平遥古城熠熠生辉

来源:用户上传      作者: 周金平

　　
　　位于山西省中部的平遥古城，距省城太原100公里，是一座保存完好的明清古城。1997年12月3日，联合国教科文组织将平遥古城列入《世界遗产名录》，自从获得这一殊荣后，平遥城更加吸引了国内外众多的旅游者前往观光旅游。人们在这里能够寻访到那写满沧桑历史文化的城廓街巷，捕捉到那充满浓厚地域色彩的人文景观。
　　平遥古城的历史，几乎与中华民族有文字记载以来的传统一样古老。平遥史称“古陶”，古属冀州地；春秋时为晋国属地；战国时属赵国；秦始皇统一中国后，属太原郡；西汉置京陵、中都二县；北魏时改名为“平遥”，尔后历代沿用此名，迄今已有1500余年的历史。
　　平遥古城值得一游的地方很多，尤以城墙、民居和街巷为最佳选择。平遥古城墙原为夯土城垣，始建于西周宣王时期(前827-前782年)，明洪武三年(1370年)，出于军事防御的需要，在原西周旧城垣的基础上扩建为今天的砖石城墙。明朝中、晚期时曾有过修缮，现在基本保持着明初城墙建筑的形制结构，它规模宏大，气势雄伟。古城墙平面呈方形，周长6157.7米，高约12米，宽为5米。墙身系土夯实，外包青砖。环周每隔50米有一个城台，台上筑堞楼72座，垛口3000个，传说这是孔子72贤人、3000弟子的象征。一座军用城墙，配以文道之设施，充分展现了中国古代左祖右社、寺庙对称、文武相衬的一一对应的理念。
　　我拾阶登上城墙，俯拍民居的高墙深院、仰拍城台高耸的堞楼，长枪短炮，尽情享用。摄影之余，我在城墙上踽踽而行，不经意间发现城墙下方的一处民居大院内有户人家正在扎制大红灯笼。一打听，才知道平遥古城的许多人家都有逢年过节扎制灯笼的习俗，一是表示喜庆，二是可以拿到街上去换些零花钱。当主人们将扎制好的灯笼搬运到院外的空闲处时，我便不失时机地按下快门，抓拍下了《扎灯人家》的照片。就是这幅偶然拾得的照片，在随后的一次全国摄影比赛中获了奖。我在城墙上足足花了三个小时走完一圈，无论是从城墙的哪个方位，哪个角度鸟瞰平遥古城街道院落，都会感到是那样的赏心悦目、心旷神怡，让人从心底里叹服古城墙不愧是一件瑰丽的艺术精品。
　　
　　平遥古城的民居建筑极为讲究，颇具地方特色，它时间跨度大，保存非常完整。古城现存的古民居建筑达3800处之多，其中官宦宅邸的威风、大户人家的阔绰、小康家室的谨严、下层民户的简朴甚至寒酸，都在人前尽显无遗，这是一幅看不够、道不尽的风情画卷。我来到位于上西门书院街的3号院，这里是平遥日升昌票号的首任掌柜雷履泰的旧居。雷履泰是中国票号的开山鼻祖，该院约建于清道光年间，是一处保存相当完好的商人住宅，旧居为前后两进院，结构布局为轿杆式院落。根据民间的习俗观念，坐轿是一种荣华富贵的象征，把居宅设计成坐轿的格局，意为对荣华的一种祈求。该院宅南厅面宽3间，双坡硬山顶，建于高台基上。中厅3间前后半廊，结构与南厅相近，正厅3间前带廊檐，下窑上楼，单坡瓦顶，围廊装修完整。院宅并不豪华，但很实用，结构安排只讲坚稳而不求豪奢，建造工艺朴实无华但用料得当，这充分反映了一位金融家丰厚的家财和务实的创业精神。
　　古城民居里的百姓非常好客，不忌讳陌生人拍照。当我在一处普通民宅大院里拍照时，主人不仅带领我房前屋后地逐一参观，还仔细地给我讲起房屋修建的历史及其风格。当我拍完照片收拾好器材准备离开时，好客的主人竟端出一碗香气四溢的茶水招待我，此情此景真令我感动。
　　街巷是城市的血脉，时间的流逝直接映现在这些四通八达的狭长街巷上。古城有4条大街、8条小街、72条蚰蜒巷，其形如同龟甲上的八卦图案，经纬交织，井井有条，动静相宜，主次分明。我这个外来人对古城区街巷不熟悉，于是包租了一辆人力三轮车，在古城区的街巷里穿行。哪里的民居有特点，哪里的古巷最出彩，三轮车夫都了如指掌，俨然成了我的导游员。我们随走随停，随停随拍，感觉真爽!
　　
　　山西是我国金融业发展的滥觞，晋商是清代三大金融系统(晋商、徽商、潮商)之首，控制着大清国的经济命脉。而平遥又集中了全国最大的票号富商，成为重要的商贸集散地。清道光三年(1823年)，全国第一家票号――日升昌就在平遥崛起。这是中国金融发展史上汇兑开始的里程碑，具有划时代的历史意义。在以后的岁月里，随着晋商的不断发展，平遥县城内的票号最盛时期已经达到22家，设有分号404处，日升昌票号信用显赫，远近闻名，有“汇通天下”之美称。著名学者、作家余秋雨先生访问这里后，称赞大名鼎鼎的日升昌是中国大地上各式银行的“乡下祖父”，也是中国金融发展史上一个里程碑所在。历史的车轮转到今天，在体现明清时期平遥商业无比繁荣的南大街和西大街上，如今古店铺、古商号仍然鳞次栉比，雍容华贵；古招牌，古字匾仍然比比皆是，格外醒目。熙熙攘攘的游人在古街巷上行走，似乎是想尽情地享受平遥古城带给他们的古朴时光。我来到位于西大街南侧的日升昌旧址驻足良久，是想细细地感受和体味它昨日那些灿烂辉煌的历史。
　　平遥古城是一部读不完的百科知识全书，看不尽的民俗风情长画，它是人民的财富，国家的瑰宝。
　　
　　Ancient City of Pingyao
　　Story and Photographs by Zhou Jinping
　　
　　The Ancient City of Pingyao is a well preserved ancient town 100 kilometers from Taiyuan, capital city of Shanxi Province. On December 3, 1997, it was listed as UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage. Since then, the ancient city has attracted large numbers of tourists both from home and abroad.
　　Pingyao dates back to a time when the Chinese nation began to write down its history. In different dynasties its administrative system and name changed time and again, but approximately 1,500 years ago the name of the city changed to its current one during the Northern Wei Kingdom.

