There is a famous National Highway 109 to the west of Beijing, which is actually the Beijing section of National Highway 109 to be precise. Because National Highway 109 was built for 13 years from 1942 to 1954. It is a road that carries a heavy period of history like U.S. Route 66. National Highway 109 connects the Forbidden City and the Potala Palace. From the plain to the plateau, the entire journey has a drop of 5000 meters. She passed through alpine canyons, Loess Plateau, grassland Gobi, basin rivers, crossed Kunlun Mountains, Fenghuoshan, Tanggula Mountains, Nyenqing Tanggula Mountains, crossed the Yellow River, Tongtian River, Chumaer River, Tuotuo River, and traversed the east and west of China's territory. National Highway 109 not only witnesses the modern history of China, but also symbolizes the Chinese people's pioneering spirit and their optimism and persistence in the face of difficult circumstances. Simply put, this is a great path.

The Beijing section of National Highway 109, from Fuchengmen to the west, is a golden tourist corridor running through Mentougou in western Beijing and one of Beijing's elite tourist routes. The geographical environment along the route is changeable, mostly mountainous and hilly areas, with winding mountain roads, rich vegetation, many streams and rivers in the mountains, and beautiful scenery. The main tourist attractions that can be reached along the way include Miaofeng Mountain, Shibadan, Pearl Lake, Lingshui Juren Village, Cuanxixia, Huangcaoliang, Longmenjian, Baihua Mountain, Lingshan, etc.

And we chose a theme such as ancient village tours. This time, we selected three ancient villages with different styles: Sidamo Village, Cuandanxia Village and Lingshui Village. What they have in common is that they are all surrounded by mountains and have a long cultural history. Of course, there are also differences. Different landscapes, different cultural landscapes, and different cultural backgrounds.

Let's introduce them one by one in the order we walked:

Sidamo Village:

Sidamo Village is located in Qingshui Town and is rich in coal mining resources. In recent years, all coal mines have been closed according to the development positioning of the ecological conservation area in Mentougou District. Relying on natural location advantages, the high-end B & B tourism industry has been vigorously developed and characteristic tourism brands have been carefully created. In addition to the most common coggygia and Acer truncatum, there are also golden ginkgo, red and yellow torch trees, dark brown silver-red maple, dark red pistachia, etc., which together form a colorful, lush and gold-flowing picture. The "Red Leaf Landscape" painting shines in the sun and strongly impacts the vision of tourists.

Red leaves cover the mountains, forests are dyed, and red maples welcome autumn

Here you can see "colorful oil paintings" expressed in different colors

A small village set off by red leaves

"Observation Platform"

Various colored vegetation all over the mountains and plains

From the village, you can follow a small path to climb the "observation deck", and you can also drive directly to climb the mountain when there are few people. But the premise is that when there are few people, because the road up the mountain is not very wide, if there are many people and many cars, the road up the mountain may be blocked, which may lead to a dilemma. There were not many people when we went, but we still chose to climb the mountain on foot. First, the mountains are not high; secondly, I hope not to miss the scenery along the way.

The village of Sidamo surrounded by mountains seen from above

The altar of Dharma Master

Master Dharma guards the mountains and looks at the "observation deck"

It is very convenient from the Urban area along National Highway 109-Qingshui Town-Sidamo Village. There is no scenic spot ticket, just a sanitation and cleaning fee of 10 yuan per car

After leaving Sidamo Village, we will head to the next attraction,"Cuanxixia Village".

Cuanxixia Village is located in Zhaitang Town, Mentougou District, the western suburbs of Beijing, 90 kilometers away from Beijing and 650 meters above sea level. The village area is 5.3 square kilometers. The Qingshui River Basin has good natural vegetation and is suitable for raising sheep and bees. Cuanxia is a national A-level scenic spot.: Cuandixia Gushan Village is a pearl of Chinese classical architectural treasures. It contains profound northern architectural cultural connotations. In terms of its historical, cultural and artistic value, it is precious not only in Beijing, but also in the country.

The original meaning of "Cuan" means stove. When this mountain village was under construction, the owner named it "Cuan Dixia", which means to avoid the severe cold, or perhaps to take refuge. The meaning of viewing the scenery gives people a sense of paradise.

Cuandixia Village faces north to south, is built on gentle slopes, rises layer by layer, and is built against the mountains. According to the situation, every household has the best lighting, ventilation, and viewing vision, fully reflecting the perfect combination of people and buildings, architecture and environment.

The age-old gray tile cornices

People at Cuandi pay attention to farming and reading, and at the same time, they also pay attention to feng shui. The environment around the village is closely connected with feng shui theory.

The whole village has a rigorous structure, with well-organized courtyard houses and reasonable layout. The architectural style not only has the charm of details such as windows, buildings, rooms and other details and local treatment of the Jiangnan water town, but also has the grand overall momentum of the northern high-house compound. The gray tiled eaves and stone rammed courtyard walls are solemn and thick, exuding majesty, tranquility and profound culture. They are called the "Potala Palace in Western Beijing."

