"Feng Shui" is a kind of traditional culture, known as Kanyu in ancient times. It is a constant summary of people's daily life practice, and gradually formed a set of village site selection and planning methods. As an ancient environmental culture, it originates from the ancestors' reverence for nature and yearning for a better life. Although due to limitations of historical conditions, there are some superstitious elements in it. But on the whole, ancient Feng Shui culture advocates the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and contains rich culture in philosophy, aesthetics, geography, history, folklore and other aspects. Its essence is the ideal of "harmony between man and nature". realm.
Diaoyuan Ancient Village was built in the late Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,100 years. The ancient village consists of two natural villages, Weixi and Zhuangshan. It is supported by the "∽"-shaped Chang'an Mountains and forms a "Tai Chi Diagram" created in heaven. Weixi Village is located at the "sun" position of the Bagua Diagram, and Zhuangshan Village is located at the "Tai Yin" position. .
The ancient village has more than ten ponds connected in a straight line with high east and low west, running through the whole village. Two mountains sandwich one water, forming the "Li" hexagram in the traditional Bagua, which symbolizes beauty and auspiciousness.
Chang'an Ridge was originally only about 9 meters higher than the ancient village. Villagers planted 18,000 camphor trees on the ridge. Chang'an Ridge suddenly rose by 20 meters, and the wavy camphor forest("Zhang" in the same name means prosperous Wenchang), which is very consistent with the ∽ curve of the Bagua Diagram, has become the backing of the ancient village to protect it from wind and rain and avoid disasters.
The pond divides the village into two halves, the north and the south, arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper. There is an ancient well from the Song Dynasty next to the pond, which means the full moon, thus forming a complete "Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon" picture, thus giving the ancient village a unique atmosphere. It has the effect of endless, continuous ups and downs, and long-lasting wealth.
Seven ponds in the moon with seven stars
The ancient well in Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon
The ancestors of Diaoyuan Village advocated seclusion, and the architecture and decoration all reveal a Taoist flavor of seclusion. In addition to the ancient dwellings arranged in the Bagua shape, even the buildings in the ancient villages can be seen in the Bagua pattern: some are embedded in the lintels, some are engraved on the window lattice, or some are carved on the bed frame. The Tai Chi Bagua pattern is a symbol of Chinese culture, and it is endless. Full of endogenous power and the core of yin and yang harmony!
The wooden hairpin on the lintel of the "Cunli Hall" door
Each window on the side room has a hexagram
The door pillar of "Cunli Hall" is carved with honeysuckle pattern
I found its door pier to be very special. The shape is quite similar to a desk, with light patterns carved on three sides and honeysuckle patterns carved on the inner side. The honeysuckle pattern is honeysuckle. Its decoration began to appear in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and was most popular in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Because it survives the winter and does not die, it is widely used in Buddhism and is compared to the immortality of the human soul and eternal life in reincarnation. Later it was widely used for decoration of artworks such as paintings and sculptures.
Even the stone tablet by the pond is engraved with Bagua graphics and the six words "Namo Amitabha". I'm wondering why this stone tablet is here? Could it be because the ancients often killed chickens and sheep by the pond, washed and rinsed them, in order to seek equality and compassion for all living beings? It may be other reasons!
I couldn't help but wonder why the Bagua pattern was drawn upside down when I stepped forward and touched it, trying to find the traces left by the ancients.
In order to conceal the Bagua shape and prevent the so-called straight rush in "Feng Shui", Diaoyuan Village mostly has "crooked gates and ramps". None of the lanes, village roads, or pond banks are straight to the edge. This was intentional by the builders. , the lanes are sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, the courtyard corners are round or square, and the walls are upright and sideways, forming a looping and uneven pattern.
Because in Chinese environmental theory, straight lines represent evil spirits, curves represent anger, and slanted doors and crooked paths can turn evil spirits into good fortune and avoid direct collisions. The extremely small door opening here is also a reflection of this concept!
There is no straight road in Diaoyuan; there is not a straight alley; even the four sides of each house cannot be found to be straight in all directions. It can be said to be well-intentioned.
In an ancient house built in the Ming Dynasty, the gilt carvings on the grating below the window lattice are actually three mice prancing among auspicious flowers with great airs. How can rats, which are usually regarded as disgusting things by people, be so cheerful and unruly here? According to an expert's research, "rat" is homophonic to "Xu", and "rat" means "many"; among the twelve zodiac signs, rat is the first, and based on the heavenly stems and earthly branches, it is "child", so the three rats It means "many sons".
Also with profound meaning is a Ming Dynasty wedding bed. Carved in the middle of the top of the bed is a unicorn with its four legs raised to the sky surrounded by auspicious flower decorations. Why is the wedding bed decoration a single unicorn with its back turned to the sky? Even highly accomplished experts and scholars are puzzled by it. Ouyang Zhonglin, the old village head of Zhuangshan, who is familiar with local ancient customs and folk customs, solved this mystery for people: It turns out that the ancient Diaoyuan people believed that Qilin has no distinction between male and female. It drinks the rain and dew and absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to become pregnant. Therefore the statue of Kirin on the wedding bed symbolizes the blessing of sweet dew and the birth of a Kirin . ( I have talked about this before Model of wealthy home layout, bedroom Feng Shui layout guide!)
In Diaoyuan, all houses facing the intersection have screen walls. In front of a residential house next to the pond in Zhuangshan Village, a 27-meter-long and 3.6-meter-high screen wall stands to gather wealth and energy and set off the momentum of the house.
In Diaoyuan, there is a saying that "you can see ingots when you look up". The ancestors abandoned the shortcomings of damp patios and built a large ingot in the middle of the roof, one foot eight inches deep, one foot two inches wide and one foot long. The "gold ingots" as far as the eye can see are full of ideas for getting rich. meaning.
This feng shui landscape, architectural mystery and decorative features all demonstrate the penetration of the ideas of the Book of Changes into the life of the ancient village. It reflects the Diaoyuan ancestors' pursuit of the perfect blend of nature and man-made, heaven and humanity, and their abandonment of some feudal superstitions. Their residential location selection and environmental layout are worthy of our deep study.
Ancient sages emphasized study tours, which was actually a process of applying what they learned. Whether it is "Kanyu Feng Shui" which belongs to natural science, or "Traditional Chinese Medicine" which belongs to human body science, what the ancients taught us is repeated practice and serious experience.
If I have the opportunity, I will organize a study tour to lead everyone to appreciate the wisdom of the ancients.