What are the nine doors in Wuhan?

Historical imprint of the old city gate in Wuhan

Of the nine ancient city gates in Wuchang, only July 1 is still visible, which was rebuilt to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Wuchang Shouyi.

1926 10, the "demolition order" of Wuchang ancient city wall was issued; For 80 years, only written symbols have been left at the old city gate.

Historically, most cities in China were formed by political centers set up by the government, and the city walls (and gates) with military defense functions became the main symbols of those China cities with a long history. So, what happened to the once famous old Wuhan city wall? How did the old gate of Wuhan fade out of people's sight?

Wuchang city was once an important city wall in the south.

Many cities in China are built along rivers, lakes and seas, and the city walls also shoulder a special function-flood control. The three towns in Wuhan, which stand firm and are sandwiched between the Yangtze River and the Han River, are most vulnerable to the floods of the two rivers. The city walls of the three towns were built in different years, but they all have flood control functions. There are few gates in the riverside area of northwest wuchang city, which is due to the consideration of flood control.

Looking through historical books, Wuchang City, the oldest ancient city in Wuhan, has experienced the vicissitudes of 1700 years, and its past is vivid.

Wuchang has a city, which began in the Three Kingdoms period in 223 AD. At that time, Sun Quan, the Lord of Wu, built Xiakou City in the northeast of Jiangxia Mountain (now Snake Mountain). This is a military fortress, and the situation is dangerous. Fiona Fang is only two or three miles away.

In the Southern Dynasties, Emperor Xiaowu of Song Dynasty established Yingzhou in Xiakou City in 454, so Wuchang was also called Ying Zheng at that time. At that time, Liang Lingcao built Shicheng as a military fortress in the north of Zijinshan and Xiaoguishan, in the north by Lake and Yujiahu, and in the south by Yingcheng for about two miles. Since then, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty abandoned Jiangxia County to set up Ezhou in 589 and changed runan county to Jiangxia County. The prefectures and counties are all located in the city, so the Wuchang was also called Ezhou and Jiangxia County in ancient times. Later, in the Tang Dynasty, cattle, monks and children were stationed in Ezhou to rebuild Ezhou City, which not only expanded the scope of the city, but also surrounded the city with ceramics, and Wuchang had a brick city from then on.

Wuchang City was basically formed in the Ming Dynasty. 137 1 year, Zhu Yuanzhang generals Jiang Xiahou and Zhou Dexing expanded Wuchang Fucheng, extending the city to the south of Huanggu Mountain (now Snake Mountain), with a circumference of about 20 miles. The city walls are made of ceramic tiles, with heights ranging from 2 to 3 feet, and moats are dug around the city. The water depth is more than 1 foot, and there are 9 city gates: 1535. In the year, the Dadong Gate was changed to Binyang Gate, the new South Gate was changed to Zhonghe Gate (changed to Qiyimen after the Revolution of 1911), Wangzemen was changed to Wangshan Gate, and Zhuimen was changed to Wenchang Men Site Site.

Where are these doors now? Professor Zhang, an "old Wuhan" who is over 70 years old and a well-known person in Wuhan literature and history, knows a lot about this.

1920s At the beginning, a Shanghai photographer took a photo of a city gate in Wuhan at that time while traveling. The words above the door are: pedestrians stay to the left, vehicles move slowly, don't be crowded, don't stay. (data picture)

The loyalty and filial piety gate in the northeast is now the small east gate; Binyangmen is in the east of the ancient city, located at today's Dadongmen overpass; Qiyimen in the southeast is located on Shouyi Road today; Bao 'anmen is due south of the ancient city, near today's Bao 'an Street; Wangshanmen is also in the south of the ancient city, at the southern end of Jiefang Road today, near the east gate of Wuchang Shipyard. Wenchang Men Site site is located in the southwest of the ancient city, near the north gate of Wuchang Shipyard today; Pinghu Gate is the west gate of the ancient city, near today's Pinghu Gate Water Plant; Hanyangmen is in the northwest of the ancient city, near Zengjia Lane in Wuchang. Vu Thang Gate is the north gate of the ancient city, at the corner of Victory Bridge of Yuji Bridge; It leads to Xiangmen, and the station outside the gate leads to Hunan, so the address is at the eastern end of Ziyang Road today, near Wuchang Railway Station.

