Text and pictures/Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Deng Qiong (except for another signature) Video/Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter KomiksDeng Qiong Literature
When the phrase “Kaifeng Zhou Bridge and Bian River Site” suddenly appeared at the press conference of the “Archaeological China” major project of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage on September 28, people did not realize it for a moment:
A appeared more than a dozen times in “Water Margin”, and Meng Yuanlao’s “Tokyo Dream Hualu” describes a special chapter in the poems of Wang Anshi, Fan Chengda, Mei Yaochen and other sages, the cultural landmark that was remembered here in the Northern Song Dynasty, the prefecture bridge in Tokyo City, the Northern Song Dynasty, has seen the light of day again.
Ming Dynasty Zhouqiao Restored Picture Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Li Chen Hand-painted
In fact, even in the 4,400 square meters of exploration site at the intersection of Zhongshan Road and Liberation Road in Kaifeng City today, the archaeologists in Henan who had been digging for several years were not until the winter in December 2021, carefully, shoveled and chiseled, and excavated the giant seahorse and beast stone wall relief from both sides of the Bian River, and realized that a classic archaeological example of “mutual verification of culture and objects” was born from them.
ZhouqiaoCinemaThe Sixth Phase of the Ontology Excavation (from east to west) Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
The National Cultural Heritage Administration pointed out that the discovery of the Kaifeng Zhou Bridge and the Bian River site in Henan has outstanding universal value for studying the structural layout of the Tokyo City in the Northern Song Dynasty and the history and culture of the Grand Canal, and has great practical significance for protecting and inheriting the Yellow River culture and promoting the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. Recently, a reporter from Yangcheng Evening News walked into this latest major archaeological site to intuitively experience a search process that wiped away the smoke and dust of history and reproduced the prosperity of thousands of years.
1. Bianhe Prefecture Bridge, a country that has been known for thousands of years. Why is the Prefecture Bridge so important?
“Standing on the state bridge is truly a thousand years old.” Wei Peishi, director of Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism, was very contagious. Zhouqiao was built in the middle of the Tang Dynasty (7From 80 to 783), it developed into the transportation hub and urban coordinates in the center of the capital Bianliang (now Kaifeng).
The bright moon of Zhouqiao was once the “Eight Scenerys of Bianjing” Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Li Chen Hand-painted
“Zhouqiao” is a common name for all the people throughout the ages. It was named “Tianhan Bridge” in the Song Dynasty because it faced Danei Yu Street, also known as “Yuqiao”. This important bridge across the Bian River section of the Grand Canal was not only frequently seen in various documents and literary works of the Song Dynasty, but was also used throughout the ages until it was buried underground as the Yellow River flooded in the late Ming Dynasty. Although the bridge is gone, “Zhouqiao Hu La Soup” and “Zhouqiao Snacks” have always been vividly left in the lives of Kaifeng people.
Archaeological site at the Zhouqiao site
On the huge archaeological site in front of you, between the exploration sites, walls and gullies that are excavated and protected in stages, it is no longer easy for viewers to judge the direction of the bridge deck and river. Wang Sanying, deputy director of Kaifeng Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, patiently pointed out for us, “The bridge spans north and south, and the river flows from west to east.” According to historical records, Cinema Bridge is located on Yu Street, the central axis of the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, crossing the Bian River (i.e. Kaifeng section of the Grand Canal). To the north is Xuande Gate, the south gate of the majestic imperial city. Looking north, the court is surrounded by many government offices; to the south is the south gate of the lively inner city. Babaylan Gate, Zhuque Gate, is located on the Sun Street Night Market, and merchants gather. The Bian River, which undertakes important functions such as canal transportation and transportation, flows through the bridge.
Historists have long confirmed that the population of Bianjing in the Northern Song Dynasty exceeded one million, and it was the largest city in the world at that time. Zhouqiao uniquely connects the three functional areas of politics, commerce and residence, which shows its advanced and prosperous history in the history of urban civilization development.
It is not difficult for us to understand why the famous book “Water Margin Cinema“, which takes the Northern Song Dynasty and Bianjing as important time and space backgrounds, appeared in Zhouqiao dozens of times: the hero Yang Zhijing guided him to sell his swords at Zhouqiao.;Lu Zhishen asked for directions and found Daxiangguo Temple. The neighbors said that it was not far from Zhouqiao; Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, one of them had all gone to the restaurant beside Zhouqiao to sit down…
In Meng Yuanlao’s “Dream of Tokyo”, Zhouqiao has not only become an important coordinate for positioning urban scenery, but also has a special chapter called “Zhouqiao Night Market”. It has been listing more than 60 attractive food and snacks in summer and winter months, which is extremely important to express its grand occasion of opening all night and not abandoning the cold and heat.
