The cultural and historical significance of the stone tablet "Hua Nan Bridge-Dafeng Patriarch" in Pantian Town

The cultural and historical significance of the "China South Bridge" in Pantian Town, Fengshun County is worthy of our study. Word of mouth says that the South China Bridge was built by eminent monks in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of more than a hundred years. We have verified that the South China Bridge has The stone plaque with the engraved font "Huanan Bridge was established in the 27th year of Guangxu" is one of the evidences. Recently, villagers in Pantiandijiang discovered a stone tablet. This stone tablet was about 400 meters away from the bridge. It was placed next to the small water town in the village and became a platform for villagers to wash vegetables and clothes. We actually measured the stele to be 1.7 meters high, 0.54 meters wide and 0.14 meters thick. The upper part of the stele is engraved with the four characters "Dafeng Patriarch", which is engraved horizontally from right to left; while the three characters "Huanan Bridge" are engraved vertically. The handwriting is clear, beautiful, and beautiful, the inscribed characters are quite obvious, and the ditch is deep and prominent, which shows that capital and skill were invested in it. This also illustrates the importance that the bridge builders attached to the bridge.

? Let me mention here the Huaming Bridge, which was also built in the Qing Dynasty. It is on the road from Baifenpu to Tangkeng. The inscription on the bridge head has been blurred. If these two bridges were built at the same time, the stone carvings should be the same, at least not too different. Therefore, the discovery of the stone tablets of "China South Bridge" and "Dafeng Patriarch" helps us reveal the true historical face of South China Bridge, or we can learn more about the cultural and historical significance from this stone tablet.

? According to the information search: "The Patriarch Dafeng is said to be a famous eminent monk in the Northern Song Dynasty. His real name is Song Dafeng. In folklore, the surname of the Patriarch Dafeng is Lin, his given name is Lingwen, his courtesy name is Tongsou, and his birth and death years are A.D. 1039-1127", Monk Dafeng during the Northern Song Dynasty, lived during the Xuanhe period, and his main deeds are recorded in the historical records of my country and southeastern countries. He was a famous philanthropist in the history of charity. His main charity work was to build bridges to benefit the people. In the sixth year of Zhenghe (1116) of Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, this Buddhist master came to Chaoyang, Guangdong from Fujian. He raised funds by himself to build bridges in the Chaoyang area. Patriarch Dafeng personally inspected the water conditions, topography, and design of every bridge he wanted to build. The shape of the bridge, the calculation of the required stones, and every process are very particular. When building the bridge, you must go there in person and preside over the construction in person. The inscription reads "Dafeng Patriarch - South China Bridge". Was it erected in memory of him at that time? The South China Bridge is not only in the Qing Dynasty, it should be traced back to the Song Dynasty. The last years of the Song Dynasty were more than 900 years ago.

According to relevant information: In the early period of the Nanjing National Government (1927-1937), due to the special geographical location of Chaoshan, frequent floods and droughts were a lingering nightmare for Chaoshan people. Therefore, since the late Qing Dynasty, The majority of residents in Chaoshan area have fled abroad to make a living and seek a way out. After decades of hard work, some overseas residents of Chaoshan descent have become rich, but they still remember their hometown and actively support the economic construction of their hometown. Influenced by the traditional Chinese charity culture and Patriarch Song Dafeng, the majority of residents in the Chaoshan area have developed a philanthropic attitude. The establishment of the Guangda Shantang is the best witness to this. Charitable institutions are one of the main carriers of charitable relief. Shantang plays an extremely important role in Chaoshan charity relief. Charitable relief in Chaoshan, with Shantang as the carrier, not only focuses on daily relief such as medical donations, firefighting, and burying corpses, but also builds bridges and roads, and sets up volunteer schools, gradually taking on the characteristics of modern charity. The major charitable halls' active charity relief saved people from fire and water, and won the support of the people. With a strong mass base, they were able to survive the trend of abolishing superstition and abolishing temples set off by the Ministry of Interior of the National Government in Nanjing. In addition to being extremely destructive, natural disasters are also breeding grounds for infectious diseases and plagues. Therefore, natural disaster relief is crucial. In the relief of flood and drought disasters, in addition to passive relief, active defensive measures are also taken, such as building warehouses and regulating the Han River. In addition, relief for refugees, unemployed overseas Chinese, unfortunate women, etc. was also the main content of charity relief in Chaoshan area during this period. In the arduous relief process, the government, charity organizations and individuals have all made indelible contributions. Paying attention to charity education and combining "education" are typical features of modern charity relief. The majority of residents in the Chaoshan area are well aware of the importance of education and actively donate to support education. In order to train believers, the church also established schools. Mission schools mainly focus on religious education, which has a strong religious nature and seems incompatible with modern society. However, it objectively promotes the development of status education in Chaoshan. In the early stage of the Nanjing National Government, the charity relief undertakings in Chaoshan area showed the characteristics of pluralism, religion and region.

