Ancient Canal nostalgia

I had the opportunity to go with my family to Yangzhou University for the medical college exam at Guangling College, and drove 250 kilometers to the southernmost tip of Yangzhou. Staying at the Gemei Hotel around the school, I went to the nearby ancient canal before dinner. Walking all the way west, I saw many nearby colleges and universities, including middle schools and cultivating schools. Teachers and students, and parents took a group photo at the school gate with the banner of "Win in the High School Entrance Examination". In the east, there is the Tourism College, the West District is the Guangling College Technician College, the North is the Subei Hospital, and both sides of the ancient canal are university towns. They are all new campuses newly developed in recent years. When we arrive at the ancient canal path and the main road when we arrive, there are iron fences blocking them. Motor vehicles are all on one side. In order to protect the ancient canal road, motor vehicles have been banned. The ancient canal is about 70-80 meters wide. The river water is clear and rippling with green waves. The stone revetment on both sides is built with green vegetation for slope protection. Solar street lights stand on the canal path. The inner slope of the path is planted with lush green metasequoia forest belts. There are old ladies in the forest. Long and narrow fields. Small fields, battery cars pass by from time to time on the road. There are small pavilions for tourists to rest 100 meters away, and there are stone tablets with books on the past and present of the ancient canal. Taking a nap in the pavilion. Looking north along the river, there are two towers standing on the canal in the distance, one fat and one thin. The river water is calm and wandering. At this time, the last afterglow of the sun is setting in the west, and the water of the ancient canal is filled with golden waves, as if to tell tourists about the canal's thousand-year history. Follow the river slowly south, and the Canal Bay bends eastward. Ask passers-by that it is Guazhou Ancient Ferry more than 10 kilometers south. It's getting late and the cold of early spring is forcing people to go back to the hotel.

In the evening, the restaurant met a colleague from Suqian who came to take the medical college entrance examination. he also stayed in the same hotel. In the conversation, she was in her 50s and ambitious to take the medical college entrance examination. There were two children, one working and the other studying in university. The burden was heavy, so I had to get a registered pharmacist certificate after a medical college and then opened a drugstore to be the boss. My family thought the same way. During the day, the drugstore went to work with thick medicine books and studied late at night. Remember a pile of notes, the annual record of so much money and time and energy do not consider, I do not know the effect of learning. It is impossible to enter the profession without a variety of certificates, and medical certificates still require a college in pharmacy to be qualified for examination. I do not know how many people in the province and the whole country are fighting for the qualification of this profession. After a brief introduction to a simple dinner, I will go back to the hotel to read books and have to deal with the exam tomorrow. When I arrived at the south gate of Guangling College early the next morning, there were many people. There was only such an examination center in the province. Most of the examinees were middle-aged, and there were also young people. It was not a problem to be a boss or a pharmacist in order to enter the profession. I sent them to the examination room. I was bored and idle on my mobile phone to pass the time. I also came down for a run, familiar with the surrounding environment, ran west to the technician college, turned back to the south gate and ran east to the edge of the pond. I saw someone working to weed in the field of the pond. There is a path leading to the West Canal landfill in the lush Lo Wai beside the pond, and there is a path beside the West Canal, which can be opened to cars. There was an old man walking I went up to inquire about the different management on the east and west sides of the canal. The old man asked me where I said I came from Yancheng. He enthusiastically introduced to me that both sides of the ancient canal belonged to different district management. To the east is the development zone and to the west is the different management and operation of Hanjiang District. Then it introduced the history of Yangzhou Canal, this side is the ancient canal, the location of the river excavated in history is basically the same, the earliest is mainly the military transportation of troops and grain transportation war needs. In the middle and later period, the government of Cao Yun needed to open up the north-south grain and material passage, as well as the need of drainage and irrigation. Yangzhou City is the distribution center of grain supplies in the north and south. More than 10 kilometers east from here, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal newly excavated in 1952 is 100 meters wide and is now the main road of the canal. I live nearby. When I was a child, the ancient Yunhe River was busy with hundreds of Ke competing for the flow, and ships of all sizes flowed endlessly, and there was a constant sound of slurring sails at night. The ancient canal is now closed, mainly for sightseeing protection, has declared the natural heritage, the river is not straight to the south there are three bends into the Yangtze River to slow the canal flow. You can go to Guazhou in the south and Gudu Temple in the north. You can go and have a look at both sides. Yangzhou is an ancient city with historical and cultural origins and a livable scenic spot. Outsiders can run and have a look. Bid farewell to the old man and thank him for his warm introduction. The landscape beside the canal is well protected. The bank filling road is clean and tidy, and both sides of the canal pile are excavated into large ditches, which is the reason for taking soil to build banks. Someone in the canal is fishing, the fishing rod is long, shake the pole tip line and float up and down on the surface of the water, the fishing line is not long. I have never seen what kind of fishing method this is. I asked its fishing method is fighting fishing, static bait fishing has never seen fighting fishing, is it such a fishing method of fishing big fish? I watched for a long time that the fish did not take the bait. He was really patient. He asked me that you were from Peikao. Earlier, a man from Peikao was here to watch fishing and was introduced by me to the nearby Gaomi Temple. Won't you go and have a look? there are many scenic spots worth visiting during a trip to Yangzhou. Told me a lot of scenic spots, have been to some scenic spots for the first time heard of. I think I'd better learn about the history of Yangzhou.

