"The snow-capped mountains will not fall, the river will not dry, and will remain a slave forever."
Recently, the reporter interviewed Qi Jiguang (Tibetan name is Gesang Zepei), author of "For Tibet's Tianming" in the ancient city of Dukezong, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
After the interview in Zuoqi's home was over, "Animal World" was being broadcast on TV, and Qi Jiguang couldn't help but cherish the memory of his "serf" father-in-law.
The picture shows a photo of his father-in-law Azhu's later years preserved by Qi Jiguang.
Photo courtesy of Qi Jiguang
"My father-in-law loved watching TV in his later years, and he only loved watching "Animal World"." Qi Jiguang said that his father-in-law's name is Ba Azhu, and "Ba" is the honorific name of his father's generation by the villagers.
Qi Jiguang recalled that when his father-in-law was alive, he was few words.
And when the two or threes of white wine is down and the ears are slightly red, he will tell his legendary stories. The opening remarks are often, "There are many footprints after the snow, and many words after the drink." This classic Tibetan proverb ...
Slave
Azhu’s hometown was in Nuoxi Village, Diqing Prefecture. He was once a wealthy family. His pasture was full of yak and oxen, and he went out in the morning, connecting end to end to the opposite mountain.
Before liberation, banditry was frequent in Diqing area, and the people had no peace.
In the year when Ah Zhu was eight years old (1918), nearly a thousand bandits ransacked Shangri-La in Diqing, burned down the village, and taken cattle and sheep. The whole family of eight lived in the ruins.
The picture shows the old photos of Shangri-La serfs in Diqing before liberation (data picture).
Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Shangri-La Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China
Misfortune did not come singly, and a terrible plague spread again.
Six members of the family died one after another, leaving him and his brother alone.
The plague also caused many people to go bankrupt, some left their homes, and some were forced to become slaves.
Because of their young age, the Azu brothers had to go to Chuanzhai to beg for food.
One day, on the way the brothers were begging for food, an old grandmother from the same village said kindly to them, "Poor boy, your brothers have been sold by the'general card' (village-level government). If you can, run away! "This news is like a bolt from the blue, adding to the grief.
escape?
Where to flee?
In the evening, the Azhu brothers returned to the water mill where they stayed last night, and they depended on each other to keep warm.
Unknowingly, it was dawn, and the brother who was sleeping next to him disappeared.
Without his brother, Azhu felt that he had fallen into the sea and into the abyss.
At that time, my brother was only twelve years old and knew nothing about world affairs, but he knew that slaves were people who were beaten and scolded under the roof of people, did cows and horses, and ate pigs and dogs, so he ran away in the dark.
The young Al-Zhu cried and looked for his elder brother Larong everywhere. Suddenly a few big men popped out of the thorn bushes on the roadside and dragged the Al-Zhu to the house of Chieftain Song Qian in Zhongdian (now Shangri-La) at that time.
It turned out that the "general card" sold Azu's only seventeen silver dollars to Qian's family.
The eight-year-old Azu has not yet replaced all his deciduous teeth, he has become a self-cultivation slave for "the snow mountain will not fall, the river will not dry, and will remain a slave forever."
Entering the door of Qian's family, A Master became his nineteenth slave.
The slaves had to work for his family’s yak farm and harvest seeds for his family’s 300 acres of land.
At that time, President Qian was still alive, and a man in his early sixties was a drug addict. He had a smoker in his hand every night, and he had to wait on his side.
Mr. Qian likes to ride horses, he always rushes to raise his whip, asks Azu to run behind the horse, and when he feels unsatisfied, he raises his whip to Azu.
The picture shows the old photos of Shangri-La serfs in Diqing before liberation (data picture).
Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Shangri-La Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China
Flee
Two years later, the master was in his early ten years old. That year's New Year's Eve, the chieftain Qianzong's family was busy making sacrifices to their ancestors, making New Year's Eve dinners, and slaves were not allowed to intervene.
A master quietly climbed to the top of the building to take a break, suddenly thinking of running away.
A master touched the top of the toilet from the top of the building and ventured down. He didn't know that Wei hurt his foot, so he climbed back to Qian's house and was beaten up.
When the owner recovered a little bit, he was taken to the alpine pasture.
But life on the ranch is harder and more stressful. Losing a cow is terrible.
The slaves who graze with the master are most afraid of losing their cattle.
One day, Azhu and his slave Zhishi, who was eight years older than him, went to carry chai. Zhishi offered to escape. The two hit it off and fled towards Xiangcheng, Sichuan. When they arrived in Xiangcheng, Zhishi found his brother, and Azhu Wandering around alone.
At that time, Xiangcheng was the world of the leader and bandit leader Guadingpa, and Azhu was arrested and handed over to him.
Within a few days, A Master saw the demon drew his sword and chopped off the head of a slave Zhuo Gang who had been taken captive by Zhongdian.
A master has a hunch that sooner or later he will become his ghost.
So he thought of fleeing again, and connected two slaves in series.
Soon, finally waited for the opportunity.
One day, Guadinba had a wedding, drinking and reveling, gambling, and dancing.
In the middle of the night, the guest left for most of the time, and Gua Dingba and the people around him lay on the ground in a rush.
