Who can talk about the history of Jinxiang moat?
In my teenager's impression, there is a long waterway connecting Jinxiang and Wenzhou, and the starting point of this waterway is the Jiangnan Canal (the plain south of Aojiang River is called "Jiangnan Plain" by locals, and its main channel is called "Jiangnan Canal").
At that time, from Jinxiang to Wenzhou, we often took a rickety boat in the moonlight in the middle of the night, arrived at Fangyan (now Longgang) in the early morning of the next day, crossed the Aojiang River, and then took a small river to Pingyang. After landing, we walked from Punan to Pubei, then took a boat to Feiyun, crossed the Feiyun River to the southern end of Ruian, and crossed a central area of Ruian County to the northern end. At this time, it is close to noon, and the hard-working travelers can finally breathe a sigh of relief, because they have already seen Wenruitang River, which is equivalent to seeing Wenzhou.
This shows how difficult and complicated it was to get from Jinxiang to Wenzhou at that time, and also shows the importance of the Jiangnan Canal in traffic at that time.
Jiangnan Canal, with money as the center and heading south, is called South Canal. In the north, it is called the North Canal. There are many branches of the river network, among which the river from the north gate of Jinxiang to Feicheng is called "Jinfei River", which is one of the main branches of the river network in the south of the Yangtze River. Jinhua River runs from the north gate of Jinxiang Town from south to north-east, passing through the suburbs and the old town to Dongkui in the town, with a total length of about 7.5 kilometers. If there is a typhoon or rainstorm in Jinxiang, the flood will be discharged from this river through Dongkui steep gate and flow into the sea. This is the main drainage channel in Jinxiang.
In ancient cities, many city walls were built. Besides the city walls, there were moats to protect the city. The moat with water is called "pool" and the moat without water is called "shovel", both of which play a role in protecting the city.
Jinxiang moat was dug for Tanghe River before the city was built here. As the old saying goes, the soldiers and horses did not move, and the food and grass went first. Therefore, before building the city wall, a moat was dug to connect the Jiangnan Canal, and then an inland river was dug to solve the problem of transporting grain. It can be seen from the inscription of Cang Qiao in Jinxiang that Cang Qiao was built in the 17th year of Hongwu (1384). It can be seen that there was an inland river in the city. The city wall was built in Hongwu for twenty years (1387), three years later than that of Cang Qiao. Before the Great Wall was built, grain and grass could reach the city directly. There used to be a suspension bridge on the moat, which was passable at ordinary times and could be hoisted to cut off land communication in wartime.
In this way, the Jiangnan Canal is connected with Jinxiang moat, and connected with Neijiang city through the moat. The moat and inland river of the city pass through the Watergate. It is said that there are four watergates, but now there are only South Watergate and West Watergate. Xishuimen is the largest river in the city, which is under Kuixingge in the scenic spot and in front of Kuixingge, and has been preserved to this day.
It turns out that there is only one main river from Nanshuimen to Xishuimen in the city. Macau River (north of Dingyuan Bridge); Xinyi River (north of Zhangjiaqiao); Li He (north of the wooden bridge); Canghe River (north of Dacang Bridge). At first, people used to take a boat from Lihe River in front of Zhongsuo Temple, cross Canghe River, cross the big river in front of Kuixing Pavilion, cross Xishuimen to the moat outside the city, and then reach the Jiangnan Canal.
In addition to the main road, there are some tributaries in the inland river of Jinxiang City. Jinxiang has three reservoirs. One is He Ju (now Kanchi) that still exists today. There are also two goose ponds and locust ponds, both of which are dead. After 1980s, most rivers in the city have become underground ditches. However, the river from Kuixingge to the west of Wu Yaqiao is still there, and it can be connected with the moat through the West Watergate under Kuixingge. Now this big river surrounded by stone railings and Kuixing Pavilion have formed a major leisure attraction in Jinxiang.
According to the manuscript "Jinxiangzhi" written by Xia Keyan in the Republic of China, "The moat: Dong Hao is three feet deep, four feet wide on the left and six feet wide on the right (the left and right are bounded by bridges, the same below); Nanhao is four feet deep, eight feet wide on the left and four feet wide on the right; Xihao is four feet deep, eight feet wide on the left and five feet wide on the right; Beihao is three feet deep, ten feet wide on the left and five feet wide on the right. " The moat was of great military value at that time, which can be said to be the "city wall" outside the city wall. There are ditches as deep as 20 feet at the bottom of Hao Di, so there is no need to worry about water shortage during the drought. In addition to its special military significance, it is also an important part of the Jiangnan water system. Now, a square, wide and complete moat like the periphery of Jinxiang may be rare in the whole country.
At the end of 2002, before and after the People's Government of Cangnan County declared Jinxiang Town as a historical and cultural protection area of the county, Jinxiang Town Government raised more than RMB10,000, which lasted for two years to dredge and renovate the moat outside the ring road of Jinxiang Town, and made great efforts to engrave the important contents of Jinxiang Town Records on the stone railings along the river.
There are more than 1000 inscriptions on the stone fence along the river. The first preface of "Dongmen Bridge" wrote:
My hometown is near the sea, surrounded by green waters and green mountains. It is really a treasure trove of geomantic omen. Clouds are idle and light, and nine fights around the city; Things enrich the people and the land is good for fishing salt. In the Song Dynasty, merchants gathered and people gathered. In the Ming Dynasty, Tanghe was famous for building cities and fighting against Japanese invaders. The pattern of urban defense remains unchanged. There are seven stars in spring and gossip in the alley. The two islands of Lion Ball are far apart. Look at the clouds in Cangshan and the dawn in Japan. The wide moat, full of waves, protects the home like a mother, which is a witness of vicissitudes.
Hao Jian Road is full of silt, which is unbearable! The current government of the town committee is fully engaged in dredging, paving stones to strengthen the shore, turning turbid water into clear water and installing guardrails to beautify it. Carve "golden incense sticks" on it for the audience to enjoy.
The world is long, the sea changes, the history is like smoke, and the virtues are shining. I am willing to study history with the villagers, remember the great achievements of my ancestors and bravely expand the great achievements in the future. This is a sequence.
Jiangnan Canal and the moat outside Jinxiang once played an important role in history. Now, despite the extensive roads, especially after the opening of Jinlong Avenue in 2002, no one will go to Longgang and other places by boat. However, canals and moats in the south of the Yangtze River are still an important part of the water system in the south of the Yangtze River, and they still shoulder the heavy responsibilities of transportation, irrigation, flood drainage and environmental protection.