The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 629 The third pillar industry - cultural tourism!!!
"Little Superman" Li Zekai has been a guest in Liujiazhuang for many days, during which time he has received meticulous hospitality from the Liu family.

Being in this ancient house that has been passed down for hundreds of years, Li Zekai truly experienced for the first time what "family heritage" means.

The carefully preserved antique books and the family precepts and etiquette passed down from generation to generation all demonstrate the family's profound cultural heritage.

As the son of the "richest Chinese", Li Zekai has always been introverted but his pride cannot be concealed.

However, in front of the Liu family, he felt for the first time what it meant to "look at food and clothing for three generations, and look at writing for the fifth generation."

In comparison, although the Li family was wealthy, they ultimately lacked the graceful bearing that had been accumulated over the years.

Moreover, they are different from the two or three big cats and small cats in Mr. Li’s family.

The Liu family is prosperous and full of talented people.

This large family with orderly inheritance not only expanded its branches, but also cultivated generations of outstanding children.

Li Zekai has always called himself "Little Superman" and has high expectations, but he has a special liking for his close friend Liu Bencheng.

In his eyes, Liu Bencheng was a rare talent among men. His talent and bearing made him admire him sincerely, so he humbled himself and became close friends with him.

However, Liu Bencheng modestly said: "In our Liu family, let's not talk about the achievements of the older generation. Among my peers, I can only be considered an average person."

Li Zeju didn't believe it at first. He thought Liu Bencheng was exaggerating.

However, after actually visiting the Liu family, Li Zekai believed it.

Because he had seen or heard of too many outstanding people here, such as Liu Bencheng's cousins ​​Liu Wen, Liu Wu, Liu Yong, his brother-in-law Zhong Xingguo, Liu Benzheng, Liu Benjia... They were all outstanding talents in their respective fields.

Among many people, the one Li Zekai admired most was Liu Bencheng’s second brother Liu Wu.

As the military commander of an elite force, this iron-blooded soldier is stationed in the remote southwestern border all year round, shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending the country.

Whenever Li Zekai heard Liu Bencheng talk about his second brother Liu Wu's glorious military exploits with admiration, Li Zekai could not help but be fascinated. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to meet this legendary figure.

Although he felt a little regretful, Li Zekai's main purpose of coming to Liujiazhuang was to relax.

Li Zekai is not a country bumpkin who has never seen the world. He has loved adventure since he was a child.

From the aurora in the Arctic to the grasslands in Africa, from the rainforests in South America to the ancient castles in Europe, almost all of the world's fascinating wonders have left traces of Li Zekai's exploration.

When the well-informed Li Zekai first stepped into the thousand-year-old capital of Yanjing, he was still deeply shocked by its profound historical heritage.

Stroll among the red walls and golden tiles of the Forbidden City, look up at the Great Wall winding among the mountains, stop at the Circular Mound Altar of the Temple of Heaven to feel the dialogue between heaven and man, and even the ordinary courtyards in Nanluoguxiang are full of unique charm accumulated over the years.

Even more amazing are the beautiful mountains and rivers in the west of Beijing: the red leaves of Xiangshan Mountain are like fire, Miaofeng Mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist, Dongling Mountain is majestic and magnificent, and Baihua Mountain is picturesque in all seasons.

This magical land perfectly blends thousands of years of civilization with the creation of nature, and every scene tells the story of time.

These days, Li Zekai has been enjoying himself in Beijing and has been reluctant to leave.

In order to entertain this distinguished family guest, Liu Shuqing, the head of the "Western Beijing Cultural Tourism Group" under the Liu family, took great pains. He not only carefully designed a tour route that included all the scenic spots and historical sites in western Beijing, but also specially selected a gold medal tour guide to accompany him throughout the trip.

This experienced tour guide was not only familiar with the local culture and history, but could also tell the stories behind each scenic spot, allowing Li Zekai and Liu Bencheng to deeply feel the unique charm of Beijing culture while enjoying the beautiful scenery.

The history of "Beijing West Culture and Tourism Group" can be traced back to the "Liujiazhuang Tourism Company" established in the early 1980s.

Later, led by the financial giant "Liujiazhuang Holdings", this large-scale cultural and tourism industry group was successfully built by systematically integrating the rich cultural and tourism resources in the western Beijing area.

As a pioneer of the regional cultural and tourism industry, the group has been committed to deeply exploring the unique cultural landscape and natural scenery of western Beijing since its inception, and has gradually developed into a comprehensive cultural and tourism enterprise integrating scenic area development, cultural communication, and tourism services.

The so-called "Western Beijing" is a geographical concept relative to the city of Yanjing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

It generally refers vaguely to the vast area west and north of Xizhimen, as far as the Xishan area, the remnant of the Taihang Mountains in Yanjing.