　　
　　Today's Pingyao looks like what it was during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911). The most attractive sights in Pingyao are the city wall, civil residences, and streets and lanes.
　　The city wall, which first appeared during the reign of the Emperor Xuan of the Western Zhou (827-782B.C.), was made of soil compaction. In 1370 during the reign of the Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, it was turned into a brick wall for the military purpose. It was later repaired twice during the Ming Dynasty. The magnificent rectangular wall is 6,157.7 meters in circumference, 12 meters high and 5 meters wide. The body was made of compacted soil, consolidated by an external layer of black bricks. On the wall there are 72 battlements distanced at an interval of 50 meters and 3,000 crenels. It took me three hours to complete a stroll along the wall-top path. Armed with cameras that looked like guns, I roamed on the city wall and looked down into the city. It was during a stroll on the city wall that I caught a glimpse of a family making red lanterns in a large compound. I descended the wall and talked with them. I learned that local people were in the habit of making red lanterns in celebration of traditional festivals. They were making lanterns to sell for some pocket money. When they were moving the lanterns to an open field outside the courtyard, I clicked my cameras. One picture later won an award at a national photograph competition.
　　The architectural style of the residences in the city is quite exquisite. More than 3,800 houses that still stand there today were built in ancient times. Official residences are magnificent; business people's houses are showy; well-off families built their houses in a compact style. Low-income people's houses look simple or shabby. One of the houses I visited was once owned by Lei Lutai, a merchant who set up the first exchange house in the Chinese history. Built in the years of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, the house was modeled after a sedan chair, a sign of fortune and dignity in the local folk belief. The house does not look luxurious but it is solid and functional. The architectural style shows the tycoon's fortune and his pragmatic entrepreneurial spirit.
　　The ancient town is crisscrossed by 4 main thoroughfares, 8 side streets, and 72 zigzagging lanes. They form a pattern of the Eight Diagrams. Time flows through them. I hired a tricycle to tour the town. The rider knew every inch of the city and willingly doubled as my guide.
　　Shanxi was where China's modern banking industry started. Businessmen from the province were one of the dominant groups that played a big part in the Qing Dynasty's economy. Pingyao had the largest private banks in the country during that time. The first exchange house was set up in 1823 there. It was an epoch-making event that marked the beginning of China's money remittance and transfers. In the following years, bankers from the province expanded their business across the country. At one time, 22 national exchange houses were headquartered in Pingyao and they controlled 404 branches all together across the country. Today, the main streets still have the signs of these exchange houses and other shops in the ancient time.

转载注明来源:https://www.xzbu.com/7/view-3028671.htm