Towards the estuary: the source of the Taizi River

Xie Jia Weizi Village, Lanheyu Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Art comes from nature, and nature inspires art. Since ancient times, the observation of nature has been elevated to an art form. Traditional Chinese landscape painting, as the name suggests, is a type of painting that depicts the natural scenery of mountains and rivers, and continues the respect for streams and mountains in Chinese culture. Nowadays, with the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, when I stand there again and again and watch the river flow by, I wonder if the river I see is the river I saw when I was a child.

In my hometown, Liaoning Province, there is a mother river that has flowed quietly for thousands of years and has nourished and nurtured the people of Liaodong for generations. Located in the eastern part of Liaoning Province, Taizi River is the source and cradle of Liaodong civilization, and has also witnessed the rise and fall of Liaodong and the vicissitudes of the world. The Taizi River Basin is an important area of the old industrial base in Northeast China and an important part of the urban agglomeration in central Liaoning. An important node of the national strategy of "revitalizing the old industrial base in Northeast China".

The Taizi River was called Yanshui in ancient times, the Daliang River in Han, the Dongliang River in Liao, the Wulu Hubi Lasha in Jinshi, the Reed River in Manchu language, the Taizi River in the Ming Dynasty, and the Taizi River in the Qing Dynasty, which is the Taizi River today.

The Taizi River is one of the larger rivers in Liaoning Province and is located in the eastern part of Liaoning Province. There are two sources in its upper reaches: one out of the east of Benxi County, commonly known as the South Taizi River, one out of the south of Xinbin County, commonly known as the North Taizi River, the two sources converge near Machengzi Village, Nandian Town, Benxi County, flow southwest through Benxi and Liaoyang two cities, meet with the Hunhe River at the Sancha River in Haicheng, inject into the Da Liao River, and finally flow into the Bohai Sea. The Taizi River is 413 kilometers long and has a basin area of 13,883 square kilometers.

In the philosophy of ecological civilization in Taoist culture, the ecological ethics of "harmony between man and nature" are advocated, and the idea of "non-interference" with nature is emphasized, and man and nature are harmoniously integrated. The Prince River – This ancient and wide river, deeply imprinted in the consciousness of the people who live along it, is not just a waterway, it also contains the long history, myths and memories of the Prince River.

The river sparked my imagination and I embarked on a journey with childhood memories. I use the river as a metaphor for the ever-changing mother river, from source to estuary, from ice to melting, and in the physical state of the river, I photograph the landscapes and people along both sides of the river.

Li Daoyuan, Water Jing Note: Forty volumes

Tiandu Huang Xiaofeng School Magazine, Huaiyin Thatched Cottage Collection, Qing Dynasty Qianlong 癸酉 18th year [1753]

Source: Hanhe Library, Harvard University, USA

Commentary on the Book of Water, vol. 14

郦道元元文:

Xiaoshui

There is Liaoshan Mountain in Xuanwu Goguryeo County, which is out of the small Liaoshui, southwest to Liaoqi County, and enters the Great Liaoshui. Liao County, so Goguryeo, Hu Zhiguo also. In the second year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he leveled the right canal and placed Xuansu County here, and Wang Mang was under Juli. The water flows out of Liaoshan, the southwest flow path Liaoyang County participates, the water flows out of the north plug, and the southwest flow path reaches Liaoshui. Therefore, the "Geographical Chronicle" said: "The County Chronicle" said: the county, so it belongs to Liaodong, and then entered Xuansu. Its water flows southwest, so it is called Liang Shui. Xiaoliaoshui and southwest Xiangping County is a light abyss, and Jin Yongjia has dried up for three years. Xiaoliaoshui went to Xiangping County again.

Modern Explanation:

Xiaoshui

There is Liaoshan Mountain in Goguryeo County, which is the birthplace of Xiaoliaoshui, which flows southwest to Liaoqi County and injects Daliaoshui.

