Huaian spirit slogan

To understand the ancient history of China, it is impossible to avoid an artificial river-the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

How to describe this river?

It is the only north-south river in China that runs through the north-south economy for more than 1000 years. The two most important manpower projects in ancient China were the Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In terms of influence, the latter is even stronger than the former.

"The death of the Sui Dynasty is a river, and it has been thousands of miles since Lai Tongbo; If there is no water temple dragon boat, there are not many theories about * * *. " The Beijing-Hangzhou Canal began in the Spring and Autumn Period, ended in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, ended in the Yuan Dynasty and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is the longest canal in the world, stretching for 2,500 years and spanning 3,600 miles. Flowing water from small bridges in the south poured into the vast plains in the north, bringing countless gold wealth and telling a story of a thousand-year romance.

This time I went to Huai 'an, the capital of the canal. My first destination was the Li Canal, a section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal.

Li Canal, known as Hangou in ancient times, is the earliest section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It runs through the Yangtze River from Qingjiangpu to Guazhou, connects the Central Canal in the north and the Jiangnan Canal in the south, with a total length of 170 kilometers. In 486 BC, wars were frequent among vassal States. In order to solve the transportation of rations, Fu Cha, the king of Wu, dug a river and connected several lakes, thus connecting the Yangtze River with the Huaihe River.

The excavation of Hangou is of great significance. It not only opened the curtain of the canal, but also gave birth to two historic cities: Huai 'an and Yangzhou.

Huaian is in its heyday in history. When the water transport flourished, it was as famous as Hangzhou, Suzhou and Yangzhou, and it was the four major cities along the canal. There was a saying that Suzhou and Hangzhou were in the south and Huaiyang was in the north.

Huai 'an is located at the intersection of the ancient Huaihe River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, which is the key zone for the canal to turn from south to north. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, five major water transport centers, namely, water transport command center, river management center, waterwheel manufacturing center, grain reserve center and Huaibei salt distribution center, were located here. According to records, there are about 4 million stone grains every year, equivalent to more than 54,000 tons of grain going north.

Fishermen from Zhuo Jun County in the north were transported to Jiangdu in the south. The Li Canal, which has been flowing for thousands of years, has brought merchants from all corners of the country together, brought prosperity and brilliance to Huai 'an, precipitated culture and folk customs, and nurtured the urban spirit of "embracing the world and rising Jianghuai", which is worthy of being the mother river of Huai 'an.

Today, the Li Canal has been listed as a national scenic spot, with a total length of 15.6 km and an investment of 26 billion yuan. Walking along the river bank, there are historical sites everywhere, and ancient bridges, Gu Men, ancient temples and ancient pavilions appear in turn, just like being in a picture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Trees are planted beside the river bank, which is lush and the air is very good. There are often people running by the roadside, and occasionally there are waterfowl wading through, which is quiet and ethereal.

There is a Qing Jiangmen at the entrance of the cultural corridor, which is quaint and mottled, and its appearance is not good. This stone gate has a history of more than 600 years. It is the best-preserved and oldest stone gate in the whole section of the Grand Canal, and it is also a witness to the busy and rich Li Canal.

The gate is 1 1m high and 7.3m wide. It is used to adjust the water level and flow of the Li Canal, so that the water transport vessels can pass smoothly. Qingjiangmen is the only way to transport grain northward. During the grain transportation season, ten thousand ships sailed on Wan Li Road, which was spectacular. Kangxi made six expeditions to the south, and every time he walked to the city gate, he was only willing to rest assured after seeing the canal ships.

After the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal became a world cultural heritage, Qingjiangmen was also listed as an important heritage site.

Then walk east, and you will see an ancient pagoda, a scarlet atmosphere and towering clouds. This is the famous "pagoda".

The stupa is a pavilion pagoda with nine floors and eight sides. It is 62 meters high, with its spire soaring into the sky, cornices upturned and magnificent momentum. Located in Ciyun Temple, this ancient pagoda was built in memory of the emperor shunzhi's teacher Yu Lin Shiguo.

The temple, formerly known as Ciyun Temple, was founded in the forty-third year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. It is a famous temple in Huai 'an. During the Republic of China, it was caught in a fire, and the Great Britain Hall disappeared in flames, leaving only the buildings of the King of Heaven Hall, the Buddhist Scripture Hall and the Buddhist Temple.