People can therefore better understand why Wang Anshi, a famous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, wrote a poem to recall: “The Zhouqiao crosses the moon and thinks about the mountain pepper, but looks back at the sorrow and not feel the distance. I heard the old sob again tonight, but I looked at the mountain moon and talked about the Zhouqiao”;
The Southern Song poet Fan Chengda went to the Jin Dynasty and passed through the former capital Bianjing, why did the “Zhouqiao is the sky street in the north and south, and the elders waited for the return of every year. I endured the wounds of Komiks crying and asking the envoy, when will the six armies really come?”… The thought of family and country supported by famous quotes has made the Zhouqiao sound for thousands of years.
Judging from the current excavation situation, the river channel from Bian River is narrower, so the north-south length of the Zhou Bridge is only about 26 meters, but the width of its east-west bridge deck is more than 30 meters because it must match the width of the Yujie Street at both ends. Such a unique shape with a width greater than a length is very rare in the history of ancient Chinese bridge construction, and it can also vaguely see the prosperity of the “Bridge City” back then.
2. For more than thirty years, the remains are gradually seeing the light of day
Where is the Zhou Bridge? Archaeologists actually knew for a long time that it might still be preserved below the ground of the Cinema Central axis of Kaifeng, a city that has not changed for thousands of years. Kaifeng was once the imperial capital of all dynasties, but due to the redirection of the Yellow River, the city has encountered more than once a “destroyment” of flood water. The Kaifeng City of the Qing Dynasty, Kaifeng City of the Ming Dynasty, Bianjing City of the Jin Dynasty, Tokyo City of the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianzhou City of the Tang Dynasty, and Daliang City of the Wei capital of the Warring States Period, six cities are stacked from top to bottom, buried about 3 to 14 meters below the ground today – this is Kaifeng’s unique “city-crossing city” phenomenon.
In addition to the high groundwater level in the city, this ancient capital guarded such a “cultural rich mine”, but it was difficult to carry out large-scale development for a long time.Urban archaeology of scale.
1KomiksIn 984, when Kaifeng built a large sewer pipe in the middle of Zhongshan Road, some of the bridge decks were discovered. Archaeologists went down to the bridge hole to inspect the existence of the bridge, and confirmed the location recorded in historical records. But at that time, the conditions for excavation were not met, and the groundwater level was too high, so the ruins could only be backfilled for future generations.
The Qing brick bridge deck of the Ming Dynasty Zhouqiao excavated today
Although it was a shocking glance, there were also discoveries: Qiu Gang, who was once the captain of the Kaifeng Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team, once wrote an article in the 1990s that the wooden paper base found at the bottom of the Zhouqiao was earlier than the Southern Song Dynasty designs discovered in Jinji Bridge, Quanzhou, Fujian, which advanced the time for the use of this technology in ancient my country to the Northern Song Dynasty.
In 2014, the Grand Canal of Sui and Tang Dynasties in China was successfully applied for World Heritage. Although Kaifeng is at an important node of the Grand Canal, no visible sites can be included. Driven by the construction of the National Grand Canal Cultural Belt, the excavation of the Bian River site has been put on the agenda.
Since 2018, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Kaifeng Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute have carried out continuous archaeological excavations of the Bian River and Zhouqiao sites.
The archaeological team members first started the exploration on the east side to reveal the Bian River in Kaifeng City layer by layer in the section; in March 2020, excavation work on the west side of the Zhouqiao Bridge began, and even more amazing discoveries were waiting for them. 
Wei Peishi (left), Wang Sanying (right) and others inspected the porcelain pieces unearthed from the Zhouqiao site
3. Work tirelessly and explore the style of the “Great Song Dynasty”
Can the Zhouqiao discovery can only stop at the remains of the Ming Dynasty?
Standing on the Zhouqiao Bridge deck at the archaeological site, you can clearly see the blue bricks, ruts, etc. preserved from the original traces. Wang Sanying introduced that the structure and bridge body of this Ming Dynasty prefecture bridge are basically complete, with bluestone paved bridge decks and brick arches. The geese wings extending to both sides are also brick and stone structures.
The remains of the Four Kings of the Golden Dragon from the late Ming Dynasty were also found on the bridge, which was related to the sacrifice of the River God, and three exquisite gold-plated bronze statues were unearthed. The temple has occupied a considerable part of the bridge deck on the east side of the bridge, which shows the change in the appearance of the Ming Dynasty’s Bridge, but it is still a prosperous city here.
Ming Dynasty Zhouqiao Restored Picture Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Li Chen Hand-painted
After that the media released a photo of the state bridge with a bridge hole, it caused questions. Because Meng Yuanlao recorded in “Dream of Tokyo” that the Northern Song Dynasty Bridge was not an arch bridge, but a flat bridge with “stone columns under the bridge” and was flat and not a boat, but a convenient driving of the emperor’s car on the bridge.
