Local China - Fubao Field

Author: Chen Zhihua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Fubao Town is a significant religious center in a vast area, hence it was once called Fubao Town. There are at least fourteen temples and shrines on the streets, occupying about one-third of the town's land. There are also more temples outside the town. Temples often serve as venues for folk cultural activities, either for performances or temple fairs. Throughout the year, Fubao Town is always lively, making it a cultural center of the region. As a hub for economy, religion, and culture, and a transportation junction for both water and land routes, it naturally became a place where the Gelaohui (Brotherhood Society) activities, which were prevalent across Sichuan Province, thrived. All of these, combined with the unique customs of immigrants, have made Fubao Town's historical and cultural heritage exceptionally rich and deeply rooted in local traditions.
After 1949, Fubao underwent a series of changes. The role of its religious center weakened, and cultural activities were organized by the cultural center instead. Opium dens, gambling houses, and brothels disappeared, but the old layout of the town remained unchanged. Fubao Town's fortune lies in the fact that its new district has already taken shape. Its geographical conditions allow the new district to develop without interfering with the preservation of the old street, and the old street does not hinder the new district's growth. However, the old street will undoubtedly retain its vitality in the long run, which is the special vitality of cultural relics and historical heritage.
The landscape of Fubao Old Street is also deeply moving—it is filled with romantic fantasies, poetic charm, and a sense of vicissitudes. It carries a historical solemnity. No wonder several movies and TV dramas have been filmed here, and photographers and painters continue to come to sketch. Fubao Town is a significant religious center in a vast area, hence it was once called Fubao Town. There are at least fourteen temples and shrines on the streets, occupying about one-third of the town's land. There are also more temples outside the town. Temples often serve as venues for folk cultural activities, either for performances or temple fairs. Throughout the year, Fubao Town is always lively, making it a cultural center of the region. As a hub for economy, religion, and culture, and a transportation junction for both water and land routes, it naturally became a place where the Gelaohui (Brotherhood Society) activities, which were prevalent across Sichuan Province, thrived. All of these, combined with the unique customs of immigrants, have made Fubao Town's historical and cultural heritage exceptionally rich and deeply rooted in local traditions.
After 1949, Fubao underwent a series of changes. The role of its religious center weakened, and cultural activities were organized by the cultural center instead. Opium dens, gambling houses, and brothels disappeared, but the old layout of the town remained unchanged. Fubao Town's fortune lies in the fact that its new district has already taken shape. Its geographical conditions allow the new district to develop without interfering with the preservation of the old street, and the old street does not hinder the new district's growth. However, the old street will undoubtedly retain its vitality in the long run, which is the special vitality of cultural relics and historical heritage.
The landscape of Fubao Old Street is deeply moving—it is filled with romantic fantasies, poetic charm, and a sense of time's passage. It carries a historical solemnity. No wonder several movies and TV dramas have been filmed here, and photographers and painters continue to come to sketch.