The Lost "West Lake" in Jining-Machang Lake

There are "Nansi Lake" in the south of Jining, namely Weishan Lake, Zhaoyang Lake, dushan lake Lake and Nanyang Lake. In fact, before the Republic of China, there were "North Five Lakes" to the north of Jining, namely Anshan Lake, Mata Lake, Wangnan Lake, Shushan Lake and Machang Lake. The so-called "south" and "north" are all based on Jining. Unfortunately, "Nansi Lake" still exists, while "Beiwu Lake" has disappeared except for a part of Gu 'an Lake, Dongping Lake.

Xiaobeihu, which Jining people are familiar with today, is located in the south of the city and the northernmost part of Nansi Lake. It is called "Jining Beihu". It once formed a national "Four Lakes Alliance" with West Lake in Hangzhou, South Lake in Jiaxing and East Lake in Wuhan, with great momentum and unlimited scenery. Unfortunately, it was renamed "Taibai Lake" a few years ago, which is far-fetched and neither fish nor fowl. Not only did he die in the "Four Lakes Alliance", but he gave up his position as one of the "Four Lakes" in China and his gold-lettered signboard, and he also lost himself in name and positioning.

However, what most people in Jining don't know is that in addition to the "North Lake", there has also been a "West Lake" in Jining history, which is Machang Lake, one of the five northern lakes.

Xu Biao, a native of Jining (now from Anju Street, rencheng district), who served as the minister of the Ministry of War during Chongzhen in the late Ming Dynasty, recorded in "Living in the West Lake": "There is a lake on the riverside, which is also the ancient city West Lake. Store water to help transport, in case of glue ship. During the Wanli period, the Bell Palace built two scoop gates and one dam mouth 1 to prepare for storage and discharge. The deepest part of the lake, commonly known as the bottom of the big slope, is unpredictable. After drought, it will not dry up. It is more than 40 miles around and so wide, but it is just a vast expanse of water. There are many people living in the water, such as those who like fishing, those who hide here, those who are tired of dirt, those who mow the grass for the house, women who lead the family, or those who bring friends. There is a boat with a crane and a deer on it, which is very fast. At sunrise in the morning, the clouds disappear, kites fly and ducks sleep, and Xu is greeted with light red dew and light green; Twilight reflects, ducks return, the sunset is lonely, there is a silver shadow, and there is a light to split the jade rope; Sunny is wild, fen is clear, the sky is clear, the grass is blue and slippery, and the makeup of the country is beautiful; When it rains, there are moths all over the mountain, dense trees are empty, pearls are shallow, water is flowing, and flowers are flowing. When the husband makes four orders, the scenery is different, and the deformation of things wins, and it changes with it. Whenever I see a warm sand apple, the water will melt, fish will jump, European herons will sing, or sing with pigeons and warblers. Liu Yin is full of wormwood, cold water is near Pu, lotus flowers are decorated with brocade, fragrant flowers are scattered on the far beach, and the song of picking lotus flowers is like a city. The white dew rises from the sky, the red knotweed meets the shore, in the buildings, geese crow, and the iron flute makes three lanes, which makes the guests think low; Yuan frost is bitter, birds are frightened by cold, and blood is overflowing. Although the scenery is bleak, the fish is light and the smoke is light, which also makes the mountain shadow flourish. As for the sudden change of microwave, it is woven into words, such as light fiber; Simple and thin foam, turbid waves surge, like the posture of a dragon; Vast ethereal, looking at the charming, such as glass mapping; Shure's time flickers like a golden snake. This is the charm of the moon, flowing between four o'clock and dusk. However, this lake is also a display of Cui Qianshan, full of miracles. This is very charming and open. How much can Dongting and Peng Li give! " Between the lines, the praise and pride of hometown and West Lake are beyond words. In Xu Biao's view, the beauty of Jining West Lake is not limited to Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake!

Gan Long's Records of Zhili Prefecture in Jining records that Racecourse Lake is in the west of Jining City. In the Ming dynasty, people were asked to raise horses, and there were grasslands, so the lake was named. The sound is "factory", which means "horse", "Ren Lake", "West Lake", "West reed" and "Lotus pond skin". "West Lake" is another name for Racecourse Lake.