In terms of the current regional concept, it roughly includes the western part of Xicheng, the southern part of HF, and the eastern part of SJ Mountain.

The main part is concentrated in Xiangshan, Badachu and Dajue Temple.

We now use the concept of "Western Beijing" from the perspective of the Yanjing city in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

From a topographical perspective, the high terrain in the northwest and low terrain in the southeast and the mountains and forests make western Beijing the natural back garden of the Yanjing city.

The overall terrain of the Xia State, with high northwest and low southeast, often makes the city's mountains, forests and water sources concentrated in the northwest of the city, which makes the northwest of the city a water supply area and leisure back garden for the city.

It occupies an important position in urban development. People in the Qing Dynasty said, "Among the 36 West Lakes in the world, the best one is Hzhou." This is exactly the reason.

The same is true for Yanjing. As the remnant of the Taihang Mountains, the Western Hills meander from the west and north. Not only has it long been home to lush forests, it also provides streams flowing between mountain terraces, creating a scenic area that is worth viewing, wandering and chanting. The Yuquan Mountain water converges with the spring water from the Western Hills, and at the foot of Wengshan, it forms Wengshan Lake, also known as "West Lake".

Therefore, the area west of Beijing has been an ideal place for autumn outings and to relax the mind since the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and is a relatively mature scenic tourist area.

The core of "Western Beijing Culture and Tourism" is the garden and temple culture of the Yanjing area.

The western part of Beijing has the famous "Three Mountains and Five Gardens", where royal gardens, private gardens, southern gardens and northern gardens converge.

As a closed space, the garden exists relatively independently from the urban space and plays the role of entertaining oneself and escaping from the world.

The sense of isolation from the city also attracted many literati to live in seclusion in the west of Beijing. Throughout the dynasties, people such as Wang Yu, Sun Chengze, Nalan Xingde, Cao Xueqin, Zhou Zhaoxiang, Xiong, Pu, Feng, Mei, Cheng and so on have all lived in seclusion in the Western Hills.

The winding mountains, dense vegetation and appropriate distance from the city of Yanjing in the west of Beijing have always attracted the attention of religious figures such as monks and hermits.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Yanjing's economy has gradually developed and its political status in the country has become increasingly important. Many temples and monasteries have been built in the west of Beijing: Tanzhe Temple, Jietai Temple, Badachu, Beifahai Temple, Biyun Temple, Shifang Pujue Temple, Dajue Temple and many other royal temples and hundreds of temples and monasteries of all sizes.

The beautiful scenery and humanities attracted emperors, bureaucrats, literati, and common people to come here to worship and visit, and the west of Beijing became the most concentrated display of Yanjing’s religious culture.

Compared with the Xishan area, the Liujiazhuang area is not much inferior.

The Liujiazhuang area in the west of Beijing is a cultural and tourism treasure that combines beautiful mountains and rivers, ancient temples, traditional villages and time-honored ancient roads.

Speaking of Liujiazhuang, some people may think that the name is a bit rustic, but it is this simplicity that can better reflect the rich resources and profound cultural heritage it contains.

Nowadays, when you walk into the Liujiazhuang area, the first thing that catches your eye is the rolling hills and lush green forests.

As the only pure mountainous area in Yanjing, the mountainous landforms of Liujiazhuang occupy most of its area, which has also given birth to unique natural scenery here.

Whether it is the majestic magnificence of Dongling Mountain or the beautiful scenery of Baihua Mountain and Shuanglong Gorge, each place is enough to make people linger.

The rivers flowing through the gullies and ridges add endless vitality and vigor to this land.

In addition to the natural scenery, the cultural landscape of Liujiazhuang is also eye-catching.

This place has a long history and profound cultural heritage. Ancient temples such as Miaofengshan Niangniang Temple, Tanzhe Temple and Jietai Temple are among the best.

These temples not only have unique architectural styles and a long history, but also attract countless tourists with their profound Buddhist and Taoist culture and exquisite flower and tree landscapes.

In addition, the rapidly modernized Liujiazhuang area still preserves many traditional villages, such as Cuandixia Village. These villages, with their quaint residential buildings and simple folk customs, have become a good place for people to experience rural life and reminisce about their homesickness.

The charm of Liujiazhuang goes far beyond this.

The Beijing West Ancient Road here is also a cultural and tourist attraction that cannot be missed.

These ancient roads were once important passages for merchants, soldiers and pilgrims. Although they have lost their former prosperity and bustle, they still retain a heavy sense of historical vicissitudes.

Walking on these ancient roads, it feels like traveling through time and space, back to the era when transportation and mail were slow.

The cultural and tourism development of "Jingxi Cultural and Tourism Group" has also received strong support from the government and wide attention from all walks of life. In recent years, Liujiazhuang has continuously increased its efforts in the integration of culture and tourism, promoted the transformation and upgrading of the tourism industry, and is committed to building it into a new cultural and tourism highland and ecological conservation area in Yanjing City.