Charitable relief in Chaoshan is helpful to solve the living plight of the poor, rescue people suffering from sudden natural and man-made disasters, and maintain social stability and harmony. At the same time, it also shows the good-hearted and virtuous folk customs of Chaoshan people.

Therefore, the construction of the South China Bridge was probably built by Dafeng himself, and we cannot deny that he "built the South China Bridge". Perhaps it is a continuation of "philanthropy" and was built with the support of donations from charitable organizations in the Chaoshan area. But since it was a product of the Republic of China, this period of history was quietly "hidden". No matter what the real situation is, the appearance of the "Dafeng Patriarch" stone tablet is the promotion of charity in Pantian and is a positive energy. To eliminate the false and preserve the true, we need to continue to look for direct evidence, so it will take some time for further investigation (which will be discussed in a later article).

Regarding "building bridges" to benefit the people, let's talk about some views on Pantian Huaming Bridge, Nanhua Bridge, Huaxi Bridge, Nanxi Bridge, Tiexiang Bridge, Huangkeng Bridge, etc.:

Then search according to the "County Chronicles of the Republic of China":

1. "Huaming Bridge is located at Pantianshuikou. It was built with donations from the villagers of Guangxu County. The bridge is more than thirty feet long and eight feet wide. There are stone railings on both sides."

2. "Nanhua Bridge is located in Baifenpu, Pantian. It is the only way for Liuhuang to lead to Tangkeng. It was built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu. The bridge is more than 20 feet long and has stones on both sides. "

3. "The Nanxi Bridge was built on the Nanxi River in Pantian. It was built with donations from people in Guangxu County. The bridge is more than seven feet long and has stone railings on both sides." 4. "The Huangkeng Bridge was built in Pantian. "It cost more than a thousand yuan and was built solely by Feng Dengrong, a local from here" (Fengshun County Chronicles of the Republic of China, Vol. 5 and Construction 6). The Nanxi Bridge and Huangkeng Bridge mentioned here are clear, but the Huaming Bridge and Nanhua Bridge are ambiguous.

We will examine the time recorded in the county annals for now, but the addresses of the Nanhua and Huaming bridges are obviously different. Judging from the direction of the flood, Pantianbao, Pantianshe and other cultural and historical materials), Huanan Bridge and Huaming Bridge are in the east of the town. However, the Nanhua Bridge recorded in the county annals of the Republic of China is Baifenpu and Huaming Bridge is at Shuikou.

The first is: referring to "South China Bridge" as Nanhua Bridge,

The second is: Baifenpu and Shuikou have exchanged their geographical locations. As an important historical book of Fengshun County Chronicles, Can even a simple geographical location be mistaken? It was modern people who changed the names of these two bridges.

The third is: the length of the bridge is also obviously different. The total length of the South China Bridge is more than 30 meters, the width is more than 3.5 meters, and the height is 6.5 meters. The Nanhua Bridge in the county annals is about thirty feet long (converted to more than 100 meters, conservative calculation is more than 70 meters) and eight feet wide (more than 2 meters). Even now, the total length from left to right is less than 50 meters. meters, is the difference between Nanhua Bridge and Huanan Bridge more than 50 meters? And there is a short section of the ancient post road next to it that connects to the bridge. A few of us rushed to the wooden cave and inspected the Huaming Bridge, which spans the stream in Baifenpuli and connects Liuhuang to Xindong and Tangkeng. However, we did not find the words Nanhua Bridge. There are two bridges at the head. There are two stone tablets, one is the donation list of Huaming Bridge, and the other is the inscription and donation in 1976 when it was rebuilt. Huanan Bridge is located in Shuikou Temple in Dijiang Village. Are both addresses wrong? County records should be very rigorous. How could there be such a big discrepancy? The Huaxi Bridge is not the Huanan Bridge. This bridge is at the Huyang Backwater in Xinlian, Pantian. If you look closely at the water mouth, you will find that every village has a water mouth. The Huaming Bridge, which is called Pantian Shuikou'an, is not the Nanhua Bridge. It can be said that the main water mouth of Pantian Town is. The old bridge we see now is the South China Bridge.

