I’m a person who really enjoys crafts. For problems that can be solved through crafts, I usually make them myself. Many of the small objects in my home are made by myself. It’s like a sense of ritual, which is very meaningful. This time, I specially went to this village known for its paper-cutting, hoping to have a different experience.
Nan Zhangzhuang Village
I visited the paper-cutting art here.
The village is very quiet. It must be almost dinner time, because there were few villagers on the village road. However, the clean and tidy houses, and the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys on the rooftops, silently sing of the peace and harmony here.
I walked into a shop by the roadside. The shop was about ten square meters, with large finished paper-cuts hanging on all the walls, all of which were common and joyful paintings. On the long tables placed around the walls were a dazzling array of colorful paper-cut small works. Some paper-cuts of characters from books were packaged into book-like formats, such as the Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin, famous masterpieces. There were also some mythical figures or people’s idols, such as Guan Gong, Confucius, and the great man Mao Zedong. Then there were some small bookmarks and other small items, probably made by people here on a whim. Children loved them, and each held a large handful, unwilling to let go.
I took photos of a few works. I’ve seen this kind of work in oil paintings or cross-stitch, but the ones made of paper-cutting are truly amazing!
Nuanquan Ancient Town
After visiting the paper-cutting, we went straight to the famous Nuanquan Ancient Town in Weixian. It is said that the town has many famous snacks, so we must go and taste them.
The town used to have a spring, and the water from the spring was warm, so it was named Nuanquan Town. But now the spring has long dried up, leaving only the kind people guarding the ancient houses and carrying on the traditional culture.
I’m just a very ordinary tourist and I don’t understand ancient architecture or geography. The town’s houses don’t attract me much, and the famous snacks, which I came here for, are on street stalls, with questionable hygiene conditions. I didn’t dare to taste them. The only thing I felt good about was eating steamed bowls at the small tables outside the restaurant, blowing the cool breeze. All the fatigue and weariness in my body disappeared. It was the middle of summer, and my lovely friends were steaming in the sauna back home! Ha ha!
The mosquitoes here are very hospitable, passionately kissing my exposed skin, leaving red marks. It’s also a great harvest from the ancient town!
We didn’t go to see the famous “tree flower beating” in the town. The old man was afraid that the splashing iron juice would burn the children, so we had to give up.
At nine o’clock, a small red lantern led us back to the bus, and we went to the hotel to rest!
Feihu Hotel in the morning
That night, we stayed at the Feihu Hotel outside the Feihuyu Grand Canyon in Weixian. It was a standard room, with one bed for me and one for my daughter. We slept soundly all night, seemingly dreamless!
“Mom, look!” I was awakened from my sleep by my daughter in the morning. She pointed her little finger at the window. I looked in the direction of her finger and said, “Wow! It’s so beautiful!” Outside, it was still a little dark, but the outlines of the mountains were already clear. Where the mountain met the sky, a large area of dawn had dyed half the sky. It was brilliant and gorgeous, like burning red flames. The red color was pure, transparent, and unblemished, as if washed by water. The rising sun was slowly beginning to reveal its shape, like a drunken bride, reluctant to accept, shy and bashful, as beautiful as a flower. Then, before I could blink and digest the beauty, I suddenly saw a flash of light, and the morning sun suddenly turned into a playful child, popping out of the horizon. The whole earth instantly became bright.
Outside the window, less than fifty meters away, were mountains. All this beauty was like a beautiful picture being played in front of me, seemingly within reach, yet so beautiful and dreamy that I couldn’t believe it was real!
Time to get up!
The hotel yard was full of flowers, and we got lost in the fragrant and intoxicating scent while waiting for breakfast.
Weixian Air Prairie
At eight o’clock, after breakfast, we packed our bags and the bus set off, heading to the Weixian Air Prairie.
Not long after leaving the hotel, we entered the famous Feihuyu Grand Canyon in Weixian. Local people say: “Forty li of Feihu, seventy-two bends, every bend has a cave, and every cave is a beautiful sight.” I didn’t pay attention to how many bends there were, but I was truly amazed by the towering peaks and ridges on both sides of the canyon. All the mountains were almost straight up, with weathered rocks that were angular and sharp as if carved by an axe, and lush vegetation stubbornly taking root and protruding from the crevices of the rocks, layer upon layer, embellishing the mountains that were like tough and sturdy men.
Look at this solitary mountain, straight up. You can’t even call it a mountain, it’s a mountain stone pillar, standing tall and proud, looking down on the world. Nature is truly a miracle! Such a legend is beyond your imagination, something you wouldn’t even dare to imagine before you saw it.
The road twists and turns, and my position continues to rise along the winding mountain road. When the bus finally reached the top of the mountain, an endless prairie of flowers, breathtaking in its beauty, spread out before my eyes.
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