Prose on pontoon bridge over Yucheng River

My friend posted two photos on the Internet, which awakened my sleeping memory and reminded me of the pontoon bridge lying on the West Lake Mouth River in Xupu County all the year round.

I haven't been back to Xupu for many years, and I haven't seen the pontoon bridge for many years. The old impression is a little blurred. Different legends make me elusive. I didn't know who built the pontoon bridge at first. I don't know, it has been hit by floods, experienced many tests of life and death and made too many great contributions. I don't know why the former pontoon bridge was often washed away, but the later pontoon bridge was as safe as Mount Tai. I want to find out the truth.

Professor Wang Jiong-hua is a very rigorous scholar. He studied in Xupu when he was young, worked in Wuhan as an adult, and published many academic monographs in his life. He solemnly told me that the ancestor of Xupu pontoon bridge was General Chen. Its owner was killed by mistake in 50 years, and was also washed away by the flood. Later, the party and the government rehabilitated Mr. Chen. Later, people came back from the United States to thank the people in their hometown for their grievances and donated money for reconstruction. Rebuild in the future and contribute to the county government. Mr. Mi Zhihua was born and raised in Xupu and has been working in Xupu County Committee. He has published and edited many books. Despite their different situations, they all said with one voice: "Xupu pontoon bridge was originally built with the contribution of Conway general Chen Yaling in the 1940s. After several renovations, it will contribute to the county government. " They are all cultural celebrities and well-founded. What Mr. He Xianpei and Mr. Yu Jing 'an said is consistent with the record in Xupu County Records consulted by Mr. Qin Kun, saying that the county Zhengyang South Goods Store was built in 1943. After three repairs, all of them were funded by the county government. Everything has nothing to do with Chen. ...

Words are spoken by people, news is handed down by people, stories are made up by people, and county annals are written by later generations. Everyone has the possibility of remembering the wrong characters, and there is also the possibility of being deliberately arrogant in a specific historical background. I don't blindly comment on what is right and wrong, and I don't rashly judge who is right and wrong. Because there are so many things in this world that I don't know the truth and I can't prove it. Even if the textual research comes out, what's the point of people going to the building? I believe in my eyes, my experiences and my true feelings.

The first time I saw the pontoon bridge was in the 1980s.

I went to normal school that day and just arrived in Xupu. Standing on the bridge and leaning against the railing, I saw a clear river flowing slowly from east to west. The river is full of jade, from far to near, shining with fine scales.

In this distant sight, there is a pontoon bridge that looks like the first photo, lying quietly on this river. There are no fixed piers and no high arches. I saw a dozen wooden boats, propped up with wooden boards, like millipedes painted by artists, lying on their backs, showing their bellies. The wooden boat was anchored in the water with a square end and a sharp end. From a distance, it looks like a bullet lying on the glass surface. The wooden Fang is of the same thickness and length, aligned with the wooden boat, tied with steel cables and stretched to both ends. Like a wide and long bullet belt, it hangs on the waist of the big man in Lishui, pulling the north at one end and the south at the other, closely connecting the north and south banks.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the north of the city is shaded by trees and surrounded by rivers. You can tell at a glance that it is a treasure trove of geomantic omen. In the meantime, Xupu is the political, economic and cultural center, with many institutions, businessmen and humanities. Rows of high-rise buildings, facing south, are close to the mountains and rivers, squeezing the two sides of the street tightly. Houses of different sizes, heights and styles have sealed the river tightly. Shenhe Street, Gu Xiang, stretches for miles from the old railway station to Siping Gate. The jagged diaojiao building is like a naughty girl, some put their legs into the water, some put their feet on the land, and show their charm to the fullest, freely venting their personality ... All this shows the prosperity here and constitutes the quaint and beautiful scenery of the city.

South of the city is a vast area, which is the junction of urban and rural areas, the gateway to and from the county seat, and the hometown of Chen Yaling, a patriotic general of the Qing Dynasty. People from the south to the north have to pass through here. Commodities bought in the east and sold in the west also flow in and out from here. Although it has just been included in the category of towns, it is also a relatively lively place with dense houses, a large population and several factories.

