Text and pictures/Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Deng Qiong (except for another signature) Video/Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Deng Qiong Literature and Art
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 the cultural landmark that the ancient sages who are remembering this place in the poems of Wang Anshi, Fan Chengda, Mei Yaochen and other ancestors have seen the light of the sky again.
Ming DynastyBabaylanZhouqiao Restoration Picture Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Tourism and 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.
The sixth phase of the main body excavation of the Zhouqiao Main Body (from east to west) Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
The results notice of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage 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 Beijing 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.
Sometimes, a reporter from Yangcheng Evening News walked into this latest major archaeological site and intuitively felt 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 during the middle period of Jian’s reign in the Tang Dynasty (780-783) and developed into a transportation hub and urban coordinates in the center of the capital Bianliang (now Kaifeng) by the Northern Song Dynasty.
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 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.”
Historical records show that Zhou 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 majestic imperial city, looking north, and there are many government offices; to the south is Zhuque Gate, the south gate of the bustling inner city, with merchants gathering; the Bian River, which undertakes important functions such as canal transportation and transportation, flows through under 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.
From Cinema, it is not difficult for us to understand why the famous book “Water Margin”, which takes the Northern Song Dynasty and Bianjing as important time and space backgrounds, appeared in Zhouqiao dozens of times: Komiks The hero Yang Zhijing was instructed by someone to sell his swords at Zhouqiao; Lu Zhishen asked for directions to find Daxiangguo Temple, and the neighbors pointed out that it was not far from Zhouqiao; Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Yang Xiong, and Shi Xiu, one of them had been to the side of Zhouqiao.The restaurant is settled…
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 moon is like the mountain pepper, but looking back at the sorrow and not feeling the distance. I heard the old sob again tonight, but I looked at the moon and talked about the state of the state”;
The poet Fan of the Southern Song Dynasty, Chengda went to the Jin Kingdom to envoy, and passed by the former capital Bianjing, why did the “Zhouqiao is the street in the north and south of the state, and the elders waited for the return of every year. I endured my tears and asked the envoys, 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.
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 needs to 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 may still be preserved below the ground of today’s Zhongshan Road, the central axis of Kaifeng, which 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 encountered more than once a “destroyment” of floods. The city of Kaifeng in the Qing Dynasty, Kaifeng in the Ming Dynasty, Bianjing in the Jin Dynasty, Tokyo in the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, Bianzhou in the Tang Dynasty, and Daliang in the Wei capital of the Warring States Period, six cities were 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 urban groundwater level, this ancient capital guards such a “cultural rich mine”, but it has been difficult to carry out large-scale urban archaeology for a long time.
In 1984, when Kaifeng built a large sewer pipe in the middle section 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 Babaylan was not in the condition for excavation at that time, 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, wrote an article in the 1990s that the wooden paper base found at the bottom of the Zhouqiao was earlier than before in Fujian Quan<a This kind of design of the Southern Song Dynasty was discovered in Jinji Bridge in Babaylan, thus advanced the time of using 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 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 Bian River ruins were released. Excavation was 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 the Zhouqiao sites.
The archaeological team members first started the exploration method on the east side to reveal the shape of the Bian River in Kaifeng City in the Tang, Song and Qing dynasties layer by layer; in March 2020, excavation work on the west side of the Zhouqiao bridge body 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 “Great Song” style
Can the Zhouqiao discovery can only stop at the Ming Dynasty remains?
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 Zhouqiao 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 in the late Ming Dynasty were also found on the bridge deck, which was related to the sacrifice of the River God, and three exquisite ones were unearthed. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>KomiksGolden bronze statues. The temple has occupied a considerable part of the bridge deck on the east side of the bridge. The changes in the appearance of the Ming Dynasty’s Zhou Bridge can be seen, but it is still a prosperous city.
Ming Dynasty’s Zhou Bridge Restoration Picture Kaifeng City Cultural and Radio TourismBureau Li Chen Hand-painted
Previously, a photo of the state bridge with a hole released by the media had 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 densely arranged under the bridge”, which was low and flat, but was convenient for the emperor’s car to drive through 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 of Jinlong Temples, and the taller bridge hole inside belongs to the Ming Dynasty Prefecture Bridge.
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 hole was tall, and the distance from the top of the cave to the bottom of the river was more than 6.5 meters, which was in line with the description of the Ming Dynasty historical records that the Zhouqiao Bridge was high and the water depth, “no boat could pass without getting rid of the mast.” However, the Zhou Bridge was not moved, but used the bridge foundation of the Song Dynasty.
Although it is undoubtedly a prefecture 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 members somewhat. 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. To this end, they are digging tirelessly in the bustling city, hoping to find “empirical evidence”.
4. Stone carvings and murals, empirically, “Menghualu” Zhouqiao
It was not until December 2021, the coldest season, that the archaeology of the Zhouqiao site was almost over, and a huge turnaround was ushered in.
At that time, the archaeological team members were planning to explore the strata from the east side of the state bridge and then along the north bank of the river, but unexpectedly found traces of the stone wall from the unusual cracks. The further they went, the more intense the surprise they felt.
