Relevant historical and cultural information about Lianhu Lake

Lianhu—Danyang’s historical business card

Photos of the “Lianhu Site” exhibited at the Chinese History Museum and Nanjing Museum

In the history of Danyang, The development of Lianhu and Danyang are inseparable and important. As an important water conservancy project in the history of Jiangnan, Lianhu has played a very important role in the social and economic development of Danyang and surrounding areas; as a historical lake on the canal cultural belt, Lianhu's beautiful Jiangnan water town scenery has played a vital role in improving Danyang. It has made indelible historical achievements in expanding Danyang's popularity in the Jianghuai region and even the whole country. After liberation, the state-owned Lianhu Farm received many provincial and national commendations and awards for its scientific farming, rice breeding, animal husbandry and aquaculture, leaving new glory for this historic lake that does not exist. Today, how can we make good use of this historical business card, let this historical lake regain its due glory, and continue to play its due role in Danyang's social and economic development? This is a very important issue before us. .

1. Lianhu Lake is the most important water conservancy project in the history of Jiangnan

Compared with other famous lakes in China, the biggest feature of Lianhu Lake is that it is not a natural natural lake; It is an artificial lake, a water conservancy project built in the early Western Jin Dynasty more than 1,700 years ago to solve flood problems and farmland irrigation in Danyang. According to historical records, "Chen Min, the Prime Minister of Guangling in the Western Jin Dynasty, ordered his younger brother Chen Xie to contain the water of Maling Creek to irrigate Yunyang." "Danyang County Chronicles Water" records: When Lianhu Lake was formed, it was "four and ten miles away. It received the water from the eighty-four factions of Gaoli Mountain and Dantu Changshan Mountain in Jurong, and merged into a giant flood." It had a circumference of 40 miles and an area of ??103,000 mu. In the Tang Dynasty, the governor Wei Sun expanded the lake to a circumference of 80 miles. This artificial reservoir was originally a water conservancy project, but it has formed a rather spectacular artificial lake. Because Danyang was called Qu'a in history at that time, it was called "Qu'ahou Lake". Then it was called "Kaijia Lake" and "Danyang Lake". The formation of Lianhu Lake has benefited hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in Danyang and surrounding Dantu, Wujin, Jintan and other counties, thus enabling the economy of the Jiangnan area centered on Danyang to flourish.

With the opening of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty, the national economic center gradually moved to the south of the Yangtze River, but the political center remained in the north. The feudal dynasty transferred a large amount of southeastern grain through the canal every year, and the Grand Canal gradually became It was the political, economic, military and cultural transportation artery between the north and the south of the feudal dynasties. Lianhu is close to the Grand Canal, between Zhenjiang and Changzhou in the south of the Yangtze River. Due to the high terrain in this area, the canal in the Dantu and Danyang sections is often blocked by water transportation due to shallow water. According to historical records, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's four-story dragon boat was 45 feet high, 50 feet wide and 200 feet long. In order for such a dragon boat to pass unimpeded, the canal's width, water depth, bending radius and other aspects must meet its requirements. Since Lianhu Lake is an artificial lake with a high bottom and is only separated from the Grand Canal by an embankment, some people proposed a major measure to "use the water of Lianhu Lake to relieve water transportation problems."

By the Tang Dynasty, the management of Lian Lake was gradually incorporated into the official system. In the second year of Guangde of Tang Dynasty (AD 764), the transshipment envoy Liu Yan was divided into officials and was in charge of Lianhu Lake. During the Yongtai period of the Tang Dynasty, the lake was expanded to store water, and the construction of lake embankments and indiscriminate cultivation of lake fields were prohibited. In times of drought, water from the lake is diverted into the river. "It is forbidden to divert water for irrigation, so the river will never dry up." The water management of Lianhu Lake is extremely strict, and it is clearly stated that "those who steal (discharge) water will be punished as much as murder." It is strictly forbidden for powerful people to turn lakes into fields. On the basis of the Tang Dynasty's introduction of the lake to facilitate transportation, Duilian Lake was renovated many times during the Song Dynasty. During the Chunxi period (1174-1189 AD), Lianhu Lake was dredged and restored three times. The largest project involved 126,397 workers, 8,800 stones of rice, and 21,314,800 yuan of money. During the Northern Song Dynasty, when ship locks appeared and were used in large numbers in China, the Jingkou Lock was built in Zhenjiang. During the 167 years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Duilian Hujunxiu was practiced three times. During the 152 years of the Southern Song Dynasty, he practiced against Hu Junxiu 8 times. The Song Dynasty was the era when the canal function of lakes and canals was maximized. "When the lake water is released an inch, the river water rises a foot." It was also the era when canal water transport was the most developed and busiest. After the Yuan Dynasty unified China, although the political center moved from the Song Dynasty capitals Bianjing (today's Kaifeng) and Lin'an (today's Hangzhou) to Beijing, the economic center was still in the south of the Yangtze River, especially the food mainly came from the south of the Yangtze River. In order to strengthen the management of Lianhu Lake, the Yuan Dynasty added lake soldiers (up to more than 100 people at most) to manage the lake water and build lake shores. Zhenjiang Road Daruhua (official name) was appointed to assist in the management of Lianhu Lake, and Tongzhi (official name) was appointed Master the opening and closing of Hudoumen.

