Perhaps not until many years later,

I can remember the afternoon when I walked into Tongjing Hot Springs.

that day,

A beam of light diffused from the sky,

Persistently passing through the shade of trees,

Sprinkle on Mr. Wan's entire body.

At that moment,

She was immersed in such beautiful sunshine and hot springs,

delude one to folly.

01

Fresh nostalgia for northern Chongqing

Driving out of the city and onto Yuhang Avenue, a ray of sunshine split through the months of gloom.

The road conditions were unexpectedly good. When I got on the Yulin Expressway, the pastoral scenery and the canyon scenery brought by the karst landforms alternated outside the window and quickly retreated. After reaching the Wang family, I was not far from the next lane.

There are not many people in Tongjing Town, and there is occasionally a traffic light a long way away, unlike the occasional honking of horns in the city, which conveys the driver's hunger and determination to pounce on the dining table.

On rush days, the villagers from around ten miles away lit up the fresh goods in their fields, hanging morning dew pleasing vegetables and radishes, plump pumpkins, red sweet potatoes, earth eggs, duck eggs... red, fat, green, and thin, baskets next to backpacks, and the villagers were not in a hurry to attract customers and chat with each other about daily life.

We walked all the way with no distinction between grains, and we could also see the difference between wild and greenhouse grown crops.

Stop at the roadside in proper order - to be exact, a wave of people will get into the steaming "Old Town tofu pudding Rice" after leaving the car. The simple middle-aged boss tied his apron and threw a plastic menu to ask us to check: steamed pork ribs with flour for 38 yuan, mutton for 36 yuan... tofu pudding for 5 yuan/bowl, and several people ordered several bowls. Although they ordered to eat at will, the farmers had no pressure to settle the bill.

Another group of people turned into the nearby Seven Wazi Stone Mill Rice noodles Store, and dozens of bamboo poles were hung on their heads with very thin Rice noodles husks. The warm light seemed to tell us that it was very fresh.

Yes, in the morning, the shop has fresh handmade products and takes a freshly cut piece from the pole. The raw materials are sold every day from 5 pm, and you can also smell the fragrance of rice when passing by. The shop owner has excellent knife skills, cutting neatly and evenly. After three minutes of cooking, it is served with fried sauce or sausage whistle, and a hearty bowl makes people smile with joy.

Whether you admit it or not, the local dishes in villages and towns with the original flavor of food have a soul stirring charm at this time. Whether they are dipped in red pepper seasoning in Xiangtiandang water, fried with liver and kidney, or dipped in oil beads with green lettuce on white Rice noodles, their appetites and slightly cold fresh air make people feel that a 40 minute drive just for this meal is extremely worthwhile.

With a loud bang, the old man outside the shop opened the jar amidst the smoke and quickly poured fresh popcorn into the sieve. The old lady skillfully divided the packaging bags and chatted, 'We go to Mingyue, Dasheng, and Tongjing three times a week, and Long'an every ten. It's better to sell popcorn than to work outside when we're old.'.

The elderly couple didn't use WeChat. I used electronic payment with my fellow villagers on the roadside to buy a bag of popcorn for 5 yuan.

Sweet and crisp, it is a childhood memory.

It seems like a scene from the 1980s, illuminating our homesickness.

This is the nostalgia of Yubei.

Carrying freshness.

With the scent of hot springs.

02

In the hot spring, a good dream never wakes up

After drinking and eating, we drove for another 5 minutes to reach the entrance of Tongjing Hot Spring.

Opening in the canyon, the mountain gate is not as majestic as a rainbow. Surrounded by several farmhouses, birds sing in the forest, and the wind blows through the bamboo forest, occasionally revealing the spire of a small wooden house. Next to it, a small Three Gorges boat breaks open a lake, and the boiling voices in the wave making pool drift over with the wind, echoing in the dense forests of the Wentang River

It's hard for me to imagine that while countless tourist attractions stand on NASDAQ and ring the bell, Tongjing Hot Springs are still here, truly embodying the concept of 'real nature, real hot springs'.

A natural hot spring lies in a dense forest canyon, on the edge of a warm pond, overlooking the shore.

