Inscriptions on the lintel of an ancient gate in Hancheng
The ancient lintel inscriptions in Hancheng are distributed in every village and village in Hanyuan, among which Dangjia Village and Jincheng District are the most representative. Dangjia Village is located in the northeast of Hancheng City. It is a national key cultural relic protection unit and a national historical and cultural village. There are more than 100 complete traditional courtyard houses with a long history, simple and elegant, compact layout, exquisite craftsmanship, and exquisite and exquisite gatehouses that are particularly eye-catching. The strong cultural characteristics of Hancheng courtyard houses are not only reflected in architectural art, but also in the lintel inscriptions, couplets, and wall-carved family mottos of every household. Lintel inscriptions reached their peak in the courtyards during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. From the content of the ancient lintel inscriptions, the earliest "Three Huai Family" and "Yanling Old Family" are all symbols of family surnames. Ancient lintel inscriptions as symbols of power and nobility, such as "Father and Son Censor", "Ten Horses Gaoxuan", "Tai Shidi", etc., are everywhere in Dangjia Village, where literary fortunes are prosperous. Ordinary people write their beliefs and pursuits on their door lintels as symbols. Such lintels are most common in Hancheng, such as "filial piety, brotherhood, kindness", "humility brings benefits", "harmony is the most precious", etc. The inscriptions on the ancient door lintels must mention saints and sages, and the words must come from the Six Classics. The content is rich and colorful, and the meaning is profound; the calligraphy of the inscriptions is mostly from the hands of literati and famous masters, coupled with exquisite carving skills, showing the unique cultural charm of the hometown of literature and history. To this day, door lintel inscriptions are still popular in urban and rural areas of Hancheng. The difference is that the content is more contemporary, and the unique cultural connotation of the ancient door lintel inscriptions has faded a lot. With the development of society, folk houses are constantly innovating. Some ancient door lintel inscriptions with great cultural connotations and ornamental value are damaged and disappeared year by year, and it is difficult to repair and preserve them. In addition, young people know little about this, and there are very few who participate in preservation and research. As a special cultural form, the ancient door lintel inscriptions in Hancheng urgently need to invest a lot of manpower and material resources to rescue and protect them, and inherit and carry forward them. (No pictures available, please provide them.) (No pictures available, please provide them.)