One person, one city

There is often a saying in football - "One person, one city", just like Totti to Roma, Gerrard to Liverpool, Maldini to AC Milan. I did not expect that this sentence would be used by a government official today. Above the head, Geng Yanbo is in Datong.

Datong is one of the first 24 national historical and cultural cities in China, one of the first 13 larger cities in China, and one of the nine ancient capitals in China. Friends who are familiar with history know that Datong was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the capital of the Liao Dynasty. I came to Datong because of my curiosity about the culture of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

In my impression, Datong = Emperor Xiaowen = Coal Capital = poor environment. This is what I know, but Datong is really different.

After seeing the Yungang Grottoes and having lunch, I returned to the youth hostel. The owner of the youth hostel (let’s call him Lao Zhang) asked me what I thought of Datong. I honestly said that I didn’t think so. I wanted to see the authentic old buildings, but the result was the same. Even the name of the imitation is Antique Street, which I think is a bit different from what I thought. Lao Zhang smiled and told me the story of Datong and Geng Yanbo all afternoon.

Beginning in 2008, Geng Yanbo came to power in Datong, kicking off a major change in Datong. Just like after the earthquake, demolitions were taking place everywhere in the city. People in Datong named him "Geng Paicai" and "Geng Zhidao", but this city The blood that had been stagnant for 30 years was flowing again. He laid out the old and new city of Datong according to the "Liang-Chen Model" - two cities on one axis. He renovated the new city wall on the basis of the old city wall, and repaired many cultural relics such as Huayan Temple, Dai Wangfu, Fahua Temple, Guandi Temple, etc. inside the city wall. Build a replica of the ancient city, build a new city outside the city wall to accommodate the residents of the old city, and develop a commercial area. I have been to many cities, but this is the first time I have encountered building an ancient city from scratch. The stakes involved in this include personnel, funds, land, politics, cultural relics protection, etc. The scale is not large, but at the beginning he was like this I worked hard and worked for five years.

In 2019, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage issued a notice criticizing five cities for inadequate protection of historical and cultural cities. Datong City was on the list because of demolitions that were genuine and false construction. Lao Zhang said that people in Datong don’t feel sad because only people in Datong know what “truth” is. There are more than 8 households living in a small courtyard house, and a family of three can fit into 10 square meters. The overloaded population is crowded in the small old city, and the remaining city walls are There are intermittent piles of earth, and there are buildings with different styles of facades along the street, and there are rows of small mud houses built privately by residents. At this time, the Yungang Grottoes, Huayan Temple, Drum Tower, Wild Goose Pagoda... were in dilapidated condition due to environmental and man-made destruction. When people can't care about their lives, who has the heart to protect these thousand-year-old cultural relics, and the country has no intention of protecting them. I paid attention to and criticized the destruction of historical monuments in Datong at that time. But now, citizens have new houses, new hospitals, new schools, new shopping malls, and new lives. With the development of tourism, people voluntarily protect the cultural relics that have changed their living standards, and a virtuous cycle begins. .

Later, Geng Yanbo was transferred to the mayor of Taiyuan for various reasons (of course he did very well in Taiyuan, so I won’t say more). When he left, tens of thousands of citizens saw him off, and Geng burst into tears in the car. How could he not cry? However, what was more sad was that his unfinished dream of restoring the ancient city of Datong was shattered, because he knew that at the age of fifty, he would never have the chance to come back.

People in the cultural circle, such as Yu Qiuyu and Shan Jixiang, highly praise Geng Yanbo because he realized our long-standing proposition of "leaving the old city and building a new city" and cleaned up the messy buildings that affected the style of the ancient city, making it The true face of history is reproduced. There are so many famous cities in our country that are thousands of years old. Datong’s approach has set an example for many ancient cities. The old and the new can coexist.

I do not deny that such drastic reforms will bring disadvantages, but as the saying goes, you will never go wrong if you don't do it. Only by truly taking action can you rise from the ashes. To paraphrase what Geng Yanbo often said, "Iron-made yamen and smooth-running officials" he also knew that he never knew when he would leave. It is difficult for Chinese officials to be re-elected in the same place. They can only work hard while they are still there. Reform made Datong what it is today.

After we finished chatting, it was already dark. When I went out again, I actually felt that the ancient city of Datong was so beautiful, with all the lights. I even felt that even if it was an antique building, it would be extremely beautiful to build a beautiful city, not to mention Geng Yanbo. I am a person who is extremely aesthetic. Basically all the intersections in the ancient city are roundabouts. In the middle of the roundabout are the well-maintained Drum Tower, the newly built Bell Tower, Kuixing Tower, etc. There are no traffic lights in the city. You can go to any place in the city by following the right lane. place.

End of question: recommended food as usual

Shaved noodles - Shaved noodles in Shanxi are different from those outside Shanxi. Shaved noodles in Datong are also different from those in other places in the province. We recommend Dongfang and Qizhong noodles.

Rabbit Head - Unexpectedly, Datong is also famous for eating rabbit heads. Different from Sichuan’s spicy rabbit heads, Datong’s rabbit heads are mainly spiced. We recommend Fat Lai Lai and Shuaifu Street Rabbit Head.

Mutton Shaomai - Because it is close to Inner Mongolia, Datong's food is more or less influenced by Inner Mongolia. Mutton Shaomai is worth a try. I recommend this unique place.

Hunyuan jelly - Hunyuan jelly is filled with chili oil, supplemented with broad beans and dried tofu. The taste is eye-catching. I recommend my wife's jelly.

Pink mutton - This is really highly recommended. The most delicious one I have eaten in Datong. The mutton is soft and rotten, the soup base is slightly salty and spicy, and it is paired with fried pancakes. It is simply wonderful. I recommend Shuaifu Street Haggis.

Mooncakes - Datong is close to Fengzhen, the most famous mooncake production area in Inner Mongolia. Fengzhen’s mooncakes are simple, with no fillings, just a cake filled with sugar, honey and oil. Datong mooncakes are similar to this. The difference may be that Datong mooncakes add sesame oil. This simple mooncake is very traditional and is said to be the oldest mooncake. We recommend the Ma Bing mooncake.

Marrow oil cake - fried with sorghum, with brown sugar and five kernels inside, and sticky on the outside. I think many elderly people will like this. I recommend Lao Datong Restaurant.