China News Service, Chongqing, November 3, title: Chongqing Ningchang: "Scream" from a thousand-year-old town
Author Li Anjiang Peng Guowei
Chongqing Wuxi Ningchang Town is a famous historical and cultural town in China. The Daning Saltworks Site of Ningchang Ancient Town in its core protection area is also a national key cultural relics protection unit. It has two "national" gold signs. Ningchang Ancient Town is still in danger.
"It seems to be getting old again!"
Looking at the increasingly dilapidated ancient town of Ningchang, a local cultural relic scholar who came with him couldn't help but sigh.
Going deeper, ruined walls can be seen everywhere, and occasionally I will meet 35 tourists taking pictures.
Ren Naiqiang, a well-known historian in southwest China, recorded in "A New Exploration of Ancient History of Sichuan": "The initial discovery of witch salt... was about five thousand years ago, about the same as the Yao, Shun, and Yu periods in the Central Plains."
Before coming, the reporter learned about the importance of this ancient town in detail from the Cultural Tourism Commission of Wuxi County, Chongqing:
In July 2010, Ningchang Town became one of the famous historical and cultural towns in China, and Ningchang Ancient Town was the core protection area.
In October 2019, the State Council officially announced the eighth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and the Daning Saltworks Site in Ningchang Ancient Town was on the list.
At the same time, there are many provincial and county cultural relics here.
"Ningchang Ancient Town is one of the early salt-making sites in China. It had a glorious history of'a spring of white jade, thousands of miles of gold'. It was ranked among the top ten salt capitals in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties." The car went to a salt production workshop Ruins, cultural relic scholars who are familiar with the road stepped on the brakes.
The picture shows various modern buildings beside the Qin's residence, a cultural relic of Chongqing.
Photo by Peng Guowei
Natural weathering, man-made destruction-the thousand-year-old town faces "ashes"
"Teacher, be careful!" I opened an iron gate and entered the production workshop. Just after walking a few steps, I suddenly heard an exclamation from the cultural relic scholar on the side, "The weathering is too serious. Many places under your feet are empty. You'd better go. Where the grass grows."
Looking through the gap, I found that where I was about to settle, the brick pillars and the beams between the pillars had been broken and rotted, and there was a pit a few meters high below. With my legs retracted, the reporter broke into a cold sweat.
The picture shows the remains of a salt production workshop in Ningchang Ancient Town.
Photo by Peng Guowei
“Archaeological excavations were just completed here last year. The surface area is abandoned in modern and modern salt workshops. There are many salt-making stoves. Underneath are the relics of early salt-making production and life overlaid on the surface. Under 2.5 meters to 3 meters, there are the foundation sites of Qing Dynasty buildings buried, and there are obvious flood siltation layers." Cultural relic scholars carefully lead the way, and also serve as explainers for everyone. "There are production workshops in the ancient town. , Distributed on both banks of the Daning River."
Different from natural weathering destruction, in Chongqing’s municipal-level cultural relics of Qin’s residence, separated by a wall, several modern-style brick-walled small western-style buildings are completely incompatible with the surrounding ancient ecological environment.
"In addition to the state-owned houses in the town, the rest are privately owned." The cultural relic scholar said, "It is also a pity that many old private houses have turned into modern buildings."
The picture shows the Wuwang Temple in "Qili Banbian Street" in Ningchang Ancient Town.
Photo by Peng Guowei
On the opposite bank of the Daning River is the famous local "Qili Banbian Street", because in the past it was mostly residential and service buildings, and after many "people go to empty buildings", the current situation is even more devastated.
Crossing the river from a suspension bridge, walking along the meandering bluestone slabs on the bank, you can encounter a narrow and steep alley, which is very quiet. Stepping up, there is a dam of nearly 1,100 square meters. Appeared in front of them, the locals called it Wuwang Temple.
The original main building has been destroyed, and the remaining wall foundations have been swayed, but the perfect craftsmanship of the remaining masonry temple walls and individual door openings can still make people imagine the endless prosperity here.
"This is one of the county-level cultural relics protection sites. The temple wall craftsmanship can also reflect the high level of Qing Dynasty architecture." Speaking of the fate of these cultural relics, cultural relic scholars used the term "precarious".
In order to protect the ancient town of Ningchang, the Wuxi County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Committee actively participated in the declaration of famous historical and cultural towns and villages in China. The first batch failed to catch up, and then the second batch... The effort paid off, the 2010 On the five batches of lists, Ningchang Town was finally on the list.
When Ningchang Town was able to win this national “insurance policy”, the town’s core rare resource, Ningchang Ancient Town, made great contributions.
The picture shows a glimpse of "Qili Banbian Street" in Ningchang Ancient Town.