The Huanan Bridge is a three-hole stone arch bridge with a majestic architectural structure. It stands majestic on the bank of Shuikou'an River. The bridge has two piers and three holes, forming a symmetrical structure with one large and two small. The middle arch bridge has a span of 9.1 meters, and the two side bridges have slightly smaller spans of 4.1 meters each. The bridge deck is 25.3 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. The piers are phoenix-tail-shaped against the water, and the front tip is slightly tilted about 0.4 meters above the piers, forming the shape of a ship's bow. shape, which is conducive to flood diversion and drainage, has greater flood drainage capacity and better protects the bridge piers. There are steps 2.5 meters long on both sides of the bridge. There are stone railings on both sides of the bridge deck that are 0.65 meters high. Every 1 meter apart, there is a small stone pillar in the middle that is 0.7 meters high, 0.16 meters wide and 0.18 meters thick. "bridge" has three characters. This stone plaque is 1.25 meters long, 0.46 meters high and 0.12 meters thick. The height of the Huanan Bridge from the pier to the bridge deck is 6.5 meters (that is, it is made of stone bricks), without underwater footing (underground). There is a pavilion on the north side of the bridge head, which is a wooden structure and has three houses (now completely destroyed) You can go to the pavilion to enjoy the scenery and rest.

Searching the county annals did not find the words Huanan Bridge, but the words on the stone tablet were "Dafeng Patriarch·Huanan Bridge". Was it recorded incorrectly in the county annals, or was it engraved incorrectly on the stone tablet? Let’s look at it from a historical perspective. In the Song Dynasty, Fengshun County was under the control of Chaozhou and under the control of Haiyang County. According to historical records, Patriarch Dafeng traveled to Haiyang County in Guangdong in 1116. After arriving in Haiyang counties, he raised funds and donated money to build bridges for the vast number of villagers. Bridges benefit the folks, and he is called the founder of charity. The bridges he built vary in size. The legendary Gaozeng is Dafeng. Although he is seventy years old, he is in good health and has been running among the mountains for many years. With his strong physique, Patriarch Dafeng built bridges very quickly. It was easy to build bridges for passing through Pantian. In 1127, the largest nineteen-hole bridge in Fujian died before it was completed. The bridge construction activities in Chaoyang area lasted more than ten years. The South China Bridge was probably built at that time. This point of view is temporarily saved for further demonstration in the future.

"The case shows that until the third year of Qianlong's reign in Hongwu, there was a gap in the original Pantian inspection in the county. After the county was opened, it was assigned to Haiyang County. It was changed to Dianshi Chanxiyi Cheng and was formerly assigned to Haiyang County in the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign in the Qing Dynasty. Zai Wuning (Ning) Yiyi Cheng was formerly under the jurisdiction of Hexiang County. In the thirty-fifth year of Kangxi's reign, Zai's official position list was recorded in the old records, but many of the names of the officials were omitted. According to the Tongzhifu Chronicle, Haiyang County Zhijia The records recorded in Yingzhou are added to the table respectively. "Ming Pantian Inspection Department Inspector (Republic of China County Chronicle·Fengshun County Chronicle Volume 11 Official List) During the Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty, Fengzheng was not in peace, and a member of the Pantian Inspection Department was stationed in Pantian Village to suppress . At the beginning of Longqing's reign, Tangtian City was built. On Tuesday, the three inner gates were moved to Chaozhou Prefecture, and a member of Tongjian was stationed there to steal the city and return it to the county.

