Ruins of the Fan Gong Dike

　　A famous cultural relic and scenic attraction in Jiangsu, located in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. In the first year of the Tian Sheng era (1023) during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, while Fan Zhongyan was supervising the Xixi (now part of Dongtai) salt warehouse, he initiated the construction of a seawall to block tidal surges. Over 40,000 laborers from Tongzhou, Taizhou, Chuzhou, and Haizhou were mobilized, and the dike was completed in the sixth year of Tian Sheng (1028). The dike stretched 181 li in length, with a base width of three zhang, a top width of one zhang, and a height of one zhang and five chi. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the defending weirs for Tongzhou, Taizhou, and Chuzhou were built; in the Yuan Dynasty, the construction continued from Lusi Port in Tongzhou to Miaowan Salt Field, spanning more than 700 li, with nearly 40 li within Funing County. Out of gratitude to Fan Zhongyan, later generations referred to it as the “Fan Gong Dike.” The site still preserves temples and stone statues commemorating Fan Zhongyan, making it a renowned cultural relic in Jiangsu.

　　The areas around Hai’an, Rudong, Dongtai, and Dafeng border the East China Sea to the east. After these lands emerged from the sea, the coastline gradually shifted eastward. To make a living, locals developed farmland and salt fields. However, when tidal surges occurred, houses along the coast were swept away, salt fields destroyed, and families perished—scenes of utter devastation.

　　In the first year of the Dali era (766) during the Tang Dynasty, Li Chengshi, an imperial censor and regional inspector of Huainan Circuit, constructed a seawall to protect against tides. It stretched from Gaowan in Chuzhou to the territory of Hailing County in Yangzhou, covering a total length of 142 kilometers, and was called the Changfeng Weir. During the Kaibao era (968–976) of the Song Dynasty, Wang Wenyou, the prefect of Taizhou, reinforced the seawall. However, over time, it gradually collapsed due to age.

　　During the Tianxi era (1017–1021) of the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan, just past thirty years old, was transferred to supervise the Xixi (now Dongtai) salt warehouse in Taizhou. In the Tian Sheng era, filled with the ambition to “benefit the realm,” Fan suggested to Zhang Lun, the prefect of Taizhou, that the seawall be urgently repaired to save the people from disaster. Some criticized Fan for overstepping his authority, but he retorted: “I am the salt supervisor. If the people flee famine, how can I collect salt? Building the dike to block the tides is my duty!” Others opposed the project, arguing that after building the seawall, drainage would be difficult and waterlogging would likely occur. Unexpectedly, Zhang Lun, well-versed in hydraulic engineering, argued: “The threat of tides is nine times out of ten, while waterlogging is one out of ten. Building the dike to block tides has more benefits than drawbacks.” Thus, they adopted Fan’s suggestion, petitioned the imperial court for approval, and tasked Fan Zhongyan with constructing the Taizhou Seawall.

　　In the second year of the Tian Sheng era (1024) of the Northern Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan mobilized over 40,000 soldiers and civilians to build the seawall. It was the depths of winter, with continuous snow and rain, and the surging tides pressed toward the shore. In panic, many workers scattered and fled, leading to over 200 drowning in the mud. Taking advantage of the situation, some reported to the court opposing the project, prompting the government to temporarily suspend construction and dispatch Hu Lingyi, the transport commissioner of Huainan, to investigate the site in Taizhou. A native of Kaifeng, Henan, Hu had served as the magistrate of Rugao County during the Chunhua and Zhide eras (990–997) of the Northern Song, and knew firsthand how the ancient seawall had fallen into disrepair, leaving farmland, salt fields, and lives vulnerable. After inspection, Hu Lingyi and Zhang Lun jointly petitioned the court, which approved the resumption of construction.

　　In the fourth year of the Tian Sheng era (1026), Fan Zhongyan’s mother, Lady Xie, passed away. Fan left his post to observe mourning at home. During this period, he repeatedly wrote to Zhang Lun, urging him to complete the seawall at all costs and volunteering to take full responsibility if any issues arose.

　　In the fifth year of the Tian Sheng era (1027), Zhang Lun took charge of the seawall project. Construction began that autumn and was completed the following spring. Spanning four years, the seawall was finally finished. It stretched 25,696.6 zhang (approximately 71 kilometers) in length, with a foundation width of three zhang (about 10 meters), a height of one zhang and five chi (approximately 5 meters), and a top width of one zhang (about 3.3 meters). Once completed, the benefits were immediate: “Flooding waters could not damage the salt industry, and tidal surges could not ruin the crops.” Over 2,000 displaced households returned home, and both farming and salt production flourished. Though a shrine was erected for Zhang Lun, who oversaw the project's completion, future generations never forgot Fan Zhongyan, the initiator and key facilitator. Starting from the Ming Dynasty, the stretch of dike from Funing to Lusi became collectively known as the Fan Gong Dike.

　　In ancient times, those who climbed the Fan Gong Dike and looked east would see over 70 smoke mounds (signal beacon towers), scattered across the landscape. In case of rebellion or banditry, fires were lit on the mounds as alarms. There were also 103 tide mounds (life-saving mounds), where tide-farmers would climb to escape rising seawater. The beacon and tide mounds dotted the landscape amid drifting sea mist, creating a uniquely majestic scene. The Qing poet Gao Cen wrote the poem “Mist and Rain on the Fan Dike”:

　　Strolling leisurely, I gather greens with calm delight,

　　Willow eyes, veiled in mist, sleep ‘neath morning light;

　　Peach cheeks smile with rain, in spring breeze they glow,

　　Four sides of blue waters blend in hazy flow.

　　Ten miles of green spread in misty, distant view,