Zhangjiajie - Let the city speak

Author: Tian Guijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: When did the idea of "this place being suitable for building a city" first arise? Why was this location chosen? Reading a bit about feng shui and pondering the mountain and river landscape surrounding Zhangjiajie city, the answer is actually quite easy to find. The recognition of "this place being suitable for building a city" stems from the ancient people's simple feng shui concepts and theories. Today, the "Ancient People's Dike," now at the center of Zhangjiajie City, allows us to trace history back at least five thousand years: surrounded by mountains, towering peaks, and meandering rivers. In the vast forests along the river that was yet to be named, a tribe, led by its chief, chose this riverside terraced area, later known as the "Ancient People's Dike," as their dwelling place. Like many archaeological sites discovered on riverbank slopes or terraces, the "Ancient People's Dike" met the principles advocated by later feng shui masters, such as "living near water," due to its solid foundation, easy access to water, convenience for fishing, and protection from floods.
In 1962, through the excavation of the cultural layers at the "Ancient People's Dike," archaeologists determined it to be a cultural relic of the Warring States period. A second excavation in 1980 revealed cultural layers dating back to the late Stone Age. We can conclude that the ancestors of that time did not yet practice feng shui or had not yet developed the "urban form" theory for selecting locations to build cities. However, the practice of choosing locations to live in dates back to ancient times. The Mozi text Tuo Guo states: "In ancient times, when people did not yet build palaces or houses, they lived on hills and slopes, dwelling in caves." The term "hills and slopes" refers precisely to terraced riverbank areas like the "Ancient People's Dike."
However, one might wonder: In the Lishui River valley plain, there are several terraced riverbank areas similar to the "Ancient People's Dike." Why did the ancient people choose this one first? Why did this location continue to be favored for the subsequent two thousand years of urban development? This requires an examination of the mountain and river landscape surrounding the "Ancient People's Dike." The Lishui River valley plain stretches over a hundred miles from the upper reaches of Dayong to the lower reaches of Tankou. While there are several open flat areas along the way, they are low and marshy, making them unsuitable for early humans with limited natural understanding and adaptation abilities. Several other terraced riverbank areas similar to the "Ancient People's Dike," such as Fengxianggang Miaokan, Erjiahe Luozigang, and Qizhuigang, cannot compare to the "Ancient People's Dike" because they do not face south and are located at the foot of the majestic Tianmenshan, making them inferior choices for the ancient people's practice of "dwelling on hills and slopes."
Later feng shui scholars categorized the relationship between Chinese cities and geographical formations into six types:
1. Surrounded by mountains
2. Three sides surrounded by mountains, one side facing water
3. Three sides surrounded by mountains, one side facing plains
4. ()
5. Water mouth intersection
6. Near water
While a city may not always have mountains for support, it must be near water—without water, survival is impossible. But if a city has both water and mountains, that is even better. Mountains provide protection against floods and offer resources of timber and stone. Given the limited disaster resistance of early humans, today's plains might have been vast marshlands in ancient times. Geographers divide China's terrain into three tiers: the western plateau above 4,000 meters in elevation remains unsuitable for human habitation, while the low and marshy plains were also not ideal for early humans who did not yet practice agriculture. Only the middle tier, with elevations between hundreds to 2,000 meters, was suitable for human settlement at that time.
Mr. Zhang Lianggao from Hanyang, Hubei, recently proposed the academic viewpoint of "searching for the Five Emperors in Sanba and exploring the Three Sovereigns among the Baiyue," and shockingly suggested that "two and a half of the Five Emperors of China originated from Wuling." Using these statements is not to force a connection between the "Ancient People's Dike" and the "Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors." The Wuling Mountains hold too many historical mysteries. This is not the focus of this book. Rather, the point is that the places chosen by the ancients were not without merit. Among the six types of urban geographical formations, Zhangjiajie fits four.
Located in the Dayong River valley plain, it is surrounded by continuous mountains on all four sides, fitting the category of "surrounded by mountains." The extension of Kongtong Mountain in two wings (the Huilongshan and Baotaogang line to the east, and the Wohushan and Baimaquan line to the west) embraces the "Ancient People's Dike," with the Lishui River to the south, fitting the category of "three sides surrounded by mountains, one side facing water." Relying on Kongtong Mountain to the north and the Lishui River to the south, it fits the category of " ()." Located at the confluence of the Xianrenxi River into the Lishui River, it also fits the category of "water mouth intersection."
P2-3