Let’s look at Pantian from the situation in the Qing, Ming and Song Dynasties. At that time, it was called Pantianyi, Pantiansi, Pantian Inspection Division, Pantiansi, Pantianbao, Pantianxun, Pantian They all have one thing in common, that is, Pantian is a battleground for military strategists, a road for business travel, and an important place for military, economy, culture, and transportation. It is also the only road from Tongpan Prefecture in Chaozhou to the county town or other places via Liuhuang, and the ancient post road in Jiaying Prefecture (the waterway from Chaozhou to Liuhuang, and later the land road). One of the records in the county records is that in the third year of Qianlong's reign from Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, the original Pantian inspection department in the county was lacking. In other words, the name of the inspection department has not changed since the Ming Dynasty. This official office has always existed. This shows the importance the government attached to Pantian at that time. The terrain of Pantian is high in the surrounding area and low in the middle. According to Gu Zuyu's "Minutes of Reading History Fangyu" (Qing Dynasty): During the Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty (the period of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty) or earlier (note: between about 1300-1400), Pantian The fort is located a hundred and thirty miles northwest of the county, in a remote valley, connected to Chaozhou, Jie, Zhang and Shao. It is an important place for garrison. Jiajingzhong also established a patrol department. "Huidian": Pantianxunsi, which used to belong to Chenghai County, was later changed to Haiyang. "At the end of Jiajing in Haiyang County in the central part of the country (note: about 1565-1566), Pan Tiansi was added and stationed in Pantianbao, the capital of Fengzheng. Pantian's historical status is vivid on the paper, "Tongchao, Jie, Zhang and Shao, for "Guard important areas". That is to say, Pantian is the only place leading to Chaozhou Prefecture, Jieyang County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, and Shaozhou Prefecture. During the Guangxu Period of the Qing Dynasty, it was called the lower route of defense, from the county seat (Fengliang) to Liuhuang There is a post station every ten miles, with 3 soldiers stationed at each station. There are seven stations, all within the scope of Pantian. There are at least 21 soldiers stationed in Fengshun in 1933. The road from the county town to Liuhuang is the second. For primary education, the first school in Pantian was Songxiang Central School, which was reorganized from Baifeng Primary School (ranked second in the county annals). Fengshun is recorded in the county annals from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. We start from Learn more about the previous history here. Confirm the history of Pantian from the side.

According to the data, Pantian was a prosperous place at that time, politically, culturally, economically. The center of transportation and military affairs has become an integral part of Haiyang County. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, more than 30 soldiers were stationed in Pantian to guard Pantian. The government at that time paid great attention to it. In the late Qing Dynasty, Pantian's streets had more than 100 people. There are hundreds of shops, divided into upper and lower streets. The middle of the street is paved with natural cobblestones, with a total length of more than 100 meters. The name Pantianpu existed long ago. Pantian Station is next to Pantian Street. It can be seen that Pantianpu was Before the Ming Dynasty, the Pantian Inspection Department (an official office that existed only in the Western Xia, Tang, and Song Dynasties) was also located next to the Shiguxia Natural Village in the central village of Pantian, that is, next to the site of the Neolithic Age. Can this explain the prosperity of Pantian? It existed before the Song Dynasty.

It can be seen that Patriarch Dafeng had the foresight to build this bridge at that time. After the "South China Bridge" in Pantian, you can go directly to the county seat (Fengliang) or other places without passing through other bridges. According to the introduction of the older generation There is a pavilion at the head of the South China Bridge. In front of the pavilion is written "Qingshuang Pavilion". Next to the pavilion are four stone tablets engraved with the names of donations for the reconstruction of the South China Bridge. From this aspect, it is likely that the South China Bridge was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty and recorded in the county annals. We have conducted research from a historical perspective. The value of the South China Bridge is also based on its unique structure. The stones used are square and well-selected in size and specification. The texture is clear and beautiful, straight and neat. The arcs of the three arches are well-proportioned. Not much lime, perfect natural combination. In particular, the shape of the stone tip is like a boat, three stone bricks higher than the original. The length of the stone bricks of the entire bridge is basically uniform, orderly, and square. The brightness and color are worthy of attention. The South China Bridge, like the Huaming Bridge and the Huaxi Bridge, is Compared with the two bridges, this bridge is extraordinary and has high cultural and historical value.

To sum up, the two viewpoints in one book are preserved as follows: 1. The stone tablet of "South China Bridge-Dafeng Patriarch" explains: South China Bridge is the promotion of charity in Chaoshan area in Pantian. 2. The stone tablet of "South China Bridge-Dafeng Patriarch" proves that it was built by Dafeng Patriarch himself in the Song Dynasty. ?

Yang Jinfa? Zhu Shixiang? Zhang Jinghua