One day in late September in the tenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1637 AD), a small boat went upstream on the Zuojiang River in Guangxi and sailed to Xinning Prefecture (now Fusui County, Chongzuo City).
It was nearly afternoon, and there stood a man over 50 years old on the bow of the boat. His face was bronze, his face pale yellow, and he was dusty. He looked at the scenery on both sides of the river, sometimes rubbing his beard in admiration, and sometimes taking out a pen to record. Many years later, the man left a book called "Xu Xiake's Travels", and there is a large chapter called "The Journey to the West of Guangdong". What he saw on the left river that day, he wrote - "In the midst of the stone peaks on a boat, it can be curved to the left, or curved to the right, with a cliff on his back. One after another, both around this and around that, although it does not form a gorge of clouds, it is like a shuttle of latitude, like a butterfly through the clumps, and it is inexhaustible, nothing more than this. And when the river arrives in Xinning, not the special stone mountain wins the most, but the stone bank is especially strange. "
In the evening, the boat docked, and the man knocked on the door of a family by the river. In Jiangsu dialect, he called himself Xu Xiake. He had enjoyed traveling in the mountains and rivers all his life. This time, he came south to enjoy the beautiful scenery of western Guangdong.
The elderly homeowner looked at the closed dishes carried by the guests, and hurriedly welcomed future people into the house, killing chickens, cooking fish, and treating the guests.
After a few glasses of rice wine, Xu Xiake's face turned slightly red and asked the old man what famous attractions were nearby.
The old man said that our landscapes here are nothing special. Xu Xiake shook his head and said no, your landscapes here are no worse than those in Guilin, but the journey is long and unknown to outsiders. Then Xu Xiake depicted the Lijiang River swimming in Guilin, recounted the Ma'anshan climbing in Liuzhou, recalled the Luo Congyan passing through in Guiping, admired the hook holes appreciated in Beiliu, and traced the Duliu Mountain climbing in Rong County.
The old man was a dealer when he was young, and he used to walk around Annan's place. Walking around the border for many years, he has seen many strange customs and customs, and he has also enjoyed many border mountains and rivers. "The water you mentioned just now is probably not as good as the place I have seen." He said drunkenly, "It's really water from the sky."
"Heavenly water?" Hearing this, Xu Xiake's slightly drunk eyes suddenly lit up again.
The old man said that the place was located in the dense mountains and forests of Xialetu Prefecture (now Daxin County, Chongzuo City) in Xinning Prefecture. "The river water tumbled down from a cliff more than 50 meters high, hit the rock, splashed everywhere, and the water mist was hazy. From a distance, it looked like silk hanging in the sky, and from a close look, it was like flying beads splashing jade. Through the refraction of sunlight, it was colorful, and the sound of water shook the river valley."
Hearing the description of the old man, Xu Xiake looked at the dark distance with yearning.
"There is still a part of the river in front of our village that flows down from there, called the Guichun River." The old man said, "However, it's not that simple to go there! Take a boat first, then walk, and it's a sheep's intestine trail. If you are not careful, you will get lost in the vast mountains. Not to mention that the Annan people are ambitious and often cross the border to loot and kill people. I advise you not to go!"
Xu Xiake stood up and said, "No, how could I miss such a good place? Draw a picture for me, I must find it!"
The old man drew a sketch from his memory. Xu Xiake took it, his face full of excitement. The next day, at dawn, he bid farewell to the old man and set off for his destination.
It was about October of that year, that is, half a month after leaving Xinning Prefecture, Xu Xiake finally touched the mountains and fields that were still dozens of miles away from "Tianshui".
At first, there were still some villages along the Guichun River. Every time Xu Xiake went to a village, he would ask people about it, but many people had never heard of "Tianshui."
One afternoon, Xu Xiake touched a small mountain village. It was hidden among the green mountains and rivers. The villagers lived in dry bars, and there was livestock downstairs, and people lived upstairs. The women used bamboo tubes to carry water, beat stones and beat rice, and the people worked in the fields during the day and sang folk songs at night. The men walked in slippers, and the women were barefoot. After a busy day, the villagers would jump into the Guichun River for a dip to wash away their tiredness and fatigue.
Xu Xiake rested in the village for a day and continued to follow the Guichun River. Finally, a day later, when he climbed a mountain at night, he heard a loud "clatter" sound. That night, he slept with a loud "clatter" sound and dreamed of waterfalls, splashing into the sky. He also dreamed of rainbows.
The next day, as soon as the sun peeked out, Xu Xiake woke up. He simply ate some food sent by the natives and continued to advance towards the place where the "clattering" sound was made.
Suddenly, he saw a few figures shaking at the bottom of the tree not far away. When he reached out to say hello, he suddenly saw one of them carrying a few bloody heads.
"Ah?!" Xu Xiake was so scared that he got into the grass and didn't dare to come out. "Could it be that they are the legendary Annan Bing?"
Just then, a dog barked in the distance. The group heard the dog barking, took up spears and spears, and shouted to chase after him.
Xu Xiake secretly complained, the source of the "clatter" was close at hand, could it be that he just turned around like that? But if he was caught by these people, his life would be difficult to protect, and the travel notes written along the way would also be burned.
"Providence!" Xu Xiake let out a long sigh, and finally gave up and continued to move forward, turning around and fleeing into the dense forest. Behind him, the hound barked.
He didn't know how many hills he had run over, but Xu Xiake was too tired to walk before stopping. He pricked up his ears and could no longer hear barking of the dog, but the sound of "crashing" also disappeared. Then Xu Xiake took the road to Long'an and returned to Nanning.
Historical records: In 1638 AD (the eleventh year of Chongzhen), Annan invaded the border of Guangxi and looted villages.
On March 27, the 11th year of Chongzhen, Xu Xiake left Nandan in Guangxi and entered Guizhou. During his trip to Guizhou, he encountered Huangguoshu Waterfall and investigated and recorded it. Some people say Xu Xiake discovered Huangguoshu Waterfall before it became famous. Unfortunately, he missed Detian Waterfall on the Sino-Vietnamese border forever.
If Huangguoshu Waterfall is a majestic man, then Detian Waterfall is a dignified and demure lady of a famous family. You know, the water volume of Detian Waterfall is three times that of Huangguoshu Waterfall. It is the largest multinational waterfall in Asia, and is integrated with the Banyo Waterfall in Vietnam. It is like a pair of close sisters.
In October 2018, Detian Waterfall was rated as a national AAAAA tourist attraction in China. If Xu Xiake were in heaven, he would have sighed at this time: "Unfortunately, a turn around 381 years ago made me miss a wonderful place in the world!"