Travel Notes on Hengshan, Hunan: Shigu Academy, Battle of Hengyang, Xiangjiang River

Continuation of the first day’s itinerary: Travel Notes on Hengshan Mountain in Hunan—Yuanyuan and I walked through the mountain road we least wanted to walk again

the next day

The inn where we stayed did not have double-glazed thermal windows, which not only failed to prevent moisture from entering the house, but also failed to block outside sounds. I am a person who does not sleep well. Any noise outside the door or window can wake me up. When I was half asleep, I vaguely heard the snapping of branches outside the window and the thumping of ice cubes hanging on the ground.

I suddenly remembered Bai Juyi's "Snow at Night":

I was surprised that my pillow was cold, and I saw the bright light from the window again.

Late at night, I know the snow is heavy, and I hear the sound of breaking bamboo.

However, the first two sentences do not fit the scene of this night, because my bed has an electric blanket and the quilt pillow is not cold. The dark clouds and thick fog outside the window blocked all the light of the stars and the moon, so this "window light again" is not true, but there are street lights here. But the last two sentences fit my feelings at the time. Not only can I tell from the sound of breaking branches that the snow is heavy, but I can also tell from the howling of the cold wind that the outside world is full of snow and wind, making people have no courage to go out.

I thought to myself, how could there be a sunrise in such weather?

We got up before 7 o'clock. When we travel, we never want to waste too much time sleeping in. Even though the weather is so cold, it often takes a lot of willpower to force yourself out of the warm bed. But if we leave early, we can go to more attractions. Anyway, I returned to Guangzhou and spent a lot of time sleeping. We ate some dry food we brought with us and then packed up and headed out.

As soon as I went out, I heard a heavy thud. I was so frightened that I quickly squatted down and held her, asking: "Yuanyuan, are you okay?"

Because the ground was too slippery, Yuanyuan fell onto the bluestone floor. I was so worried that she would fall on the back of her head. Fortunately, she was carrying a thick backpack and wore many clothes, which acted as a great buffer. Otherwise, she would really fall to the back of her head, and she might really be dead or disabled.

She smiled and raised herself up with her hands, patted her butt, and said with a smile: "Oh, I accidentally fell. Fortunately, my butt has a lot of meat."

The more she smiled, the more I blamed myself. When I just walked out, I also noticed that the ice crystals on the ground made the bluestone slippery. I should have warned her. I knew she was careless, so why didn't I remind her? I was secretly complaining to myself.

As soon as we went out, we felt the strong "cold wind blowing on my bones and severe frost cutting into my muscles." Although the temperature here is not as low as in the north where the winter is cold. But we all know that human body temperature is also affected by air humidity and wind speed. The humidity here is extremely high, coupled with the blinding wind, the temperature is no less than minus 10 degrees in the Northeast.

It was here that Yuanyuan fell down:

 

Rime and ice hanging:

 

 

 

 

 

Readers, what you see hanging on plants and buildings is not snow, but "rime." It is an object formed by water vapor condensing on the surface of an object at low temperatures. The first time I heard about rime was in Zhang Dai's essay "Looking at the Snow in the Pavilion in the Heart of the Lake": "The rime is so dense that the sky, clouds, mountains and water are all white." At that time, I was very curious, what does rime look like? I didn’t see it in Wugong Mountain until the winter of 2017.

 

But the rime and ice hangings I saw today were much more spectacular than those I saw in Wugong Mountain. Surprisingly, there were also many disappointed tourists taking pictures of rime and ice hanging on the road outside the inn. They said they couldn't see the sunrise in the morning. I laughed to myself, how could there be a sunrise in such weather? Don't they read the weather forecast? Didn't they look at the sky when they walked out of the inn in the morning?

On the slippery road, it’s just me and Yuanyuan:

 

Nantianmen:

 

 

 

 

Shangfeng Temple:

 

Shangfeng Temple:

 

After walking out of the inn, there are no other tourists on the road leading to Zhurong Peak, the highest peak. There were only the shriller sounds of birds, wind, broken branches, and our footsteps all around. The further you go up, the thicker the fog becomes, to the point where you can’t see objects 50 meters behind. The road was still difficult to walk and we still had crampons on our feet. It originally only took half an hour to reach the top of the mountain, but we walked for nearly an hour.