Compared to the scenic spots that attract tens of thousands of tourists every day, the peaceful Tongjing Hot Springs seem to have a "fireworks atmosphere". As soon as it appears, it fills life with tension - the sharp cliffs and cliffs cut by knives and axes are its background, the Wentang River flows deep and still, and the Tongjing Hot Springs lie in the thousands of mountains and waters of the Yulin River Basin, blending with the surrounding beauty and creating a perfect distance.

In front of it was rolling red dust, and behind it were countless rivers and mountains, calmly and elegantly remaining silent.

Strolling in the hot spring area, the steam is hot and the spring is gushing, bringing more warmth and comfort to people. After soaking in a pool of warm soup, the warmth from beginning to end makes both red and blue fill up.

The hot spring area is a primitive canyon with 48 natural hot spring pools of different sizes, all of which come from natural gushing springs 1800 meters underground. They are scattered and hidden in this canyon like stars along the slope, emitting steaming hot air.

We switched from one pool to another, and the process of alternating hot and cold was refreshing - when we got up, the hot spring butler carefully handed over bath towels and ginger soup, bringing warmth enough to support the changing pool.

If you are physically strong enough, you can swim around in the 25m big bubble pool for several times, let the turbid gas in your body exchange with the hot spring with beautiful water quality, absorb the spirit of the world of mountains and rivers, integrate natural mineral nourishment, and gather the essence of natural flowers and plants. A timely cup of ginger soup makes you feel more comfortable.

Good dream never wakes up.

03

From Everyone's Joy to Private Soup Joy

Of course, when you come, you must try the unique cold spring of Tongjing. After your whole body's skin adapts to the temperature of the environment, get up and find a hot pool, bury your whole body in it, and the moment of heat instantly envelops your whole body. The warmth rising from the soles of your feet seems to have the power to open up Ren Du's two meridians. Your old cold legs, shoulder and neck discomfort will be significantly reduced.

After all, between cold and hot, the body unconsciously completes a weekly cycle of vomiting and inhaling. Cough and cough, don't miss the good opportunity to become immortal at this moment.

The children continued to frolic in the large soaking pool, while the butterfly tilted its head and the frog took turns changing positions. After taking a short break, it pulled a few fresh citrus petals into its mouth to replenish its energy and continued to roll. In the nearby wave making pool, there was a bustling crowd of people, adults and children playing together, unable to return home with joy.

Some people say that if you give children a pool of water, they can play all day long.

Isn't that true for adults?

I was so hungry after soaking in the public area that I couldn't move around anymore, so I got up and went to the food court to have barbecue to replenish my energy. After returning to the soup house where we lived, both adults and children still couldn't resist the temptation of this private pool of soup - after all, our catchphrase is: come here, let's soak again.

If you mind soaking in a hot spring in a public area, a bathhouse would be a great choice - each bathhouse is surrounded by lush green trees, and Tongjing Hot Springs has introduced a humanized "one bath, one original soup" family pool option. You don't necessarily have to stay overnight, with a 3-hour private soak and a large one floor lounge as a gift. The cost performance ratio is really high at 388 yuan per person.

The howling of the mountains and forests, surrounded by warmth, can truly calm one down. In the beautiful and deep dense environment, one sinks into a soaking pool, and the smell in the nose is the warmth of sulfur and the scent of Wentang River soil. Every pore opens up to exchange with this misty night mist.

In the valley with up to 28000 negative oxygen ions per square centimeter, we soak up springs for health, listen to the wind and embrace the moon, and feel the morning glow, rising sun, rain and fog, and clear nights and days in the mountains.

Heart has the sun and moon, reaching out to pick stars.

04

Who sings for the unification of scenery in the long years

Tongjing Town is a cultural masterpiece in northern Chongqing, with its "Tongjing Gorge Apes" ranking first among the "Twelve Scenic Spots of Ancient Chongqing" as early as the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.

In 1760, Wang Erjian, a Supervisor of the County county with considerable literary and aesthetic literacy, delineated twelve scenes that best represent the beauty of Bayu in the mountains and waters of Bayu, making it famous for centuries. It has a history of nearly 300 years.

Wang Erjian would not know that his evaluation of the "Twelve Scenic Spots of Ba and Yu" by Xingzhi has triggered multiple selections in later generations.