(Goguryeo County is the old Goguryeo, a country of Hu people.) In the second year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (109 years ago), he pacified the right canal and set up Xuanyi County here, which was the next sentence of Wang Mang's time. Xiaoliaoshui originates in Liaoshan Mountain, flows southwest through Liaoyang County, and joins Daliang Shui. Daliang water originates in Saiwai, flows southwest to Liaoyang, and injects Xiaoliao water. Therefore, the "Geographical Chronicles" says: Daliang water flows southwest to Liaoyang and flows into Liaoshui. "County Chronicles" said: Liaoyang County used to belong to Liaodong County, and later was included in Xuansu County. The water flows to the southwest, hence the name Liangshui. Xiaoliao water flows through Xiangping County to the southwest again, called Danyuan, and dried up in the third year of Jin Yongjia (309 AD). Xiaoliao water flows through Xiangping County and is injected into Daliang water. When King Sima Xuan pacified Liaodong, he killed Gongsun Yuan on this water. ）

Note: Daliang water is now the Taizi River

The author of "Notes on the Book of Water": Li Daoyuan (466 or 472-527), a native of Zhuo County, Fanyang County (now Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province), was a geographer and essayist of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He once served as the assassin of Eastern Jingzhou, and was removed from his official position because he offended the powerful. Ten years later, the imperial court was revived for Henan Yin. In the first year of Emperor Xiaochang, Emperor Ming led the army to Pengcheng to fight against the rebellion of the monks of Pingyuan, and was promoted to lieutenant of Yushi for his merits. Because he impeached Yuanyue, the king of Runan, when Xiao Baokun wanted to rebel against the Northern Wei Dynasty in Yongzhou, Yuan Yue took the opportunity to ask the imperial court to send Li Daoyuan to Xuanfu, and Li Daoyuan was killed by Xiao Baochun when he entered the customs. He is the author of "Notes on the Book of Water", which is a well-known masterpiece of literature and geography.

His father, Li Fan, was the general of Pingdong and the assassin of Qingzhou, and he was the Marquis of Yongning. He was born in the first year of Emperor Xianwen's Tian'an (466), and the other says that it was the second year of Emperor Xiaowen's Yanxing (472). At first, Li Daoyuan inherited his father's title of Marquis of Yongning, and according to the custom, he was demoted from Marquis to Uncle. Although Li Daoyuan is a native of Zhuo County, he was born in Qingzhou, and has lived in Qingzhou with his father Li Fan since he was a child. When Li Daoyuan was more than ten years old, he traveled to the rivers of Qingzhou and loved nature. My father has a history of thorns, and he also likes to travel in the mountains and rivers.

Qingzhou City used to be called Guangxian, and there was a Yang River flowing through the northeast. There is a stone well on the mountain in the east of the city, it is said that there are monsters infested, the well is piled with stones on three sides, it is more than four zhang deep, the well water is extremely fierce, it becomes a waterfall, and it flows into the Yang River. Li Daoyuan has liked to play by the water in that area since he was a child, and he often strips naked in summer. In addition, there is a Juyang River in the east of Linqu County, and there is a fumigation spring water flowing in, which is the place where Li Daoyuan frolicks. He likes rivers, lakes and springs by nature, and wherever there are rivers, he has to go to investigate, and if necessary, he will take out a pen and paper to record. He traveled to many places in the north and to some places in the southern Yangtze River and Huai River valleys.

In ancient times, there was a book called "The Book of Water", which recorded 137 rivers in the country, more than 10,000 words, and the content was not easy to understand, so Li Daoyuan wanted to make annotations for this book, but it was not easy to make annotations for the "Book of Water", and it was not only closed in the study to complete, but also needed to visit the rivers on the spot. So Li Daoyuan personally went to explore the rivers one by one, see the source of the rivers and the turbidity, visit the products and scenic spots, inspect the national customs, and inquire about the historical evolution, stories and legends. However, it was a period of division between the North and the South, and there were some places that could not be visited in person, so they had to quote the writings of others. After about ten years, the "Commentary on the Water Classic" was finally completed, in addition to making annotations for the "Water Classic", many rivers were also added, a total of 1,252 articles, nearly ten times the original number, with 300,000 words.

1. The source of the Taizi River

The upper reaches of the Taizi River are divided into two branches, north and south, with the north branch being the longest.

The northern branch of the Taizi River

The northern branch of the Taizi River originates from Linjiagou, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City.