Going up from here is Zhurong Peak:

Going up is the highest point of Zhurong Peak, "Zhurong Hall":

 

Zhurong Hall:

 

Looking down from Zhurong Hall, almost nothing can be seen:

Yuanyuan, whose face was red from the cold:

 

 

We were annoyed by the biting cold wind and the drizzle that never stopped, and didn't want to stay any longer. After taking a few photos to prove our visit, we headed down to the inn.

 

Just after 9 o'clock, a simple canteen on the hillside opened for business. We were already very hungry, so we ordered a bowl of fried tofu and a bowl of rice noodles with unknown name. What can I say about the taste? I'm surprised that they have the nerve to sell this kind of food to cold and hungry tourists.

 

On the way, I saw bearers carrying a sedan chair. They also had crampons under their feet:

The one holding an umbrella in front and wearing a lavender raincoat is Yuanyuan:

 

Yuanyuan won’t let me post on Moments

When we passed the inn again, the rain had stopped and the wind was not strong. Yuanyuan was like a child, jumping around, saying she wanted to play in the snow, and asked me to take pictures of her.

Because her face is rounder and she wears thick clothes, she looks even rounder. After taking her photo, she looked at the photo and said she looked stupid and asked me not to post it on Moments. Why am I so stupid? I think it's very cute.

 

 

 

Yuanyuan is playing in the snow:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round round round:

We played in the snow near the inn for a while and then headed down the mountain. About halfway through the journey, I saw a commercial vehicle parked there to pick up passengers. I asked about the price, which was 60 yuan. Yuanyuan and I discussed it. According to the current pace, it may take 2 hours to walk down the mountain. How about we go down by car and finish our meal early so that we can visit more scenic spots. Yuanyuan said yes.

This is how our trip to Hengshan ended. You may say, this is too simple. The answer is very simple, because Hengshan is originally a small mountain, and its altitude is not high, only more than 1,300 meters. Moreover, there are so many scenic spots in China that it is impossible for you to have a strong and beautiful feeling everywhere you go. In fact, many famous mountains and rivers in ancient times are not worthy of their names now. For example, Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, I really think is very average, but it is a 5A-level scenic spot. There is also Baiyun Mountain in Guangzhou, which is also rated 5A. I still don’t understand, if Yuelu Mountain and Baiyun Mountain are both considered 5A, then why are Sanqingshan and Zhangjiajie also considered 5A?

Another reason is that the superstitious atmosphere in Hengshan is so strong. There are temples and Taoist temples all over the mountain, and you can see sacrificial supplies being sold everywhere. I'm a person who doesn't really respect other people's beliefs, and I'm a little annoyed when I see these things. This is one of the reasons why I don't rate this place highly.

But with Yuanyuan accompanying me, I still felt that this trip was very meaningful. If I were alone this time, I might not be able to write this travelogue.

Going outside the scenic area, there was an old man selling fried stinky tofu on a load, which was available in black and yellow. It didn't smell very ugly and cost only 5 yuan a bowl. The yellow one looked more attractive, so I ordered a bowl. But I didn’t expect that this ordinary-looking roadside stall could make such delicious stinky tofu. I know readers may suspect that we are starving. I also admit that I was both very hungry at the time. But I will never be fooled by hunger. Even Yuanyuan, who usually doesn't like to eat stinky tofu and refuses to eat it, tasted a piece and said it was so delicious. I asked the old man for another bowl. It was originally a bowl for each person, but when I saw Yuanyuan couldn’t stop eating, I gave her a few slices from my bowl. I lied to her and said that I was afraid that if she ate too much, she would not be able to eat for a while.

For our lunch, I forgot the name of the restaurant:

 

 

Shigu Academy

Shigu Academy, Yingtian Academy, Bailudong Academy and Yuelu Academy are also known as the four major academies in China. Most of China's "ancient" buildings were destroyed by war or political unrest, and Shigu Academy was no exception. It was destroyed in the 1944 Battle of Hengyang. What we see now was rebuilt by the Hengyang Municipal Government in 2006 based on the Qing Dynasty pattern of Shigu Academy. There is a district in Hengyang City called "Shigu District", and Shigu Academy is located in Shigu District.

