2009—Know Zhangjiajie, Love Zhangjiajie, and Work Together to Play the "Zhangjiajie Card" (Part 1)
Know Zhangjiajie, Love Zhangjiajie, and Work Together to Play the "Zhangjiajie Card"—a guiding report at the third annual concentrated study session of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Party Committee Study Center Group and the city's leading cadres' study class. The citywide effort to study and practice the Scientific Outlook on Development is deepening. Against this backdrop, I will combine my own study of Zhangjiajie...
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Knowing Zhangjiajie, Loving Zhangjiajie, and Working Together to Play the "Zhangjiajie Card" Well—A Guiding Report at the Third Annual Centralized Study Activity of the CPC Zhangjiajie Municipal Committee Study Center Group and the Citywide Leading Cadres' Study Classroom
The citywide campaign to study and practice the Scientific Outlook on Development is developing in depth. Against this background, I will combine some of my insights from studying Zhangjiajie's local history, ethnic groups, culture, and cultural spirit, and under the title "Knowing Zhangjiajie, Loving Zhangjiajie, and Working Together to Play the 'Zhangjiajie Card' Well," report to you some of my personal feelings, reflections, and thoughts. I sincerely hope this can serve as a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions to the ongoing great discussion on Zhangjiajie spirit, and I look forward to exchange and constructive criticism.
I. To love Zhangjiajie, one must know Zhangjiajie; to know Zhangjiajie, one should understand Zhangjiajie's history, ethnic groups, culture, and cultural spirit.
As Chinese people, it is only natural to love our motherland and love our hometown. When we speak of our motherland, a noble and sacred feeling surges within us, and we think of the myths of Pangu creating heaven and earth and Nüwa creating humanity, of the Four Great Inventions of ancient times, of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi, of Qu Yuan, Li Bai, and Du Fu, of the majesty of the Qin and Han dynasties and the golden age of the Tang, of the ancient yet modern square Chinese characters, of Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions and Zheng He's voyages to the Western Seas, of the towering Great Wall, the solemn Tiananmen, and the Yellow River and Yangtze River that nurtured Chinese civilization, of Yue Fei who "bristled with fury," Wen Tianxiang who "left a loyal heart to shine in history," and Tan Sitong who "laughed at heaven with my sword across my breast, leaving my liver and gall to the two Kunlun peaks," of the Red Army's 25,000-li Long March, of Shenzhou 7 soaring through space, and so on.
Loving one's hometown follows the same principle as loving one's motherland. In "knowing Zhangjiajie, loving Zhangjiajie," "knowing" is the prerequisite for "loving," and "loving" is the driving force for "knowing." Every Zhangjiajie person who loves their hometown must first understand their hometown's history, ethnic groups, culture, and cultural spirit, and know what about their hometown is worthy of love and pride, so that their love can be grounded, steadfast, and deep. To borrow a line from a song everyone knows well—"You ask me how deep my love is, how much I love you"—it can be said that love is as deep as knowledge, and as much as knowledge. Years ago, Premier Zhu Rongji said that Hunan should play two cards well: one is Zhangjiajie, and the other is Yuan Longping. This shows just how remarkable the Zhangjiajie brand is! However, some comrades, lacking the necessary understanding of Zhangjiajie's history, ethnic groups, culture, and cultural spirit, mistakenly think that the "Zhangjiajie card" is just those rocks on the mountain. As a result, insufficient "knowing" directly affects the strength and depth of "loving," affects cultural confidence, cultural self-awareness, and cultural self-respect, affects the formation of cultural identity and sense of cultural belonging, and further affects the ongoing construction of a world-class tourism destination and the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Therefore, this work is especially important and urgent.
(1) Four misconceptions have led to varying degrees of deficiency in some comrades' cultural confidence, cultural self-respect, cultural self-awareness, and cultural identity.