During the Ming Dynasty, the north relied more heavily on the wealth of the south. The Ming Dynasty inherited the legacy of the Tang and Song Dynasties, used Lianhu Lake to store water for transportation, and repeatedly repaired the Lianhu Lake transportation project.

In the third year of Jianwen in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1421), Liu Chen, the prefect of Zhenjiang, presided over a comprehensive renovation of Lianhu Lake. The government also issued a ban to strictly prohibit wealthy people from encroaching on the lake beach. During the Hongzhi and Jiajing years, there were many attempts to deal with lake invasion activities and return farmland to the lake to facilitate water storage. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the county governor Wu Piaoqian built a ridge in Lianhu Lake to separate the upper and lower lakes. Three gates were built on the ridge to allow the water from the upper lake to gradually reach the lower lake. At the junction of the lower lake and the canal, three locks and a stone gate were built to regulate the water in the canal. A stone tablet of "Qinyi Lake Forbidden" was erected at the same time. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, disputes over lake invasion and lake restoration continued to arise. In order to maintain the supply of water from Lianhu Lake to the canal, the government continued to strengthen management, from the use of economic penalties such as "acre inspection and taxation" to the implementation of severe punishments and laws. The punishment ranges from garrisoning the frontier to the death penalty. The use of these measures has curbed lake invasion activities.

In the Qing Dynasty, due to the gradual reduction of water storage in Lianhu Lake, its function as a water canal was gradually weakened. Although the Qing government attached great importance to the improvement of the Grand Canal and Lianhu Lake and adopted many countermeasures, the general trend of canal obstruction and the decline of water transportation was inevitable. At the same time, due to the reduction of water resources in Lianhu Lake, the emergence of a large number of tidal flats, and the influence of the deep-rooted small farmer ideology of feudal society, it is impossible to correctly handle the relationship between water conservancy and agriculture, let alone the long-term development of ecological balance. In the 19th year of Kangxi's reign, Zhang Peng, the minister of civil affairs, and Mu Tianyan, the governor of Jiangsu, proposed to change Shanglian Lake into farmland to increase agricultural tax revenue on the grounds of "convenience for the people". As soon as this example started, everyone followed suit, and Lianhu Lake was also swallowed up one after another. The water surface of Lianhu Lake shrank even more, and the canal water source dried up. In the 46th year of Kangxi's reign, Emperor Kangxi visited the south. Officials and people complained about the dangers of Lianhu reclamation and the benefits of restoring Lianhu. Kangxi heard this and issued an order to distribute coins and develop Lianhu Lake to facilitate water transportation. Tang Zhanwen, a famous person in our county, advocated the abandonment of farmland and restoration of lakes. He wrote several articles in "Review of Lake Reconstruction". He was hated by Tang Guoxiang, a giant beetle in the city. He secretly colluded with Xu Shiqi of the Zhenjiang Prefecture and created anonymous posts to slander him. Soon Tang Zhanwen was arrested in Dantu County Prison under the monk's residence in Jiaoshan. Later, Mr. Yang Yingshan of Huazhou was rehabilitated and released from prison. After Tang Zhanwen was released from prison, the imperial court donated money to restore the lake, and he continued to work for the lake and wrote "Lianhu Song Narrative" to record the story. In the 47th year of Kangxi's reign, the gentry of our county and the residents of Binhu Lake built piers and pavilions on the high hills in the center of Xialian Lake to express their gratitude to the emperor for gifting silver to restore the lake. The four-character plaque written by Chen Pengnian, the prefect of Suzhou, wrote "Wan Shi Yong Lai" and was hung in the pavilion. This is the origin of the famous "Sheng'en Pavilion" and later the "Lake Pavilion". During the Daoguang period (1821-1850 AD), Tao Shu, governor of Liangjiang, and Lin Zexu, governor of Jiangsu, built embankments at Lianhu Huanghuangba and Donggang to store water, solidifying 2,880 feet of dikes, adding or reducing water and stone dams, changing 27 ancient culverts into water gates, and building new ones. A stone gate is used to comprehensively adjust and comprehensively utilize water storage, flood discharge, and water management facilities. "The water transports people's fields, and the salt and water benefit." In addition, the Zhangguandu Gate was renovated and relocated.