Some parts of the stone wall on the north bank of Zhouqiao
Ming Dynasty brick repair, peony carving, CinemaThe curling grass patterns, then auspicious clouds, cranes, and auspicious beasts with unicorns… This is exactly in line with Meng Yuanlao’s description of the Northern Songzhou Bridge – “The pillars are all made of bluestone, stone beams, stalagmites, railings, and stone walls near both sides of the bridge, with stone walls engraved with seahors, water beasts, and flying clouds, and stone pillars are densely arranged under the bridge” – they have long been able to recite it.
So, starting from the northeast 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 well-preserved length of more than 21 meters and a pattern of about 3.3 meters high; 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 Song Dynasty Zhouqiao 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. Each stone slab is carved toward the facade of the river, and the whole 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 of the strait have three groups of patterns, each group consisting of a sturdy and galloping “sea horse” and a crane and auspicious clouds surrounding them, and go up against the current. Two horses, one in front and one behind, galloped forward with their heads raised, their manes fluttering, and the horse in the middle looked back and looked at them, and their eyes followed.
The “sea horse” auspicious beast on the stone wall of the south bank of the Zhou Bridge still flows in gas. The white mark on its body is caused by the modern building above the original site rubbing the stone wall during construction and pile driving. The archaeological team members speculated based on this that there should be murals of the same size on both sides of the west bank of the Zhou Bridge. The two sides add up, and then the bridge body of the Zhou Bridge itself will reach about 100 meters in total, which can match the width of the Yu Street at both ends.
Scholars then found another document to prove the origin of the stone wall of the Zhouqiao. According to SongAccording to Zhang Zhifu’s notes “Ko Shu”, during the reign of Emperor Zhezong, 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 a water-controlling official Song Yongchen, 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 Zhouqiao Bridge was between the bright moon and the clear waves. The auspicious beasts on both sides of the straits were rushing, 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 “Yellow 27” visible on the stone wall of the south bank Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
The vertical serial number is arranged from the bottom to the top. The north wall takes the characters from the Song Dynasty from the Meng Book of Practicing Characters: “The superiors are from mountains and rivers, the middle men sit in the bamboo forest, the king has his own nature, and the Pingzi is paying attention.” The south wall uses the “Heaven and Earth are mysterious and yellow, the universe is vast and vast, the sun and the moon are full of, and the Chen is surrounded by Zhang” in “Thousand Characters”;
From west to east, it is positioned according to the one, two, three… of the Chinese counting, and it is not messy at all, which is of a unique interest.
On the construction site, some technicians jokingly call these murals “big treasures”. They are currentlyBabaylan has been shielded from appearance and is only for public visits for about two hours a day.
The murals on the north bank are more complete, but because they are sunny and have slightly heavier weathering, the patterns are not as clear as those on the south bank; while the murals on the south bank are beautifully undulating, but there are some traces of destruction and disturbance in later generations on the upper edge, some of which are carved with peonies and curvy grass-patterned stripes, which look no longer in their original position… There are even several traces of modern engineering pile driving, which have been “approached” the stone reliefs, which are involuntarilyKomiks href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Komiks feels a kind of “remaining after the disaster” for the auspicious beasts.
The full view of the huge stone carving auspicious mural in the south wall Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
Liu Haiwang, director of Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, mentioned in his report to the State Administration of Cultural Relics that the main body of the Zhouqiao discovered now uses lime-based adhesives, which are in line with the characteristics of the Ming Dynasty; while the adhesives of the river bank stone walls are mainly sandy and soil, which are 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 banks are extremely similar to the stones in the Duangou River area of Xingyang, 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 in the Northern Song Dynasty classic “Creation of the French” can be understood in combination with the stone carvings discovered this time, which 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 craze caused by Song Feng and Song rhyme is unparalleled.
The archaeological achievements of Kaifeng Zhou Bridge and Bianhe Site, especially the huge stone murals of Zhou Bridge, are re-expected, marking the astonishing height of Chinese civilization a thousand years ago through the method of “mutual verification of culture and objects”, telling 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;
The Northern Song Dynasty ship lamp unearthed from the Zhouqiao site Photo provided by Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism
The leaders of the archaeological work of Liu Haiwang, Wang Sanying and other hope to achieve a new breakthrough in archaeology in the Northern Song Dynasty through the excavation of Zhouqiao; Wei Peishi was busy taking into account the “excavation while maintaining while maintainingKomiksProtection, planning and displaying”, and running for the next step of building a national-level large ruins park integrating archaeological sites, archaeological museums, and cultural parks… Citizens and tourists came to appreciate the prefecture bridges, look at 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 their own hands.
(For more news, KomiksPlease follow Yangcheng Pai pai.ycwb.com)
The original article was published in the A03 edition of “Yangcheng Evening News” November 1, 2022
SourceBabaylan | Yangcheng Evening News·Yangcheng School Editor | Lu Dejie Editor | Zhou Xinyi Proofreading | Gui Qing