Beijing ancient roller mill
2 min readnewspaper once publisheda letter from a primary schoolteacher, by which she soughtassistance in attaching a preciseconcept of “tile” for her students.For modern urban children, tile issomething beyond imagination, asis also the ease with “roller.” Whensome city youngsters first saw theold roller mill in Yangjiayu, theywere puzzled but showed great interest.
The old roller mill in Yangjiayuwas built for public use in the earlyl950s. Situated in the west and fac-ing east, it contains three rooms andhas a flush gable ridge, stone walls,and stone—slab roofs, covered bytiles. Still preserved today inside themill are two big stone rollers, andthe nearby haystack reveals that the The past dignity and the stories behind these places .The roller mill. The Roller Mill Convention.roller is still in use on an occasional basis.
Past writings can still be found on the walls. In the center are antithetical coupletsreading “good luck brings fortune to the village” and “land flourishes as people thrive.” Ifone looks to the notices on both sides, there are the central couplets, which representtraditional rural culture in this out-of-the-way village.
The southern notice shows a literal application of rhyme, like a seven—eharacter—per-line poem. The writings remain clear, except for a few missing characters of inscription.The notice was written when the mill was newly built, reminding Villagers to protect thispublic property. The last sentence, which reads “leaving behind the heritage of public welfareto be handed down generation after generation,” reflects a profound moral and culturalconnotation in Yangjiayu.
The notice in the north appears to be straightforward and readable. Due to long yearsof weathering, the writings are indistinct and unidentifiable, the remaining still displaying areminder to the villagers to be polite and comply with public order when sharing the roller.Under the weight of time and the elements, the door and windows of the roller millhave fallen away and, today, silently idle in the glow of the setting sun, there remainsnothing but the two stone rollers and two notices. In simple language, carried down was thetraditional moral education of these folk ‘people.