Whether in the eyes of outsiders or in the minds of we Zhangjiajie people, a considerable number of people have varying degrees of confused understanding about Zhangjiajie's history, ethnic groups, culture, and cultural spirit. These can be summarized as four major misconceptions: first, that Zhangjiajie has no history; second, that Zhangjiajie has no culture; third, that Zhangjiajie's Tujia people don't seem like an ethnic minority; fourth, that Zhangjiajie belongs to Xiangxi or Greater Xiangxi culture, and the one-sided belief that historically Cili and Changde were one family and Yongding and Sangzhi were one family with Xiangxi Prefecture, without knowing that the city's two districts and two counties were originally one family throughout the long river of over 2,000 years of history, and so on. The negative impact and harm caused by these four confused understandings have reached a point where reflection and reconsideration are imperative. Take, for example, the phenomenon of the three characters "Zhangjiajie" being replaced or covered by the two characters "Xiangxi" from time to time:
In February 2009, the Municipal CPPCC Chairman's meeting listened to a report on the revision of the city's Master Plan and held consultations. During my speech, I suggested replacing the words "Xiangxi" in "highlighting the cultural characteristics of the Tujia and Miao peoples of Xiangxi" and "Xiangxi residential architectural style" on a certain page and line with "Northwest Hunan" or "Zhangjiajie," and also suggested adding the Bai ethnic group. The reason was simple: Zhangjiajie, located in northwestern Hunan, is itself home to the Tujia, Bai, and Miao peoples, and the Tujia account for nearly 70% of the city's total population. In the Wangjiaping and Yuanguping areas of Yongding District, the residential buildings are rows upon rows of beautiful Tujia stilted houses as far as the eye can see! These are clearly native to Zhangjiajie—so why label them with someone else's name? It's like having your own child but giving them someone else's surname. In 2008, a 12-year-old girl from Zhangjiajie No. 1 Middle School published a book, and the school invited me to attend the launch ceremony. On the blackboard was written "Xiangxi Girl Writer." I felt uncomfortable the moment I saw it. When I was asked to speak, I said: she is clearly a student of Zhangjiajie No. 1 Middle School, a genuine Zhangjiajie native. The Zhangjiajie brand is prestigious—how has it ever let us down? Why couldn't they just write "Zhangjiajie Girl Writer" with pride? Also, a performance show in Wulingyuan is not called "Charming Zhangjiajie" but "Charming Xiangxi"; another show is not called "Into Zhangjiajie" but "Into Xiangxi." This reminds me of Lijiang and Shangri-La in Yunnan: the prefecture of Diqing changed its name to Shangri-La years ago, yet people in Lijiang still argue that they are the authentic Shangri-La. The people of Lijiang are no fools—they argue all they want, but their flagship show is unequivocally called "Lishui Jinsha." Imagine if Lijiang's show were not called "Lishui Jinsha" but "Shangri-La"—would that be promoting Lijiang, or doing free promotion for Shangri-La? Of course, we don't have the problem of competing over "Xiangxi" here,
but promoting Xiangxi's "charm" every night on Zhangjiajie's own turf not only does free promotion for Xiangxi but also misleads tourists: they may think this place is under Xiangxi's administration and that Zhangjiajie is part of Xiangxi; or they may mistakenly believe that Zhangjiajie lacks charm and has to borrow Zhong Kui to "exorcise ghosts." When Xiangxi Prefecture celebrated its 50th anniversary, a book titled "Charming Xiangxi" was published—that was truly justified and perfectly appropriate. But to hang the "Charming Xiangxi" sign on Zhangjiajie's turf feels like a lack of proper cultural self-awareness. Also, last year's 20th anniversary city celebration spent money hiring the Xiangxi Song and Dance Troupe for a performance, and in the connecting narration they wrote, a rough count showed "Xiangxi" appearing dozens of times! If the municipal leader in charge at the time hadn't asked a retired cultural figure from the Tourism Bureau to review it, and if this cultural figure hadn't forcefully negotiated several times to correct it, who knows what kind of jokes the performers would have made by letting the guest steal the host's spotlight! In the Zhangjiajie Daily earlier this month, a reporter covered several folk artists invited to perform in Europe, and the report also said "several Zhangjiajie artists brought Xiangxi folk art." The promotional advertisement for the cultural attraction "Old Courtyard" also repeatedly says "Xiangxi Old Courtyard." A few years ago, a Zhangjiajie native compiled a photo album featuring Zhangjiajie scenery and Fenghuang scenery, and it was also titled "Charming Xiangxi," and so on. With so many such incidents, I've realized that Zhangjiajie can easily find itself playing the awkward role of the outsider hitching a ride.