In 2013, Hou Yun, a painter from Yuzhou Academy of Painting, focused on using oil painting to explore and restore nostalgia from the depths of cultural memory and geographical environment, so as to perfectly present these disappearing or vanished Chongqing landscapes to the world through painting.

It is said that the selection criteria for the twelve scenic spots in Bayu at that time were: "Their charm lies not only in the moon and the wind and clouds, but also in the wonder of profound figures. They climb and tilt, and have a unique understanding... They are ethereal and ethereal, in the midst of the presence and absence of images, the most wonderful. They have a unique charm, ethereal and devoid of color

The twelve scenic spots in Bayu selected by Wang Erjian can all be described as ethereal, and the beautiful parts happen to be the part that is difficult to explain clearly.

The unified scenery is derived from the combination of the natural beauty of mountains and rivers, as well as the diverse beauty of the world.

It is located on the banks of the Yulin River to the east, covering an area of 15 square kilometers. It boasts various scenic spots such as mountains, water, forests, springs, gorges, caves, waterfalls, Tianchi, small islands, ancient villages, and eagle groups. It is known as the "Natural Museum" and has been praised by literati and scholars throughout history as the "Wuling Wonderland". Due to its abundant geothermal resources, the spring water contains boron, silicon, fluorine, strontium, etc., which meet the standards of composite medical mineral springs. At the same time, it has a daily inflow of 2000 tons of cold spring resources, making it one of the largest and most concentrated hot spring groups in the country. The sharing of hot springs and cold springs is rare in the country. Therefore, some people also refer to it as the "Top Scenic Hot Springs in the World" - many people may not know that this place has the largest hot spring city in the southwest region, and its undeveloped Yangjiadong is one of the only three hot springs in the country. The induction cave, which has been welcoming visitors for several years, can see strange rocks such as snow lotus, elephant, camel formed by dissolved rocks, which are highly praised by tourists.

The beautiful Tongjing Gorge consists of Wentang Gorge, Tongjing Gorge, and Eagle Gorge, with a total length of about 3 kilometers. The gorge is steep like a knife, with withered vines and old trees winding around. The river water is clear, and the two sides are hidden in the water by bamboo groves. Monkeys and monkeys climb around, and the scenery is excellent. Therefore, it is called the "Little Three Gorges".

However, in ancient times, the most famous thing here was not the hot springs, but the monkeys in Tongjing Gorge.

We took a bamboo raft and leisurely walked into the towering mountains of the Wentang River, listening to the waves of bamboo and the chirping of birds in the woods. The steep cliffs and green cliffs stood against the sky, and the green bamboo on both sides covered the sky and ridges, giving people a feeling of the scene described by Huang Shanyao, a local literati of the Qing Dynasty, where "there are forests and stone walls on both sides, and several groups meet the wall and flow down the river". Wild monkeys and monkeys gather in groups, either hanging from tree branches or climbing on cliffs, mischievously tight, creating the atmosphere of the ancient saying 'the sound of apes on both sides cannot be stopped, and light boats have already crossed thousands of mountains' even without going to the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.

The mountains rise and fall, ancient trees stand tall, and flowing water flows. In ancient times, there were few famous people passing by in northern Chongqing, but the beautiful scenery still captivated the literati, leaving behind more than 200 beautiful poems, most of which were created by foreign officials and local literati in Chongqing.

Who sings for the sake of unity in the long years?

05

The integration of poetry and books

In ancient times, Tongjing was called "Tongjing", and there were gorges, rivers, springs, caves, etc. within its territory.

The name "Bucket Well" is derived from its steep cliffs and canyon, resembling a bucket shape. When one enters it, they feel like sitting in a "Blue Well" to observe the sky.

There are many historical legends in the Yulin River Basin that Emperor Jianwen once fled here. The place names of Tongjing are all in line with imperial culture, such as "Long'an", "Huangyin", "Rolling Ball", "Yinbox", etc. It is said that the place name of Yinbox, Shuishiba, also has a legend of being given a name by Emperor Qianlong.

The picturesque scenery of Yubei once intoxicated Wang Erjian, the Supervisor of the County of Baxian County, who was demoted as a "seven grade sesame official".

Wang Erjian, Zhou Shaojin, Jiang Huizhao, Zhou Kaifeng, Zhang Jiuyi and other Qing Dynasty poets all recited poems for it, leaving behind many poems full of wonderful and interesting meanings.

