Time goes back to 1984. On Zhongshan Road, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, the municipal department is carrying out daily sewage pipeline construction. As usual, the workers broke through the ground and cleared the soil and rocks into the ground inch by inch. When it was dug 2 meters deep from the ground, the construction workers found something strange in the soil.
Under the soil, one piece of blue stone brick after another is revealed. The workers immediately reported the discovery and the Kaifeng Cultural Relics Working Team immediately sent cultural relics and archaeological experts to the site for inspection.
After careful cleaning and reviewing the literature, archaeological experts confirmed that the unexpected blue brick was the zhou Bridge bridge deck that once existed in the ancients. However, Zhongshan Road is located at the central axis of Kaifeng City . How to conduct large-scale archaeological excavations in the urban "arteries" has become a problem.
For the sake of cultural relics protection and urban development, the local government will backfill the excavated monuments and continue to seal the dust of history under the land. Until 36 years later, with the second excavation of the Zhouqiao site at , this Zhouqiao, which appeared in the poem, gradually appeared before future generations.
Official excavation after 36 years
In 2018, Zhou Runshan, who worked at Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, was appointed to start excavation of the Bian River site. According to Zhou Runshan, after the Zhouqiao site appeared in 1984, for the sake of cultural relics protection and urban development, the local area was backfilled.
" Kaifeng is different from other ancient capitals. The sites that need to be excavated are also places where Kaifeng people have lived for generations." Zhou Runshan said that compared with ancient capitals such as Luoyang , Chang'an , the excavation of ancient capitals in Kaifeng has been slow. Kaifeng, near the edge of the Yellow River, was flooded many times in ancient times. The underground of Kaifeng City can be said to be "city-crossing cities", and deep-burned sites have also become a difficult point for archaeological excavation.
From Northern Song to the Ming and Qing dynasties, Zhouqiao was on the axis of the capital and was also the economic center of Kaifeng City. "In ancient times, Zhou Bridge was 30 meters wide, and the Zhouqiao Night Market in the Northern Song Dynasty could be open all night. In the Ming Dynasty, the government's governance capacity declined, and people began to build houses on Zhouqiao and build street-side shops." Zhou Runshan said that in the Ming Dynasty, due to the additional houses, the area where Zhouqiao could pass was already very narrow. Later, the Yellow River flooded, Kaifeng City experienced floods, and all the houses were submerged under the flood, and the remains were buried in the same piece of land.
The difficulty of conducting long-lasting archaeological excavations on urban "arteries" can be imagined. By 2018, in conjunction with the launch of major projects such as archaeology China, an area near Zhongshan Road was demolished, and archaeologists were able to start excavation of the Bian River site on this open space.
According to Zhou Runshan, archaeologists mainly excavated the river area of Bian River in 2018, and did not involve the prefecture bridge. Because Zhouqiao is under Zhongshan Road, the city's sewage discharge, optical cable and other pipelines are densely distributed, and the government needs to coordinate with multiple parties.
As the archaeological team discovered more cultural relics in the Bian River, it gradually attracted attention from all walks of life. Until 2020, with the efforts of all parties, the archaeological excavation of the ontology of the Zhouqiao site was officially launched on March 23. This is also the second excavation of the Zhouqiao site by archaeologists after 36 years since 1984.
History shines into reality
Recalling the moment when Shibi discovered it, Zhou Runshan's emotions were still excited. But for archaeologists, "confidentiality" work is also a task that must be carried out.
According to Zhou Runshan's recollection, at the end of 2021, they gradually approached the stone carvings of Zhouqiao during excavation. By February 2022, archaeologists have initially cleared a small area of stone walls with patterns.
"I felt very shocked when I discovered the pattern. I only read the records in " Tokyo Menghualu " before." Zhou Runshan smiled. When people didn't find the patterns on the stone wall before, they thought the stone wall was destroyed later, but after they really discovered it, they felt that history had shone into reality. The literature and archaeological excavation data were very consistent, which made all staff very excited.
Shuqiao can be called a landmark building in Tokyo. According to Zhou Runshan, theShuqiao was built in during the middle age of the Tang Dynasty . At that time, the Bian River was the main artery of the north-south transport of canals, and the Zhou Bridge crossed the Bian River. Standing on the bridge, looking south at Zhuque Gate and north at Xuande Tower. In the middle is Tianjie, it is located in the center of the city. It is the most prosperous and lively place, and its architecture is also the most gorgeous and bold.
Therefore, Zhouqiao is often seen in the writings of literati and poets. In "Tokyo Dreams" which detailed the scene of the prosperous scene of the Northern Song Dynasty capital Tokyo Kaifeng Prefecture, the author Meng Yuanlao describes the Zhouqiao in Volume 1. In his record, the bridge pillars are all bluestone opposite the Zhou Bridge in Oui Yu Street. "There are stone walls near the bridge, with seahors, water beasts and flying clouds engraved. Stone pillars are densely arranged under the bridge, and cars are driving on the imperial roads."
Zhou Runshan did not expect that this state bridge, which appeared in ancient Chinese, actually appeared next to the world. Although it is no longer as prosperous as it was back then, every stone and every painting are written in the book.
After the stone wall pattern was discovered, the archaeological staff hid their excitement and continued to study the scale of the entire stone wall. After mastering the basic situation, they began to clean up step by step and enter the excavation of the entire stone wall.
