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 that:
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, including Wang Anshi, Fan Chengda, Mei Yaochen, and other predecessors, had seen the light of the sky again.
Ming Dynasty Prefecture Bridge Restoration Picture Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Tourism Li Chen Hand-drawn
In fact, even at the intersection of Zhongshan Road and Liberty Road in Kaifeng City todayBabaylanThe 4400 square meters of exploration site, 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. They 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, is very contagious. Zhouqiao was built during the middle age of the Tang Dynasty(780-783), it developed into the transportation hub and urban coordinates of the city 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 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, Zhou Bridge is located on the Yu Street on the central axis of the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, crossing the Bian River (i.e. the Kaifeng section of the Grand Canal). To the north is Xuande Gate, the south gate of the majestic imperial city. Looking north at the court, there are many government offices; to the south is Zhuque Gate, the south gate of the bustling inner city, with merchants gathering; to the south is Zhuque Gate, the night market of the Sun Street, where 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 to understand why the famous book “Water Margin”, which takes the Northern Song Dynasty and Bianjing as important time and space backgrounds, appeared on the Zhouqiao dozens of times: the hero Yang Zhi was guided by someone and went to the Zhouqiao to sell his swords; Lu Zhishen asked for directions and found Daxiangguo Temple, and the neighbors said that it was not far from the Zhouqiao; Song Jiang, Lin Chong, Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, all of them had been to each of them.The restaurant beside the Zhouqiao Bridge is set…
In Meng Yuanlao’s “Tokyo Dream Hualu”, CinemaZhouqiao not only has become an important coordinate for positioning urban scenery, but also has a special chapter called “Zhouqiao Night Market”. It has troubledly listed more than 60 attractive food and snacks in summer and winter months, which is a 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. Tonight I heard the old sob again, but I looked at the moon and talked about the state bridge”;
The poet Fan Chengda of the Southern Song Dynasty went to the Jin Dynasty and passed through the former capital Bianjing. For Komiks, who will be “The north and south of the Zhou Bridge are Tianjie, and the elders are waiting to return every year. He endured tears and asked the envoy, how long is it? The sadness of the six armies coming at Cinema… The thought of family and country supported by famous quotes has made the Zhouqiao bridge famous 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 the length is very rare in the history of bridge construction in ancient China, and it can also be vaguely seen that the prosperity of the “Bridge City” back then.
2. For more than thirty years, the remains gradually appearing in the sky. Where is the Zhou Bridge? Archaeologists actually knew for a long time that it may still be preserved below the ground of Zhongshan Road, which has not changed for thousands of years in Kaifeng’s city. 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, Dongjing in 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 stack”The phenomenon of city “. In addition to the high groundwater level in the city, this ancient capital guarded such a “culturally rich mine”, but it was difficult to carry out large-scale urban archaeology for a long time. In 1984, when Kaifeng built a large sewer pipeline in the middle of Zhongshan Road, some bridge decks were discovered. After archaeologists went down to the bridge hole to inspect, the existence of the bridge was confirmed and confirmed with the location recorded in historical records. However, the conditions for excavation were not met 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 is a surprise glance, there are 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 the Southern Song Dynasty designs discovered in Jinji Bridge, Quanzhou, Fujian, before, thus advanced the time of using this technology in ancient my country to the Northern Song Dynasty. Babaylan
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 excavation of the Bian River site 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 carried out continuous archaeological excavations of the Bian River and the Zhouqiao sites.
The archaeological team members first launched 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, the excavation of 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 unearthed from the Zhouqiao site. 3. Work tirelessly and explore the “Great Song DynastyCinema films
3. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Cinema” Style
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. KomiksWang Sanying introduced that the structure and bridge of this Ming Dynasty Zhou 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 Golden Dragon King Temples in the late Ming Dynasty were also found on the bridge deck, which was related to the sacrifice of the river gods, 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. It can be seen that the appearance of the Ming Dynasty Zhou Bridge has changed, but it is still a prosperous city.