During the Republic of China, the Nationalist Government and the Jiangsu Provincial Government also attached great importance to Lianhu, the most important water conservancy project in Jiangnan in history. In the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936), the Provincial Department of Water Resources built the Lianhu Five-hole Gate. The construction of the five-hole gate of Lianhu Lake played an important role in the water storage and irrigation of Lianhu Lake and the maintenance of the Jicao and Danyang city border water systems. At the same time, as the image representative of Danyang's water conservancy project, its magnificent gate body and the roar when opening the gate to release water have added another famous attraction to the ancient Lianhu Lake and become another rare tourist resource in Danyang.

Open the "Lianhu Chronicles" compiled and printed by the Qing Dynasty edition, the Taiwanese edition and the Lianhu Farm, and look at the "inscriptions" in the historical records about the renovation and reconstruction of Lianhu Lake. We will definitely feel that Lianhu Lake is not only the most important water conservancy project in the south of the Yangtze River in history, but also has splendid and profound historical and cultural value. It is the most important and precious tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Danyang.

In the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947), due to the development of railways and highways, the importance of the Grand Canal, a golden waterway, in transportation gradually declined. Coupled with the dredging of the waterway, the function of Lianhu and Cao was completely degraded. And because the lake surface was shrinking day by day, Mr. Shu Yunzhang of China National Textile Industry Corporation applied for reclamation of Lianhu Lake and built the earliest farm in the south of the Yangtze River, thus opening a new page for Lianhu Lake.

2. Lianhu Lake is a famous historical lake in the canal cultural belt

The Grand Canal is the most important water conservancy project in Chinese history and the main artery of north-south transportation in feudal China. After the completion of the Grand Canal, it played a great role in promoting the economic, political, and cultural development on both sides of the canal. In particular, it accelerated the economic and cultural development of the Jiangnan region, making the originally relatively backward Jiangnan quickly develop into the country's economic dependence and Cultural pioneer area.

The city thrives on water, thus forming a unique canal economic belt, canal urban agglomeration, canal cultural belt and canal scenery belt in the history of our country. Lianhu Lake is an important water conservancy project on the Grand Canal Economic Belt and the most typical representative of Jiangnan water towns on the Canal Scenery Belt. Therefore, it has gradually become a famous historical lake on the Canal Cultural Belt.

In the 1990s, CCTV broadcast the historical feature film "Talking about the Canal". When talking about the historical role and cultural value of the Grand Canal, several of the most famous historical names in the Canal Cultural Belt were mentioned. When talking about lakes, Lianhu Lake is among them, and Lianhu Lake is compared with Taihu Lake, Hongze Lake, West Lake, Xuanwu Lake, etc. When talking about the disappeared Lianhu Lake, Chen Duo's powerful, deep and regretful words still remain deeply in the ears of the author.

There is this passage in "Young Xue Qionglin Volume 1 Geography": "Taishan Mountain in the east, Huashan Mountain in the west, Hengshan Mountain in the south, Hengshan Mountain in the north, and Songshan Mountain in the middle. These are the five mountains in the world. Raozhou's Poyang, the green grass of Yuezhou, Danyang of Runzhou, Dongting of Ezhou, Taihu Lake of Suzhou, these are the five lakes in the world." The "Danyang of Runzhou" here refers to Lianhu Lake in Zhenjiang. Chinese people like to use "five lakes and four seas" and "three mountains and five mountains" to express the vastness of China. "Young Learning Qionglin" was a required textbook for children entering school after the Ming Dynasty, which shows Lianhu's popularity and unique status in the world at that time. It should be said that Lianhu Lake at this time is not only a famous historical lake in Danyang, but also a famous historical lake in Jiangnan, and also a famous historical lake in the country.

Lianhu Lake is a famous historical lake not because of its vast waters or steep terrain. The reason why Lianhu Lake has become a famous historical lake in my country is because of the important reasons mentioned above. In addition to the important supporting role of the water conservancy project in the water transportation of the Grand Canal, another important reason is that after the formation of the lake, it gradually revealed the beautiful pastoral scenery of the water town, thus becoming an outstanding representative of Jiangnan water town culture and pastoral culture. And because of its unique geographical advantage, adjacent to the Grand Canal and between Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Changzhou and Suzhou, many historical and cultural cities in the south of the Yangtze River, with convenient transportation, it has attracted countless literati from all dynasties, including emperors and generals, to visit here. , which led to many famous anecdotes, poems and songs through the ages, which played an important catalytic and amplifying effect on the prosperity of Lianhu Lake.

