The land of Bashu is full of outstanding people. The land here is fertile, has a large population, and abundant products. It has always been a safe haven and a battleground for the Central Plains Dynasty. The Qin and Han Dynasties relied on Bashu to unify the world. During the Anshi Rebellion, Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty took refuge in Sichuan, and during the Anti-Japanese War, Sichuan sent troops to support the War of Resistance. At the same time, during the period of great historical turmoil, Bashu, which was vast and easy to defend but difficult to attack, was also in constant war. Therefore, there is a saying that the world was chaotic before Shu started.

Since the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty was corrupt and cowardly, and its national strength declined. The White Lotus Religion in Sichuan and other insurrectionary forces rose up one after another, causing everyone to feel insecure. Therefore, some large families began to spontaneously build stockpiled fortresses with self-protection functions. You must know that this was never allowed in feudal society. Building such stockpiled fortresses with military functions was suspected of treason, but at that time, the Qing Dynasty was no longer able to take care of them. Therefore, in the late Qing Dynasty, many stockpiled villages appeared in Sichuan. For example, this is true of Baozhen Village in Guang 'an and Yunding Village in Longchang. The same is true of Tianbao Village in Tongnan, Chongqing. This article continues to introduce another ancient Qing Dynasty village-Tiantai Village.

Tiantai Village, also known as Yunfeng Village, is located on Tiantai Mountain, the first of the five famous mountains in Tongnan, Chongqing. Tiantai Mountain is located between Wofo Town and Tangba Town in Tongnan. It is the highest peak in the south of Tongnan. Tiantai Village has five gates in the southeast, northwest and Yingyangmen. These gates are all built on the top of the mountain. They are mostly made of rocks. They are dangerous and strong. They have the momentum of one man guarding the pass and not being able to open them to thousands of people. They are very effective in resisting bandits.

Now there is a highway leading from the mountain to the top of the mountain. The first gate that passes through is the Jiyao Gate in the south, which means that the morning shines extremely brightly, the heart is lofty, and the quality reaches the world. The arch stone is engraved with the words "Mid-Winter Month 16th of the 10th Century of Guangxu"(I checked it, it should be 1884). It has a history of more than 130 years. This should also be the time when Tiantai Village was built.

Jiyao Gate is an arch made of strips of stone. The gate is now well preserved, but the tower no longer exists. On the right is natural rocks, which are difficult to cross. On the left, a road up the mountain has been built, and the city wall is no longer there. It is said that if you want to go up the mountain in the past, you must pass through this door to enter.

There is a temple on the top of Tiantai Mountain, called Tiantai Temple. The temple faces west and east. It was built in the tenth year of Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. It was later built and destroyed several times. The current building was repaired with donations from local people and believers in the 1980s. The scale is not very large. There is a cultural protection monument on the side of the building. It is written as Tiantai Mountain Zhaizi, which is a cultural relics protection unit at the Tongnan District level in Chongqing City.

On the edge of Tiantai Temple, there is a large stone mill. It should be the rice milling facilities of Tiantai Village in the local area. Now the mill has disappeared, but the mill is still there. The mill stone is located between Eagle Stone and Toad Stone. The outer diameter of the mill is 5.05 meters and the diameter of the mill core is 3.7 meters. It is the largest mill stone found in the entire southwest region and an important tool for ancient people in Tiantai Mountain Village to grind grains and grains.

If Jiyao Gate (East Gate) is the main entrance, then the corresponding Anding Gate (West Gate) is the back door of Tiantai Village. According to local people, this gate is mainly used as the main transportation channel for grain and grass production and storage in the village. Therefore, it does not look as majestic as Jiyao Gate, nor is it arched, but a vertical square.

On both sides of this Anding Gate, one side is made of strips of stone, and the other side is a natural cliff used. It is still easy to defend but difficult to work. However, due to disrepair, soil on the city wall has collapsed under the city wall, forming a lush bamboo forest.

