——《寻秘巫溪》序
巫溪县政协主席
巫溪县地处渝东鄂西陕南，山川形胜，人文荟萃，地灵人杰，大自然的禀赋与数千年的文化积淀，形成丰厚的人文生态旅游资源宝藏。巫溪是春申君的故里、巫文化的鼻祖、制盐业的摇篮、原生态的净土、日光浴的圣地，素有“峡郡桃源”之美誉。
据史料记载，巫溪先民赖盐而生，因盐立国，史称“巫咸国”，距今已有5000多年的盐业文明史。历史上的巫溪因宁厂古镇的自然盐泉形成的制盐业远近闻名，繁荣兴旺，吸引了四面八方的盐商，万灶盐烟，商贾云集。成为秦巴山区名副其实的商贸物流中心。这里的食盐沿着盐马古道北上陕西、湖北各省，南走大宁河水路出长江，远销中原各地，盐业生产成为巫溪县的经济命脉。巫盐文化底蕴深厚，源远流长，让每一个巫溪人都感到无比骄傲和自豪。
新中国成立以来，随着科学技术的发展，生产力水平的不断提高，大量的井盐被发现和开采，巫溪的自然盐泉因含盐量低，熬制的成本高而渐渐失去了生命力。1996年，宁厂盐场停止生产，燃烧了几千年的盐灶烟火从此熄灭。古镇的兴衰与盐业息息相关，这里的居民们开始陆续迁走，古镇逐渐变得萧条冷落起来。但是，宁厂古镇是三峡库区唯一一个没有被淹没的古镇，她是巫溪历史文化的缩影，一直保留着原汁原味的风貌特色，是一座巫盐文化的艺术宝库，充满着无限的魅力。
在改革开放的今天，巫溪县的经济社会发展步伐不断加快，变化日新月异。改造复建的大宁古城古朴典雅，彰显出厚重的历史风情；新城建设快速发展，建筑风貌独具特色；城市管理规范有序，城市环境整洁亮丽。同时，围绕退耕还林工程的实施，大力加强生态保护，建设生态文明，取得了显著成效，巫溪人民的生产生活环境正在发生日新月异的变化。巫溪县委、县政府从实际出发，提出了大力发展生态旅游，打造“全国人文生态旅游胜地”的奋斗目标，全县上下已形成共识，正在稳步推进，不远的将来一定会变为现实。
在漫长的历史长河中，勤劳勇敢智慧的巫溪人民创造出了辉煌灿烂的地域文化。为贯彻重庆市政协的统一部署，积极配合县委、县政府做好旅游产业这篇大文章，巫溪县政协决定组织编辑重庆市旅游文史系列丛书巫溪分册——《寻秘巫溪》，旨在为宣传巫溪的旅游文化尽一份力。
巫溪的旅游资源十分丰富，文化积淀非常深远。全县有7大旅游景区、380个旅游景点。这里有挺拔的脊梁——阴条岭，是重庆的最高峰，原始森林，奇特伟岸；这里有沉睡的“南国天山”——南方最大的高山草场红池坝，茫茫草原，宽广多姿；堪称大宁河峡谷之冠的妙峡，奇妙莫测，空灵逍遥；大官山辽阔高远，沉静深邃；盐业文明的鼻祖——宁厂古镇旧址，犹如一幅摄人心魄的图画，沧桑绝美；大宁河从远古走来，向大江奔流，孕育了扑朔迷离的巫盐文化、栈道悬棺……这些秀丽风光和人文历史，无疑是大自然对巫溪人民的慷慨馈赠。
流泉飞瀑、幽峡峻峰、怪石奇洞，营造出巫溪的自然美；白鹿逐泉、岩棺栈道，丰富了巫溪的神秘美；古镇古城、古观古寺，渲染和浓缩了巫巴文化的风情美。
翻开《寻秘巫溪》这本书，你可以从中追寻纯净自然，触摸灵山秀水，感受异质文化，体味山乡风土人情；可以感受到这块土地上演绎的历史文化的筋骨脉络、兴衰沉浮和嬗变轨迹。由此去解读神秘，探访足迹，品味魅力，熟悉和了解巫溪，陶醉于这里的自然风光、人文风情。不到巫溪有遗憾，到了巫溪醉忘返！
走进巫咸古国，漫步逍遥巫溪！
于2012年夏
The Leisurein Wuxi,the Former Ancient State of Wuxian:The Preface for Discover Wuxi
Located in eastern Chongqing Municipality，and bordering Hubei Province to the west and Shaanxi Province to the north，Wuxi County features spectacular mountains and rivers，rich cultural attractions，and great people that have been bringing glories to this land.It is a place where natural wonders and thousands of years of cultural heritages are combined，providing rich resources for cultural&eco-tourism.Reputed as a heavenly hideaway in the mountains，Wuxi is home to Lord Chunshen（a high minister of the state of Chu during the late Warring States period（the 5th Century BC—221 BC）），one of the birthplaces of the Wu Culture，a cradle for salt production，a paradise with well-preserved ecology and a resort for sunbath.
