Guangling, Shanxi: The Mystery of Seven-Star Chain Courtyard in the Ancient Village of Northern Wei Dynasty

Yinjiazhuang Village, Guangling, Shanxi Province, adjacent to Yuxian County, Hebei Province, is a village with a population of two or three hundred households.

In an old castle in the north of the village, the words "Peace in the World" are engraved on the top of the door, and the corridor is paved with bluestone. The rut formed by rolling for hundreds of years has become the historical imprint of ancient and modern Unicom. A stage in Baokou, although worn out, has a long and ancient meaning.

Yinjiazhuang is an ancient village built in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Every corner here is a historical site.

For example, the mysterious seven-star nine-ring compound.

Most of the ancient houses in northern China are inner and outer courtyards. However, here, there is a string of courtyards, and nine courtyards are distributed in the shape of seven stars and big dipper. Courtyards are connected by a small ear door to form a whole, or they can be built behind closed doors and remain relatively independent.

As long as you go in from one place, there are all kinds of drum stones, mounted stones and carved cornerstones at the entrance of the yard. For an old house with a year's history, this is nothing unusual. But careful observation shows that the carvings on these stones seem to have been honed by years, and the lines are very clear, with almost no broken marks. The plots of auspicious animals such as stone lions and unicorns are perfect and realistic.

Walking into the yard, there is a shadow wall in the middle, on which there are a lot of imitation wood brick carvings, and there are Fu Lushou patterns between the hanging columns, which is extremely luxurious. On the left and right sides of the screen wall, there is a beautifully sculpted gate house with the same brick carving, which leads to the courtyards on both sides. Nine courtyards are connected in series by opening doors, and they are connected everywhere.

Stepping into this door, there is a courtyard with a main room, and the house is complete. The foundation of the house is all made of bluestone strips, the walls are long bricks, and the joints are extremely thin and have white ash; There are kissing animals on the vertical ridge of the roof, brick carvings on the front ridge, and the wood carvings between the hanging beams and purlins are also quite well preserved. The picture of a monkey offering his life is engraved on the corner stone, and the images of bats and fish are hollowed out on the door hairpin, which is very elegant as a whole.

The brick carving design of the chimney of the house has the image of felt bag used by Mongolian nomads, which is full of exotic customs against the blue sky. This microcosm of the integration of Mongolian and Han nationalities gives people a guess: will the owner here be a Shanxi businessman who went to the western regions to do business?

When was the seven-star chain hospital built? No one in the village made it clear, but combined with some handed down stories and Guangling county annals, this courtyard should have been built by a wealthy businessman named Ma in his hometown in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties for his close relatives who were officials in Beijing. As for the reasons for building the shape of the Big Dipper, the villagers know nothing about it.

Interestingly, however, the ancestors said that the seven-star chain compound had an underground fortification system, and the cellar was directly connected with the outside of the village. Just because it is so old, no one dares to go down and have a look.

Compared with the ancient legend that there is no exam, the villagers in the courtyard are more keen to tell tourists some personal experiences and try to attach another thing related to ancient times? -Mystery: There is a carved bluestone on the wall of the aisle at the entrance of the compound. In summer, this stone often falls like a waterfall. As long as there is water here, it will rain in two days. Even if the weather is dry, the villagers will stay here and pray for bluestone flowing water. Later, a tricycle was raised in the courtyard. From the day the tricycle came back, this "frightened" bluestone stopped running. After the chat, everyone patted their chests and gave the old house a mysterious and spiritual color with "seeing with their own eyes".

There are 7 gatehouses, 1 1 side doors, 3 screen walls and 26 houses, covering an area of 2,600 square meters. According to the cultural implication of its architectural style and patterns, the cultural relics department initially considered it a relic of the early Qing Dynasty. It is not only of high ornamental value, but also a valuable material for studying folk customs, architecture and arts and crafts. Surprisingly, the three existing courtyards are well preserved. At present, there is no trace of renovation and reconstruction after construction. This kind of ancient folk house, which is still in the primitive state and inhabited by residents, is rare, which also reflects the urgency and necessity of protecting and repairing ancient courtyards.

At present, Qixing Chain Hospital is a municipal cultural relic protection unit in Datong, and Yinjiazhuang has been selected as the fourth batch of traditional villages in China.

After consulting the data, the author found that it is very rare to build a house according to the layout of the Big Dipper. The only house built in the shape of the Big Dipper in China is Shi Zuorui's former residence in Tianshui, Gansu Province, which is called "the only house arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper in the world" and "out of print in the world". Will Guangling, a seven-star chain hospital, subvert this statement that the world is out of print? Apart from the mysterious construction time, mysterious seven-star chain and mysterious underground works, what mystery will this ancient courtyard show?

Thanks to Teacher Huo Feifei for providing some pictures.