The gorge passes through the barrel, bending and diving into the clear stream. Ancient trees are covered in green clouds, and monkeys cry all day long. "Wang Menggeng, who served as the governor of Chongqing in the 22nd year of the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang reign (1842), vividly described the beautiful scenery of the" Apes in the Barrel Well Gorge "in a few words.

In ancient times, groups of monkeys gathered on the cliffs of Tongjing Gorge, climbing trees to support vines or hanging upside down to play, bringing vitality to the quiet canyon. With a stroke of his pen, Wang Erjian, who was fond of mountains and waters, wrote a poem that created the scene of "The Apes in the Bucket Well Gorge": "The mountains are locked in a mysterious path, and the cliffs are secluded with a different sky. A stream flows into a cave, and a thousand trees look at the monkeys hanging. Who is the companion of the howling moon? Let the clouds form a bond. When I leave the gorge, I still hear the sound of the water

As good friends of Wang Erjian, Zhou Kaifeng and Jiang Huizhao certainly wouldn't miss this beautiful and charming scenery.

Zhou Kaifeng wrote the beautiful line "A thousand monkeys leap on the laurel tree, peering into the sky with a single thread. At the place where the peach blossom falls, they lure the fisherman several times", vividly depicting the scene of monkeys jumping.

Jiang Huizhao has a poem that goes: "When you wander into the mountains, ancient trees, smoke, and vines hang on the shore. The reflection suddenly ripples and ripples, and a hundred or a thousand apes hang a branch.

In the past, there were only a dozen or so wild macaques left here. In 2013, Chongqing Tourism Investment upgraded the scenic area, making it the best hot spring tourist destination in Chongqing. It is the flagship boutique of Chongqing, the "World Hot Spring Capital", and even referred to as the "group champion" of the hot spring industry.

After the completion of the scenic area, the number of monkeys has increased year by year, and now the number of wild macaques has reached more than 100. It is said that every morning from 9:30 to 10 o'clock, these more than 100 monkeys jump into the Wentang River one by one, performing the "Hundred Monkeys Crossing the River" - the monkey mothers carry the monkeys on their backs and embrace them, swimming to the opposite bank, vividly reproducing the interesting scene in Zhang Jiuyi's poem "The river is deep and cannot be traced back, with green monkeys singing in it. The waves hang upside down, and the green glass moves" from the Sichuan Chuandong Road in the Qing Dynasty.

This is the unified scenery of Wang Erjian, Zhou Kaifeng, and Jiang Huizhao.

Poetry and books, stillness and movement, are all in this gorge and soup.

06

Soak a pool of private soup, eat a pot, and use the stove to cook

At night, I sleep peacefully under the fragrance of flowers, and in the morning, I am awakened by the murmuring spring water.

The next day, I woke up and stretched lazily in front of the valley and the river. The river water flowed away from my feet, and the ancient temple was nearby. The scenery of the Three Gorges was picturesque

The sea surges, and the gentle tenderness deep in the mountains and forests is unfolding.

Due to the abundant geothermal resources, the plants in this area are dense, and there is thriving life singing vigorously in the forest.

The outside of the soup yard is a beautiful pastoral autumn scenery, while the indoor scene is changed into a small one. A piece of sunshine is projected into the yard, and the bathing pool is sparkling.

Without even having breakfast, a group of people couldn't hold back and drank a few coquettishly before jumping into the pool again.

The decoration here lacks charm and is not the high-end style that some people (perhaps referring to the second master and the picky 11th manager) often go to, but it does not prevent us from having another kind of fun.

The few bathhouses have river view terraces and independent private hot spring pools. The terrace is surrounded by mountains, forests, and river valleys, bringing guests closer to the green mountains and waters, allowing them to have intimate contact with rain, dew, sunshine, and nature. The terrace is surrounded by naturally formed forest screens, creating a hidden atmosphere of natural wildness. Whether it's day or night, you don't have to worry about being caught, and you can enjoy your own comfort.

When the morning clouds rise or the evening sun sets, leisurely immersing oneself in the spring pool, watching the white egrets passing by on the river, listening to the birds singing and insects chirping in the depths of the tranquil forest, one has the calmness and relief of passing a thousand sails.