In the Ming Dynasty, Wuchang City was the political center and important city wall of the south at that time. There are many cultural buildings there, such as Fu Xue, Gong Yuan and Confucius Temple.

Hanyang city was destroyed by wars and floods many times.

Hanyang is a real ancient name, which was used for 1400 years. In the second year of the Great Cause of Sui Dynasty (AD 606), because the ancient city of Hanjin was located in the north of Hanshui River, it was renamed as "Hanyang" according to the principle of naming places in China since ancient times.

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan made some minor changes to Wuhan's administrative system on the basis of the Sui Dynasty: the original Jiangxia County was changed to Ezhou, and the state capital was located in Jiangxia County (now Wuchang District of Wuhan City), with five counties under its jurisdiction; Mianzhou is located in the north of the Yangtze River, which governs Hanyang and Hanchuan counties. Mianzhou is located in Hanyang County (now Hanyang District, Wuhan City), and the administrative agencies of Hanyang County and Mianzhou moved from Linyi Mountain in Caidian to Fenghuang Mountain (also known as Fengqi Mountain) at the southern foot of Guishan Mountain.

At the same time, local officials in the Tang Dynasty began to build Hanyang City. Its city site is adjacent to the Yangtze River in the east, Phoenix Mountain in the north, Nautilus Island in the south and Hanshui River in the west. The perimeter of Hanyang City is 1.072 feet (about 3.6 kilometers), and there are eight gates, namely, Yingchun Gate at the East Gate, Shazhou Gate at the South Gate, Xiaogan Gate at the West Gate, Hanguang Gate at the North Gate, Chaotianmen Gate at the Southeast Gate, Hannanmen Gate at the Southwest Gate, Xiacha Gate at the Northwest Gate and Qingmen at the Northeast Gate. This urban construction mode has far-reaching influence. Until today, Hanyang takes the county political street as its east-west axis, and its eastern end is customarily called East Gate and Gu Lou East, while its hatchback is called Chengnan and Beicheng.

During the Northern Song Dynasty (1 122), rivers flooded and Hanyang City was destroyed by floods. Until the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, there was no wall in Hanyang.

After Zhu Yuanzhang pacified Chu in the early Ming Dynasty, Cheng Rui, the magistrate of Hanyang, rebuilt Hanyang City, and its geographical position still showed the trend of "Linjiang in the southeast and Fengqi in the northwest". In the third year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty, Hanyang City was about 2.5 kilometers in circumference and had four gates, namely Chaozong, Fengshan, Nanji and Yuan Chao. Streets and alleys in the city crisscross, land and water are connected outside the city, and the transportation is convenient, which provided the foundation for the economic development of Hanyang in Ming Dynasty.

Since then, Hanyang City has been destroyed by war twice. In the 16th year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty, Zhang, Li Zicheng and other peasant rebels successively entered Wuchang, Hanyang and Hanyang City. In the 18th year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty, Qu Shengning, the magistrate of a county, and Dong, the garrison, repaired Hanyang, increased the original city wall by several feet, and rebuilt the tower in Xicheng. During the Xianfeng period, three towns in Wuhan became the battlefields of Taiping and Qing armies. The Taiping Army used to have four grams of Hanyang. At this time, not only Hanyang City was destroyed, but also Guiyuan Temple, Daxiong Hall, Luohantang and other buildings not far from Xicheng were destroyed.

In the sixth year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, Hanyang City was rebuilt, with a city circumference of more than 2 kilometers. There are Chaozong, Nanji and Fengshanmen in the southeast and west of the city, the natural barrier of Phoenix Mountain in the north, and xingguo temple, a famous temple in the Song Dynasty. From Fengshan Gate to Chaozong Gate, one of the main roads is Zheng Jie, which is today's county political street.

In the thirty-second year of Guangxu reign in Qing Dynasty (1906), Yan Fang, the magistrate of Hanyang, and Lin Ruizhi, the magistrate of a county, presided over the renovation of Hanyang City, and changed Dongjiao Building into Hanjiang Building, which made people climb the building and overlook the Yangtze River.

The final stipulation of Hanyang City is that the perimeter is less than 3 kilometers, and there are three gates, namely Zongmen in the East, Nanji Gate in the South and Fengshan Gate in the West. Each of the three gates has a watchtower, a river and a sluice in the southeast, and Phoenix Mountain in the north. Hankou City set up a fortress to stop Taiping Army.

