The Decline of Dengnuo Village
Text and Photos by Shunan Mai
In Chinese history, salt, which was once extremely precious, has determined the fate of this remote little village that stands before me today. Once a bustling commercial hub along the ancient Tea Horse Road, its prosperity lasted for a thousand years.
At the dilapidated house at the village entrance, if it weren't for the sign marking the old site of Dengnuo Well, it would be hard to believe that this well brought fame and fortune to the village for a millennium.
The Glory is Gone
The Wanli Yunnan General Gazetteer records: "During the Han Dynasty, there were two famous wells in Yunnan: Anning Well and Yunlong Well." According to the New Compiled Yunnan General Gazetteer, today's Nuo Deng Well is the same as the Yunlong Well from the Han Dynasty. In the book "The Barbarian Regions" written by Fan Chuo in 863 AD, there is a record stating, "Jianchuan has a fine Nuo Deng Well." Here, "Jianchuan" refers to the Jianchuan Military Governor established by the Nanzhao Kingdom in 794 AD. Experts have confirmed that this "fine Nuo Deng" is today's Nuo Deng Well in Yunlong County. For over 1,100 years, the name of Nuo Deng Village has never changed, which is a geographical miracle for such a remote small village.
Standing in this timeless little village, I always hear a beautiful sound echoing through the valley, crisp and melodious, faint yet present. At first, I didn't know what this sound was, but something about it subtly moved me. Could I stay here, watching the sunrise and sunset, clouds rolling and dispersing? For a traveler or a wanderer, arriving here might feel like coming home, wanting to stop and rest for a while, even just sleeping one night, listening to the insect chirps and wind sounds, as well as that unnamed, clear and pleasant sound that occasionally rings in dreams - the famous spring.
According to historical records, since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up Yunnan, this area became renowned for producing high-quality well salt, leading to the establishment of "Bi Su County" ("Bi" being the Bai language word for "salt," pronounced "bi" in Chinese, "Su" meaning Verona, referring to "people" in the Tibeto-Burman language group). Throughout history, various dynasties set up official institutions here, such as the "Jianchuan Military Governor," "Yongchang Prefecture," and "Five Salt Wells Tax Office." In Chinese history, the once very precious salt determined the destiny of this remote little village, which stood along the Tea Horse Road as a major commercial center for a thousand years.
Today, however, Nuo Deng is obscure and unknown. In the dilapidated house at the village entrance, if it weren't for the sign marking the old site of the Nuo Deng Well, it would be hard to believe that this well brought renown and wealth to the village for a thousand years. Now, the well truly appears aged. When I peered inside through the window, all I saw was a room full of stagnant water with some plastic bags floating on the surface. This Western Han salt well has left nothing behind. I suddenly remembered a pair of eyes filled with murky tears; Nuo Deng, are you indeed an old man on his last legs?
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