There are roughly five reasons for this phenomenon: First, geographically, this area belongs to western Hunan; second, some districts and counties of our city were historically under the administration of Xiangxi Prefecture for over 30 years; third, many people came to know and yearn for Xiangxi through the works of the great writer Shen Congwen, and Fenghuang has almost become a pilgrimage site for cultured people; fourth, there is a lack of understanding of Zhangjiajie's native culture, and feeling insecure, people resort to borrowing others' brands to bluff—like someone who doubts their own fertility and decides to adopt someone else's child; fifth, there is a lack of self-awareness in safeguarding and protecting the Zhangjiajie brand. Since Xiangxi is not just a geographical concept but clearly an administrative prefecture, it is fundamentally different from expressions like "southern Hunan," "central Hunan," "northern Hunan," or "Dongting Lake area." Therefore, the use of terms like "Xiangxi" and "Xiangxi region" should be approached with particular caution.
South Korea's approach is worth noting. Everyone knows South Korea was deeply influenced by Han culture; their capital was called "Hanseong" before it was renamed "Seoul"; their national flag emblem is our taiji diagram of yin and yang fish; in the drama "Dae Jang Geum," much of the traditional culture originally came from China, yet it was turned into the "Korean Wave" and sold back to China for profit. To strengthen their people's cultural independence and self-awareness, they changed Hanseong to "Seoul" and preemptively registered the Dragon Boat Festival, which came from China, as their own world cultural heritage. Compare that with South Korea—they take what is clearly Chinese and make it Korean, while we take what is clearly Zhangjiajie's and insist on handing it over to Xiangxi! Isn't this phenomenon enough to make us reflect and reconsider? No one is born with foresight. I'm ashamed to say that I myself once wrote and published a large literary drama titled "Nine Songs of Xiangxi." The key is that when you discover something is wrong, that there's a problem, you must adjust in time—otherwise, once it becomes a collective unconscious cultural deficiency, the trouble will be enormous.
(2) On Zhangjiajie's history, ethnic groups, culture, and cultural spirit—also clarifying the confused understanding represented by four misconceptions.
1. Zhangjiajie has an ancient and long history—clarifying the misconception that "Zhangjiajie has no history."
From the 1980s to the early 1990s, 727 tombs from the Warring States period and the Han dynasties were excavated in the Yongding urban area, yielding over 1,600 cultural relics, including more than 50 known national first-class artifacts. Among them, several Chu tombs excavated at what is now the Xinye Jiayuan area had large burial mounds, and archaeological experts considered their specifications to be very high. At the "Guren Di" at the northern end of the Lishui Bridge, Neolithic artifacts were unearthed, with multiple cultural layers from the Warring States period and the Han dynasties. As early as the Chu State period, a city wall was built here, and during the Han, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties, county seats, commandery seats, and prefecture seats were established here. The multiplication table unearthed here has so far not been found anywhere else except Loulan in Xinjiang and nearby Liye in Longshan.
In the 1980s, archaeological excavations in this area achieved many key major breakthroughs. In Cili County alone, in 1986, one Paleolithic site, two Neolithic sites, and five Shang and Zhou dynasty sites were excavated. At Zhujiatai in Sangzhi, there is a Shang dynasty site that closely resembles a tile kiln—if confirmed, it would be the nation's first Shang kiln, because no Shang dynasty tile kiln has been found anywhere in the country to date. All of this shows that as early as 50,000 to 200,000 years ago in ancient times, and during the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods, the ancestors of this land had already been blazing trails and opening up the wilderness under this sky.