Among the three towns in Wuhan, the most prosperous urban area is in Hankou, and most modern buildings are in Hankou. However, in history, Hankou today is Hanyang's territory. Even after the diversion of Hanshui River in Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty, Hankou and Hanyang were under the jurisdiction of Hanyang. Until 1889, the Qing government set up the Xiakou Hall in Hankou, and Hankou was separated from Hanyang.

"Five hundred years ago, a barren continent, five hundred years later, outside the building." This folk proverb aptly describes the history of Hankou. Compared with Wuchang and Hanyang, which have a history of thousands of years, Hankou, which has a history of more than 500 years, is a rising star.

Hankou was formed when the Han River was diverted in the Ming Dynasty, and it was still a barren land across the river from Wuchang and connected with Hanyang. During the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, a levee was dug from Qiaokou to Yiyuan Road to prevent flooding in Houhu Lake. Dig a dam and form a deep ditch behind the dam, named Dai Yuhe. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Taiping army galloped between Jianghan, and the Qing soldiers were very afraid, so they built Hankou Fort on the levee. The project started today on the first line of Zhongshan Avenue. A trench was dug outside the fort, and seven gates were opened, including Daiyu Gate, Juren Gate, Lixun Gate, Dazhimen Gate and Tongji Gate.

1905 Hankou started the construction of Zhang Gongdi, starting from the corner of Hankou embankment in the east and ending at Tuilu in the west. Since its completion, more than 10,000 mu of low-lying land in Houhu 10 has been raised to land, which makes Hankou Castle lose its waterproof function. Later, Dai Yuhe gradually silted up. In the late Qing Dynasty, Hankou Fort was demolished and converted into a main road, which is today's Zhongshan Avenue. Today, the prototype of Hankou has gradually taken shape.

Demolition of Wuchang and Hanyang Ancient Cities

The motion to demolish the ancient city wall of Wuchang originated from the construction of the Guangdong-Han Railway. 1890, the Qing government decided to build the Guangdong-Han railway, and the suggestion of removing the ancient city wall of Wuchang, which affected the railway construction, followed. After the construction of Guangdong-Han railway was put on hold due to financial problems, the demolition motion was also revoked.

19 19, Chen Shiying, a native of Hubei province, and other 62 gentlemen signed a letter again, proposing to demolish the ancient city wall of Wuchang and connect the inner city and the outer city by demolishing the city and building roads, so as to develop Wuchang economy and solve the economic difficulties at that time. They put forward five "disadvantages" of the city wall: blocking traffic; The inspection is cumbersome and it is inconvenient for people to travel; Internal and external barriers hinder public safety; The air is blocked, which is prone to plague; Affect the business in the city. However, due to the huge demolition project and the extremely turbulent situation in the early years of the Republic of China, most members disagreed with Chen Shiying and others, and some members responded sharply: "If you don't tear down the city, you will lock people up." After many discussions, the authorities failed to study again and again, so that the discussion on demolition of the city was shelved.

1926, the National Revolutionary Army made a northern expedition, and Changsha, Yueyang and Heshengqiao were successively conquered, and the enemy came to Wuchang at the gates. However, warlord Wu relied on the incomparably strong Wuchang city wall to resist. The Northern Expeditionary Army suffered heavy casualties and failed. He had to change his siege plan and adopt circuitous tactics. After successively conquering Hanyang and Hankou, Wushengguan, which borders Hubei and Henan, was conquered on September 16, making Wuchang an isolated city. Most of Wu's troops withdrew to Xinyang, Henan. Under the long-term blockade, Wuchang defenders ran out of ammunition and finally surrendered. After more than 40 days of bloody fighting, the Northern Expeditionary Army entered the city on June 10.

At a meeting after the victory, Guo Moruo and others, who witnessed the difficulty of siege, once again put forward the suggestion of dismantling the "feudal fortress" of Wuchang city wall. And won the support of many people. Although a group of Hubei people disagree, the pain of besieged city is still fresh in their memory, and it is hard to say much.

