Mantiantai Scenic Area Hongmen Blood Clothes and Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Ruins – Yang Bing’s Compilation
The notes are compiled by the author during his investigation of 'Yangmujianquan' (Yangmujianquan).
Qingming returned to his hometown of Hexiawan in Maoniantai Scenic Area, engaged in spring outing and ancestral worship. At this time, it was the most beautiful season, with everywhere blooming flowers and fragrant birds. Along the way, there were tourists, and local villagers were busy harvesting tea and bamboo shoots, making various local specialties to sell to tourists. The whole mountain area was filled with laughter and joy.
While in the middle of the mountain, I met Mr. Hong of Hongyuan Village in the old ward, who was guarding the bamboo forest to prevent tourists from stealing bamboo shoots. As the elder of the village, I stopped and offered him a cigarette, and chatted with him about his grandfather and father, Yangmujianquan. I also learned about 'Hongmen Xueyi' (Hongmen Blood Clothes) and 'Wanquan Village's Tianping Tianguo Ruins'.
The Hongs in Hexiaowan were one of the larger surnames in the local area. The Hongs in Wanqan Village, without county, Hong surname came from Jiang surname from Jiangxi, later migrated from Hugizhou, then migrated to Wan'e County, legend says that the Hong surname was a general under Chen Youliang, after the war between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang, they fled to Hugizhou, after evading wars and Ming Dynasty officials, they fled to Wan'e County.
Jiang surname, Hong surname are one family, there is a saying that 'Jiang, Hong, Cheng, Bao' are one family. Jiang is the biggest, Hong is the second, Cheng is the third, Bao is the fourth, the four brothers from Hugizhou, Jiangxi, knelt and worshipped to seek respect, painstakingly traveled to Wan'e County, the four brothers worked together to break the gold, settled down and lived here, died and were buried together, every Qingming Festival, the descendants of the four surnames would go to the ancestral tombs to worship.
Because Jiang, Hong were wealthy, so they built a bridge at home. Cheng had wood, so he built a bridge, Bao had fish, so he also had water.
The four brothers and their descendants settled down in the area of Tuobiao Town in Touxiang County, and formed today's Tuobiao Town and Hongxiang Town, these surnames are a major surname. At the same time, a small number of Hongs also migrated to Hong Village in Hexiaowan.
Wanquan Village Hong Village was known for its emphasis on learning and martial arts from ancient times. The name of the village, Wanquan Village, is the most direct evidence, originally Wanquan Village was a Hong surname village, built for ancestral worship and to select outstanding young men to serve as village guards.
According to Mr. Hong, in the late Yuan Dynasty, Chen Youcheng led the Taiping Army to a great victory at the Three Rivers, and marched all the way, but later the corruption of the internal affairs of Tianping within, in 1861, the Xiang Army broke Anqing City, the strong Qing army chased and suppressed, the Taiping Army suffered successive defeats, one of the Hong surname disciples brought 500 Taiping Army from Jingzhou to Lu'an, followed the route all the way, arrived at Wanquan Village, only a few hundred people were left, plus injuries, due to a large number of people, they were arranged by the clan elders to hide in the caves on the slopes of Lao Huangshan, when the officers chased them to this place, the clan elder offered chickens and oxen to the Qing army, while notifying the longmao army in the caves to not come out, the clan Hong disciples, in order not to harm the villagers, went out to find food, the Hong surname disciples with strong physiques, used a huge stone to block the cave entrance, to protect the villagers, they bravely opened the way for the officers, killing the officers and soldiers behind, the Hong surname disciples died without admitting that they were local people, the Qing army saw that the Hongmen elders were eating and drinking well, they also captured the head of the Taiping Army, and did not trouble the village name, so they ordered the troops to withdraw to Anqing to accept rewards.
I think this is related to the natural environment of Wanquan Village, the wilderness and mountains, there have been many banditry since ancient times, it is normal for villagers to practice martial arts for self-defense. Otherwise, the Hong surname family would not be able to settle down here for hundreds of years, develop and prosper, and have talented people one after another. In modern times, the Hong surname had 'Nine Representatives Hong Jia Gui' in the old ward, and 'Sub-National Level Hong Bailin'. After the Reform and Opening Up, many Hongs went into business and government, with dozens of people at the county and city level, and more than 100 civil servants and teachers, which is amazing considering the small village could produce so many talents. This is because the Hong surname family has a family tradition of respecting teachers and scholars. Now, every year, there are many students from Hexiaowan who are admitted to university, and Wanquan Village has always been leading the way. This is also the humanities environment and academic style of Wanquan Village.
Mr. Hong also told me about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ruins. (The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ruins have not been excavated). It is believed to be located on the slopes of Lao Huangshan Mountain. According to the legend, in the late Qing Taiping Dynasty, Chen Youcheng led the Taiping Army to a great victory at the Three Rivers, after that, the corruption of the internal affairs of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, in 1861, the Xiang Army broke Anqing City, the strong Qing army chased and suppressed, the Taiping Army suffered successive defeats, one of the Hong surname disciples brought 500 Taiping Army from Jingzhou to Lu'an, followed the route all the way, arrived at Wanquan Village, only a few hundred people were left, plus injuries, due to a large number of people, they were arranged by the clan elders to hide in the caves on the slopes of Lao Huangshan, when the officers chased them to this place, the clan elder offered chickens and oxen to the Qing army, while notifying the longmao army in the caves to not come out, the clan Hong disciples, in order not to harm the villagers, went out to find food, the Hong surname disciples with strong physiques, used a huge stone to block the cave entrance, to protect the villagers, they bravely opened the way for the officers, killing the officers and soldiers behind, the Hong surname disciples died without admitting that they were local people, the Qing army saw that the Hongmen elders were eating and drinking well, they also captured the head of the Taiping Army, and did not trouble the village name, so they ordered the troops to withdraw to Anqing to accept rewards.
In recent years, with the development of tourism, adventurers and treasure hunters have come to explore and hunt for treasure. Some people even brought metal detectors and found a few copper coins near Lao Huangshan, which were recovered by the Hong surname descendants, and now the peak season, local villagers often organize patrols. Because of the long history, now local people only know that there are Taiping Army ruins near Lao Huangshan, the specific ruins need the government to develop.
When I was in high school, before I graduated, I stayed in Wanquan Village with my friends for a month. We often went to Lao Huangshan to play, and I remember seeing a Qing Dynasty knife and bow and arrow, and many martial arts books at Hong Hai's house. Mr. Hong's grandfather was still there, and he told us that the bow and arrow was used by him when he hunted as a young man. After the Reform and Opening Up, many villagers went to work or do business. Now no one practices martial arts anymore.
Yangmujianquan woodcrafting fist has been passed down through generations – Yang Bing's woodcrafting fist was held on June 6, 2020, in Wanquan Village, Old Ward.
——202046