Two mountains closely adjacent to our central urban area—one is Chongshan, the other is Tianmen Mountain—have incredibly ancient histories. First, Chongshan. Historians have verified that for a long time Chongshan was the center of the Miao-Man culture in the Wuling region. Over 4,200 years ago, Emperor Shun exiled Huandou to Chongshan. The Western Han established Chong County, and the Sui established Chongzhou and Chongyi County, all named because of Chongshan. The people of Chongshan still retain the custom of not eating yellow eel, which is said to be related to Huandou.
Now about Tianmen Mountain, which stands shoulder to shoulder with Chongshan. Not long ago, when I was consulting historical records, I learned that Tianmen Mountain has cliff burials left by the ancient Pu people over 3,000 years ago, verified to be only slightly later than the cliff burials of Wuyi Mountain. In addition, legend has it that Chisongzi, the rain master of Shennong, refined elixirs here; during the Warring States period, the great strategist Guiguzi studied the I Ching here; during the Western Han, Zhang Liang left his footprints here; during the Eastern Han, General Fubo Ma Yuan stationed troops here; during the Three Kingdoms period, Tianmen Commandery was established because the Tianmen Cave opened; during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, this area established Beiheng Prefecture, with the prefecture seat in what is now the Yongding urban area—because at that time the Northern Zhou territory could not reach Mount Heng in the south, and to perform sacrifices to the Five Sacred Mountains, the Northern Zhou emperor designated Tianmen Mountain as the Southern Sacred Mountain, hence the name Beiheng Prefecture; during the Tang dynasty, temples were built here, and a Tang dynasty seven-star bronze sword unearthed from the temple site is a national first-class artifact; during the Yuan dynasty, the "Tianmen Academy" was established here; in the late Ming and early Qing, Li Zicheng's subordinate general Yefu served as abbot here. Over thousands of years, such figures who had significant impact on Chinese history appeared here—one can imagine how ancient this land's history is.
Now about the history of city-building. The Baigong City site, built during the Eastern Zhou period, is in what is now Cili County seat, and traces of the moat still remain. In 221 BC, when Qin Shi Huang unified China, this area belonged to Cigu County of Qianzhong Commandery, with the county office in what is now Taiping Village in Cili County seat—2,230 years ago. In the fifth year of the Western Han (202 BC), Lingyang County seat was established in Cili, and Chong County seat was established in what is now the Yongding urban area—2,211 years ago. In 264 AD, Tianmen Commandery was established, with the commandery office in what is now the Yongding urban area, so the history of establishing commanderies and prefectures here is also 1,745 years. Thereafter, during the Western and Eastern Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, and Tang periods, this place served as either a prefecture seat, a county seat, or both simultaneously; from 1371 AD, this was the location of the Yongding Guard City, a major military town. The Puguang Temple, built in the fourth year of Yongle in the Ming dynasty (1406), predates Beijing's Forbidden City by seven years, and its name was bestowed by the Yongle Emperor.
In summary, we have every reason to say with confidence: Zhangjiajie, coming from ancient times, is a magical and ancient land, a young yet ancient city.
2. Zhangjiajie's Tujia people are both authentic and uniquely distinctive—clarifying the misconception that "Zhangjiajie's Tujia people don't seem like an ethnic minority."
Recognizing an ethnic group is an extremely serious and cautious matter. The reason China's Tujia people were officially recognized by the state in 1957 is that they truly possess the basic elements of an ethnic group, namely a common language, a common territory, a common economic life, and a common cultural psychology. Among the many artifacts unearthed in Zhangjiajie, there are several extraordinary items that confirm from different angles: the Tujia are the ethnic group with the longest history of settlement in this area.
