Hangzhou Yuyang Bridge Boat Wharf

Author: Wang Guoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Hangzhou's earliest natural harbor had a place for boats to dock. It can be inferred that in areas where boat traffic was frequent, there should have been primitive harbor docking points. According to Wu Zhenhua's History of Ancient Ports in Hangzhou, several primitive harbor docking points from the Liangzhu Culture period were distributed in Liangzhu (near present-day Liangzhu Town in Yuhang, Hangzhou), Shuitianfan (southwest foothills of Banshan, Hangzhou), and Laoheshan (northwest foothills of Laoheshan in urban Hangzhou). These harbor docking points met the following three conditions: first, they were accessible by water; second, they had natural, good harbors for boats; third, they had open land on land for storing goods. The ancient Hangzhou area was indeed a natural, excellent harbor that met these conditions. At that time, West Lake was just a small bay. Its northern and southern sides were surrounded by two peninsulas formed by present-day Wushan and Baoshan, leaving only a narrow bay mouth of less than 3 kilometers from north to south in the east. West of the bay was the present-day West Lake Mountains, known as Wulin Mountain. The small and large streams originating from Wulin Mountain were collectively called Wulin Water, flowing eastward into the bay. This bay was called Wulin Bay. East of Wulin Bay was a shallow sea facing the Yangtze River estuary. From this deduction, it can be inferred that at that time, water activities may not have been limited to transportation between inland lakes but also included exploration toward the ocean. The Wu and Yue people, who used boats as vehicles, lived in the Jiangnan region with abundant water, so their water transportation equipment has always been in a leading position. According to historical records, during King Cheng of the Western Zhou Dynasty, "Yu Yue offered boats," indicating the high boat-building technology of Yu Yue at that time. In fact, in the southern water towns, boats were the tools for people's survival, used for fishing and hunting for food and transportation. The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue describes the people of Wu and Yue as "traveling by water and living in the mountains, using boats as vehicles and oars as horses, coming like the wind, and difficult to follow when leaving." The Annals of the Spring and Autumn Period states that the people of Wu "could not abandon the use of boats and oars for even one day." This shows the natural relationship between the water towns of Jiangsu and Zhejiang and water. King Fuchai of Wu was a ruler who dug canals. His intention was to dig a canal to the north to compete for dominance in the Central Plains. This canal was the Gan Canal. After the Gan Canal was dug, the powerful naval forces of Wu used it to enter the Huai River from the Yangtze River and defeat Qi along the tributaries, then competed with Chu along this route. "After King Fuchai of Wu killed Shen Xu, he did not have a good harvest and then led his army to campaign north; he dug a deep canal, connecting it to Shang and between." (The Records of the States·The Language of Wu) However, behind Wu was another tenacious enemy—Yue. During the decades-long war between Wu and Yue, the naval forces of both countries reached unprecedented levels, and boat-building technology became increasingly refined. At that time, Yue's Guling Port became an important military port. This port was located in the ancient town of Xixing in Xiaojiang, opposite Liupu Port at the southern tip of Hangzhou in later generations. Liupu naturally became an outlet to the Qiantang River after the Grand Canal and inland rivers connected. When Wu conquered Yue, King Goujian of Yue was sent as a hostage to Wu. After returning to Yue, he, rose again. Many large-scale water military operations of Yue were launched from Guling. One year, when Yue was short of food, Wu sent boats to transport grain to Yue. Later, when Yue had a harvest, it returned grain to Wu. Fan Li used a trick to return steamed grain to Wu as seeds, and the following year Wu had no grain harvest. The country was in chaos. Additionally, Yue's beauty strategy made Fuchai addicted.