Berlin Gully

　　The ancient town of Berlin Gully is located in Yuanba District, Guangyuan City, Sichuan Province. According to the Guangyuan County Annals from the Daoguang era: “The ancestor (Liu Bei) left the Central General Huo Jun to guard Jiameng. After Shu was stabilized, Jiameng was abolished and relocated to the eastern foothills of the mountain, renamed Hanzhou. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Jiameng County belonged to Guanghan Commandery of Yizhou, situated southeast of present-day Zhaohua County in Baoning Prefecture, Sichuan—now known as Bobailong Fort and Berlin Post in Guangyuan—which was the former site of Jiameng.”

　　Berlin Gully is situated at a strategic point along the ancient Shu Road. After the Han Dynasty, due to the vulnerability of the eastern defenses of Shu, a fortress was built at Berlin Post on the southern route of the Shu Road to establish military defense, linking it with cities such as Langyuan through the Shu Road network. To the east lies the perilous terrain of Jiulong Mountain, to the south the towering Yan Deng Mountain, to the west the barriers of Jianmen and Niutou Mountains, and to the north the support of Meiling Pass. However, as the main route into Shu shifted, Berlin Gully became an obscure and secluded rural outpost unknown to outsiders. Yet “a blessing in disguise”—Berlin Gully has preserved its ancient charm to this day, with well-maintained traditional residences that can be regarded as “specimens” of surviving northern Sichuan vernacular architecture. Over 500 meters of ancient flagstone streets remain, lined with traditional wooden-beam structures that still evoke the ambience of the Shu Road. At the heart of the street stands the three-story “Kuixing Pavilion” (also known as the Bell-Drum Tower or God of Wealth Tower), which rises 15 meters high. The upper level is the Kuixing Tower, the middle section serves as a performance stage, while the ground floor allows the flagstone street to pass right through the building. In the old days, traveling theater troupes were invited to perform on the street, drawing crowds from surrounding villages who gathered to watch, creating a bustling and vibrant scene. Looking at these remnants stirs memories—the resonant sounds of Qinqiang opera and Sichuan melodies, the deafening drums and firecrackers, and the laughter echoing through the streets seem to come alive once more.

　　　At the entrance of the flagstone street stands an ancient temple named Guangshan Temple. The temple originated in the Han Dynasty, continued through the Tang and Song Dynasties, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, was later repurposed as a grain storage facility after Buddhism was suppressed, and has now been fully restored. The Buddha statues have been reinstalled, Buddhist chants have returned, and devout worshippers continue to visit, with incense burning more fervently with each passing day. Within the temple are two towering ancient cypress trees, said to have been planted by the Shu general Zhang Fei when he led his troops through here. Standing over 30 meters tall, they are lush and leafy, like two giant parasols flanking the temple entrance. Their treetops are often filled with crows that fly in at dawn and return at dusk, year after year, forming a notable local spectacle. Standing at the gate of Guangshan Temple, with ancient cypresses overhead and a gentle breeze blowing, one can see wisps of cooking smoke rising from the old street, occasionally spotting a farmer leading an old ox down the lane. The rhythmic clopping of hooves on the ancient flagstones creates an ethereal sound that harmonizes with the temple’s wooden fish chimes. At such moments, one can’t help but be transported by thoughts of ancient moonlit passes and the poetry of the Tang and Song dynasties, pondering the vastness of the universe and the brevity of life. This scene feels like a world apart from the neon lights and hustle of the outside world. With eyes gently closed and the mind calm as still water, undisturbed by any waves, one forgets favor and disgrace, and the soul and spirit are both cleansed by the ancient ambiance of this town.

　　Berlin Gully boasts five scenic spots known as the “Five Hazes”: the Golden Haze Temple representing yellow, the Crimson Haze Temple representing red, the Black Haze Temple representing black, the White Haze Temple representing white—these four temples are the four great forest shrines of Berlin Gully—while the one representing blue is an ancient bridge called Lanxi Bridge.

　　Lanxi Bridge spans the river in downtown Berlin Gully. During the Ming Dynasty, it was a wooden bridge, but was later destroyed by floods. In the fifth year of the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt as a six-arch stone flat bridge, only to be washed away again during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that during the Western Han Dynasty, Wei Kuiyuan, a poor scholar from the village, and Lan Ruilian, the daughter of a wealthy family, met and fell in love on Lan Bridge, pledging to be together. However, the Lan family looked down on Wei’s humble background and refused the marriage, betrothing Ruilian to a powerful local family instead. Defying feudal marriage conventions, Miss Lan resisted and secretly continued her romance with Scholar Wei. Before her arranged marriage, she agreed to meet him at midnight on Lan Bridge to elope. Wei arrived on time, but Miss Ruilian, closely watched by her parents, was delayed. Suddenly, a flash flood rose rapidly, gradually submerging the bridge. Loyal to their promise, Wei clung to the bridge railing and refused to leave, eventually drowning. When the flood receded and Miss Ruilian arrived, she found her beloved dead. Overcome with grief, she threw herself into the Lanxi River. The next morning, the Lan family sent people to retrieve her body, but after searching several miles downstream, there was no sign of her. Villagers watching from both banks of the Lanxi River saw two colorful pheasants rise from the crystal-clear waters, circling and calling to each other in sorrowful cries before flying off into the sky. Since then, on every full moon night, two pheasants have been seen dancing and calling around Lanxi Bridge and the “Five Hazes.” They would mirror each other by the stream, singing beautifully. Greedy hunters tried to catch them but never succeeded. Local folk artists turned this tragic love story into the Sichuan opera “Lan Bridge Sacrifice to the River,” which has been passed down for a thousand years, inspiring generations of young men and women to fight for free love.