Jinkou Dam

Jinkou Dam

Jinkou Dam is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located at the confluence of the Si, Yi, and Fu Rivers, five li east of the city, Jinkou Dam was originally a water flow regulation structure. Before the completion of the Shounongbing Bridge over the Shuhe River in 1966, this dam was the only route between Yanzhou and Qufu. Owing to its strategic location, the stones of the dam were bound together with metal (iron) clamps, hence its name.

The original construction date of the dam is unknown. According to the Commentary on the Water Classic: “An ancient stone gate was built spanning the water.” From this, it is inferred that the dam was first built during the Han Dynasty. In the third year of the Yanxing era of the Northern Wei Dynasty (514), Yuang Kuang, the Prefect of Yanzhou, oversaw the construction of a weir and bridge here. During the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (581–600), Xue Zhou, the Prefect of Yanzhou, piled stones at the confluence of the Yi and Si Rivers to create a weir, diverting water into Heifengkou and westward to irrigate the land. As a result, a vast area of land to the west of the city turned into fertile farmland, yielding bountiful harvests year after year. The people praised it as “Xue Gong’s Fengyuan Canal.” In the second year of the Guangshun era of the Later Zhou Dynasty (952), Murong Yanchao rebelled in Yanzhou and used the Jinkou Dam to divert the Si River into the city moat for military defense. In the 20th year of the Zhiyuan era of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty (1283), “when the Huitong River was opened, the old canal of Zhou was repaired, turning it into a roller-compacted stone dam to divert the Si River into the canal.” In the fourth year of the Yanyou era of Emperor Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty (1317), the dam was expanded into two openings with installed sluice gates, which were opened or closed according to seasonal water levels. From then on, it was officially named “Jinkou Dam.” In the seventh year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty (1471), Zhang Keqian, the official in charge of water management, “built a hut to oversee the repair of the dam.” The project took nine months, and upon completion, the dam stood firm. It measured 50 zhang in length from east to west, 3.6 zhang at the base, 2.8 zhang at the top, and 7 chi in height. “Goose wings” were built at both ends to reduce the force of the water. The north-south stepped stone sections were 5 chi high and 40 zhang wide, using over 30,000 stone blocks, more than 80,000 wooden piles, and one million hu of lime. The dam body was reinforced with iron clamps, and the joints were sealed with glutinous rice, making it the famous “Golden Mouth Jade Dam” of Shandong. It was repaired again in the 37th year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1558) and the third (1738) and 36th years (1771) of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, during which the dam was lengthened and heightened, and expanded to five discharge openings.

A thousand years of water management, all engraved on the stele. Additionally, according to the inscriptions on the Stele of the Gangcheng Weir Record, which document the classic water management efforts of the Ming Dynasty, the text first describes the historical background of water management: “The Wen and Si Rivers are two renowned rivers of Qi and Lu. The Wen originates in Laicheng County, Jinan, while the Si originates in Sishui County, Yanzhou. The two rivers flow separately, with no connection between north and south. Since ancient times, boats on the Wen could only go as far as north Yanzhou, and those on the Si could only go as far as south Yanzhou. During the Yuan Dynasty, southern tributes arriving at Jining had to disembark and travel hundreds of miles overland via the Wei River to reach the capital. In the 20th year of the Yuan Dynasty, a canal was dug from Jining to Anmin Mountain, allowing boats to reach Jining, then traveling 200 li overland to Linqing to join the Wei River. In the 26th year, another canal was dug from Anmin Mountain to Linqing. A Jinkou Weir was then built east of Yanzhou to block the Si River’s southwest flow, directing it into the Ji River and then to Jining; a Gangcheng Weir was built north of Yanzhou to block the Wen River’s southward flow, directing it into the Guang River and then to Jining; and a Dai Village Weir was built downstream of the Wen River to block its southwest flow, reaching south to Jining and north to Linqing, thereby channeling both the Wen and Si Rivers into the canal. Thus, boat traffic flowed unimpeded, and it was named the Huitong River.”

Shandong has three great dams, and one man built two of them.

Jinkou Dam, Gangcheng Dam, and Dai Village Dam are hailed as the three great hydraulic engineering projects in the history of our province’s water conservancy. Except for Dai Village Dam, which was first built in the ninth year of the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, the other two were constructed during the Yuan Dynasty and repaired in the Ming Dynasty. According to the Stele of the Gangcheng Weir Record, the mastermind behind the repair of both dams in the Ming Dynasty was none other than one person—Zhang Keqian.