Introduction to the source of the northern branch of the Taizi River: The Taizi River was known as Yanshui, Daliang River and Dongliang River in ancient times. During the Warring States Period, Prince Dan fled here, so it was named Prince River. The northern branch of the Taizi River is one of the two major sources of the Taizi River, originating from Linjiagou Ridge in Pingdingshan Town, and the source is located at 124 east longitude. 5222.30", latitude 41. 2853.40" (inscription of Fushun Hydrological Bureau, Liaoning Province), 564 meters above sea level. The basin covers an area of 126 square kilometers and the river is 69.9 kilometers long, which flows into the Guanyin Pavilion Reservoir in Xiajiahe Village.

——Inscription of the source of the northern branch of the Taizi River

Dasiping Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, Straw Hat Dingzi Mountain, 2023

"The strange pine and strange rocks are natural and clean, and the grass is free and fragrant." This is a magical and vibrant land, with waves and forests, and babbling springs. In spring, the land is full of greenery, and the mountains are dotted with flowers; In the middle of summer, the shade of the trees is open, and the sun is cool; In late autumn, the frost leaves are like the glow, and the mountains are full of fruits; In the cold winter, the sky is snowing, and the plain is wrapped in silver. The magic of nature has created the majesty and majesty of the straw hat top mountain of Changbai Mountain, and the southern industrial center town of Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County - Dasiping Town is like a bright pearl at the source of the Taizi River, embedded in this group of hearts.

Dasiping Town is located in the eastern mountainous area of Liaoning, in the south of Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, the source of the Taizi River, located at the junction of Xinbin, Huanren and Benxi counties, with a superior geographical location, 80 kilometers away from Xinbin County in the east, 75 kilometers away from Huanren County in the southeast, 70 kilometers away from Benxi County in the west, 125 kilometers away from Fushun City, 110 kilometers away from Benxi City, the geographical coordinates are 124°38 east longitude, 41°15' north latitude, the whole town is an irregular equilateral triangle, with a total area of 251.4 square kilometers. The landform type belongs to the middle and low mountainous areas of tectonic erosion, the peaks are continuous, the forests are luxuriant, the main mountain range is the straw hat top mountain of the old bald branch of the remaining veins of Changbai Mountain, the altitude is 1260.1 meters, it is the second highest peak in Liaoning, there are two main rivers, the source of the Taizi River is here, and it flows through the whole town from south to north.

-- Information disclosure of local town governments

Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Inscription at the source of Taizi Hebei, Linjiagou, Chengchang Village, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Linjiagou, Chengchang Village, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, former Forest Farm Clinic, 2023

Linjiagou, Chengchang Village, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, Newborn Lamb, 2023

Linjiagou, Chengchang Village, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, State-owned Forest Farm, 2023

Regarding the navigation of the Taizi River at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, according to historical records, the Taizi River overflows every summer, the water volume increases, and the feasible boat distance is more than 400 li, which is connected with the Nangou alkali field and the Beigou Pingdingshan place. In the season suitable for shipping, more than 2,000 rafts flow down the river to meet the needs of building materials in Liaoyang and nearby places.

According to the villagers of Chengchang Village, in the Qing Dynasty, the local timber was very abundant, and every summer when the water volume was large, the timber was combined into a raft in Chengchang Village, and then transported down the river to Liaoyang, so the local name was Chengchang Village.

Linjiagou, Chengchang Village, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Weiziyu Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Sandaoguan Village, Weiziyu Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Yahu Pass, the name of the ancient pass, is in the territory of Xiaohuluntun, Sandaoguan Village, Weiziyu Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning Province, China. The Manchu word "Yargu" is translated into Chinese as "bald eagle", commonly known as mountain eagle. Describe the danger of the pass like a bird of prey, and the eagle of the mountain looks down. The pass is divided into 3 roads, and it is now called the three passes. The distance between the three passes is a few miles, and most of them are built of earth and stone. The pass is located on the west bank of the Tuohelun River, which is the traffic gateway between Liaodong and Jianzhou Jurchen during the Ming Dynasty, and the terrain is extremely dangerous. In the forty-sixth year of Wanli (1618), the battle of Salhu was captured by the Houjin, and the current site still exists. Yahu Pass is located in the territory of Xiaohuluntun, Sandaoguan Village, Weiziyu, southwest of Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. The Raven Pass is also known as the "Stone Pillar". It is an important pass of Liaodong Town on the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty.