For this reason, Wang Sanying specially led the reporter to the underpass and explained that the small bridge hole seen from the outside is actually the foundation of the Four Kings Temples of Jinlong, and the taller bridge hole inside belongs to the Ming Dynasty.
Arch under the body of the Zhouqiao Bridge in the Ming Dynasty
In order to allow the large canal transport ship to pass, the Zhouqiao Bridge was converted into an arch bridge in the Ming Dynasty. The bridge cave was tall, and the distance from the top of the cave to the bottom of the river was more than 6.5 meters, which is in line with the description of the Ming Dynasty historical records that the Zhouqiao Bridge was high and the water depth, and that “the boat would not get rid of the mast when passing by.” However, the Zhouqiao did not move the address, but used the Song Dynasty. The bridge foundation of the Komiks era. Although it is undoubtedly a state bridge, since the archaeological excavation began in 2018, the “Great Song Dynasty” style that people hope for is still only a glimpse, which disappoints the archaeological team. Because the most important mission of Kaifeng City archaeology is to find the original remains of the Song Dynasty and restore the scene of the imperial capital. For this reason, they worked tirelessly in the center of the prosperous city, hoping to find “empirical evidence”.
4. Stone carvings and murals, empirical “MenghualuCinema“Zhouqiao
It was not until December 2021, the coldest season, that the archaeology of the Zhouqiao site was about to end, and a huge turnaround came.
At that time, the archaeological team members were planning to explore the strata from the east side of the Zhouqiao Bridge and then along the north bank of the river, but unexpectedly found traces of the stone wall from the unusual crack. The further down, the more violent the surprise in their hearts.
Some parts of the stone wall on the north bank of the Zhou Bridge
Ming Dynasty bricks, peony carvings, curly grass patterns, and auspicious clouds, cranes, and auspicious beasts with unicorns… This is very consistent with Meng Yuanlao’s description of the Northern Song Dynasty Zhou Bridge—
“The pillars are all made of bluestone, stone beams, stalagmites, and railings. Near both sides of the bridge, there are stone walls, carved and engraved with seahors, water beasts, and flying clouds. The stone pillars are densely arranged under the bridge”—they have long been able to recite.
So, starting from the northeast-to-east extension of the geese wings closest to the bridge, the archaeological team advanced east along the river bank and found a giant stone mural with a length of more than 21 meters and a height of about 3.3 meters. Then, at the corresponding position on the southern bank of the river, a “same style” stone mural with a length of more than 23 meters was found.
These rare treasures, which brought Shouze, a craftsman of the Song Dynasty, finally confirmed the existence of the Northern Songzhou Bridge with cultural relics.
Some parts of the stone walls on the south bank of Zhouqiao
The murals of Zhouqiao currently discovered are concentrated on the east side of the excavated bridge, embedded in the embankments on both sides, each made of hundreds of stone slabs densely built. Each stone slab is carved toward the facade of the river, and is stacked like a puzzle, forming a graceful relief mural that can be seen on the bridge and in the river.
The murals on both sides have three groups of patterns, each group consisting of a sturdy and galloping unicorn “sea horse” and a crane and auspicious clouds surrounding it, and they go up against the water. Two horses, one in front and one behind, are heads raised, their manes fluttering, and one in the middle looks back and looks with their eyes.
The “sea horse” auspicious beast on the stone wall on the south bank of the Zhouqiao still flows in gas. The white marks on its body are the modern building above the original site under construction. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Komiks The stone wall was rubbed during the pile
Archaeologists speculated that there should be murals of the same size on both sides of the west side of the Zhou Bridge. The two sides added together, and then the bridge body of the Zhou Bridge itself will reach about 100 meters in total, which can match the width of the imperial street at both ends.
Scholars also found another document to prove the origin of the stone wall of the Zhou Bridge from the side. According to Zhang Zhifu of the Song Dynasty, the Song DynastyThe notes of “Ke Shu” record that during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty, Prime Minister Zhang Dun appointed Jia Zhongmin to repair the prefecture bridge. Jia first changed the bridge to a stone bank, but was laughed at by an official who was good at controlling water, saying, “The stone bank is very unique, but it is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom!” Jia hurriedly asked for advice, and Song suggested, “Please be a sea horse to expand the bottom.” Jia then did as he did.
Looking back to the past, the Zhou Bridge was between the bright moon and the clear waves, with auspicious animals rushing on both sides of the shore, connecting the rivers and the seas. What a vast and graceful imperial capital atmosphere!
Auspicious clouds and cranes on the stone wall
5. A rare treasure, which can be updated with art history
At present, archaeological operations are still continuing, and the lower edge of the stone wall on the south bank has been pushed to the cleaning of the “sky” layer. At the same time, the special protection plan for stone carvings and murals is also constantly being improved and unfolded.