On the left of Cuanxixia Village, there are Inner Qinglong Mountain, Dongpo Liang, Outer Qinglong Mountain, and Aoyu Dongpo Liang. These two Qinglong Mountains are majestic and winding. What is amazing is that the inner Qinglong Mountain rises three groups of mountains amidst the ups and downs, quite like three auspicious animals. That is: a crouching tiger, with his head tilted and lying down to look at the whole village. The tiger, the king of beasts, is the honor. Tortoise, divine turtle roars to the sky and roars to the sky. Tortoise is longevity. Bats bring blessings, flying over, bats are blessing. The stars shine brightly on the ancient village.

The houses and courtyards in Cuanxixia Village are very particular from an architectural perspective, but for us laymen, we can only watch the excitement.

About 3 kilometers north of Cuandi Village is the Xiaobeigou Valley known as the "Yixian Sky" in western Beijing, and the locals call it Cuandi Ankou. Being integrated with the village is like the neck of a treasure gourd, protecting this remote village.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, we left Cuandixia Village. It takes more than 30 minutes to drive to "Lingshui Village".

Lingshui Village in the middle of the mountain is peaceful and peaceful. This mountain village located on the ancient post road in western Beijing contains wind and gas, covered by pines and cypresses, and clear springs surround the village. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Lingshui Village produced 22 Juren and two Jinshi candidates. In the early years of the Republic of China, 6 people graduated from Yanjing University. This is really strange news for a small village closed deep in the mountains with only a few hundred people.

The architectural layout of the ancient village of Lingshui is just like the turtle in the "four spirits" of traditional culture. It is said that "Lingshui" originated here. The old people said that looking down from the Guanyin Bodhisattva Temple at the south end of the village, the south tower is the head of the turtle, the north temple is the tail of the turtle, the Longwang Temple and Lingquan Temple in the west of the village, and the Mawang Temple and Wenchang Pavilion in the east of the village are the four legs of the turtle, and the courtyard houses in the village are just like the pattern on the back of a turtle.

There is a group of sculptures on the "Cultural Square", which is quite interesting. Describing "hard study in the cold window", going to Beijing to take the exam, strict teachers, and the time of the middle school, etc.

In this small village on the outskirts of the mountains, the four religions of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and God coexist together, creating a unique religious culture. Lingquan Zen Temple "dates from the Han Dynasty" and is the earliest temple in Beijing. Now only the gate remains. There are 17 temples scattered in the village, including Niangniu Temple, Nanhai Huolongwang Temple, Wenchang Pavilion and Kuixing Tower. There is also a Catholic church built in the Yuan Dynasty outside the village.

Two ancient dioecious ginkgo trees in Lingquan Temple

Ancient locust trees in Lingquan Temple

Follow this path from Lingquan Temple to Nanhai Huolongwang Temple

The divine tree and spiritual wood are another unique in Lingshui Village. In the Nanhai Fire Dragon King Temple, there are two thousand-year-old ancient cypresses,"Bai Bao Yu" and "Bai Bao Sang"

This is an ancient cypress tree that has been identified by the Chinese Academy of Sciences for more than 1,800 years.

There is an octagonal dragon pond in front of the Longwang Temple in Lingshui Village, which is a place where villagers share spring water. In order to protect the water source, during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty (1691), the villagers jointly formulated rules and carved a monument next to the pool: "Three prohibitions in the pool: fierce splashing, foolish mixing, and children sweating. Three prohibitions in Chitai: slaughter fishy mutton, drink livestock for practice, and wash vegetables with pulp and clothes." This "Three Prohibitions Monument" is also the earliest physical evidence of water protection in Beijing.

ancient stage

Although some houses in the village have not been awarded "Juren" or "Jinshi", they still have some flavor.

The unadorned simplicity and the cultural atmosphere accumulated over thousands of years have attracted many film and television dramas to take pictures in Lingshui Village. The movie "Favorite", the TV series "Bright Sword" and "The Fragrance of May Flowers" were all filmed here. A certain compound I accidentally passed by might have lived with celebrities. The crew of "Where's Dad Go" also came here to live and shoot

This is the "Five Exercises in One Door", a large-scale courtyard in the village. It is famous for the fact that all five brothers passed the exam. It seems to be an inadvertent small door, but after walking in, it has a unique hole. The courtyard gets higher and higher until it reaches a high platform

Is the courtyard of the five people different from what they imagined?

There is a thousand-year-old cypress near Wudaomiao in the north of the village. It has a flat crown and branches. It slopes eastward according to the terrain. It looks like Ganoderma lucidum, also called "Ganoderma lucidum cypress".

The custom of "drinking autumn porridge together" has been passed down in the village for 300 years. This is the day of the beginning of autumn. The villagers produce rice grains and he produce mixed beans. They set up pots and firewood on the streets, using hundreds of grains, making them, and drinking porridge. This is not only to commemorate the ancestors 'donation of food to relieve the disaster during the disaster, but also to promote neighborhood harmony and eliminate the estrangement of the past.

In one day, I can walk through three ancient villages of different styles. Said that he was not nervous, he didn't leave "Lingshui Village" until it was almost 6 o'clock in the afternoon. When the car drove to the "Yongding Building" in Mentougou, it was completely dark. It can be said that today is a very fulfilling day, a very eye-catching day, and a day to gain knowledge.