Shigu Academy has an excellent geographical location, located at the intersection of Xiangjiang River and Zhanshui River, shaped like an awl. Even if you are not a culture lover, it is worth coming here to enjoy the scenery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yuelu Academy is next to the Xiangjiang River and Zhanshui River, but today it doesn't look like a river, but more like a calm lake, as if the temperature is too cold and it has stopped flowing. In addition, there is a light mist floating on the entire river, making the river look like a smooth jasper. At that time, I immediately thought of a poem by Ouyang Xiu. I can't remember it all, but I remember it clearly: "The windless water is smooth with glass, and I don't notice the boat moving."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hengyang Defense War Memorial Hall

After visiting Shigu Academy, at 16:40 in the afternoon, we took the bus to the "Hengyang Defense War Memorial Hall".

On June 23, 1944, the Kuomintang army and the Japanese army conducted an urban offensive and defensive battle here, which resulted in the largest number of casualties for both sides in the history of China’s Anti-Japanese War and the longest period of frontal combat between the Chinese army. It lasted until August 8, and finally ended with the Kuomintang army fighting. More than 16,000 people were killed, and the Japanese ended with more than 20,000 dead and more than 60,000 wounded. This battle is also known as the "Battle of Moscow in the East." In the whole of China, Hengyang is the only city commemorating the Anti-Japanese War.

 

Inside this memorial hall is an ancient building with a century-old history called the "Lu Family New House". It was occupied by the Japanese army during the Hengyang Defense War and served as a temporary command post. Many of the exquisite carved wooden furniture inside were burned down by the Japanese army, and the walls were devastated by bullets. After the founding of New China, it became like a forgotten old man, gradually becoming desolate and dilapidated. It was not until after 2000 that our government thought of repairing it.

 

How many such ancient buildings in China have been destroyed by man-made neglect? How many were destroyed by political struggles that dehumanized humanity? How many have been demolished due to so-called urban development? Can our descendants only learn about Chinese culture through history books with a dubious attitude? Can we only see “ancient” buildings that have been rebuilt rather than carefully maintained?

 

I finally understand why Lin Huiyin has been lamenting China's ancient buildings for the rest of his life.

 

Planes, tanks, artillery, radar:

 

 

 

 

The scenery during the Battle of Hengyang:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lu’s new house:

It was closed when we arrived, which was a pity.

 

 

 

 

Night view and food

 

No matter how hard or tiring it is, as long as you know that there will be delicious food, Yuanyuan's energy will last longer than anyone else. In the evening, of course we must visit the food court. Although I know that all food courts sell similar things, Yuanyuan doesn't care about that.

 

When we arrived at the Progress Mall in Zhengxiang District, we heard that there were many gourmet shops inside. We bought a McFlurry at McDonald's before walking in. Faced with the dazzling array of snacks in the mall, Yuanyuan didn't know where to start. She seemed to want to order everything, but she didn't know what to order. Every time at this time, she would say to me: "You come up with the idea, and I will eat whatever you order." We ordered stinky tofu, pickled plum biscuits, hot and sour noodles, and a sweet water made of sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, taro, sago, and lotus seeds. Except for the so-so hot and sour noodles, everything else was pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Night view of Xiangjiang River in Hengyang:

 

 

 

 

 

After eating and drinking, Yuanyuan and I walked hand in hand to the Xiangjiang River that flows from Jiangxi to here. Maybe it’s because of the low temperature that there aren’t many tourists in the riverside park. Although it is not as prosperous and grand as the Pearl River in Guangzhou, it has an overall tranquility and leisure that matches it. Yuanyuan and I shared the same feelings on the riverside, saying that Hengyang is a small city that is very suitable for life. At that time, I also posted on a circle of friends who felt the same way:

 

 

We took the train back to Guangzhou at around 23:00 that night and left Hengyang. After that, Yuanyuan and I traveled to many places in the motherland, and the train also stopped at Hengyang Station many times. Every time I think, will I come here again in the future?

 

I think if I have the chance, I will definitely come again. Will the old man selling stinky tofu still be there by then?