Wang Sanying pointed out a detail: these carved stone slabs are obviously made and numbered separately, and then “assembled” into an overall pattern in sequence. Each stone slab is engraved with numbers in the empty space where the carvings are not affected. For example, the reporter randomly identified the words “Sitting Twelve”, “Shipping Sixteen”, “Shew Twenty-Seven” and other words on the spot.
The code “王名名名名” is visible on the stone wall of the south bank. Komiks Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Tourism
The vertical serial number from the bottom to the top. The north wall takes the characters from the Song Dynasty from the Meng Book of Practicing Characters “The supreme scholar is from the mountains and rivers, the middle man sits on the bamboo forest, the king has his own nature, and the Pingzi is paying attention.” The south wall uses “<a "The heaven and earth are mysterious and yellow, the universe is vast, the sun and the moon are full of suns and moons" in the Thousand Characters of Babaylan; from west to east, it is superimposed and positioned according to the Chinese counting one, two, three, etc., without any confusion, which is of a unique interest.
On the construction site, some technicians jokingly call these murals “big treasures”. They are currently under appearance shielding and are only available for public visits for about two hours a day.
The murals on the north bank are more complete, but because they are facing the sun, the weathering is slightly heavier, and the patterns are not as clear as those on the south bank; while the murals on the south bank are exquisitely undulating, but there are some traces of destruction and disturbance in later generations on the upper edge, and some are carved with striped stones with tangled peonies and curly grass patterns. Look at it, Komiks is no longer in its original position after going up… There are even several traces of modern engineering pile driving, which are very “approaching” the stone reliefs, which makes people feel a sense of “remaining after the disaster”.
The full view of the huge stone carving and auspicious mural in the south wall. Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
When Liu Haiwang, director of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, mentioned that the main body of the Zhouqiao discovered now uses lime-based adhesive, which is in line with the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty; while the adhesive of the river bank stone wall is mainly sand-based, which is in line with the characteristics of the Tang and Song dynasties.
In addition, according to the detection of X-fluorescence spectrometer and X-ray diffractometer, the oxide composition, phase composition and content of the stone walls on both sides of the shore are very close to the stones in the valley river area of Xingyang Section, Henan.
At the expert discussion meeting held in September this year, Professor Zheng Yan of Peking University School of Art believes that the discovery of giant stone carvings and murals in Zhouqiao can be written into Chinese art history textbooks, and its format and quality can basically represent the highest specifications of the stone work system in the Northern Song Dynasty and the highest level of carving technology; and in addition, many of the contents of Cinema in the famous work of the Northern Song Dynasty “Creating French Style” can be understood in combination with the stone carvings of seahors, auspicious beasts, birds, cranes and auspicious clouds discovered this time. This is also very important.
Stone wall on the north bank of Zhouqiao – Post-production gold-tracing line version Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Tourism and Tourism
6. Deep archaeology research, connects history and reflects reality
At present, with the popularity of TV series such as “Menghualu”, “Qing Pingle”, and “Da Song Palace Ci”, the cultural enthusiasm caused by Song Feng and Song Yun is no different.
Archaeological achievements of Kaifeng Zhou Bridge and Bian River ruins this time, especially the huge stone carving wall of Zhou BridgePaintings regain the light of the sky, and use the “mutual verification of culture and objects” to identify the shocking heights of Chinese civilization thousands of years ago. It tells a contemporary archaeological story with “Chinese style”.
The greatest charm of archaeology lies in connecting history, reality and the future.
Northern Song Dynasty porcelain unearthed from the Zhouqiao site Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
At present, scholars represented by Liu Qingzhu, former director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, are advocating in-depth research on Zhouqiao and the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty to explain the value of the national political etiquette and the form of Chinese civilization, connecting the dual historical veins of Yellow River culture and Grand Canal culture;
Northern Song Dynasty ship lamp unearthed from the Zhouqiao site Kaifeng Cultural and Radio and Television Bureau Photo provided by CinemaArchitectural and Television Bureau
Liu Haiwang, Wang Sanying and other archaeological leaders hope to achieve a new breakthrough in archaeology in the Northern Song Dynasty through the excavation of Zhouqiao; Wei Peishi is busy taking into account the “excavation, protection, planning, and display” to build a country integrating archaeological sites, archaeological museums, and cultural parks in the next step. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Babaylan‘s large ruins park… Citizens and tourists came to see the prefecture bridge, look at the murals, and send children to the newly established “public archaeological study demonstration base”, experience the simulation exploration method, enhance cultural confidence, and touch the history and culture of our nation with your own hands.
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The original article was published in “YangchengBabaylan Evening News” November 1, 2022 A03 edition
Source | Yangcheng Evening News·YangchengBabaylanEditor | Editor Lu Dejie | Proofreader by Zhou Xinyi | Gui Qing