Binzhou：An Archaic World Behind the Bustling Downtown

Huo Li

Beyond the natural landscape， Nannings ancient towns attract visitors who look for an authentic experience. Although hundreds of years have passed by， Binzhou Ancient Town is just as it used to be， free from the noise of swarming tourists for it had not been over-developed as a tourist destination. As an unspoiled corner in Binyang County， Nanning， Binzhou is quite peaceful. People here have lived in a more traditional way and kept their original festivals.

A glimpse of Binzhou

Binzhou Ancient Town is located in the south central part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， about 60 kilometers away from the provincial capital Nanning City. Located in Binyang County， Binzhou is one of the four ancient towns in Guangxi， and as well as the center of politics， economy， culture and education of Binyang County.

The existing old houses in the traditional ancient town on both sides of the street are mostly the construction pattern of the old shops. They are typical Jiangnan brick and concrete structures， mostly one- or two-story buildings. Some of the houses on the upper floors are no longer inhabited， but the beautiful ones are still vague. It can be seen that there are basically balconies on the second floor， and you can see the entire street from the upper floor. There are daily necessities in the shops on the street. Although they are not high-end， and some are not packaged， they are still on the street. They will buy some to take home on the road.

The front steps of all the buildings are paved with bluestone slabs. The bluestone slabs between the households are connected together what looks like two slate edges. Many shops have old wooden windows， and there are squares that can be disassembled at any time. Some have a round hole. It is the passage of “hands-on， and one-hand delivery” when the ancient shops are closed at night.

In terms of food， Binyang people love to eat sour rice noodles， and there are many noodles shops. Sour rice noodles is a kind of cold noodles. Mix the sweet and sour sauce with steamed tofu， and bacon beef， fried meat， sour bean sprouts， peanuts， minced garlic， raw pepper， etc. The sour， sour and tasteful acid noodles is in front of your eyes. Binyang sour rice noodles is famous for its unique tenderness， sweet and sour taste， which is crispy and attractive.

It is said that the origin of sour rice noodles is closely related to the famous general Di Qing in the Song Dynasty （960-1279）. During the Song Emperors reign， Di Qing was ordered to lead the troops to the south to suppress Yu Zhigaos “anti-army”. At the beginning of the year of 1053， the army of Di Qing arrived in the ancient city of Binzhou. Because the soldiers were hard to bear the heat of the south， they were not satisfied with the condition. They grind the rice into pulp， make rice noodles， add sweet and sour， soy beans， fried meat and other condiments， and eat cold， so that the soldiers have great appetite. The sour rice noodles， what made a decisive effort for the defeat of the “anti-army”， has been passed down to the present.

The oriental carnival

In the ancient town of Binzhou， there is a traditional festival — the Firecracker Dragon Festival， which is listed in the Chinese intangible cultural heritage.

The Firecracker Dragon Festival is a unique traditional festival in Binyang County， Guangxi. It is a comprehensive folk festival in which the Han and Zhuang cultures are celebrated together. It has a distinct and rich national color. It is held on the eleventh day of the first month on traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

The Firecracker Dragon Festival has a long history and different origins， but the most festive expression is that it originated from the Song Dynasty when Di Qing and the Nong Zhigao at war in the Kunlun Pass. In the year of 1053， Song Dynastys famous leader Di Qing in order to paralyze the Zhuang leader of a rebellion — Nong Zhigao， on the eve of the Lantern Festival， Di Qing ordered the banquet for three days， and let the soldiers dance， calling on the households of the family. The firecrackers screamed and cheered the party， and the scene in the city was full of joy. When in the middle of the night， Di Qing led the elite soldiers to attack the Kunlun Pass， and won the war in a few hours. Residents of the city have always believed that the artillery dragon is auspicious. Every year， the artillery dragons must be eager to celebrate， and the carnival continues and continues until nowadays.

The Firecracker Dragon Festival includes activities such as a color frame， a lantern festival， and a dancing dragon. The squadron was commanded by the chief commander （also known as the head of the organization）. The dragon dancers were all shirtless and wearing the caps of the officers and men of the Qing Dynasty （both with the material of bamboo and in the color of black）. Wherever the dragon goes， each household would welcome the dragon with firecrackers and put out the firecrackers prepared in advance and throw them to the dragon. There is a saying： “the sound of the firecrackers is not stopped； the dragon dance is not limited”. So it is called the Firecracker Dragon. The dragon is scheduled to be consecrated at the temple or community at 7 oclock that night. The head will bite the roosters crown， and after the blood of the cockscomb lighted the opening of the eye of the dragon， the dragon could dance.

In recent years， special brands such as “Binyang Dragons Dance” have attracted many tourists from home and abroad to participate， and it is called “Oriental Carnival”.

Residents of the city have always believed that the artillery dragon is auspicious. Every year， the artillery dragons must be eager to celebrate， and the carnival continues and continues until nowadays.