The appearance of pontoon bridge has become a great beauty in the world, bringing convenient traffic and smooth contact to the north and south of the city.

But the past is unbearable and sad.

Before that, Lishui was like a giant python, lying in front of you, blocking the road. North and South are like a pair of mandarin ducks, eager to hug each other tightly, but there is an insurmountable stick in the middle. Another example is the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd on both sides of the Milky Way. They can stare at each other, but they can't walk into each other's side. It is said that there have been two pontoons built here, but they can't stand the impact of floods, leaving only an empty battlefield. There is a highway bridge in the west, but it is too far to go around. People often choose ferries when crossing the river. But waiting for the boat is a waste of time. It's not safe to take a boat. Whenever the flood comes, either the ferry is swept away by the flood or passers-by die here. Among them, there are four families, and three people unfortunately fell into the water. When it was salvaged, it was still tightly held. Tears of relatives flowed into the river. On the river bank, there was a cry of sadness.

It was still very poor at that time. Facing the wide river, people can only look at the sea and sigh. They are really helpless, pinning their hopes on the county government.

1985, the county government formulated the development strategy of the south of the city, and built a commercial street and agricultural products trading market opposite the West Lake mouth. In order to facilitate communication, the government funded the construction of more than a dozen wooden boats, bought wooden Fang and steel cables, built two bridge piles, and built the pontoon bridge we saw, just like the first photo. Connecting the north and the south, the falling dike has become a thoroughfare.

During the day, passers-by crossed the dock, stepped on the trembling pontoon bridge and walked to the other side, which not only saved the time of waiting for the boat, but also enjoyed the speed, comfort and safety.

At night, the street lamps on both sides light up, and the pontoon becomes a crescent moon, falling from the sky and lying in the water. Tired people come here, enjoy the lingering breeze, enjoy the bimonthly silent sex, and suddenly the fatigue disappears and the troubles disappear. Graceful woman walking on the bridge, graceful figure reflected in the water, just like Chang 'e dancing in the moon palace, is really intoxicating!

But unfortunately, the pontoon bridge can only be stable and safe if the cable is tied to the iron column on the stone pile. The bridge was repaired and nobody supervised it. After only a few short years, the stone pile could not withstand the impact and collapsed. The iron column lacked protection and rusted. The cable was worn and fell apart. Wooden boats and bridge slabs floated on the water, unable to be fixed, followed the flood, entered Dongting, crossed the Yangtze River and drifted to the Pacific Ocean.

The people demanded reconstruction. However, the government's finances are tight and it can't afford it for a while. This matter has dragged on for several years.

Time is like an old man, walking hard. Every time I walk around, I am worried about the heartstrings of the leaders of the county party Committee and government.

In order to live up to our mission and facilitate the people of the county, 1999, the county government firmly stated that we are the parents of the people, and we can't live up to their expectations no matter how hard it is! So special funds were allocated from the tight funds to rebuild a new pontoon bridge exactly like the last photo.

Although the new bridge is still there, it is also composed of the same four main parts. However, the county government led the scientific planning and design, learned from previous experiences and lessons, and adopted a series of effective management and protection measures to make the bridge more spacious, firm, stable and beautiful than before. There are three lighthouses on the bridge to guide passers-by. Although the bridge deck is still made of wood, it is wider, thicker and longer. Boil anticorrosive oil inside, coat anticorrosive paint on the surface, and nail a hard and wear-resistant alloy plate on it. The load-bearing steel ship has a larger and longer hull, which is impregnated with antirust oil and coated with antirust agent. Although the steel cable is still used, the steel wire is wound more tightly, and it is waterproof and rust-proof inside and outside. Without water, rust spots are difficult to grow. Crucially, the reinforced concrete piles, which play a fixed role on both banks of the river, have large and thick bases and long and thick columns, which are deeply embedded in the soil and become the backbone of the pontoon bridge. They are steady and firm, pulling steel boats and bridges.