Days of drizzling rain, the night rain in Bashan rose to the autumn pond, soaking in the fragrant hot spring water and listening to the sound of bamboo forests. Everything in the distance would be shrouded in misty water vapor.

The excitement of 'one pot, two meals' also lies in the exquisite enjoyment of delicious food after soaking in the hot water.

Although soaking in water is beautiful, it is also a very physically demanding thing. But when it's comfortable, no one wants to climb up the pool and get up for lunch.

He called the waiter to arrange a side boiler at the pool. The black goat in Jindao Gorge was boiled into a pot of white warm soup. The snow pressed parboiled radish was soft and melted in the mouth. The blood of the goat was fresh and chewy. Dip it in fermented bean curd, and the watery peas were especially delicious after being put into the soup

I'm sorry for the hot and steamy taste of the food, as I couldn't even speak and didn't drink three bowls.

Dynamic and static, masculine and feminine, flowing time, eternal stillness, warm memories... Soaking in a private pool of soup, eating a pot with a stove, I think this is the essence of soaking in a hot spring in winter - after all, there is a smooth nourishing water that permeates the body and mind, being fed by a warm and delicious lamb soup pot, and after the meal, there is a feeling of just being picked from a tree, feeling like being loved by the whole world.

Do you believe that some people (such as Mr. Wan in the picture, who has a protruding front and a protruding back that makes geese fall into the river) soak for 6 hours a day?

Let's end with the words of Second Master.

My beloved relatives and friends, my comrades in arms in the martial arts world, my gods of love and hate, please come over and soak in the 'Tongjing Hot Spring' for a while.

Soaking in rolling hot springs, indulging in passionate cooking, experiencing the vastness of the mortal world, reminiscing about love and hate from the past, floating in white, and living a peaceful life.

Let's all live as hot spring spirits.

Surrounding activities

It's the time to pick oranges in a year

A good year for you, it is the time of orange, yellow, and green. Orange citrus not only breaks the winter chill, but also brings a bountiful harvest

The joy. Pick one now, and when you open it, the orange flavor is strong - it's truly 'fresh from the heart of the field, ten thousand bites'.

Zhoujiashan Bridge "Chongqing's Niubeishan"

The Zhoujiashan Bridge, known as the "Niubeishan of Chongqing" by photography enthusiasts, stretches upwards from winding to straight, with hills on both sides hidden in swirling clouds and smoke. Against the backdrop of a sea of clouds, sunrise, and starry sky, it is exceptionally spectacular.

In winter, the Zhoujiashan Bridge has shed the hustle and bustle of clouds and mist. The colors of the half cage hills, terraced fields, and farmhouses are present, and the hills overlap to create some criss crossing layers. If it rains the day before, you can enjoy the unbeatable beauty of the bridge passing through the clouds and mist the next morning.

Like a dream, take a breath of the mountain air along the way.

Printed box plum blossoms falling into snow

After decades of cultivation, the Yinhe area has formed a 30000 acre crooked mouthed plum planting base.

Every March, plum blossoms bloom one after another. From afar, they look like white snow, but up close, they appear as frozen ice flowers, layer by layer. Plum blossoms bloom all over the mountains and fields, like flying snow and falling frost, reflecting in the lake, as if being in the scenery of a thousand miles of frozen land and thousands of miles of snow drifting in the north.

In the spring of March, strolling along the forest path, the wind blows and the branches sway, and romantic Li Hua Xue floats across the mountains, making people intoxicated.

The Huoshao Slope viewing area is located to the west of Yinhe Square and is collectively known as the "Five Horses Returning to the Stable" along with the four adjacent mountains. According to legend, in ancient times, whenever villagers burned weeds on a hillside, a fire would break out in Changshou County government office, hence the name "Huoshao Slope".

The Tongxin Cypress Scenic Area is located in the vicinity of Yinhe Pass, named after an ancient cypress tree with twin branches on the roadside. Looking up from the foot of the mountain, amidst the verdant bamboo of Cangshan, a Guanyin ancient temple built on a rock is faintly visible. For hundreds of years, the temple has been bustling with incense, and residents and couples from far and near have come here to make wishes and receive blessings. They take photos to cherish each other, hang the same heart lock together, symbolizing mutual affection and a hundred years of good union.