Folk tales of Gaixia (Lingbi County, Suzhou City)
The Battle of Gaixia in 202 BC not only left many cultural relics in Lingbi County, but also circulated a large number of vivid and beautiful folk legends in the form of intangibles. The folk legends of Gaixia are well-known in Lingbi County. They are everywhere and can be blurted out. It mainly revolves around the decisive battle of Chu and Han at Gaixia, the story of the Han army and the princes' army besieging and annihilating Xiang Yu's 100,000 Chu troops at Gaixia. The Han army set up ambushes on all sides and surrounded the Chu army on all sides, which made Xiang Yu's army defeated like a mountain, and staged a historical live drama of Farewell My Concubine. The legends of "Han Xin's Generals' Platform", "Lookout Tower", "General's Tomb", "Gold and Silver Mountain", "Ba Li Pu", "San Chu Mountain", "Chui Xiao Platform", "Yinling Mountain", "Ba Li Jian", "Unintentional Well", "Ba Wang Chair", "Ten Sides of Ambush", "Golden Head Tomb", "Blood Mountain", "Chui Jing Well", "Spider Web Mountain", "Ding Gong Mountain", "Ba Wang Temple" and so on are widely circulated in the county, reflecting the cruel decisive battle of Chu and Han at Gaixia from different aspects. The Gaixia folklore is based on the love story of the protagonist Xiang Yu and Yu Ji, and is based on the historical record of the Battle of Gaixia. It uses the local place names, mountains, rivers, etc. as carriers of the legendary story, and intersperses historical figures of the Chu-Han War and the Battle of Gaixia. The content of the legend is very complete, with ups and downs in the plot, telling the tragic story of the decisive battle of Gaixia. The spread of Gaixia folk tales has had a profound impact on the fields of literature and drama from ancient times to the present, especially the story of Farewell My Concubine, which has influenced both at home and abroad. The beautiful love story of Xiang Yu and Yu Ji, who are steadfast and faithful, highlights the glory of human nature and embodies the value orientation of traditional culture. Gaixia folklore is a unique regional cultural brand and an important intangible cultural heritage. Protecting and inheriting Gaixia folklore will make greater contributions to the prosperity and development of local economy and culture in the new era!