The ancient Yangzhou City was born out of a canal and was prosperous at a logistics node. Since ancient times, it has been a north-south water transportation corridor and a channel for transporting soldiers and grains. It was also inevitable that military forces would compete and suffer from several wars and damage and construction. The Ancient Canal is the oldest section of the Grand Canal in China and has a history of 2,500 years. In 486 BC, two major events were recorded in "Wucheng Han, Communicating the Jianghuai" in "Zuo Zhuan": the construction of the new capital city and the excavation of the Jianghuai artificial canal, which occurred in the same year. The "birthday" of the Grand Canal was also the beginning of Yangzhou's city history.

The ancient canal flows from the ancient crossing of Guazhou into the river, with a total length of about 30 kilometers. It is now an important part of the Yangzhou Grand Canal. Urban construction can be divided into three stages: Hancheng in the Spring and Autumn Period, Guangling City in the Han Dynasty, and Wucheng City in the Six Dynasties. The establishment of Yangzhou began in 486 BC. King Fuchai of Wu established Hancheng north of Shugang as a logistical support for military operations. Guangling City in the Han Dynasty was the capital of Liu Bi, King of Wu, and the prosperity of Yangzhou began here. During the Six Dynasties, Emperor Xiaowu attacked Guangling, and Guangling City was turned into ruins and was called "Wucheng".

In the Sui Dynasty, the first half of Yangzhou city was the Yangzhou General Manager Mansion, and the second half was the Jiangdu Palace. In the Tang Dynasty, the scale of Yangzhou city expanded. With Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty connecting the Grand Canal, Yangzhou developed from an important commercial port in the Sui Dynasty into China's land and water transportation hub, Huainan salt transportation center, and the country's largest economic city during the Tang Dynasty.

Yangzhou City was destroyed by war in the Song Dynasty, and the city's size was greatly reduced. After the Song Dynasty moved south, Jianghuai and Huaihe became the area where the Song Dynasty and Jin Yuan armies faced each other, and their strategic position was improved. Yangzhou's city was repaired or added several times. The formation of the inner city defense pattern marked that Yangzhou's prominent economic status gave way to military status.

In the Yuan Dynasty, due to the bending and straightening of the canal channels, forming the pattern of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the opening of shipping in the Yuan Dynasty, Yangzhou's status as a transportation hub between the north and the south was weakened, and the prosperity of the city of Yangzhou was far less than that of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

After the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the size of Yangzhou city shrank in the Ming Dynasty. In order to facilitate defense, Yangzhou successively built an "old city"

The "new city" forms a two-city pattern. The east, west and north sides of the old city are moat, and the south is the Grand Canal.

Yangzhou Prefecture was established in the Qing Dynasty, with Jiangdu County as the prefecture, and the Ming city pattern continued within the city. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou City was not only a water transportation hub, but also developed into the country's largest salt distribution center. Especially during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the ancient canal was responsible for the national water and salt transportation center and material distribution center. This made Yangzhou's urban economic activities extremely active, its population increased rapidly, and its culture developed and flourished. It became a famous economic metropolis in the country at that time.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, when the Taiping Rebellion fought against the Qing Army, the river entrance into Yangzhou was controlled, the canal gradually silted up, and water and salt transportation gradually declined. Only one-tenth of the Qing government relied on river transportation, and most of it relied on sea transportation. The opening of the Jinpu Railway in 1912 made it even worse for the Grand Canal. It is a foregone conclusion that shipping and railways mainly communicate north-south transportation. The canal's position in the country's politics and economy has been greatly affected. Coupled with the ravages of war, Yangzhou City gradually declined.

After the founding of New China, the government renovated the Yangzhou Ancient Canal. Construction started in 1958 and was completed at the end of 1961. The Yangzhou section of the canal was again cut and straightened, and the canal was diverted from Wayaopu to Liuwei and into the Yangtze River. After the Grand Canal was diverted, the Guhangou section from Zhuyi Bay to Guazhou became a veritable ancient canal. From the historical context of the ancient canal in Yangzhou, it can be seen that the ancient canal is closely related to the destiny of Yangzhou city. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the end of the Han Dynasty, the role of the ancient canal was mainly used for military defense. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the function of the ancient canal gradually changed into water transportation. The nature of Yangzhou's city also changed from a military town to a commercial city. The nature of the land use along the canal changed from defensive deep ditches on the edge of the city. High walls, to logistics, transportation and commercial land.

