The Meinong Mountains in Song Yongsong's memory: the mountains nurtured the soul of Meinong

Editor's note: This article interviews Teacher Song Yongsong, chairman of the Aixiang Culture and Education Foundation, recalling childhood rural scenes and the mountain scenery of Meinong, and also looks forward to Meinong, with the birth of the national nature park, having the chance to channel resources into forest restoration and preserving its natural original appearance, making Meinong a place that nurtures even more musicians, writers, and artists.

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Childhood Rural Memories

I still remember that in my great-grandfather's generation, the settlement of the Song family spread from the Meinong Mountain area all the way to Niujiaowan, covering about 300-plus hectares. According to legend, during the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty, a Song family woman, while following the path of a white horse, unexpectedly discovered a place of exquisite natural beauty. When the couple broke ground to relocate the ancestral graves, they unexpectedly dug up gold and silver treasures and became rich overnight. From then on, the Song family compound became the wealthiest household in Meinong and enjoyed the fine name "White Horse Distinguished Family." To express gratitude and repay the community, the Song family also established the Yinxing Study Room and built a tea pavilion offering free drinks to passersby as a way of giving back.

Continuing from this source tied to the mountains and forests, in Teacher Song Yongsong's memory, even before he could walk, he was often carried into the mountains and forests and placed beside a large rock to play by himself. When he was a little older, he followed the adults to work and cut firewood, and learned to tell which kinds of tree species had thinner bark, were suitable for burning for a long time, and could make the fire burn brightly.