On the landscape wall more than 200 meters from Pinghu Gate to Huadi Street in Wuchang, nine oil paintings are about the nine gates of Wuchang in Qing Dynasty, which adds a bit of simplicity and remoteness to this place. The picture shows the teacher of Hubei Academy of Fine Arts painting on the wall at that time.

1926 10, the Hubei Provincial Government Affairs Committee made a decision to demolish the Wuchang City Wall, appointed Wan Shengyang as the director of the demolition committee, and established the wuchang city Demolition Office. The whole demolition project is undertaken by the government. However, when government officials went to various sections of the city wall to conduct on-the-spot investigations, some old people in Xinhai put forward suggestions for protecting important cultural relics. When inspecting the July 1 Gate, Zhang Nanxian and others said excitedly: "Moving this gate is to let the Beiyang warlords open their eyes and hate the Revolution of 1911!" The entourage was embarrassed. When visiting the Olin Building, Ying Shi and others said: This is the site of the Yuan Dynasty and cannot be demolished! Zhang and Shi are highly respected, and government departments dare not fight hard, so these two places were finally preserved.

With the change of the present situation, the process of urban demolition is intermittent. Until 1929, all the walls of Wuchang were demolished and the moat was filled. Except for the main road, the demolished city foundation was reserved for road construction, and other places were bought and built by the gentry class at that time. The city brick was taken away. Since then, Wuchang City has only the name of the city gate for future generations to mourn.

That is, at this time, 1928, due to the large-scale reconstruction of Wuhan, most of the walls of Hanyang ancient city were also demolished, and the remaining west gate and a section of the walls on both sides were also demolished at 1950. Now, the East Gate, the West Gate and the South Gate only remain in people's memory as place names.

Leaving only place names to continue the cultural blood.

After the demolition of the ancient towns of Hankou, Wuchang and Hanyang, the place names undertook the mission of continuing the cultural blood.

In Wuchang, during the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty, large-scale buildings, factories and roads greatly changed the appearance of the city. Over the past half century, the changes have been greater, so the pace of new place names has been accelerating. But if you look at the map of Wuchang carefully, the ancient city of Wuchang is still vaguely "preserved". For example, Zhongshan Road in Wuchang today is basically built along the wall foundation of the ancient city of Wuchang, and there are some place names related to the ancient city, such as Xiaodongmen, Dadongmen, Hanyangmen, Qiyimen, Pinghu Gate, Baoan Street, Xunsihe and Xinqiao. Nowadays, when we walk on this wide road and see the high-rise buildings and bustling scenes on both sides, we deeply feel that the pace of the times is advancing rapidly.

1928 after the demolition of hanyang city, 193 1 a catastrophic flood hit Wuhan, and hanyang city was flooded 1 more than a meter. However, the county political street, which once ran through the east and west of Hanyang city wall, is still the main road for businessmen to communicate with each other. Dongmen Main Street (now Lanjiang Road) and Ximen Main Street (now Parrot Avenue), which are perpendicular to Xianzheng Street, have become the prosperous business districts in Hanyang.

Despite this, the demolition of the ancient city wall still makes countless "old Wuhan" regret.

Professor Zhang said that the scope of the city wall is fixed, but the city is constantly developing. There is bound to be a contradiction between the two, and the city wall has indeed delayed the development of the city. Because of this, with the development of urban economy, it is an inevitable trend to either open more gates or tear down the city walls to create conditions for urban development. However, the blind and disorderly demolition has destroyed cultural relics and historic sites, and the consequences are also serious. The city wall was built by working people, showing high architectural art and high historical value. Some of them have existed for hundreds or even thousands of years, representing the level of architectural engineering in each era, and can serve the development of tourism and the research of engineering technology.

Preserving valuable city walls will inevitably affect the development of the city, so we have to open more gates and develop to the suburbs, or simply open up new areas nearby to solve the contradiction between urban development and protecting city walls. Xi 'an did this, not only retaining the historic city, but also opening up the new city, so that the ancient city and the new city can develop in harmony and complement each other.

"One brick and one tile, one temple and one courtyard, one street and one lane, one song and one chant, one poem and one painting, these cultural heritages that have been passed down through historical storms, inhabit the historical soul of our nation, inherit the spirit of our nation, and condense the emotional temperament of our nation. They are the internal driving force for our nation's endless blood, and also the' soft power' for us to move towards the future and realize rejuvenation." Professor Zhang said to me.