothing their brave but slightly confused hearts. They turned their longing for their hometown into the power to cultivate the future. The deep-seated spirit contained in immigrant culture is actually the fearless struggle of pioneers and adventurers to create the future.
The guild hall does not hear the drama of the past, but the rivers still flow forever. Due to war, demolition, and reconstruction, the Huguang Guild Hall may no longer be what it once was. But the Yangtze River water in front of us carries the vicissitudes of history, and we still vaguely remember the old appearance of the guild hall. Over the past few hundred years, those travelers who came from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and traveled across mountains and rivers were engaged in agricultural labor and commercial trade, making Sichuan and Shu prosperous again, which had declined since the late Ming Dynasty. "Huguang fills Sichuan" is not only a government-guided immigration activity, but also the construction and exploration of the blueprint for their own life by the ancient working people. No matter how ordinary workers are, they still have the desire for a better life, and no matter how old people have settled down, they also have the longing for the distant place. Huguang Guild Hall allows the world to understand the pioneering spirit of the ancients.
The longing for hometown and the desire to travel far away are never in conflict. A person with a pioneering spirit is burdened with the trust of his family and even his family, and he travels a long way and thinks all night long. "For a better life!" they shouted in their hearts. Even in that underdeveloped society more than three hundred years ago, no one would give up a happy life, and a happy life requires people to desperately explore. Immigrants, immigrants, are from Chu land to Shu land, from their hometown to distant places. They embrace infinite longings. On the land of Sichuan and Sichuan, they are the real pioneers .
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