First, silkworm patterns on Neolithic pottery, water ripple patterns on Shang dynasty pottery, and vine combination patterns on Han dynasty pottery dou, unearthed respectively at Zhujiatai in Sangzhi, reflect traces of the indigenous ancestors' production and daily life and serve as important evidence for tracing Tujia origins. Second, the tiger-button chunyu (bronze musical instrument), was unearthed as early as the Song dynasty from the Nanwang Tomb at Fengxianggang; examples have been unearthed in both districts and both counties of the city across different eras. For instance, a tiger-button chunyu unearthed in the 1980s from Xinglong Township in Yongding is a national first-class artifact—this ancient military musical instrument is a unique marker of Tujia areas. Third, a bronze seal unearthed in Cili County seat, with the four characters "Yuan Yi Man Zhang" incised in intaglio, is important cultural relic material for studying ethnic minorities in the city area. Fourth, a Han dynasty bronze kneeling figurine, unearthed at the end of the 20th century at the Jishou University Zhangjiajie campus, is a national first-class artifact; through examination of its clothing and ornaments, it was determined to be a typical Tujia person. Fifth, eight-panel pleated skirts, unearthed at the end of the 20th century on Zi Wu West Road, as iconic Tujia women's clothing, are currently the only Ming dynasty original of its kind in China.
The greatest characteristic of Zhangjiajie's geographical environment is that it lies at the transitional junction from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to the Dongting Lake Plain, at the meeting point of Han and Tujia peoples. On one hand, it is located in the hinterland of the Wuling Mountain area, belonging to the Wuling Mountain indigenous cultural sphere; on the other hand, the Lishui River that flows through connects it with the convergence and collision of external cultures from Jingchu, Huxiang, and the Central Plains. In the long process of ethnic integration, the Tujia indeed experienced the historical fact of continuous "joining" by people from other ethnic groups. It is precisely for this reason that in multicultural exchange, the Tujia, on one hand, continuously absorbed various cultural elements with an all-embracing spirit, and on the other hand, did not lose their roots, still retaining some essential characteristics, basic elements, and cultural imprints of their own ethnic group. These include the Tujia's unique religion—"Tulaosi"; unique traditional festivals—celebrating "Gan Nian" and the Sixth of the Sixth Month; unique song and dance arts—Tima sacred songs, Maogusi, and Baishou dance; the unique ancient military musical instrument—the tiger-button chunyu; unique percussion music—Daliuzi; unique wind instrument—Dongdongkui; unique brocade craft—Xilankapu; a unique ethnic language; distinctive marriage and funeral customs such as crying marriage and circling the coffin in funeral dance; unique architectural arts—stilted houses and corner-turned buildings, and so on. Of these things that best showcase Tujia characteristics, except for the Tujia language, Tujia clothing, Tima sacred songs, Baishou dance, and crying marriage which are only preserved in a few remote villages, the rest have continued in the daily lives of Tujia people. In particular, the common ethnic cultural psychology has continued in the blood of the Tujia people.
3. Zhangjiajie's culture is uniquely distinctive—clarifying the misconception that "Zhangjiajie has no culture" (Part One)
Based on my rough survey of native culture, I believe there are at least five major types that are quite distinctive.
(1) "Three Tombs and Three Masters." The "Three Tombs" refer to the Tomb of Huandou at Chongshan on the outskirts of Yongding, the Tomb of King Nan at Dayongping on the outskirts of Yongding, and the Tomb of Zhang Liang at Shuirao Simen in the Wulingyuan Scenic Area. The "Three Masters" refer to Chisongzi, Guiguzi, and Quzi. These six famous figures from ancient times brought profound influence to Zhangjiajie's culture.
The Tomb of Huandou is at Chongshan. As mentioned earlier, Huandou was a minister during the time of Yao and Shun over 4,200 years ago, exiled here by Emperor Shun, and buried here after death. During the Sui dynasty, a Huandou Temple was built. This venerable Huandou can be considered the figure who pioneered the exiled-official culture of this area.