Yahu Pass, for the fourth year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty (1468) Liaoyang deputy general soldier Han Bin to restrict the entry and exit of Jianzhou Jurchen, to prevent the Korean envoys from peeping into Liaodong virtual reality, closed the door and set up three barriers, so it is also called "three passes". Go 40 kilometers northeast to reach the city of Hetuala; Entering the customs to the south to go 35 kilometers, it is an important town in eastern Liaodong, Qinghe Fort, the geographical location is very important, and it has always been a key point for soldiers. The distance between the three passes is one mile each. The first road pass is 0.5 kilometers south of Sandaoguan Village, Weiziyu Township, Xinbin County, Guancheng is repaired to the ridge on both sides, the existing ruins wall is 3 meters high, the base width is about 7 meters, it is the square material stone wrapping, and the rammed earth is built. The second pass is located in the valley where the two cliffs face each other, and the stone is used as a barrier. The third pass is located next to a huge stone that rises from the ground, and this stone pillar is about 30 meters high.

- Baidu

Dianbianzi Village, Weiziyu Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Xiaodianzi Village, Pingdingshan Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Mahaitun, Majiazi Village, Dasiping Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Dongxiaobao Village, Dasiping Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Sifangtai Village, Dasiping Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Located in Nantun, Sifangtai Village, Dasiping Town, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, people can see a beautiful scenery - the mist is steaming in the Taizi River next to the highway. According to local villagers, the water temperature is always maintained at about 9 degrees Celsius throughout the year, and the water temperature is cold in the hot summer, even in the middle of winter.

Xiajiahe Township, Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County, Fushun City, 2023

Gaowan Economic Development Zone, Fushun City, Regao Water Park, 2023

The southern branch of the Taizi River

The southern branch of the Taizi River originates from the foothills of Yanghugou Straw Hat Dingzi Mountain, Dongyingfang Township, Benxi County. Straw hat Dingzi Mountain, with an altitude of 1260.10 meters, is located 7km northeast of Xilaoyinggou in Yanghugou Village, Dongyingfang Township, and is the boundary mountain of Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Xinbin County and Huanren County, the watershed of Taizi River and Hunjiang River, and is the second highest peak in Liaoning.

Benxi City, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Dongyingfang Township, inverted wood ditch is located in the foothills of the southern slope of the straw hat top, the straw hat top mountain is the source of the south branch of the Taizi River, but also the boundary mountain of Benxi County, Xinbin County, Huanren County, or the watershed of the Hunhe River, the Taizi River and the tributaries of the Hunjiang River, because the peak of the mountain is shaped like a straw hat and gets its name.

Shuijing Note / Yang Shoujing and Xiong Huizhen co-authored, volume 1-8, Yidu Yang's Guanhaitang, Guangxu 31 years [1905], author's page combination

资料来源：HathiTrust 数字图书馆

Baomugou, Dongyingfang Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Yanghugou Village, Dongyingfang Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Shuizhazi, Dongyingfang Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Ditaitouzi Village, Lanheyu Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Xie Jia Weizi Village, Lanheyu Township, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Goukou Village, Nandianzi Town, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Beidianzi Village, Nandian Town, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Communist Youth League Forest, State-owned Forest Farm, Qinghe Town, Benxi County, 2023

Machengzi Village, Nandianzi Town, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, 2023

Machengzi Village, Nandianzi Town, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, Guanyin Pavilion Reservoir Water Level, 2023

Machengzi Village, Nandianzi Town, Benxi Manchu Autonomous County, Benxi City, Machengzi Cave B Cave Site, 2023

Machengzi Cave, Restoration of Ancient Human Life Scenes, Benxi City Museum, 2023

Restoration of ancient human life scenes along the Taizi River, Benxi City Museum, 2023

Restoration of Ancient Human Life Scenes, Benxi City Museum, 2023

Machengzi Neolithic Site: Benxi County is located in the upper reaches of the Taizi River, which belongs to the southeast continuation of the mountainous area of the remaining veins of Changbai Mountain, and the Qianshan Mountains traverse the whole territory. The river course in the territory is curved, the mountains are high and the mountains are steep, it is the area where the rule of the Central Plains regime is relatively weak in the past dynasties, and it is also the area where the ancient ethnic minorities frequently migrated and staggered activities. The ancient border people living in this area have created a lot of ancient cultures rich in local features, leaving precious cultural heritage to the present people, among which the Machengzi culture is particularly prominent, which gathers the cultural relics of the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age, and has distinctive representative and regional characteristics.