This series of measures not only injected new vitality into Liujiazhuang's cultural and tourism industry, but also provided tourists with a more convenient and comfortable travel environment.

Today, Liujiazhuang is no longer the remote mountainous area with high mountains, long distances and inconvenient transportation that it was forty years ago.

With the continuous improvement of transportation networks and increasingly complete tourism facilities over the past few decades, it has become a tourist destination for more and more tourists.

The most famous scenic spot and historical site in Liujiazhuang area is Miaofeng Mountain.

"The national center is Yanjing, and the religious center is Miaofeng Mountain." This statement reveals the status of Miaofeng Mountain as a holy place of religious belief in the hearts of the northern people.

Since Buddhism was introduced to the East, it occupied land and built temples and statues everywhere. Taoism and other religious beliefs tried to compete with it, so they followed Buddhism's practices.

As the temple was located in a place with beautiful scenery, it became popular at that time to "use Buddha to enjoy spring".

Miaofeng Mountain is located in the western suburbs of Yanjing, also known as "Miaogao Peak". It is a polytheistic place that worships the Taoist Bixia Yuanjun as the main god and integrates Buddhism and folk religions.

Everyone is familiar with Bixia Yuanjun, but there is no definitive answer to her origin. Some say she is the daughter of Emperor Dongyue, some say she is the Jade Girl of Mount Hua, and some say she is a mortal who attained enlightenment and became an immortal, etc.

However, Bixia Yuanjun's prominent position in the goddess worship of the Xia Kingdom is beyond doubt.

She is in charge of human reproduction, and believers respectfully call her "Lao Niangniang", a name that implies many descendants.

During the Yuan Dynasty, some believers in the north began to worship Bixia Yuanjun.

The Bixia Yuanjun Incense Meeting on Miaofeng Mountain probably originated during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, but it is not very popular here.

The three most popular incense associations at that time were those in T State, Z State and Indigo Factory. In addition, there were five more famous temples to worship the goddess, namely the "Five Peaks", but Miaofeng Mountain was not among them.

It was not until the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty that the Miaofeng Mountain Bixia Yuanjun Incense Association gradually flourished due to the favor of the royal family, which attracted most of the believers in North China.

The feelings of the people in Tianjin and Hong Kong towards Miaofeng Mountain are no less than those of the people in Yanjing. The people in Tianjin and Hong Kong have a deep bond with Miaofeng Mountain.

They said: "The goddess of Miaofeng Mountain is the one who takes the best care of Jingang, because the gate of the Miaofeng Mountain Goddess Temple faces Jingang!"

It is said that one year, a mat floated down from the sky in Jingang City. When people picked it up, they saw three big characters "Miaofeng Mountain" written on it.

"My goodness! Miaofeng Mountain is more than 300 miles away from Tianjin Port. How strong a wind would it take to blow a mat from Miaofeng Mountain to there?
If this isn't due to the old lady's magical power, then what is it?"

According to the "Old Capital Cultural Relics", the Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair was recorded as follows: "The incense was so prosperous that it was known far and wide. Within the 300-li radius of the capital, people came and went, day and night."

Miaofeng Mountain came from behind and became the "Golden Summit" above the "Five Summits".

"Beijing West Culture and Tourism Group" holds a grand temple fair on Miaofeng Mountain from the first to the fifteenth day of the fourth lunar month every year.

The Miaofeng Mountain Niangniang Temple Fair, which is known as "the most popular incense in the world", is a folk display event with great influence in old Beijing and the surrounding northern provinces and cities.

The Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair is held twice a year in spring and autumn, with the most popular event being the one in April of the lunar calendar.

The temple fair activity area is divided into two parts: the Niangniang Temple and the Incense Tea Shed. The Niangniang Temple is built on the top of the mountain and consists of buildings such as the Lingguan Hall, Huiji Temple, Huixiang Pavilion, and Yuhuang Peak.

Miaofengshan Temple Fair retains the traditional folk auspicious culture of North China temple fairs characterized by folk beliefs.

The Miaofeng Mountain area was once the main activity area of ​​the Jingxi guerrillas.

Liu Zhiye’s old comrade-in-arms and colleague Zheng Chaoyang participated in GM here.

In Jiangou Village at the foot of Miaofeng Mountain, there is a Memorial Hall of the Jingxi Intelligence Liaison Station, which focuses on displaying the revolutionary deeds of the covert intelligence work in the Miaofeng Mountain area.

Today, the Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair has retained some traditional programs and also made many innovations.

The annual temple fair is centered around pilgrims worshipping the "Goddess of Heaven, Bixia Yuanjun" of Miaofeng Mountain. It also combines a variety of folk flower fairs, opera and folk art performances, natural scenery viewing and bustling market activities.