The "Eight Scenes of Jining" in Qing Dynasty include Haruki in the Palace, Qingyun in the Cave, Lotus Net in the South Pool, Fishing Songs in Xilu, Overlooking the White House, Flowering Flowers and Springs, Sunset in Fengtai and Autumn Sailing in Du Lin. Among them, "West Reed Fishing Song" depicts the scenery of Machang Lake, indicating that it was already a tourist attraction at that time and had a place in the hearts of Jining people.

In the Qing Dynasty, Pan Benwa once wrote a poem praising: "On March 5th, a painter in Liu Cun was a duck floating on a shallow embankment. On the first day of the month, where is the piccolo reed root? Pan Chengnian, a native of this county, wrote: The autumn water road is difficult to distinguish, and the cold clouds generally stop. I'm used to scattered people living here, for fear of scaring seagulls and herons.

According to pictures and poems, when the water plants are flourishing, birds fly, willows wander on the shore and the flute sounds slowly, the lake is like a fairyland on earth.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were many poems about the West Lake in Jining. Now I take one or two poems for readers.

In the Ming Dynasty, Li Jiong wrote the poem "West Lake in Jining": the lake is boundless, and the boat is silent in the sunset. Thousand peaks are rugged, blue waves are boundless, and one is blue and red. Crows float gold on their backs, geese fly like words to write clear skies. Yu Di blows tourists drunk, and ten miles of lotus fragrance sends the evening breeze.

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhang's poem "Dry Lake Day and Night" said: People step on the clouds on the lake and birds bathe in the water around the lake. People hate birds, and their eyes are broken.

In Ming Dynasty, Zheng and overseas Chinese wrote the poem "Zhou Xiaoren invites you to visit Racecourse Lake": Where is Gankun cool? The unique lake light makes you crazy. August Pu shortage can be hidden, and semi-Qiu Ling can be old. If you throw it on a leisurely perch, wear lotus fragrance when hiding. With Li Sao, I can drink. I am loyal to the sunset and furious.

A Qing poet Yu Pengtu's poem "Looking at Xidi Lake in Autumn" said: Wanliu returned to the city, and the suburbs were heavy. When the water in the distant mountains is green, you will be fascinated by the clouds at night. Fish near the lake, swallows in the stream. Autumn fades away and the sun sets in the west.

Shilin, a poet in A Qing, wrote in Autumn Lake: Hucheng Lake blooms like a colorful cloud, and the geese return in the sunset. Singing in several places, I was stunned by a piece of white clouds.

Uncle Zhou, a native of Yinshan, Zhejiang, is a mumu. He has been a juren for seventeen years. He once served as Pinghu Oracle Bone Inscriptions, including Ju Draft, stored in my Spring Pavilion poems, etc. And wrote about boating with my parents to make a city West Lake: making a garden city from my parents, and being clear about the lakes and mountains. After work, Guo Range Rover travels and Lanzhou carries passengers. Uncle Yan Di was talking and laughing. The lake meets the sky, and this place is also named after the West Lake. Cao Bei went to store and drain, and the sails flew across the bank. The weeping willows shade others, and the southwest is green and eventful. Ten hectares of colored glass are at the bottom, and fine algae are lingering in duckweed. Fish roam thousands of feet, but there are many birds on board. Narcissus is covered with jasper and socks are graceful. Red makeup and green sleeves are mixed, and there is nothing to say. Since ancient times, shepherds have had banquets and often brought prostitutes for drinks. The official motto is that there are more and more licenses today, and the silk and bamboo are silent. It didn't interfere with the summer vacation, but the blue-tube elephant trunk is still very tangled. Looking at the outline by the boat, Yuan crucian carp will stab fresh soup. Lotus fragrance touches people and mixes alcohol, and dragonflies fly leisurely. Unfortunately, there are no pavilions, the scenery is wonderful, and people from the state rarely come to the scene. Wuzhong Tiger Hill is a rock, and scholars and women play flute and sheng all day long. Hangzhou West Lake has a long-standing reputation, and the resort is not only separated by mountains and screens. I know that simplicity and vulgarity are easy to make sense, but I hate this clarity. The setting sun is about to turn around, and it is as purple as Wan Li. I can't bear to leave for a while, and I will ride back to the DPRK for a while.