Among the ancient emperors, from the Qi and Liang emperors in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty Liu Yilong, to Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, they all visited Lianhu Lake many times. Especially during Qianlong's six trips to the south of the Yangtze River, he drove to Lianhu Lake twice and composed impromptu poems, leaving behind eternal good stories. A lake that has been valued and patronized by the country's emperors many times is one of the few large lakes in the country.

Among the literati, officials and generals, there were Yan Yanzhi from the Southern Dynasty; Li Bai, Lu You, Xu Hun, Li Hua, and Quan Deyu from the Tang Dynasty; Yang Wanli, Chen Dong, Chen Shidao, and Su from the Song Dynasty. Xiang and Ge Shengzhong; there are Sadura and Song Xin from the Yuan Dynasty; there are Jiang Bao, Zhang Zhen, and Ding Hongyang from the Ming Dynasty; there are Wang Shizhen, Peng Li, Xu Xilin, Yu Zhen, and Kong Shangren from the Qing Dynasty; there are a large number of poems by the modern revolutionary Peng Yan, etc. Celebrities, literary figures. Especially during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, poems about visiting and singing about Lian Lake reached their peak. Dozens of poets and writers left nearly a hundred popular and beautiful poems and songs. A lake that has been eulogized and praised by celebrities of all ages for more than a thousand years is one of the few in the history of Chinese lakes.

In the long history of 1,700 years, a considerable number of inscriptions and inscriptions have been left around the ups and downs of Lianhu Lake, and three volumes of "Lianhu Chronicles" have been left successively, making it less spectacular. Lianhu, an artificial lake, has become a famous historical lake in the history of lakes in my country, and has added profound cultural heritage and historical value.

For Danyang, Lianhu not only brings the aura of a historical lake on the canal cultural belt, but more importantly, it is the beneficiary of Danyang people’s farmland water conservancy, and it is also the future of Danyang people’s recreation and leisure. garden. The city thrives on water, and the development of Danyang City is closely linked to the prosperity of Lianhu Lake. The water storage and irrigation function of Lianhu Lake has given Danyang's agriculture relatively stable water conservancy resources; the water supply function of Lianhu Lake to the Grand Canal has made Danyang relied on by emperors, central governments and local governments of all dynasties, thus greatly improving Danyang's development popularity and historical status.

The beautiful waterside pastoral scenery of Lianhu Lake is a summer resort for Danyang people. The rich aquatic resources of Lianhu Lake are the basis for disaster relief for Danyang people in years of famine. Lianhu and surrounding villages have been processed and refined by lakeside residents and Danyang people, leaving many beautiful legends behind the mythical Lianhu, which further deepens the rich connotation of Lianhu culture.

For example, the legend about the "golden basin" in the origin of Lianhu Lake, the legend of Danyang's sealing vat of fine wine, the 24 scenes of Lianhu Lake, Taoren Dun and the Pavilion in the middle of the lake have all left a deep historical mark; the "Plum and Dinglang" The story has become the most beautiful folk tale in Danyang; many villages such as Zhangguandu, Longcheng, Donggang, Ju'an, Huayuan Village and so on almost all have their own legends and stories, which is also rare in Chinese villages.

The Huxin Pavilion in the middle of Xia Lian Lake was even more famous in the Qing Dynasty. There were Sheng'en Pavilion, Wenchang Pavilion, Guandi Temple, General Liu Meng Temple and Lianhu Academy built successively. There is also a living ancestral hall commemorating Lin Zexu, the then governor of Jiangsu, who made significant contributions to the renovation of Lian Lake. At that time, the pavilions and pavilions in the center of the lake were reflected in the clear blue lake water, and the centuries-old boxwood trees were towering and lush. It was undoubtedly a fairyland on earth in the hearts of Danyang people. During the Republic of China, to the east of the Pavilion in the middle of the lake and beside the Ximen Ancient Canal, the magnificent Lianhu Five-hole Gate built by the Provincial Department of Water Resources stood proudly on the lakeshore. The huge splash of water and roar when the gate was opened to release water are still deeply remembered in the hearts of the older generation of Danyang people. It is a pity that the scenic spots and historic sites such as Lianhu were destroyed by war or man-made destruction in the turmoil of history, leaving countless regrets to the people of Danyang.