The folk organizations that perform at the Miaofeng Mountain Temple Fair are collectively called "Hua Hui". "Hua Hui" is divided into "Wen Hui" and "Wu Hui" according to the performance form.

"Martial Arts Meeting" is a traditional folk performance held during the temple fair, which brings wonderful folk art performances to tourists free of charge.

As a unique birthplace of folk customs in North China, Miaofengshan Flower Fair has a long history. Even the temple fairs in North China are derived from the flower fairs in Liujiazhuang area.

In the past, folk artists who came to Miaofeng Mountain to perform would raise their own money for their own travel and would not charge a penny for each flower show.

But it is different now. The "Beijing West Culture and Tourism Group" hires people with high salaries, provides transportation for pick-up and drop-off, and reimburses all round-trip expenses.

The performers of the flower fair dressed in ancient costumes and wearing masks, performed skills such as the Five Tigers Shaolin Fair, the Zhongfan Fair, the Stilt Fair, the Yangko Fair, the Small Car Fair, and the Land Boat Fair. They also used authentic incense fair language to reproduce the contents of the Ming and Qing incense fairs, such as the roundabouts, inquiries, exchange of notes, door knocking, and participating in the imperial carriage, thus recreating the historical features of the temple fairs of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The major groups coming to the temple fair will also set up porridge and tea stalls and steam Miaofeng Mountain's special steamed buns with the word "Fu" on them. Pilgrims and tourists from all over the world who come to worship can drink blessing tea and eat blessing porridge for free and bring blessings back home.

Li Zekai came to Miaofeng Mountain, but unfortunately the temple fair season had passed and it would take several months to wait for the next temple fair.

However, Li Zekai was not disappointed. At most, he could fly back in two months.

What's more, there are many fun places in this huge western Beijing area that he has not yet experienced!
There are many famous places in Liujiazhuang area in western Beijing, such as the "Qianjuntai Village Ancient Banner Meeting".

Qianjuntai, located at the western end of Qingshuijiangou in Liujiazhuang area, is historically known as "Qianrentai" and has a history of thousands of years.

The main line of the Beijing West Ancient Road, "Xishan Road", passes through the village.

At the east entrance of the village, the large screen wall with the inscriptions "Purple Air Coming from the East" and "Calligraphy in the Western Garden" stands proudly, welcoming visitors from afar.

An old locust tree with a hollow trunk but lush branches and leaves stands proudly at the east end of the main street, constantly telling people about the ups and downs of thousands of years.

This is where the intangible cultural heritage of Yanjing City, the "Jingxi Ancient Banner Association", is passed down.

The stone-paved Xishan Road winds up the mountain, and the Dahanling Pass with its own barbican still stands on the mountain pass.

The Pilu Temple next to it has been rebuilt by the "Beijing West Cultural Tourism Group", and some ancient wells, Wenchang Pavilion ancient stele, and water trough relics in the village have also been properly repaired.

The Zhuanghu Banner Festival was originally called "the auspicious gathering of heaven and man". It is a product of the ancient temple fairs in the mountain villages, with praising and offering sacrifices to gods as its main content.

The procession of flags and banners, the playing of music.

One is the flags, the other is the music. There are both flags fluttering and music accompanying the scene. It can be said that the sound and emotion are rich, the scene is solemn and dignified, the scene and the mood are blended, and it is an unprecedented grand occasion.

From the 14th to the 16th day of the first lunar month every year, the "Beijing West Cultural Tourism Group" holds a banner meeting at Qianjuntai.

This cultural expression, which spreads the people's folk customs of praying for blessings and good fortune through oral transmission of performance skills among artists and builds a space for the inheritance of traditional folk culture, is a living fossil in the study of Yanjing folk culture.

During the May Day holiday this year, the tourism market in western Beijing continued to grow.

The "Beijing West Culture and Tourism" Group, which has been established for many years, has managed the scenic area in an orderly manner, achieved "zero accidents" in tourism safety and "zero complaints" in tourism services, and created a safe, orderly and comfortable tourism environment for tourists.

According to statistics from the Liujiazhuang High-tech Development Zone Culture and Tourism Bureau and various towns and streets, during the May Day holiday, the Liujiazhuang area received a total of more than 34.06 tourists, an increase of 18470.28% over the same period last year; total tourism revenue was 62.73 million yuan, an increase of % over the same period last year.

From the perspective of tourism scene segmentation, the region's A-level scenic spots received a total of 234668 tourists, a year-on-year increase of 46.01%, and revenue of 4347.88 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 48.31%.

Traditional popular scenic spots such as Tanzhe Temple and Jietai Temple remain very popular, receiving more than 200,000 visitors.

Rural tourism also continued to heat up, with more than 65.44 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 1386.08%, and revenue of million yuan, a significant year-on-year increase...Liujiazhuang area has become a popular choice for tourism.

(End of this chapter)