The Mysterious Veil of Jingzhou Ancient City~~

From 2020 to 2022, two years have passed in the blink of an eye. Because of the pandemic, my cherished desire to go out and see the world was suppressed time and again. This winter break, seizing the gap right after the holiday began and the relatively stable epidemic situation within the province, I took a one-day trip to Jingzhou. This journey, delayed for a year and a half, finally came to a satisfactory conclusion. To make the trip more spontaneous and relaxing, I did not sign up for any tour group. A few simple changes of clothes, a power bank, and some snacks were my entire 'gear'. At noon, I drove from Xiangfan to the hotel I had booked in Jingzhou. Since it was on a bustling street in the city center, parking was convenient, and I didn't have to worry about arriving too late to find dinner.

The environment was quite nice. There were specially prepared snacks and a handwritten note card in the room. For me, travel-worn and weary, I felt Jingzhou's unique meticulousness and hospitable local character, and I was full of anticipation for this trip!

The next day, I got up early and followed the navigation route to the first stop of the day, 'Jingzhou Ancient City'. The imposing East Gate tower, the tree-lined ancient road around the city—as I strolled along, I could faintly hear the sound of ancient people reciting poems from high places, and could 'see' the clashing of weapons and the neighing of horses during wartime sieges.... At that moment, I truly felt and understood that the Jingzhou Ancient City Wall is indeed the most completely preserved in our country, spanning the most dynasties, and is the only ancient city where an earth wall, a water wall (the moat completely encircles the wall), and a brick wall—the so-called 'three walls interdependent'—exist together. No wonder it is hailed as 'a flawless jade in southern China'.

Compared to the city walls of Xi'an and Xiangyang, the Jingzhou Ancient City Wall has its own flavor. I climbed the Binyang Tower at the East Gate, where I could overlook the bustling traffic and towering buildings outside the city. Building heights are restricted inside the city, so there is a striking contrast between inside and outside.

The second stop was a walking visit to the 'Former Residence of Zhang Juzheng, Outstanding Prime Minister and Loyal Minister of the Ming Dynasty', who assisted the Wanli Emperor. The architectural style is that of Ming and Qing dynasty gardens—small bridges over flowing water, wooded terraces and pavilions—lively and elegant.

The third stop was the 'Jingzhou Museum'.

The Jingzhou Museum was once a very impressive prefecture-level city museum, with several major collections. I was fortunate to see a few of them. Entering the first exhibition hall of the Treasure Hall, there was a bamboo letter (a replica) which, in modern terms, is a letter of registration to the underworld. It recorded that the deceased was named 'Sui', bringing male and female servants, carriages, horses, and furniture to the underworld, hoping not to suffer too much there. This represents the burial culture at the time, where people believed that the soul would be reborn after death, and that funerary objects like pots, pans, grains, fruits, ladies, and musical instruments could accompany the deceased through the long cycle of reincarnation and transformation.

I believe this too. This is not just a wishful thought; all that has passed will return in another form through reincarnation. I hope Sui is the same and has already gone to a better place. In the center of the hall was Sui's physical body, with intact skin, neat teeth, and a tall stature. According to modern medical tests, he was a male around 60 years old with blood type AB. Around the exhibition hall, his burial objects were displayed, and a TV was playing a loop of the excavation process by archaeologists in the 1970s.

The museum had systematically divided the burial objects into several categories: those for ascending to heaven and praying for blessings, those for daily life and entertainment, and those for guarding the tomb and warding off evil. Upon entering the exhibition hall, the first thing I saw was a lacquerware piece called 'Feathered Immortal', symbolizing the ancient people's beautiful wish to ascend to heaven and be with the gods. I found the work very imaginative.

Equally impressive to me was the 'Tomb-Guarding Beast' series of lacquerware, items I hadn't seen in other museums. Most were mythical beasts with antlers, some with one head, some with two, very dynamic and solemn. They all had square bases. Since it was my first time seeing them, I took photos of the descriptions.

The last stop was the 'Jingzhou Xuanmiao Temple'.

Wandering among the pavilions and towers, I felt a lightness and joy I had never experienced before. Jingzhou — the trip was truly worthwhile!