This poem not only depicts the beautiful scenery of West Lake in Jining, but also points out the shortcomings of pavilions and other ornamental auxiliary facilities, and compares Tiger Hill in Suzhou with West Lake in Hangzhou. While praising Jining's simple folk customs, it implicitly criticized the dilemma of idle and extensive development of tourism resources. What embarrasses Jining people is that, at least in terms of tourism, the embarrassing things of not having enough to eat and not eating well in the golden rice bowl are still happening today, such as Sankong, Meng Si, Xiaobeihu and Taibailou. Life? People?

Jin Sheng's poem "Climbing the Phoenix Terrace and Looking at the Autumn Colors of Machang Lake" says: On the high platform, the scenery is fresh and the Pinghu is like a mirror. Lonely birds fly in, the sunset disappears and the sky sets each other off. Singing there, Xiao Sa the Dwarf Reed, the fish-hiding boat. Enduring the autumn wind, the lotus is red, but it is Liao Di, painting the scenery in late autumn. Who will give you hibiscus when you are homesick in the dark? Hate a painting, empty without waves, cut off the horizon of Fang Xin.

Machang Lake is mainly caused by Fengjia rolling dam, which receives the residual water from Shushan Lake in the north, with a circumference of 40 miles. In the thirty-fourth year of Kangxi (A.D. 1695), Yu Chenglong, then the governor of the river, converted Yangjiaba into a sluice according to Wu Chang's suggestion. According to Records of Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty, Song Li, a senior minister of the Ministry of Industry, once played: There is a Shahe River in the east of Dongping House, a tributary of Benwenhe River, which reaches the intersection of Shikou and Tongma Changbo. Sand and silt are worse than in previous years, so dredging should be done as early as possible. In the fourth year of Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1509), Liu Chong's rebel army wanted to harass Jining, because the northwest of Jining was empty, that is, Yangjiaba was built on the Dongfu River in the east of the city, forcing Fuhe River and Guanghe River to be moats around the north and Machang Lake in the west. In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, bandits were rampant, so the dam was rebuilt to protect the city from water invasion. In this way, Machang Lake has four sources: Shushan Lake, Wenshui River, Fuhe River and Guanghe River, and the problem of siltation in the inlet river has existed since the early Ming Dynasty.

So, where is the racecourse lake that disappeared today?

Due to the limited information on hand, there is basically no map of Machang Lake. After unremitting efforts, I found three maps about Machang Lake. Among them, the map of Machang Lake in Ji Ning Fu Zhi in the 12th year of Qing Emperor Kangxi (AD 1673) is as follows:

It can be seen that the north bank is a sloping stone bridge, the southwest corner is Anjupu, the southeast corner is Shilipu, and the middle part of the west bank is Touwanpu.

The map of Machang Lake in Qianlong's Ning Ji Zhi Li Zhou Zhi (compiled in A.D. 1778) is like this:

It can be seen that Machang Lake in the middle of Qing Dynasty is located in the southwest of Jining City, with an area of about half the size of Jining City. It is a bottle shape with a narrow north and a wide south. Compared with the Kangxi period, the east bank of the lake shrank more obviously.

Chen and Wu Jinjia of Liaocheng University once outlined the outline of Nansi Lake and Beiwu Lake in Ming and Qing Dynasties. However, due to the large scale, it is difficult to see the exact location of Machang Lake on today's map. Its shape is quite different from that described in Gan Long's "Zhou Zhi of Jining Zhi Li", and the basis and reasons for drawing are not explained. It doesn't seem credible.

Then, do it yourself and draw a map of the general scope of Racecourse Lake.