On the edge of Anding Gate, there is a path leading to the city walls. It is said that these city walls were built by a gentry named Chen Jinbiao in conjunction with gentlemen from Fuxing, Sanhui and Tangba. The city walls are rectangular and the main body is stone. The wall is about 5 meters high, the bottom is 4 meters wide, and the top is 2 meters wide. The east wall is 1326 meters long, the west wall is 818 meters long, the south wall is 1509 meters long, the north wall is 526 meters long, and the total circumference is about 4129 meters.

These city walls are completely rammed with layers of loess and are extremely hard. A drainage outlet is built every 10 meters in the city wall for drainage, which plays a very important role in the long-term protection of the city wall. At the same time, a cannon muzzle and artillery are installed every 10 or so, which is an important defensive means to resist the attack of the White Lotus Cult. However, only more than 300 meters of the city wall are left intact, and the rest have either collapsed or been demolished to build houses.

Among the five city gates, Jiyao Gate and Dasheng Gate look the most magnificent. Dasheng Gate is located to the east of Tiantai Village, so the locals call the city the east gate. The meaning of Dasheng Gate is: All things are born in the land, good luck is good, and men fight and return safely. That is to say, when people in Tiantai Village enter and exit themselves, they usually use this door. Moreover, when men in the village go out to fight, they must use this door. This represents a beautiful wish and prays that everyone who walks out through this door can return safely.

The Dashengmen door is 3.4 meters high, 2.6 meters wide, and 4 meters thick. It is entirely made of stone. It is now basically preserved, except that the wooden door inside no longer exists.

Yingyang Gate is not far from Dasheng Gate. It is a small vertical square door, somewhat similar to Anding Gate. This door is named Yingyang because it is the main channel for Tiantai Village to store and transport weapons and ammunition. The so-called Yingyang means majestic appearance, from "Poetry. Elegance. Ming Dynasty ": The teacher respects the father, and the eagle shines brightly at the time. "Later Han Dynasty. Chen Gui Zhuan ": I have no civil and military talents, but I have the responsibility of an eagle. Therefore, this Yingyang Gate is related to the military. The entrance is not large, but it is extremely strictly controlled.

Yingyang Gate runs from west to east and is made of 12 wheels of stone. It is 2.36 meters high and 0.8 meters wide. It is hidden in the dense forest. There is a path below it. Without familiar people leading the way, it is difficult to find this gate. It is said that there is a north gate not far from the small east gate, which is also the Gate of Repentance. However, the stockade has not been developed and the path is difficult to find. We searched for a long time but couldn't find the legendary Gate of Repentance. It is said that it is also a large-scale gate. If you have the opportunity, you can go and have a look.

Tiantai Mountain is the highest peak in the south of Tongnan. Standing on the top of the mountain, you can overlook the scenery at the foot of the mountain. Tiantai Reservoir has rippling green waves and terraced mountains. It really has the feeling of being at the top of the mountain and seeing the small mountains. It may also be because of its majestic and straight nature that it was selected as the construction land of Tiantai Village.

Some friends may say that the stockade is built on a mountain top, how to solve the problem of domestic water? Fortunately, there is a lake on the top of the mountain. The locals affectionately call it Tianchi. I don't know if it is natural, but it was built together with the construction of the stockade. It is said that this lake has never dried up. Even though Tongnan suffered a century ago, the reservoirs, ponds, and fields at the foot of the mountain have all dried up. The water level of this Tianchi Lake has not dropped significantly. It is really amazing.

It is now a peaceful era, and the military function of Tiantai Village has long disappeared, but there are still people living in the village. Although the area is not large, the scene inside is quite similar to the paradise described by Tao Yuanming: the land is flat and the houses are like, including fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry and bamboo. Traffic along the paths, chickens and dogs hear each other. It was spring when we came, and the singing of birds and flowers was as beautiful as a picture.

This is the beautiful Tiantai Mountain in Chongqing. It is also the ancient Tiantai Village. It has not been developed into a tourist attraction. There are hardly any tourists and no tickets are needed. However, there are many attractions worth visiting, especially for understanding more than 100 years ago. Bayu culture is of great significance, and there are natural and pollution-free Tiantai Mountain local specialties and various fruits on the mountain. They are cheap and cheap, which are beyond imagination. If you are interested, you can come and visit.