It is recordedin history that the ancient people in Wuxilived on salt production，and based their state on this industry，hence the name the“Wuxian State”，which has over 5000 years ofhistory of salt production.Wuxi was known far and wide in history for its salt production from the brine spring of the ancient town of Ningchang，and was made as thriving place that attracted merchants of salt from far and near and became a circulation center of commodities in the Qinba mountainous region.The salt was transported along the so-called“Salt-Horse Ancient Road”to Shaanxi and Hubei in the north，or via the Daning River in the south to the reaches of the Yangtze River，and was sold to the Central Plain of China.Salt production was the economic lifeline of Wuxi County.Every Wuxilocals are proud oftheirlong and profound salt culture.
After the foundation of People’s Republic of China，with the advancement of science and technology and the level of productivity，great amount of well salt was discovered in China and exploited，and the natural brine spring of Wuxi was therefore gradually lost its attraction because of the low salt content and high cost of boiling.In 1996，the saltern of Ningchang stopped its production，and the smoke from the salt stoves that lasted for thousands of years ceased ever since.The vicissitude of Ningchang was closely connected with the salt industry，and as some of the local residents started to emigrate，this ancient town became stagnant from then on.However，as the only ancient town that was not submerged in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area，Ningchang is the epitome of the culture and history of Wuxi County，which preserves its original features，and is deemed as an art gallery of the salt culture thatis stillfull of charm nowadays.
Following the reform and opening-up，Wuxi County witnesses rapid economic and social development.The renovated ancient town of Daning still retains its simple and elegant style，and exhibits its charm of profound culture;the new town also features unique style of architectures;clean and beautiful，the city is organized and well managed.Meanwhile，great achievements have been made in the project of conceding the land to forestry，enhancement of ecological protection and the building up ecological civilization，and the living and working environment of Wuxi people have been greatly improved.Based on the local development，the Party committee and the government of Wuxi County proposed the goal to develop the eco-tourism and make Wuxi a national resort for cultural&eco-tourism，which has been receiving
wide support from the county andbeing pushed forward steadily.
The diligent，brave and brilliant Wuxi people created splendid culture in the course oflong history.To implement the arrangement of the CPPCC of Chongqing，support the Party committee and government of Wuxi County in developing the tourism industry，the book of Discover Wuxi，initiated by the county government and a volume of the series of Travel，Culture and History of Chongqing，which is intended to publicize the tourism in Wuxi，is to come offthe press.
Wuxi boasts very rich tourism resources，and profound culture.There are 7 tourism areas and380 scenic spots in this county.Here ithas the rising ridge—Yintiao Range，which has the highest peak and a primitive forest in Chongqing;Hongchi Plain，known as the sleeping“Tianshan Mountain in Southern China”，is an alpine meadow with vast areas of grassland;Miaoxia Gorge is considered as the most spectacular gorge of the Daning River;Daguan Mountain is a lofty mountain that takes on the feature of tranquility;the site of the ancient town of Ningchang，regarded as one of the birthplaces of salt civilization，displays its enchanting landscapes;the Daning River，running towards the Yangtze River，with plank roads and cliff coffins along the cliffs，witnesses the course of history，and cultivates the simple but mysterious salt Culture.All the beautiful sceneries，together with the history and culture，are undoubtedly generous gifts ofnature for people in Wuxi.
Running springs，wonderful waterfalls，tranquil gorges，rising peaks，grotesque rocks and fantastic caves help create the natural beauty ofWuxi;the legendary discovery of the brine spring by chasing the white deer，the plank roads along the cliffs and cliff coffins contribute to the mystery of Wuxi;the ancient towns and monasteries bring great charm to the Wuba culture.
With the book of Discover Wuxi，you will find a natural hideaway where there are charming mountains and rivers，experience the unique culture and local customs，and trace the course the history and vicissitudes of this land.With this book，you will understand the real Wuxi and its fascinating natural wonders&cultural icons.It is a pity not to have been to Wuxi，and you will indulge in the pleasure without stop once you are in here！
Please come to the ancient state ofWuxian，and enjoy the leisure in Wuxi！
Written in the summer of2012