Restoration of the Ming Dynasty Zhou Bridge Kaifeng Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism Li Chen, hand-painted by Cinema, a photo of the state bridge with a bridge hole released by the media once raised questions. Because Meng Yuanlao recorded in “Dream of Tokyo” that the Northern Song Dynasty Bridge was not an arch bridge, but a column-beam flat bridge with “stone columns under the bridge” was “straightly stone pillars were 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 Temples of Jinlong, and the taller bridge holes inside belong to the Ming Dynasty 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 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, “no boats passed by will not get rid of the mast”. However, the Zhouqiao was not moved, but used href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>KomiksThe foundation of the bridge in the Song Dynasty. Although it is undoubtedly a prefecture bridge, since archaeological excavations began in 2018, the “Da Song Dynasty” style that people hoped for is still only a glimpse, which disappointed the archaeologists somewhat. Because the most important mission of archaeology in Kaifeng City 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 “Menghualu” Prefecture Bridge
Until December 2021, the coldest season, this prefecture bridge site examination was conducted.The ancient times are coming to an end, and a huge turning point has arrived. At that time, the archaeological team members were calculating from the east side of the state bridge, then along the north bank of the river, and finally explored the strata, but unexpectedly found traces of the stone wall from the unusual crack. 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 bricks, peony carvings, curled grass patterns, and auspicious clouds, cranes, and aurora with one-horns. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>KomiksBeast… This is exactly in line with the description of Meng Yuanlao’s 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. The stone pillars are densely arranged under the bridge” – they have long been able to recite it.
So, starting from the northeastward extension of the geese wings closest to the bridge, the archaeological team advanced east along the river bank and found a giant stone carving 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 carving 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 spiraling unicorn “sea horse” and a crane and auspicious clouds that surround you, 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 “SeaKomiksHarves” on the stone wall on the south bank of the Zhou Bridge still flows in gas. The white marks on its body are the modern building above the original site when it is constructed and piled. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>BabaylanThe reason why the archaeological team members 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 then found another document to prove the origin of the stone wall of the Zhou Bridge from the side. According to Zhang Zhifu’s notes in the Song Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song Dynasty, Prime Minister Zhang Dun appointed Jia Zhongmin to repair the Zhou Bridge. Jia first changed the bridge to a stone bank, but was laughed at by a water-controlling official Song Yongchen, “The stone bank is very unique, but it is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom as if it is as narrow as a jar! “Jia hurriedly asked for advice, and Song suggested: “Please be a seahorse and make it bigger. “Jia then did as he did.
Looking back to the past, the Zhouqiao was between the bright moon and the clear waves, with auspicious beasts rushing on both sides of the shore, connecting the rivers and the sea. What a vast and graceful atmosphere of the imperial capital!
Auspicious clouds and cranes on the stone wall
5. A rare treasure, enough to update the history of art
At present, archaeological work is still continuing, and the lower edge of the stone wall on the south bank has been pushed to the cleaning of the word “tian” layer. href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Babaylan. At the same time, the special protection plan for stone carvings and murals is 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 does not affect the carvings. For example, the reporter randomly identified the words “Sitting 12”, “Shifting 16”, “Wild Twenty-seven” at the scene.
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 supreme scholars are 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 to it.” The south wall uses the “Heaven and Earth, the universe is vast and vast, the sun and the moon are full of wind, and the Chen stays are listed” in “Thousand Characters”;
From west to east, it is based on the two groups of one, two, three… counted in China, 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 have been protected with appearance and are only for about two hours a day for public visits.
The murals on the north bank are more complete, but because they are facing the sun, href=”https://funnybookish.com/”>Komiks is slightly more weathered, and the patterns are not as clear as those of the murals 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, and some are carved with peonies and curly grass patterns, which no longer seem to be in place… There are even several traces of modern engineering pile driving, which are very “approaching” the stone reliefs, which make 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
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 KaifengBabaylanPhoto provided by the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, and Tourism
6. Deep archaeology research connects history and reflects reality
At present, with the popularity of TV series such as “Menghualu”, “Qingpingle”, and “Da Song Palace Ci”, the cultural enthusiasm caused by Song style and Song rhyme is no different.
The archaeological achievements of Kaifeng Zhouqiao and Bianhe ruins, especially the huge stone murals of the Zhouqiao Bridge, see the light of the sky again, marking the astonishing height of Chinese civilization a thousand years ago in the form 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 the in-depth study of Zhouqiao and the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty to the value interpretation 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 archaeological work such as Liu Haiwang and Wang Sanying hope to achieve a new breakthrough in archaeology in the Northern Song Dynasty through the excavation of the Zhou Bridge; Wei Peishi is busy taking into account the “excavation, protection, planning, and display” and is 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 Zhou Bridge, look at the murals, and send the children to the newly established “Public Archaeological Research and 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, please pay attention to Yangchengpai pai.ycwb.com)
The original article was published in the A03 edition of “Yangcheng Evening News” November 1, 2022
Source | Yangcheng Evening News·Yangcheng School Editor | Editor Lu Dejie | Proofreader by Zhou Xinyi | Gui Qing