Zhouqiao Datang

Zhouqiao Datang

Zhouqiao Datang was formed in 1824, the fourth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty, when the Hongze Lake embankment burst under the force of floodwaters. That winter, violent winds raged over the Hongze Lake, with towering waves crashing against the top of the dyke, rising several zhang high. Eventually, the embankment gave way. After the breach at Zhouqiao, the opening was so wide and the resulting pit so deep that it remained unplugged well into the following year. The imperial court then ordered Lin Zexu, who was serving as the Governor of Jiangsu at the time, to go to the site and take charge of the emergency response. Though Lin Zexu was in deep mourning for his mother and had just lost his wife, he did not hesitate. Wearing mourning attire, he rushed to Gaoyayuan and worked tirelessly with local officials and residents, enduring days of outdoor living. After months of grueling effort, the repair work was finally completed and reported to the court. The harsh conditions took a toll on Lin Zexu’s health, and he collapsed from exhaustion several times on the construction site. His unwavering dedication to duty became a celebrated story in the Hongze Lake region. Once the breach was sealed, the imperial court allocated substantial funds and spent six years, completing the project in the tenth year of the Daoguang reign (1830), constructing an inner dike 737 meters long and 33 meters wide at the top to encircle the big pit. The dike was reinforced with strip stones. Originally nearly 30 meters deep, in the winter of 1976, the people of Hongze spent more than two years filling the pit to reinforce the embankment. A total of 860,000 cubic meters of earth were used to raise the pit floor from an elevation of minus 16 meters to between 8 and 10 meters. As you can see, this large pit has now become a unique historical landmark along the embankment. By descending the steps along the northern side of the pit to the base of the stonework, one can imagine the tragic scenes of the devastating floods of the past. Looking closely at the dense stone joints, one can find traces of the blood and sweat left by the master craftsmen, painting a vivid picture of the efforts made to control the waters.

The stele on the western side of the pit may look ordinary, but it actually has an intriguing backstory. This is an imperial stele, with faint traces of auspicious clouds on its sides and cloud-sea rock patterns on its back. It was left here by Emperor Qianlong during his southern inspection tour through Hongze. At that time, the stele stood about 15 kilometers south of Zhouqiao, near Wulipai. In 1950, catastrophic flooding struck, bringing immense suffering and countless casualties to the people downstream of the Huai River. A telegram sent by the local government to the central authorities read: “Snakes and people fight over trees, people climb trees to survive, only to be bitten by snakes and die.” Upon reading this, Chairman Mao Zedong was deeply saddened. The following year, he inscribed the eight characters: “We must harness the Huai River,” expressing his firm determination to tame the river. During the Cultural Revolution, locals erased the Qianlong inscription and carved Chairman Mao’s handwriting onto the stele instead. They moved it from Wulipai to this location, placing it between Hongze Lake and the big pit. It symbolizes a glorious new chapter in the history of Huai River management under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.