King Nan of Zhou was the last monarch of the Eastern Zhou, ascending the throne in 314 BC. The mainstream account is that after his death he was reburied at Dayongping where the Yong people lived. To this day, locals still call the Tomb of King Nan "King Nan Mountain." The Tomb of King Nan and the Tomb of Huandou at Chongshan face each other from afar. Local gazetteers record a verse left by the great Tang poet Wang Wei: "Yet I pity the lonely tomb near Huandou."
Zhang Liang was a founding meritorious official of the Western Han. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Zhang Liang "wished to abandon worldly affairs and follow Chisongzi in his wanderings." The Daoguang-era Yongding County Gazetteer of the Qing dynasty records: "Zhang Liang, said to have followed Chisongzi in his wanderings, has a tomb at Qingyan Mountain." Qingyan Mountain is what is now the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park area, where there are Songzi Ridge and Huangshi Village, said to be named after Chisongzi and Huangshi Gong who lived in seclusion there. Among local elders, some can still recite Zhang Liang's poems. Zhang Liang can be considered the figure who pioneered the reclusive culture of this area.
Chisongzi was the rain master during the time of Shennong. Legend has it that he practiced grain avoidance and health cultivation at today's Tianmen Mountain, cultivating the way of immortality. Remnants still exist today including Danzao Peak, Chisong Mountain, Chisong Flat, Chisong Village, Chisong Bridge, and Chisong Pavilion. The Wanli-era Cili County Gazetteer of the Ming dynasty records: "Chisong Mountain... where Chisongzi once practiced grain avoidance, extending dozens of li up and down, called Chisong Village. Locals worship his spirit, calling him King Chisong." Therefore Chisongzi is the originator of this area's health cultivation culture.
Guiguzi was a man of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a great strategist who founded the art of political maneuvering. On the northwestern cliff of Tianmen Mountain there is Guigu Cave. The Daoguang-era Yongding County Gazetteer of the Qing dynasty records: "It is said that Guiguzi lived here studying the I Ching; today on the stone wall there are jiazi seal-script characters." Today, explorers have found stone tables, stone stools, stone beds, and stone stoves in the cave, and have photographed images resembling Guiguzi facing the wall in meditation. Therefore Guiguzi is the named founder of this area's mysterious culture.
Quzi is Qu Yuan, the father of Chinese poetry and a world cultural celebrity. In his "Nine Songs" he praised "the orchids of the Li," and in "Li Sao" he sang of "the ruhui"—"ru" being the Ru River, a tributary of the upper Lishui. In Li Daoyuan's Commentary on the Water Classic, it is written that "the Ru River flows into the Li." Qu Yuan, who sang of the orchid-hearted and iris-natured "orchids of the Li" and "ruhui," is undoubtedly the earliest person to leave literary writing in this city area.
(2) Eight hundred years of Tusi culture and four hundred years of Weisuo culture. When I accompany guests up the mountain, I tell them that our region once had a Tusi period lasting nearly eight hundred years, and every guest is astonished. Because when you mention Tusi, people think of remote areas like Tibet and Yunnan, with a sense of mystery and distance. In fact, located in the heart of China, the Wuling Mountain area, with its high mountains, treacherous waters, and dangerous roads, was beyond the reach of successive feudal dynasties, so it naturally became a Tusi region. The Tusi system, which began with the Jimi prefecture-county system in the Tang and Song dynasties and matured in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, was, in plain terms, "ethnic autonomy" under the historical conditions of the time. This region successively included various Tusi territories of different sizes, such as Shixi (later divided into three: Shangdong Division, Zhongdong Division, and Xiadong Division), Sangzhi, Maliao, Jing'an, Shanyang, Maogang, Cili, and Bafan Shunyuan. In the fourth year of Kaibao in the Song Dynasty (971), the local official Xiang Kewu was granted the title of Xuanfu Commissioner of Shixi, becoming the earliest Tusi king in this region. The rise and fall of the Tusi spanned eight hundred years, through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. One of its most glorious chapters is that the Tusi of this region repeatedly received orders to lead local troops or assist in quelling domestic rebellions, or to go abroad on expeditions, or to fight against Japanese pirates along the southeast coast, repeatedly achieving military merit for safeguarding national unity and social stability.