On the morning of September 28, 2022, at the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s “Archaeological China” major project promotion and display work meeting, the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology released the “New Archaeological Discoveries of Major Archaeological Site in Kaifeng Zhouqiao Site”. At this moment, archaeologists who have been digging in Kaifeng for many years have finally reappeared the bridge in front of the public.
A mark belonging to the Tokyo city of the Northern Song Dynasty
As the true appearance of the Zhouqiao site has been fully revealed, the most eye-catching thing is the stone carvings and murals on both sides of the river, allowing the prosperity that has been forgotten for thousands of years to gradually reveal its true appearance.
The stone walls of the Song Dynasty embankment discovered this time are composed of relief patterns such as seahors, auspicious animals, cranes and birds, auspicious clouds. The carved stones have 16 layers, 3.3 meters high, and 3 groups of patterns, forming a huge scroll.
The top of the north shore stone wall currently revealed is about 6.8 meters deep from the surface, the stone wall is 5.3 meters high and 21.2 meters long from east to west. Each group of the entire stone wall is composed of a seahorse and two cranes and rings, consisting of auspicious clouds, with a length of about 7.5 meters. However, it is speculated that there are 4 groups of patterns in the entire stone wall, with a length of about 30 meters.
During the excavation process, the staff found that the stone wall on the north side was higher than the stone wall on the south side and was preserved more completely, but the stone carvings and murals were not as clear as the south side. In this regard, Zhou Runshan believes that since the stone wall on the north side is located on the sunny side of the river, it is subject to weathering and light for a long time, it will cause certain damage to the stone wall. However, the stone wall on the south side has less light contact with , so the stone wall is clearer and more complete.
According to the press conference of major archaeological projects held by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, in addition to the huge stone carvings and auspicious murals, more than 60,000 cultural relics specimens were unearthed at the Zhouqiao and Bianhe sites in Kaifeng City, and more than 56,000 were porcelain specimens. Among them, three gold-plated copper statues excavated next to the foundation site of the Heshen Temple on the east side of the Zhouqiao are extremely precious. It is initially judged to be statues such as the four gods, Golden Dragon, and the four gods in the Heshen Temple.
The three statues are statues used for worship in the temple back then, and all people can go to worship and pray for blessings. Because the temple was destroyed by floods, the bronze statues were washed to the bottom of the bridge. During the archaeological excavation, staff found three bronze statues from the mud. "The scale is quite large and the production skills are very superb." Zhou Runshan talked about the three gold-plated bronze statues with height of 80 cm to 100 cm, with different shapes, and each one is covered with a thin layer of gold foil.
Whether it is the three gold-plated bronze statues or the largest stone carving murals discovered in the Northern Song Dynasty in China, they are all clear outlines and exquisite craftsmanship. The excavation of the Zhouqiao site fills the gap in the art history of the Northern Song Dynasty, continues the historical context, witnesses the development height of Chinese civilization from the 10th to the 12th century, and provides new and important information for the research on ancient bridge construction technology in my country.
Kaifeng painter used the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" technique to restore the Zhouqiao
The painter Guan Hailong, who has lived in Kaifeng for more than 40 years, used the brush in his hand to restore the fireworks of the Grand Canal .
htmlOn September 29, when the reporter contacted Guan Hailong, he was revising the draft, "It has been drawing for more than half a year, and I can't count which version this is. It's probably more than twenty copies of the draft." Guan Hailong, who started learning to draw at the age of 20, couldn't help but sigh when talking about the "Imagination Restoration Picture of the Prefecture Bridge in the Song Dynasty" that this restoration is very different from previous artistic creations. The restoration process this time requires respecting history, facts, and culture on the basis of using aesthetics. It cannot combine its own imagination and personality with personal emotions like the previous creations.When Guan Hailong, who grew up in Kaifeng, was truly at the ruins of Zhouqiao, he was shocked by the cultural atmosphere conveyed by a thousand years ago. "Although the lines on the stone carvings and murals are different from the current aesthetic, there is a certain vein running through them." Guan Hailong used the painting technique of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" to restore the work. "The two works ultimately reflect the scenes of the same era, so the painting techniques are also very close."
During the painting process, Guan Hailong went to the local museum to sort out the picture album and read a large number of historical documents such as "Tokyo Dream Hualu". In order to truly restore the historical scene, Guan Hailong could go to the archaeological site five or six times most frequently in the day. "From the size of the bridge houses to the size of the stones under his feet, they all need to be restored according to the historical measurements." Guan Hailong often stood at the archaeological site, immersively imagining the lives of the ancients and feeling the cultural atmosphere of that year.
Speaking of the final creation time, Guan Hailong said that it is not certain yet, but as an artist, it is very honored to be able to participate in the work of major archaeological discoveries in the country. He can witness the gradually floating out of the ground from the underground, and experience the process of unveiling the veil, which also allows Guan Hailong to dream back to the thousand-year-old state bridge.
"Night rain in the golden pond, bright moon in the prefecture bridge, snow clear in Liangyuan, autumn sound of Bian water..." Zhouqiao is a beautiful scene in Kaifeng in ancient times and is listed as one of the eight scenic spots in Bianjing. Zhou Runshan said that in the future, the Zhouqiao will be open to visitors in its original appearance, and the "Zhouqiao Bright Moon" will also return to Bianjing City again. (Elephant News reporter Zhang Ziqi and Wu Ziyi)
Source: Elephant News
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