Photo by Peng Guowei
Alms-giving everywhere and falling short of salaries-the "gap" of cultural insurance funds is huge
"Wuxi was once a national-level impoverished county, which belonged to the'food finance'. It was very difficult to guarantee the salaries of cadres and employees." On October 22, a rare ray of autumn sunlight shone on Liu, director of the Wuxi County Cultural Tourism Commission through the window. Yang was on his desk, but he didn't feel warm in his heart. Speaking of the current situation of the ancient town, he couldn't help but shook his head and sighed, "The county's annual cultural insurance funds are very limited. If you don't increase protection, the ancient town will really be gone."
The reporter consulted the "Regulations on the Protection of Famous Historical and Cultural Cities, Towns and Villages." Article 4 stipulates: The state shall provide necessary financial support for the protection of historical and cultural cities, towns and villages.
Local people's governments at or above the county level where famous historical and cultural cities, towns, and villages are located shall arrange protection funds according to local actual conditions and include them in the fiscal budget of the same level.
The state encourages enterprises, institutions, social organizations and individuals to participate in the protection of historical and cultural cities, towns and villages.
After finally entering the "national team" of a famous town, didn't it get any support funds?
According to statistics from the Wuxi County Housing and Urban-Rural Development Committee, from 2012 to 2017, Wuxi County has applied for more than 25 million yuan for the construction of municipal central towns relying on historical and cultural towns, and the follow-up will naturally "break".
During this period, Wuxi, a state-level impoverished county, was also unable to come up with matching funds.
Where will this special fund for historical and cultural towns be used?
It is understood that for many years, in addition to part of the restoration and renovation of the main street in Ningchang Ancient Town, other funds have been reasonably used to implement the Ningchang Town’s road bridge, parking lot project, square project, Ningchang Town’s comprehensive renovation project, The total investment in the characteristic commercial street project is more than 20 million yuan.
According to Article 21 of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics": the user is responsible for the repair and maintenance of state-owned immovable cultural relics; the owner is responsible for the repair and maintenance of non-state-owned immovable cultural relics.
If non-state-owned immovable cultural relics are in danger of damage, and everyone does not have the ability to repair, the local people's government should provide assistance; if the owner has the ability to repair and refuses to perform the repair obligations in accordance with the law, the people's government at or above the county level can provide rescue and repair, as needed The cost is borne by everyone.
During the reporter's visit, it was found that over the years, the relevant departments have spent very little money on the protection of state-owned cultural relics in Ningchang Ancient Town, and the repair costs of non-state-owned cultural relics have rarely been heard.
On November 2, Yu Xueju, head of the Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment of Wuxi County Cultural Market and director of the Cultural Relics Management Office, said in an interview with reporters that because of the tight finances at the county level, Wuxi County’s annual cultural protection funds invested in the county can be described as "a drop in the bucket." In the recent 2016, 2017 and 2018, an annual cost of 40,000 yuan was allocated, mainly to pay for the daily inspections and care of the county’s cultural relics. As long as the county’s funding is tight, this fee will also "Fighting with water."
In the Wuxi County Cultural Relics Management Office, a plan for "Cultural Relics Conservation and Utilization of Ningchang Ancient Town, Wuxi County, Chongqing", which was once done by the Nanjing University Cultural and Natural Heritage Research Institute, is "dust-covered" in a cabinet like a baby. According to the above According to the plan, the estimated total investment for the protection of the entire ancient town is 255 million yuan.
It is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, and in desperation, Wuxi can only "alms" for many years.
The Three Gorges Construction Committee of the State Council organized and compiled the "Three Gorges Follow-up Work Plan (2011-2020)" including the "Special Plan for the Protection of Natural and Historical and Cultural Heritage in the Reservoir Area". Wuxi County had actively applied for support in the name of protecting the ancient town of Ningchang, 2015 Successfully applied for a total of 3.5 million "Three Gorges Support Fund" each year.
"This is a relatively large amount of special cultural relics protection fees currently received by the ancient town, which is mainly used for designing protection schemes, erecting signs, and restoring small cultural relics." Yu Xueju said.
In 2017, Wuxi County, running around, in the name of the Daning River scenic spot infrastructure construction project, won the central government's allocation of 10 million yuan, the county financial support 2.5 million yuan, a total of 12.5 million yuan, to implement scenic upgrades to the ancient town of Ningchang The project, including the transformation and upgrading of the Lingwu Cave scenic spot, the tourist reception center, the sky bridge, the 2 km Wuyan ancient road, 2 tourist toilets, and parking lots, etc., are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
In the same year, the main passage leading to the ancient town of Ningchang collapsed severely. In response to the imminent travel difficulties, the ancient town of Ningchang won the city and county financial investment of 51.05 million yuan to rebuild 3.6 kilometers of roads and solve the problem of smooth roads. However, because of the money The project is established under the name of transportation construction, and it can be used for “special funds” and cannot be used in other aspects such as the protection of ancient town cultural relics.