More than 600 years ago, the Ming Dynasty implemented a military system nationwide with Weisuo as the main body. This region had two wei, Yongding and Jiuxi. A wei was equivalent to today's military sub-district, and a qianhu suo was equivalent to today's county-level armed forces department. Yongding Wei had six qianhu suo, and Jiuxi Wei had nine qianhu suo. The two wei had a total garrison of 10,500 soldiers. At that time, the two districts and two counties of this region were all under the jurisdiction of Cili County. One county having two wei was a very rare situation nationwide at the time. Marked by sending large numbers of officers and soldiers here for military farming, the Weisuo system began in the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368) and ended in the third year of Yongzheng (1725). It lasted nearly 400 years on this land, playing a positive role in easing social conflicts, promoting ethnic integration, and developing the local economy (reclaiming farmland, building towns, etc.). It brought extensive and profound influence to the local political, economic, military, cultural, and demographic patterns and living customs.
(3) Minority culture with the Tujia people as the main body. By the end of 2008, Zhangjiajie City had 18 ethnic minorities including Tujia, Bai, and Miao. The Tujia accounted for 63.36% of the city's total population, making them the main ethnic group of the city and also an indigenous ethnic group. Zhangjiajie, where the Tujia people live in concentrated communities, has been a place where various cultures converge since ancient times. The inheritance of Puyu culture, the integration of Yong culture, Ba culture, and Wuman culture, the infiltration of Chu culture, and the influence of Han culture constitute the diverse interplay of Tujia culture, creating a splendid ethnic culture amid ethnic integration. The internationally renowned famous musician Tan Dun has a special affection for the Tujia folk art of our city. With his international vision, he has repeatedly invited folk artists from our city to perform abroad, performing precisely such "local specialties" as Daliuzi, leaf blowing, Dongdongkui, Nuo opera, and folk songs. Again and again, this has verified the truth that the more ethnic something is, the more international it is.
Our city's ethnic culture has a very deep accumulation. Take the original ecological Sangzhi folk songs and the Wangjiaping Tujia stilted house customs belt as examples: that Sangzhi folk songs could be included in China's first batch of intangible heritage list is not accidental. As early as the 1950s and 1960s, Sangzhi folk singers repeatedly represented Hunan in national ethnic and folk art performances and national workers' art performances, and recorded many Sangzhi folk song records; as soon as the ten years of turmoil ended, in 1978 Hunan held its first provincial folk ballad live meeting, and the location was chosen in Sangzhi; a few years ago it also won the title of "Hometown of National Folk Songs"; among Hunan's hundreds of counties, Sangzhi is recognized throughout the province as the "big brother" of folk songs. In 2002, when Hunan-born singer Song Zuying held a solo concert in Vienna, the music capital, she sang our "Ma Sang Shu Er Da Deng Tai," which made us Zhangjiajie people very proud. There are also many nationally famous songs that were successfully created under the inspiration and influence of Sangzhi folk songs and on the basis of absorbing elements of Sangzhi folk songs. For example, the interlude "Farewell" in the film "Angry Tide" was influenced by "Four Seasons Flowers Bloom"; "Carrying Tea on a Shoulder Pole to Beijing" was influenced by "Sang Wood Shoulder Pole Soft and Slippery"; "Land of Fish and Rice in Dongting" was influenced by "White Crane Rises with Long Legs"; and the Sanbanggu performed in the opera "Red Guards of Honghu" was influenced by the Sanbanggu melody of our area.
