The vicissitudes of Hankou's past

Author: Fang Fang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: This is a book about the old days of Hankou. Many old houses remain in Hankou. They stand with a foreign charm by the Yangtze River. Hankou has many interesting stories. These stories involve both Chinese and foreigners. Over the long passage of time, the old houses and old stories have all moved deeper into history. These scattered old houses are like keywords in the big story of Hankou. Grasping them is like grasping the veins of Hankou, as if one could hear Hankou's distant breath and pulse, and as if one could see how Hankou has reached where it is today. Only by knowing them can one understand Hankou, and only by understanding Hankou can one understand Wuhan, and understand the growth of a city.
Excerpt: In fact, the dual cities of Wuhan on both banks of the river had long existed. Wuchang and Hanyang were two historically old towns. Their history dates back thousands of years. Wuchang had already become a commercial town by the late Han Dynasty, with large residential areas as early as the Xia and Shang periods. As for Hanyang, its city-building history was even earlier, though it only acquired the name "Yueyang" a bit later. By the Tang and Song dynasties, its market towns had already shown signs of prosperity. Back then, Cui Bin went to the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuchang to relax and write poetry, and Li Bai also went to the tower to see Meng Haoran off to Yangzhou down the river. From the tower, they could see nothing but dense trees and lush grass across the river. The story of Bo Ya playing the ancient qin in Hanyang and Ziqi recognizing his high aspirations for the mountains and flowing waters had already spread throughout China, but Hankou had not yet appeared. That is to say, when Wuchang was filled with towering pavilions and the lights flickered with songs and shouts, and when Hanyang was bustling with market chatter and moonlight shining on the towers, Hankou had not yet emerged. On the land of modern Hankou, there was only a stretch of wasteland and reeds stretching to the horizon. To say this, I sometimes find it hard to believe myself. But then the Han River came. The Han River split Hanyang in two. It vividly separated a large piece of Hanyang's land into a new region. The dual-city pattern was transformed into a tri-city structure due to its sudden intervention. From then on, a new city emerged on the northern bank of the Han River, which was Hankou. For a long time, Hankou was part of Hanyang. If one were to trace its origins, Hankou was born from Hanyang. It was Hanyang's unshakable son. The history of Hankou's inhabitants dates back to around 540 AD. According to the book, it was during the Tianshu period of the Ming Dynasty, just before the Han River changed its course. A man named Xiao Er, a resident of Jiangxia County, leased a stretch of wasteland along the northern foot of Guishan. Like a "second landlord," he subleased the land to a man named Zhang Tianjue, from whom he collected three silver coins annually. Thus, Zhang Tianjue brought his family here. They built their foundations and houses, settling down here. After the Han River changed its course, the Zhang Tianjue family became the first residents by the river. About 50 years later, by the fourth year of the Jiajing era, Hankou had 1,395 households. Compared to the vast Yangtze River, the Han River was indeed too small. The fishermen and farmers like Zhang Tianjue simply called this major tributary of the Yangtze "the Little River." The Little River had winding currents, clear water, gentle flow, and moderate depth. As it approached the river mouth, the water area suddenly widened, making it a natural harbor for ships to gather. Compared to the rapids and waves of the Yangtze, the Little River was more suitable for navigation, sheltering from the wind, and anchoring. Clearly, its banks were also more suitable for people to live on. In the wooden boat era, the people and their boats were probably not yet ready to challenge the Yangtze's waves. The Little River naturally became the first choice. The local residents along the river built embankments, repaired dikes, filled the land, and laid foundations, constructing stilt houses. Half of the houses were on land, and the other half were on the water. They stretched along the river like a row of stilt houses, creating a spectacular scene. Below the houses, the water surface was filled with sails and oars, and the sound of oars was loud and lively. Thus, there were docks. Thus, there was trade. Thus, there was a market. Thus, there was the prototype of Hankou as a commercial city. Fan Kai, who wrote "The Rise and Fall of Hankou," said, "The prosperity of Hankou was due to the Little River. However, the water of the Little River truly relied on the banks to hold it and twist its way into the river."
Excerpt: From the pages of history, Hankou emerged. Hankou, Hankou, the mouth of the Han River. So to speak of Hankou, one must first speak of the Han River. Compared to the majestic, sturdy, and steady Yangtze, the Han River is a clear and lively river. It rushes from the Shuozong Mountain in Shaanxi, winding through mountains and gorges, undulating joyfully all the way to Wuhan. If it had not been blocked by the Yangtze River in front, perhaps it would have wanted to run alone to the sea. Unfortunately, the vast Yangtze River cut off its path. Just as a person rich in personality and freedom would not be content to suddenly lose themselves, the Han River was also unwilling to end its journey like this. It worked hard to find a new path for itself. In the spring and summer of 1928, Li Zongren, who concurrently served as the chairman of the Wuhan Political Committee of the Kuomintang Central Committee, delivered a speech about building a new Hubei and a new Wuhan. Wu Guobing, who had just returned from studying in the UK, saw this speech in the Wuhan Daily and wrote a letter to Li Zongren, offering to contribute to the construction of a new Wuhan. Li Zongren met Wu Guobing the next day after receiving the letter. Soon after, the Wuhan Municipal Committee was established, and Wu Guobing was appointed as a design committee member. The mayor at the time was Liu Wendao. Wu Guobing implemented the New Hankou Plan in Wuhan. He believed that the people of Wuhan were only smoking opium, playing cards, and sleeping, with no parks or trees, no fresh air, and no awareness of the four seasons. Therefore, he built and repaired parks, including Zhongshan Park.