3. Lianhu has an excellent revolutionary tradition and glorious achievements in modern history

In modern times, the most glorious and proud thing for Danyang people is that in the early days of the Anti-Japanese War, the Danyang people Under the leadership of Guan Wenwei, the Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Regiment was organized, which was later reorganized into the New Fourth Army's advancing column. It played an extremely important role in the New Fourth Army's implementation of the Party Central Committee's great strategic decision on the New Fourth Army's eastward advance and northward march, and its achievements will shine through the ages. An important backbone of the Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Group was the Lianhu Liuxiang Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Group organized and launched by Wei Yongyi and Zhu Lianyi. Wei Yongyi and Zhu Lianyi later became important leadership backbones of the New Fourth Army.

After Tingzong followed the New Fourth Army northward, Lianhu became a very important base and transit transportation station on the underground transportation line of the New Fourth Army from the Maoshan base area to the Northern Jiangsu base area. It not only has several traffic officers, but also has Zhangguandu underground transportation station. In June 1940, it made an important contribution to the New Fourth Army's skillful crossing of the Grand Canal and the Shanghai-Nanjing Line. Zhang Jiubao, the person in charge of the underground transportation station, was betrayed by a traitor in June 1943. He was brave and unyielding and died heroically after being arrested.

After liberation, Lianhu Farm became the earliest state-owned farm of New China in southern Jiangsu. After its establishment, Lianhu Farm quickly developed into a national-level original rice and wheat breeding farm from the 1950s to the 1970s, and contributed to the agricultural development of Danyang and surrounding areas in aspects such as agricultural mechanization, scientific farming, animal husbandry, and aquaculture. For its outstanding demonstration role, it has been awarded many times by the provincial government and the State Council. Not only party and state leaders, such as Wang Zhen and Chen Muhua, etc. have visited Lianhu to inspect and guide the work; international friends, including heads of state, have also visited the farm many times to study and study; and a group of well-known domestic agricultural experts such as Chen Yongkang are engaged in scientific research and technology on the farm. guidance work. The farm has also been appointed by the national and provincial agricultural departments to send agricultural technicians and medical personnel to friendly African countries to guide rice planting and medical services, which has brought glory to the people of Danyang. During the "Cultural Revolution", the Sixth Brigade of the Provincial Party Committee's "May 7th" Cadre School came to Danyang, and a large number of provincial and bureau-level leaders decentralized labor in Lianhu, leaving a good and deep impression on Lianhu.

Since the reform and opening up, Lianhu Farm has had the courage to emancipate its mind, break through the shackles of the traditional planned economic system early, actively integrate with the local economy, and actively integrate the farm into the economic development and reform and innovation tide of the Danyang plate. , carried out a series of difficult reforms, accelerated the adjustment of the farm economic structure and the transformation of the system, so that the development of the farm economy could adapt to the economic development of Danyang, laying a good foundation for economic development and a stable and harmonious society for the overall transfer of the farm to Danyang in 2006. The environment has created good conditions for the accelerated development of Lianhu Lake. After being placed under Danyang, Lianhu's overall construction and various undertakings have developed vigorously, and it has become one of the most dynamic areas in Danyang.

Looking at the historical development trajectory of Lianhu and Danyang over the past 1,700 years since the formation of Lianhu, it is not difficult to see that although the urban area of ??Danyang historically developed in a spiral direction toward the southeast, Danyang’s foundation lies in the west gate. Ximen was once the starting point of Danyang’s historical and cultural development, and Lianhu Lake outside Ximen was a shining pearl in Danyang’s history. Most ancient Chinese cities relied on water to thrive. They were built on water and prospered because of water. The formation of Lianhu Lake and the connection of the Grand Canal undoubtedly played an extremely important role in promoting Danyang from a small village to a famous city in the south of the Yangtze River.

Lianhu is a treasure in the history and culture of Danyang. Danyang is famous all over the world for its richness and beauty. If Danyang is a famous historical and cultural city, Lianhu Lake is undoubtedly a precious historical business card in the history of Danyang.

A city without economic prosperity will have no vitality; if a city does not have the accumulation of history and culture, it will undoubtedly lose its soul. The Danyang water town culture represented by Lianhu and the Six Dynasties culture represented by the Six Dynasties stone carvings are The most precious historical and cultural heritage of Danyang people is also the permanent and indispensable spiritual wealth of Danyang people. Lianhu is a dream of Danyang people. We need the reputation of "the hometown of Emperor Qi Liang", and we should also love the pastoral culture of Lianhu water town created by Danyang people over thousands of years. This is the historical root of our Danyang people’s Lianhu complex.

Hangzhou has West Lake, Yangzhou has Slender West Lake, Suzhou has Taihu Lake, and Nanjing has Xuanwu Lake. We Danyang people should be proud to say: "We have Lianhu Lake in Danyang."