Located in the ancient city of Machengzi in Nandian Town, Benxi County, it was built in the 25th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1546), and in the 13th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1874), it was named Majiachengzi Village according to the surname of the villagers near the ancient city, and was later referred to as Machengzi Village. Machengzi Village is located in the delta area where the north and south sources of the Taizi River meet, and is a traffic fortress of the two rivers. In ancient times, there were endless fish and shrimp in the rivers, and flocks of roe deer, deer and birds in the dense forests. Nature not only provided ancient humans with abundant means of life, but also provided caves to live in.

Machengzi Cave is divided into A, B, C three, adjacent to each other in a triangular shape, A and B two holes are low, 5 meters apart. Hole C is on top, 100 meters above hole B. Among them, Cave B represents the cultural remains of the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age, and Caves A and C represent the cultural relics of the Bronze Age.

The lower layer of Machengzi Cave B is a Neolithic cultural layer accumulation. Among the unearthed production tools, stone tools and polished stone tools coexist, but the main tools are polished stones, in addition to sub-waist stone hoes, jade knives and axes and stone axes, there are also fishing and hunting tools. The pottery group in the lower layer is relatively simple, with cylindrical jars as the main mass. These artifacts reflect the agricultural economy of the lower cave period. The upper floor of Cave B of Machengzi is a tomb of the Bronze Age. A total of 132 relics were unearthed from 14 tombs, including 57 production tools, 66 living utensils and 9 ornaments. The types of production tools include stone axes, wedges, chisels, knives, arrowheads, spinning wheels, net pendants, bone awls, etc.

The characteristics of the pottery unearthed in Cave B are obvious, and most of the large pots and jars often apply thin overlapping lips outside the mouth to reinforce and beautify them, and often make a circle of additional pile pattern lace or flower belt at the largest belly of the utensil. This pattern characteristic generally appeared in the Liaodong region in the late Neolithic and the transition to the Bronze Age. There are burial goods in the tombs in Cave B, ranging from 15-16 pieces to 2-5 pieces. The important harvest of the excavation of Cave B in Machengzi is the discovery of the accumulation of cultural layers from two different eras stacked on top of each other. The upper floor is an early Bronze Age tomb, and the lower floor is a large collection of Late Neolithic dwellings with straight jars. This discovery ended the hazy state of indistinguishable pottery and stone tools from the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages in the Benxi area for many years. The establishment of the multi-source cultural development sequence of the Neolithic in the northern part of the mainland fills an important missing link. According to the principle of archaeological naming, the archaeological community named the upper culture of this cave as Machengzi culture.

With the continuous breakthrough in the excavation and cleaning of Machengzi Cave in the 80s, archaeologists have increasingly clearly deduced that this culture has lasted for thousands of years in the vast mountains and rivers of Liaodong, and is an early bronze culture that appeared in the north of the Xia and Shang dynasties in the mainland after the Miaohoushan culture. In particular, the Machengzi culture, in the development process of bronze culture in eastern Liaodong, inherits the Neolithic remains of the lower layer of Machengzi Cave and the sarcophagus tomb culture that prevails in eastern Liaodong, which plays an important role in connecting the upper and lower levels. The complete burial materials and 1,448 burial objects unearthed provide a reliable physical basis for the study of the socio-economic form and social nature at that time. The large number of production tools used for burial shows that the production tools were in the possession of individuals, and on the other hand, it also reflects the high level of stone tool making technology.

——Benxi Municipal People's Government Network "Benxi Historical Words"

Archaeology, source: Benxi City Museum, 2023