Now that the flood has passed, the water level has dropped. On the bank, there are high flood marks. On the river, the pontoon bridge is like a kind old man, silent and safe. The river is crystal clear and the fields are as green as blue. The perfect combination of pontoon bridge, clear water and green grass makes people relaxed and happy.

The pontoon bridge is very short in the county, so it is inconspicuous. Nowadays, with the tall and gorgeous reinforced concrete bridge, it is even less noticeable. No one sang a hymn to it, no one promoted it, and Baidu could not find a special webpage. But like Buddha and Bodhisattva, he is sincere and kind, and welcomes all beings, regardless of gender, age, wealth, rank and position, and treats industry, commerce, fishing and agriculture equally. It braved the wind and rain, endured repeated shocks, endured hardships and vicissitudes, paid much service, played much role, and did not make public. When the old man stepped on it, he went to the hospital to see a doctor and saved his life and health. Young and middle-aged people have worked hard and realized their values and dreams. Children who step on it and enter the classroom will become the pillars of the country. Zhai Gengjia walked through it and organized a secret party branch in Xupu. Shu Xincheng went to Shanghai through it, and edited and published Ci Hai Dictionary. Wang went through it to experience life in the village and wrote a long masterpiece. Teacher Shu Xinyu walked by, "awakened" Qu Yuan to sing "Nine Songs" and "invited" Xiang Jingyu to Xupu. How many goods do merchants provide to the public through it? How many tall buildings have been built by migrant workers' brothers ... Who knows how much weight it carries day and night?

When I wrote this article, but I didn't write the specific name of the bridge builder, Professor Wang Jiong-hua told me: "When writing Xupu pontoon bridge, I can't help but write about Chen Yaling. Because he is the ancestor of Xupu pontoon bridge. Don't forget the well digger when drafting. We can't forget him!

Maybe everyone wants to remember the good thing of investing in the pontoon bridge, but they don't remember who did it. Unfortunately, I dare not write anyone's name without research. But I don't think it's important, because doing good things to impress future generations is not the original intention. People who do good deeds are not interested in fame and fortune. What's important is that from Professor Wang's words and deeds, I can see everyone's sincere respect for those who do good deeds, the gratitude of Xupu people and the sincerity of Xupu people. Yes, whether it is Mr. Chen or Zhengyang South Goods Store, whether it is the original bridge builder or the later bridge builder, whether it is the county party committee and county government or ordinary people, as long as they do something beneficial to the people, everyone will respect it. While I admire and thank the people who contributed to the bridge repair, I also deeply admire and thank Professor Wang Jiong-hua, Teacher Mi Zhihua, Teacher He Xianpei, Teacher Yu Jing 'an and Mr. Qin Kun. They are all people I have never met, but they are all so enthusiastic, so sincere and so serious to help me answer questions, whether they are strangers or look down on me. I think they are the inheritors of the pontoon spirit. Let's express our opinions and spread great love, right?

Twenty-eight years have passed since I first saw the pontoon bridge, and now I am writing it. With the earth-shaking changes in Xupu, the original diaojiao building disappeared and was replaced by tall buildings. The old river street was demolished and a strong and beautiful flood control levee was built. The streets are wider, there are more shopping malls, the railway station has moved, and the expressway and high-speed rail will be opened to traffic. Zhangjiaqiao stinking ditch has been filled, and a wide Qu Yuan Avenue has been built. Shuiman Village has become a farm for leisure and holiday. The size of the county has expanded several times, and the south of the city has become a prosperous town. Several new bridges were built ... but this pontoon bridge was preserved by the government according to the wishes of the people. Up to now, it is still lying by the river in Xupu county, sticking to its post all the year round, enjoying warm wind in spring, coolness in summer and loneliness in autumn, kissing ice and snow in winter, welcoming the rising sun in the morning and sending the sunset at night, and welcoming it with great love by relying on the strength of reinforced concrete columns and the strength in the depths of the earth. At the same time, it has become a textbook of history and morality, from which we may read more and more. ...