Photography | Dry roots, summer pine
Text | Guo Hongying
"The yellow crane is gone, and the white clouds are empty for thousands of years." When I saw the name Baiyun Bridge, Cui Hao's poem inadvertently appeared in my mind.
"Qingchuan calendar Hanyang tree, fragrant grass and parrot island." Naturally, there is no "Qingchuan Pavilion" by the Baiyun Bridge, but there will be no shortage of green trees in April in the south of the Yangtze River; It is estimated that there is no "Parrot Island" by the bridge, but the scenery of the grass will not be bad.
In my longing, I followed the path to inquire, and I passed through one village after another, and came to the junction of Group 27 of Nanyang Village, Xincheng Town, and Shajiabang. In the midst of a green wheat field, I could see the silhouette of the bridge in the distance under the shade of green trees. Along the path, the grass is sprouting on both sides: white snake beds float on blades of grass, like small parachutes; Purple vetch flowers bloom their delicate wings and flutter to fly; The plantain shook the sticks and bloomed a little invisible yellow flower. This bridge is truly as poetic as its name.
Walking forward quickly, turning the field, the Baiyun Bridge appeared in front of him. The concrete bridge deck, the cement railing, seems to have been repaired in the middle, and a few rusty iron railings. At first glance, I was confused: how could this be an ancient bridge? It's clearly a dilapidated cement bridge. The beautiful imagination and poetry of the past disappeared in an instant. Is it because I got the same name wrong? Or was it dismantled and rebuilt? Thoughts swirled in my head.
Squatted down and took a closer look, and finally found some clues. The guardrails on both sides were covered with sagebrush, and the lush greenery almost submerged the railings, and I was overjoyed to find that the guardrails near the bridge deck were made of stone. At the other end of the bridge, there are carved patterns on the remaining drum stones that have not been covered by sagebrush. This pattern is no different from the one carved on the general stone bridge, in the shape of auspicious clouds. Although it is not new, it is enough to prove that this is an ancient stone bridge, at least it once was. But why did it become the way it is?
Turning under the bridge, looking from the side, the mystery is finally revealed. This is indeed an ancient five-hole beam stone slab bridge, and the piers in the water are made of four stone slabs standing side by side. There are 9 stone steps at the east and west ends of the bridge, but they are paved with cement slabs, which is thought to be because modern life is inseparable from cars, and the stone steps are inconvenient to travel. You can also vaguely see that there are delicate and exquisite carvings on the pier cap, which are in the shape of flowers, and there are also auspicious cloud patterns on the bridge railing.
However, the bridge is lush with lily and hangs down like a green curtain, and I can't see the name of the bridge at all. However, it is precisely this entwined sage vine that makes the cement-coated ancient bridge finally reveal some ancient meaning. It reminds people of old houses in disrepair and old trees in primeval forests, which are all vicissitudes of life covered by time and greenery. Time gives people wrinkles and hunchbacks, but it makes an old bridge look more quaint and dignified on the river.
Turning to the other side, wild trees are full of branches, and it is impossible to choose a suitable angle to take pictures, and I can't see the bridge couplets on the piers.
In the Republic of China's "Xincheng Town Chronicles" volume 6 "Jinliang" chapter, it is recorded: "Baiyun Bridge (Xincheng East) is five miles, and Guangxu was rebuilt in the 33rd year. The exact date of construction of the bridge is unknown. The bridge is 28 meters long and 2.3 meters wide, and the bridge body is engraved with the words "Rebuild Baiyun Bridge".
There are bridges on the south and north sides of Baiyun Bridge, and the data shows that the south link is "floating and wading boats to travel mirrors, and the people who are born on the shore of Sangma are in Baiyun", and the north link is "tracing the mandarin water in the three autumns of excessive smoke and rain, and stepping on one of the winds of Fengshan is super wind and clouds".
I stood on the bridge and looked into the distance, the river water was relatively clear, it was really level like a mirror, and the green trees on both sides of the bank were reflected in it, which added to the tranquility. I once heard from a friend that when he was a child, he went to Xincheng and often took a boat to cross the Baiyun Bridge. You can imagine the brisk skiing of the boat on the water in the breeze, which is a real "mirror of boating". At that time, the ancient bridge was very beautiful, with stones and stone pillars.
From the old photos taken by Mr. Qian Baoyun, it can be seen that the head of the column is round and square, the east and west ends are spherical, and the middle two are square, carved with patterns. Unfortunately, now it is unrecognizable, only cement pillars, and cement has also been poured on the stone slabs of the bridge.
Let's talk about "people in Baiyun". Although you can't be in the clouds, the white clouds are reflected on the river, and when people cross the bridge, they seem to be walking through the white clouds, which is very apt. Perhaps when the bridge was first built, it was to see the white clouds floating on the water, people seemed to be in the clouds, and there were thousands of ravines in their chests, so they remembered the poem "white clouds are empty for thousands of years", and this bridge was called "Baiyun Bridge". However, whether it is because the person seems to be in Baiyun, or because he remembers Cui Hao's ethereal poems, this is very affectionate.
If the South Union reminds people of the beautiful scenery on the side of the bridge at that time, then the North Union focuses on the historical origin of the bridge to make an explanation: "Mandarin Water", Jiaxing has "Mandarin Duck Lake", that is, South Lake and Southwest Lake, the two lakes are connected, similar to the neck of Mandarin Ducks; "Fengshan", the small Penglai area of Xincheng Nengren Temple is called "Fengshan" because the terrain is like a phoenix spreading its wings.
Why did such a beautiful bridge fall to this point? I'm puzzled. There happened to be an old man working in the field not far away, so I went up and asked. Only then did I learn that the bridge had broken many years ago and someone had fallen into the river, and then cement was poured on it to become what it is now.
According to relevant news reports, at about 3 p.m. on January 28, 2009, a mother and son who had returned from visiting relatives suddenly felt a violent shaking when they rode a motorcycle to the bridge. Before she could react, she heard two loud noises, and the mother looked back to see that her son, who was sitting in the back, was gone, and her motorcycle was stuck in the bridge. It turned out that a stone slab on the bridge deck broke and fell into the water, and the child fell down, but fortunately was rescued by the villagers in time.
Before that, this bridge was a traffic artery and a necessary place for villagers of Nanyang Village to travel to and from Xincheng. Due to the disrepair of the old bridge and the recent sharp increase in vehicles, in addition to pedestrians, there are also tricycles carrying goods, etc., which overwhelm it, resulting in frequent accidents. After that, the bridge was sealed for a while.
I looked at the cement monument next to me, and it was dated March 2010, a year after the accident.
In the end, the local authorities chose a middle ground between repair and reconstruction, that is, pouring cement on the old bridge.
After learning the ins and outs, I regret that if I had come to see it more than 10 years ago, I could still see its beautiful and dignified posture. And now it is unrecognizable, and you can only peek at the style of the past from the side.
"Where is Sunset Township? The Yanbo River makes people sad. Suddenly thinking of the last two sentences of Cui Hao's "Yellow Crane Tower", I feel that it corresponds to my state of mind at this time. The scene in front of me is really "the ancient bridge is gone, and the white clouds are empty for thousands of years".
Editor: Chai Cheng
Editor-in-charge: Li Li
Review: Lin Rong
[From: Wenyi Xiuzhou]
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