According to the History of Chunjiang River, the distance from Machang Lake to Tian Zongzhi Village is seven miles and two minutes in the east, eleven miles and four minutes in the south, ten miles and three minutes in the west to Huotou Bay, five miles and six minutes in the north, and five miles and eight minutes in the south to Tian Zongzhi Village.

Tian Zongzhizhuang and Li Jiaying no longer exist, but Anju, Huotouwan and Wuliying still exist. Based on the above three place names and the length of the four sides of the lake, the scope of Jining West Lake-Racecourse Lake is roughly outlined as follows:

The lake area includes Huying Community, Tang Ying Village, Jiang Ying Village, Hudong Village, Wangdong Village and Liu Ying Village in Anju Street of rencheng district today, and the vast area east of Ji Liang Canal today, including the West Bus Station, Haode Trade City and a part of Fenghuangtai Botanical Garden. Racecourse Lake has a circumference of about 20km (consistent with the records in Gan Long's Records of Zhili Prefecture in Jining) and an area of about 25km2, which is suitable for tourism, fishing and drinking. Of course, the coastline of the lake should not be straight. If there is professional software, the picture of Racecourse Lake can be better. For example, the southern coastline should be transferred to settle down, basically distributed along the northern part of the old canal. If we can find the exact locations of Tian Zongzhi Zhuang and Li Jiaying, the map of Machang Lake will be more accurate.

After careful consideration, I think the above picture is still rough, so I add two hypotheses based on the map of Kangxi Qianlong and the above picture: Touwanpu in Qing Dynasty, that is, Huotouwan and Broken Stone Bridge today, never changed its name; Considering that Phoenix Terrace has always been located in the east of Machang Lake, there is evidence that the Qing people came to the stage to watch the lake and compose poems. The Ji Liang Canal may be excavated along the eastern edge of Machang Lake. According to the map of Kanggan period, the ancient canals to the west and south of Anju are basically the west and north banks of Machang Lake. The map of Machang Lake is redrawn as follows:

According to the above picture, the starting point of Racecourse Lake extends northward to the southwest of Broken Stone Bridge and the center of the intersection of South Yuejingou and Ji Liang Canal (considering the comparison of ancient and modern maps, South Yuejingou should be excavated according to the old site of Shahe in Ming Dynasty, and the place where it enters Racecourse Lake is the intersection with the present Ji Liang Canal), and its circumference is about 6 kilometers longer than that recorded in Gan Long's Ji Ning Zhi Li Zhou Zhi. North of Huotou Bay, if the river course is counted, not the lake area, the circumference is roughly consistent with the record. Of course, in different historical periods, the boundary and area of Machang Lake should be different. The above picture basically restored the appearance of Qianlong forty-three years (AD 1778) as much as possible, but whether it is accurate or not remains to be verified. After all, the disappearance time of Machang Lake is not too far, and it can be pushed from near to far. If we can combine the migration history of local villages with the memory of the elderly, the map of Machang Lake will be more accurate.

If Machang Lake can be preserved so far, it will undoubtedly become an important ecological wetland and tourist attraction with a certain scale in the water-deficient north and close to medium-sized cities. Regrettably, with the intensification of the contradiction between man and land and the annihilation of the Grand Canal, the functions and importance of water storage regulation, fishery and tourism of Machang Lake have gradually decreased, the process of returning the lake to farmland has been accelerating, and the lake surface has been shrinking. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Fengjiazha was blocked, Shushan Lake was no longer flooded, the Fuhe River was shallowly silted, and the inflow of Surabaya was reduced to less than one tenth of the original. The siltation of the lake beach is constantly occupied by Guanhe River, and the situation of "people entering the lake and retreating" is further aggravated. On the other hand, due to the low terrain, the reclaimed lake fields often face floods in the rainy season. 1959, in order to completely solve the problems of flooding in northern Jining and poor drainage in Juancheng, Yuncheng, Liangshan and Jiaxiang counties, the Ji Liang Canal was dug and six irrigation and drainage stations were built on the old and new canals. The accumulated water entered the river in time, and the Racecourse Lake was returned to the field without any trace.