The ancient canal flows quietly, fading away the lively and prosperous past, but giving Yangzhou's Laocheng District an ancient and mysterious color. Today, the vast majority of Yangzhou City's cultural heritage is distributed along the ancient canal, especially in historical districts. Most of them are houses, salt merchant clubs, cultural and educational facilities, etc. left over from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The main facilities include: salt merchant residences, religious buildings, former residences of celebrities, cultural and educational buildings, gardens, commercial halls, and other architectural relics.

Historical cultures include: salt culture, commercial port culture, religious culture, drama culture, and traditional craft culture.

Legend: Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, accidentally saw a painting of Guangling in Mulanting. It was this Guangling painting that aroused Yang Guang's idea of going to play. Although Yang Guang was greedy for pleasure, he had no waterway. When he was about to give up this idea, Empress Xiao gave up an idea, so a grand canal that shocked the world was dug with a single painting. This shows the exquisiteness of the painting. As the saying goes, once the long river of thousands of miles is opened, the waves of the Sui Dynasty will come for nine days. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty once wrote a good Five Wonders "Wild Hope": Jackdaws fly to count points, and flowing water surrounds the isolated village. Where the setting sun is about to set, it will fade away from the sight. Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, accidentally saw a painting of Guangling in Mulanting. It was this Guangling painting that aroused Yang Guang's idea of going to play. Although Yang Guang was greedy for pleasure, he had no waterway. When he was about to give up this idea, Empress Xiao gave up an idea, so a grand canal that shocked the world was dug with a single painting. This shows the exquisiteness of the painting. As the saying goes, once the long river of thousands of miles is opened, the waves of the Sui Dynasty will come for nine days. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty once wrote a good Five Wonders "Wild Hope": Jackdaws fly to count points, and flowing water surrounds the isolated village. Where the setting sun is about to set, it will fade away from the sight. In 605 AD, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, who had just ascended the throne, initiated a great project-digging a new canal. China's terrain is high in the west and low in the east, and rivers have flowed into the sea since ancient times. The Grand Canal running through the north and south dredges the meridians of civilizations in the five major river basins of the Haihe River, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River and Qiantang River, communicates the east, west, north and south of China, and achieves the first true integration and unification in Chinese history. The Grand Canal in the Sui Dynasty became the capital of the Yangzhou Canal. The intersection of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal is the link for economic and cultural exchanges between the north and the south. Ships from south to north, loaded with sea salt, grain, silk, ceramics, and coal, docked here for transshipment. Merchants gathered, trade was frequent, and the economy was developed. Yangzhou developed into the economic center of the south. Emperor Yang came to Yangzhou not for Qionghua, nor for beautiful women. The purpose of Emperor Yang's southern tour was first to appease Jiangnan and strengthen control over Jiangnan in order to maintain the great significance of the unified situation of the dynasty.

The second patrol of Jiangdu was in 610 AD. At this time, the economic power of the dynasty was unprecedentedly strong. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty began to build Jiangdu Palace on a large-scale. Jiangdu Palace is grand in scale and ornate in decoration. There are more than ten palaces of various names in it. In addition, a palace was built at the head of the east bay of the canal and at the south of the Yangtze River. After the Wantou Palace was built, it was later converted into a temple due to poor feng shui. The Yangtze Palace is called Linjiang Palace, and you can overlook the vast Yangtze River. The most legendary one is undoubtedly the mystery building. There are also many legends about the mystery building. According to records, the mystery building and palace are extremely luxurious in the world, with thousands of households, continuous roads, secluded rooms and elegant rooms, and winding houses are connected by themselves.

In Jiangdu, Emperor Yang did not express his affection between the mountains and rivers, but was busy with official duties. He handled domestic and foreign affairs day and night, and received foreign envoys at Jiangdu Palace. Yangzhou became a window for foreign exchanges, and Yangzhou became one of the "three capitals" at that time.

In 616 AD, when the three expeditions to Koryo were defeated, popular grievances arose, and the peasant uprising in the north was postponed. However, Emperor Suichang at this time may have wasted his ambition, or perhaps in order to accumulate national strength, he insisted on returning to Jiangdu and successively killed Cui Minxiang, Wang Airen, who strongly opposed this.

Sui Changbian's contribution to Yangzhou is unmatched. As a citizen of Yangzhou, we should evaluate him with an objective attitude.