The Lord and the others brought Guadinba’s three rifles and bullet belts. They walked out of the yard and ran away from the town. They probably walked out of a bag of cigarettes. They heard the shouts from behind, the gunshots were loud, and they chased them. Fortunately, the sky It is not yet clear, but the chasers also know that Azu has guns in their hands, so they dare not approach it boldly.
The three agreed that the safest way to take Gezun, because Guadinba often robs Gezun and forge feuds.
That night, A Master and the others entered the Gezhan Realm, and then they retreated the bullets from the top hall, and drove for two days, arriving in Zhongdian County, each to make a living.
A Master thought to himself, if this gun worth three to five hundred silver dollars is handed over to Chief Qian, will it be enough to redeem him?
A master entered Qian's family with hope, the old chieftain died, and the eldest son inherited the chieftain's position.
The little toast held the gun repeatedly, "A gun is a good gun, but it's a pity that when you are a slave, you are born with bones and flesh, so you can accept your fate."
Within a few days, Azhu was driven up the mountain and worked as a herd in the pasture of the chieftain.
But Azu's original intention of not accepting as a slave was unsettled, and he still planned to wait for an opportunity to escape.
One day after a month, the yak that gave birth to a calf did not return. The foreman asked Ah Zhu to find it. After walking in the forest for a while, the shadow of the cow was still missing, but he saw the Jinsha River lying at his feet. A Master followed the way down the mountain, got to the riverside in one breath, and ferryed to the opposite bank.
Upon inquiring, it turned out to be Judian in Lijiang. After spending a few days in Judian, it was really a narrow road. One day, a group of people came on the road. When they approached, they realized that it was Zhongdian's leader Wang Xueding and Wang was the chief executive of Qian. The frequent visitor of the family recognized Azu at a glance, "Aren't you a slave of the Songqian family? Why did you get here?" Wang Xueding's entourage thugs took Azhu into the Qian family's house again.
Ah Zhu, who did not bow to fate, was almost desperate at this time, "The fleas can't jump out of the bed any more."
The picture shows the dazzling ancient city of Dukezong, Shangri-La at night.
Photo by He Xiaoyan
liberation
Near the liberation of Diqing, Azhu had children with a long-time worker from another Tusi family. According to historical customary laws, slaves had no choice but to marry wildly. They had no right to marry. The children grew up. Girls belonged to female slave owners, and boys belonged to male slave owners. Change the status of slavery.
In May 1950, Diqing was liberated. In view of the particularity of ethnic relations, social and political issues in the frontier minority areas, no social reforms were implemented. The party and the government devoted themselves to developing local economy, culture, education and health, and improving people's lives.
In October 1952, the Zhongdian county-level yak farm was established. The county government's construction department cadres selected herders in the county and surrounding rural areas. Azhu was selected, and President Qian had no choice but to agree.
Since Azhu entered the county cattle farm and ended the days of picking up bowls under the slave-owner's rice spoon, he was relaxed physically and mentally and had endless energy to work.
One day, President Qian went to the county cattle farm on horseback, checked the horizontal line of milk in the copper pot, and loudly reprimanded Azu.
The host was furious, and raised the beast-proof shotgun in the field and shouted, "Put away your stinky habits, or I will count the old and new accounts together." After liberation, President Qian didn't dare to be aggressive at will.
As of 1957, Diqing implemented peaceful reforms, ending the thousand-year feudal lordship system.
The land reform team and the peasants' association asked Azu to tell the slave owner's crimes, but Azu just said that it was because of his bad life. He escaped from the tiger's mouth three times and still couldn't get rid of the slaves. It was the Communist Party who saved many slaves.
After the land reform, Azhu and his wife were finally reunited and were allocated a house.
The town cattle farm was established in Zhongdian County, and he became a cattle farm worker...he had dealt with cattle all his life, and he became a generation master of livestock raising, and he was honored as "Ba Azhu" by the villagers.
In his later years, Azhu loved to watch TV, and he only loved watching "Animal World".
Over 80 years old, Azhu always has a childlike innocence and has become a veritable "old naughty boy".
Often playing with neighbors and several grandchildren seems to make up for his missing childhood.
The family's life is getting better every step. In the 1980s, Azhu died without disease at the age of 83 under the filial piety of his descendants.
After listening to Azhu's story, Azhu's grandson was practicing piano at home. After listening to the melodious piano sound, the reporter walked out of Qi Jiguang's home.
In the evening, the last quarter of the moon climbed up the sky of the snow-covered plateau, and the "Moonlight City" Dukezong was "lit" by bright lights.
With a 16°C cool breeze, the reporter followed the bustling tourists into the ancient city. The clear and clean stone slabs, exquisite houses, quaint streets, beautiful turtle mountains... interlaced with the moonlight, forming an antique Tibetan-style beautiful scenery.
The picture shows the square street in the center of the ancient city of Dukezong. Tibetan people and tourists dance together, dancing the unique traditional ethnic square dance.
Miao Chao photo
Square Street in the center of the ancient city is festive and peaceful at night. People and tourists dance together and dance the unique traditional ethnic square dance.
Looking up at Sifang Street, you can see the world's largest prayer wheel, reflecting the golden lights and turning divinely and solemnly.
Reporter: Miao Chao and Shi Guanglin