Yulin used to be a monk, but when her fame grew, she retired and resigned to the mountains to become a famous monk at that time. The Buddhist teacher sat down here and died, giving the last charity for Buddhism. After his death, his body remained until 200 years later. He is the only Buddhist monk in history, and Master Xing Yun wrote The Biography of Buddhism in Yulin.

The stupa is elegant in shape, leaning forward against Ciyun Temple, where incense is flourishing, and leaning backward against the endless Li Canal, like an enlightened old man, watching thousands of beings.

Not far from the stupa, there is another red pavilion, which is the Qingjiang Pulou.

In fact, this is a new Qingjiang Pulou. The Old Qingjiang Pulou was built in the seventh year of Yongzheng. It is a two-story square brick building. Relying on canal water, new buildings and pagodas coexist harmoniously. At night, the lights are bright and dazzling, becoming a landmark attraction in Huai 'an. In the building, there are scenes of Chen Youqing's Jiangpu Pagoda and Ganlong's southern tour, with the wrong title "Qingjiangpu". You can visit this building and overlook the endless canal water.

To the east of the pavilion, there is a blue brick monument wall with the words "Shuidu" written on it, which was once the key ferry for transporting grain northward in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Because the Yellow River takes the Huaihe River into the river, the river flows backward, and the Qingjiang estuary west of Qingjiang sluice is often blocked, so this river has opened a dock where goods are unloaded and transported by car, forming a car road between the two rivers, named "car intersection". Later, the Qingjiang dam was dug, so that ships in the canal could reach the dam mouth directly, avoiding the difficulty of land transportation, so it was named "water ferry"

There was an inscription on "Water Ferry" in history, and this brick wall is a memorial to the past.

Strolling along the canal, many precious historical sites make me nostalgic. After a stroll, I also found an unopened "Wugong Temple". I'm surprised. Maybe it's the ancestral temple of Wu Tang. When I walked forward, I saw it like this.

Wu Tang was the governor of grain transportation during Guangxu period, and was a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty. He served as governor of grain transportation, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, governor of Sichuan and other posts 16 years. He was once as famous as Zeng Guofan and Zuo. Compared with the previous two disputes, Wu Tang was aboveboard and made outstanding achievements all his life, and most of his descendants gave him positive comments.

Wu Tang's life is an inspirational model. According to records, when Wu Tang was a child, he was "so poor that he couldn't burn a fire. He always studied under the moonlight." Because my family is poor, I can't afford to order ointment, so I can only study in the moonlight on a snowy night, and finally I have achieved great things, which makes people admire.

Huai 'an prospered and declined because of the canal. At the end of Qing dynasty, the Qing dynasty neglected to manage rivers, which led to the decline of grain transportation. At this time, shipping rose, and by the time of Tongzhi, 90% of the water transportation had been changed to shipping.

190 1 year, the grain transportation was officially closed, and the grand canal, which has been flowing for thousands of years, ended its mission and slowly withdrew from the historical stage.

Huai 'an today is no longer a famous city. It is quiet and beautiful, with a thousand years of historical heritage and beautiful scenery, and it has become a livable city that people are reluctant to leave.

The Kerry Canal has never been retired, and it is still running because the water source here is relatively stable. It is still an important channel for the transportation of coal and other bulk materials to the south, and the waterway standard is also high, which can be used for the navigation of 2000-ton ships.

When he left, the evening was near, and the sunset sprinkled golden light on the river. The canal turned into a golden river, and the breeze rippled. Pedestrian exchanges between the two sides of the strait are constant, and there are often old people singing opera and playing chess, and occasionally there are small couples who are very much in love.

I looked at the sparkling river and suddenly felt that the prosperity of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal was not fade away. It has already become a culture and landscape, and it has sneaked into our lives.

skill

Address: Qingjiangpu District, Huai 'an, Jiangsu. There is no admission fee for the cultural corridor, but the internal attractions are charged.

Transportation: Take bus 1 1, bus No.26 and bus No.31and get off at Ciyun Temple Station, not far north.

Author: deer, a famous traveler! Show you around China's unpopular, interesting and free scenery.