Exploration of Liangping Town Head Ancient City (Fort) Ruins
The land of Northwest has never lacked poetry. Ancient cities and ancient roads, military fortresses are naturally and harmoniously embedded in this rugged land. Standing in the glow of the setting sun, gazing at the vast sky and the boundless earth, one cannot help but marvel at the grandeur and prosperity of China's ancient history, it has silence, it has brilliance, it has also mystery and romance. My hometown, Ladenping Village, the ruins of the ancient city at the head of the town, is such a mysterious ancient city with many wonderful legends.
I have always wanted to find a way to record our village, in words, or pictures, or video, to record everything that happened here. Ladenping Village Castle Ruins is located in the northwest corner of Ladenping Village, Townhead, except for the east entrance adjacent to the, the south, west and north sides are cliffs. Viewed from the air, the ruins of the ancient castle are like a sacred vessel, those thick ruins and battlements, and the weathered earth walls, all seem to be a heavy tome telling of the castle's vicissitudes. Unique terrain and landforms have become a battleground for strategists, also achieved the castle's hundred-year charm. Today, people should look at the ancient city culture from a geographical perspective— Ladenping Castle.
The 'perfect impression' of Ladenping Castle was fixed during my elementary school years at the age of seven or eight. At that time, the ancient city was well-preserved, the sturdy city walls, the magnificent city gate archways, the imposing city gates, despite the erosion of countless years of wind and rain and the ravages of war and battle, the majesty remained. The city gate and the connection with the was a natural '', the only channel for entering and leaving the city. The farmhouses inside the castle were arranged in a scattered manner and in an orderly manner, carved beams and painted decorations, flying eaves and windswept roofs, house designs were ingenious and layouts were strict. Small courtyards were exquisite and walls were adorned with carvings of birds, beasts, people and flowers, sculptures of birds, dragons and horses, all carvings were exquisite and unique. Being in it, the dense ancient architectural complex and the strong historical and cultural atmosphere made people intoxicated. For those youthful and inexperienced, from the unparalleled grand city to the carefully rammed cottages; from the imposing atmosphere of the old theater to the mysterious carvings— these remnants and relics left by civilizations far exceeded other regions at the time, occupying the top of the early Waisheng, Ladenping Castle is a perfect blend of art and nature, history and modernity. When I was a child, under my mother's guidance, we often went to the city to see plays and play, often crying when we couldn't get out of the labyrinth-like dozens of ancient alleys.
Our village painter Zhang Junfeng's work, 'Ladenping Castle Ruins', and Brother Zhang Xinkong's 'Ladenping Castle before 1949 Front View' can attest to the prosperity and grandeur of that time. Such an ancient, great, and mysterious Ladenping Castle, our Ladenping people failed to preserve it, how could it not be known and admired by the world? Unfortunately, these artistic masterpieces have not been preserved. If during that unprecedented movement, we could protect Ladenping Castle like the people of Shanxi who protected Wangjia and Qiaojia Courtyards, it would not be an exaggeration to say that visitors from around Quyang and Gansu would first remember Ladenping Castle. It is even said that Ladenping Castle is a high achievement of China's pre-agricultural farming culture in the Yellow River region hundreds of years ago, and it can fill the gaps in the 'Gansu Heritage List' ancient city ruins, providing a unique witness to China's 5000-year civilization. But now it has been demolished, which is heartbreaking…
If we can seriously excavate the Ladenping Castle ruins and draw a detailed blueprint, we will surely reveal the secrets of this forgotten castle. And firmly establish the idea that 'cultural relics are achievements' and embrace innovation, coordination, green, open and shared development, and strive to build a Ladenping Cultural Provincial Park that is 'expert-approved, popular-approved, Quyang first-class, provincial leading'— this is a cultural confidence and a sense of mission. But now we can only appreciate the grandeur of the old theater to reflect on the ancient city's past. A city, is a book, only by being there can one read its history and feel its vicissitudes. I hope that more gentlemen and friends will deeply explore and compile the rich culture of the city. A foreign archaeologist once said, 'God covers the future, but leaves the past for us to reflect and experience.' Excellent historical and cultural heritage is a gene, a spirit, with a strong cohesion. Although I don't have conclusive evidence yet, I can link Ladenping Castle and its material cultural characteristics to thedong culture. But in the thickest Huangtu layer on the early Waisheng, there could be such an ancient city with a high level of civilization – how could it disappear after a period of decline?Even if the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' legends are seven parts truth and three parts fiction, that 'seven parts truth' should be related to the former glory of Ladenping Castle!
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