In the face of the huge "gap" of cultural protection funds, a reality that cannot be ignored is in front of us: due to the serious lag in protection, the ancient town is experiencing more and more damage, and the repair and maintenance costs now far exceed previous estimates.
The picture shows the various protection and repair plans of Ningchang Ancient Town in Wuxi County.
Photo by Peng Guowei
Headaches to treat the head, feet pain to treat the feet-temporary "pain relief" is not good for overall recovery
Walking to the foot of Baoyuan Mountain, before people arrive, first hear the sound of rushing water, enter a salt pond, a stream of clear artesian salt water gushes out, flows into the Daning River for a long time, and finally merges into the mainstream of the Yangtze River and the mighty river water Billowing away.
"This water really has a salty taste." The breeze was blowing, and the water splashed on the cheeks of visitors, and they felt the faint taste of salt, which surprised many people.
At the corner of the site, a stone stele was erected, saying: In 2009, the Ningchang Salt Industry Site was announced as the second batch of municipal cultural relics protection units by the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government. The Longjun Temple Salt Pool Site is an important part of the Ningchang Salt Industry Site It is included in the scope of key protection... The original temple is 5 parallel main halls, which were built in the Han Dynasty.
In 2015, seeing that the Longwang Temple, the most important relic in the ancient town, had been "lost in the wind", Wuxi County, deeply heartbroken, was actively running. Finally, it applied for a special fund of more than 700,000 yuan from the Chongqing Cultural Relics Bureau, and then completed the relic Repair.
This is also a relatively successful cultural relic restoration project in Ningchang Ancient Town.
In 2019, after the Daning Saltworks site successfully applied for the “National Treasure”, the Longjun Temple in the ancient town, the production workshops No. 1, 2, and 3, the Xiang’s old house and the trade union club were key cultural relics to be protected.
The picture shows the salt pond site of Longjun Temple in Ningchang Ancient Town.
Photo by Peng Guowei
Because of "shy in the pocket", Wuxi's long-term "pain-relieving prescription" can only be "segmented healing method". If you see where the worst is broken, focus on repairing it. In layman's terms, it is "headache cure." , Foot pain medical foot".
It is a sad scene at several cultural relics site that completed archeological excavations last year: all the cultural relics excavated on the ground are exposed on the surface; the old roof is long gone, and only a few steel frames can be used as The pillar, and then covered with a few pieces of iron sheet, becomes the only tool to "shield from wind and rain."
With simple protection, but because there are no measures such as constant temperature and humidity, the bricks excavated in some places can even be dispersed by the wind, and there are weeds everywhere.
On the afternoon of October 21, the reporter saw in Wuwang Temple that a severe landslide had endangered the entire old building, and there were many scaffolding for construction.
"The repair bidding work has just been completed here not long ago, and construction will start soon." Yu Xueju said, "The construction cost is the'Three Gorges Post Support Fund' that year. After using it here, the money will be run out."
"The focus of cultural relics is on protection, and we must also'live in the present'." Liu Yang said that only after the cultural relics are retained, and then rational use of resources can be achieved in the end to achieve self-made blood.
In 2019, after successfully becoming a national-level cultural relics protection unit, although it has not yet received financial support, it has given the local a lot of hope. The burden and responsibility on Wuxi's shoulders are actually heavier.
According to Article 8 of the latest "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics": The cultural relics administration department of the State Council is in charge of the national cultural relics protection work.
Local people's governments at various levels are responsible for the protection of cultural relics within their administrative areas.
Departments of local people's governments at or above the county level undertaking the protection of cultural relics shall supervise and administer the protection of cultural relics within their respective administrative regions.
The relevant administrative departments of the people's governments at or above the county level shall be responsible for the protection of relevant cultural relics within the scope of their respective duties.
In accordance with Article 40 of the "Regulations on the Protection of Famous Historical and Cultural Cities, Towns and Villages": in violation of these regulations, the city and county people's governments have been included in the list of endangered historical and cultural cities, towns, and villages that have been approved for publication due to ineffective protection. In case of violation, the people’s government at a higher level shall notify the criticism; the directly responsible person in charge and other directly responsible persons shall be punished according to law.
As the last batch of districts and counties in Chongqing that took off their "poverty hats" in February this year, Wuxi was once one of the most impoverished districts and counties in Chongqing. In 2014, a new round of poverty alleviation has identified 150 poor villages. The population is 86,000 and the incidence of poverty is 18%.
"No one wants to be a sinner of history!" This is the heavy speech that the reporter heard the most during his visit to Wuxi.
"The previous overall protection plan has expired this year. The current situation requires an urgent need to redo a new plan. Otherwise, it will always be patched together east and west, which is very unfavorable to the overall protection." When Yang was in the office, he told reporters embarrassingly that in order to keep the ancient town of Ningchang, the county has been running around and appealing, and sincerely hope that relevant departments can have special protection funds to support.