As for the Wangjiaping Tujia stilted house customs belt, it is a rare and non-renewable original ecological ethnic customs resource area in Zhangjiajie City. The landscape there is already very beautiful, and amid the picturesque mountains and waters there are unexpectedly large stretches of new and old stilted houses, as well as very rich ethnic and folk culture. In addition to distinctive architectural culture, farming culture, food culture, weaving and embroidery culture, funeral culture, witch and Nuo culture, and singing culture all have deep foundations. From the 1920s to the early 1950s, this area produced a folk singer in the style of Liu Sanjie named Zhang Taomei. Wherever she opened a song venue, a market actually sprang up; villagers threw the pulled rice seedlings into the paddy fields, ready to transplant them, but in order to hear her sing, the seedlings lay in the fields for one or two days with no one tending them. See how great her influence was! The first time I went to a farmer's home in Wangjiaping, the host was transplanting rice in the seedling field and stood up to welcome us by singing; when we finished eating and said goodbye, he again saw us off with song. In Wangjiaping I watched local people perform "Haocao Luogu" and sing Taiping songs, and witnessed the scene of the folk female singer Gong Guimei competing in song with a group of male singers. Therefore, if we build well the "core" of urban tourism in the central urban area, and at the same time protect and develop original ecological cultural brands such as Sangzhi folk songs and the Wangjiaping Tujia stilted house dwelling customs belt, then there will be natural scenery to see on the mountain, leisure and entertainment provided in the city, and folk customs in the countryside. Our variety will then be complete. Tourists will no longer need to abandon what is near to seek what is far, insisting on going elsewhere to see ancient towns and minority villages.
(4) Red culture represented by the red separatist regimes during the Agrarian Revolutionary War. Our city was the base camp of the Hunan-Hubei-Western Revolutionary Base, the seat of the provincial government of the Hunan-Hubei-Sichuan-Guizhou Border Region, the birthplace of the Red Second Front Army (formerly the Red Second and Sixth Army Corps), one of the three main forces of the Red Army, and the starting point of the Long March for the Red Second and Sixth Army Corps. The Communists and Red Army officers and soldiers represented by He Long, Ren Bishi, Xiao Ke, and Wang Zhen created countless heroic deeds and legends here that shook heaven and earth and moved gods and ghosts. It is a rich mine of red culture. Just He Long alone—how many stories and legends there are! There is an enormous amount of material on the Red Second Front Army, enough for you to excavate and enough for you to develop. For example, my work "The Seventy-Two Widows of the He Long Family" reflects from one side the enormous contributions made and the enormous price paid by the people of Hongjiaguan during those years of blood and fire, when the red storm and white terror were interwoven.
(5) Ecological culture prominently marked by sandstone peak forest landforms. The geological wonders prominently marked by Zhangjiajie's sandstone peak forest landforms, as well as the geological and aesthetic value of Tianmen Mountain, Tianmen Cave, Huanglong Cave, Baofeng Lake, Maoyan River Grand Canyon, and others, have received authoritative recognition through being listed as China's first batch of World Natural Heritage sites and China's first batch of World Geoparks. Among them, Zhangjiajie's large sandstone peak forest, Tianmen Cave, and the "father of dinosaurs" Furong dragon fossil are three earth monuments that Zhangjiajie has contributed to humanity and can be called unique copies. Badagongshan, "the best-preserved subtropical primeval forest," was designated by the State Council in 1986 as one of China's first batch of national nature reserves; in 1993 the United Nations included it in the first batch of members of "Man and the Biosphere," as well as one of China's 17 key areas of global significance for biodiversity, while the World Wide Fund for Nature listed it as one of the world's 200 important ecoregions. Among our city's 3 national forest parks, one is China's first national forest park. Our city has China's largest natural Davidia involucrata community, China's largest natural Wuling pine community, China's currently largest black bear community, China's only national-level giant salamander nature reserve, the world's largest "Davidia King" and "Eucommia King," and China's largest Phellodendron base and Eucommia base. Our city's forest coverage rate has ranked first in the province for 20 consecutive years, and its air quality ranks first among the province's 6 key environmental protection cities. In addition, many lakes such as Jiangya Pinghu, many karst caves such as Jiutian Cave, many drifting sites such as the Lishui and Loushui rivers, and many hot springs such as Jiangya and Wanfu together highlight our city's extremely rich geological culture and landscape ecological culture.