Zhang Keqian, also known as Zhang Sheng, was from Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Tianshun era of the Ming Dynasty and was transferred from an official position in the Ministry of Works to the Directorate of Waterways during the Chenghua era. During his tenure, he meticulously managed and devoted himself to anything beneficial to canal transport, leaving behind many legendary tales of his water management feats in both historical texts and folklore.

The text also clearly states: “(Zhang Keqian) supervised the quarrying of stones and first repaired the Jinkou Weir, completing it in just a few months.” From this, it can be inferred that both Jinkou Dam and Gangcheng Dam were likely built by Zhang Sheng. Such massive projects were solely his achievement. This is corroborated in the Yanzhou Prefecture Annals revised in the 24th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty: In the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty’s Yanyou era, (Jinkou Dam) was expanded into two openings with installed sluice gates, which were opened or closed according to seasonal water levels, and from then on was officially named “Jinkou Dam.” In the seventh year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Keqian, the official in charge of water management, built a hut to oversee the repair of the dam. The project took nine months, and upon completion, the dam stood firm. It measured 50 zhang in length from east to west, 3.6 zhang at the base, 2.8 zhang at the top, and 7 chi in height. “Goose wings” were built at both ends to reduce the force of the water. The north-south stepped stone sections were 5 chi high and 40 zhang wide, using over 30,000 stone blocks, more than 80,000 wooden piles, and one million hu of lime. The dam body was reinforced with iron clamps, and the joints were sealed with glutinous rice, making it the famous “Golden Mouth Jade Dam” of Shandong. It was repaired again in the 37th year of the Jiajing era, with the dam lengthened and heightened, and expanded to five discharge openings. Jinkou Dam, grand and sturdy, spans the Si River like a rainbow lying across the waves. It can now be confirmed that the repairs to both Jinkou Dam and Gangcheng Dam were indeed led by Zhang Sheng alone. As a result, he gained great fame and subsequently rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming the Left Provincial Administration Commissioner.

Information about Jinkou Dam

Grand and sturdy, Jinkou Dam spans the Si River like a rainbow lying across the waves. Since ancient times, it has been a popular scenic spot, known as the “Autumn Waves of Jinkou.” During the transition between summer and autumn, the clear waves mirror the surroundings, and green willows provide ample shade. Visitors to this place feel as if they have entered a painting. The great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai once wrote:

The water coils like a green dragon around the stone embankment, With peach blossoms lining both banks west of the Lu Gate.

If you were to take a boat ride under the moonlight, Wouldn’t it be even more romantic than drifting to Shanyin Stream?

In those days, Li Bai and Du Fu met in Yanzhou, boated together at the Lu Gate, held a farewell banquet at the Stone Gate, and composed poetry in tribute to each other—all at Jinkou Dam. In 1994, two Northern Wei Dynasty stone statues guarding the bridge were unearthed here. One of them bears an inscription on its back reading “a stone gate was erected below the Si Ford...,” indicating that this was indeed the site of the poetic rendezvous between the “Sage of Poetry” and the “Immortal of Poetry” at the Stone Gate. This riverside stone gate, Jinkou Dam, has written a splendid chapter in the literary history of China—the legendary meeting of “sun and moon” in the poetry world. The ancient Jinkou Dam and the Si River waters provided these two great poets with a wonderful source of inspiration for their poetic genius.

Due to its long history, the dam gradually showed signs of aging. In the early years after liberation, repairs were carried out on Jinkou Dam. However, due to the long-term heavy load of traffic on the bridge, the foundation had sunk below the riverbed, and the originally massive stone slabs had shifted out of place. By the 1980s, the bridge could no longer bear the load—several stone sections had collapsed, and the wooden piles of the dam foundation were exposed. Without timely repairs, the stone dam would have been destroyed in the event of a flood. In light of this, the cultural authorities of Yanzhou City scientifically planned the dam restoration scheme and adopted the “repair the old as it was” approach to carry out comprehensive repairs to the dam foundation. The project commenced in April 1997 and was completed in July of the same year, with a total investment of nearly 1 million yuan. After the restoration, Jinkou Dam regained its former beauty and became an important cultural landmark reflecting the history and culture of Yanzhou. A commemorative stele was erected after the restoration to inform future generations.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units