Home by the Yangtze River
Leaving the Three Gorges, passing through the Huya Mountain and Jingmen Mountain valleys facing the Jiajiang River, heading straight to the vast and boundless Jianghan Plain - when the Yangtze River flows through Jingzhou, I love the richness and beauty here, circling and circling for a long time, unwilling to leave, leaving behind a beautiful footnote of "nine twists and turns", and then rolling eastward.
The city emerged along the river, and the river flows around the city. This is a scene of coexistence between humans and nature, and it is also my hometown that I am deeply attached to.
Jiangzhong Watch
Jingjiang, also known as the middle section of the Yangtze River from Zhijiang to Dongting Hukou, is named after the ancient city of Jingzhou. It is also known as the most dangerous part of the Yangtze River due to poor flood discharge and the high risk of dam collapse.
On the banks of the Honghu section of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, there is a hydrological station called Luoshan Hydrological Station that appears on television during the summer flood season. In 1953, my grandfather transitioned from a Yangtze River boatman to become a defender of this important national flood control station that controls the outflow of the Jingjiang River and Dongting Lake.
The Yangtze River stretches thousands of miles, and the danger lies in the Jingjiang River. There is a folk song in the local area that says "Jingsha is not afraid of swords and soldiers, only afraid of Nanke's dream.". In the vast waters of the Jingjiang River, hydrological stations are like outposts everywhere, deserted deep mountains, deep and flowing canyons, isolated islands filled with sandstorms, misty lakes, and homes of water scholars are everywhere.
Due to the nature and characteristics of the work, many hydrological stations are located in mountainous or rural areas far from cities, and some stations are not even located in villages. Stay away from towns, away from prosperity, away from family. Behind the tranquility, there is more poverty and loneliness.
In 1980, my grandfather retired and my uncle came to the small station to continue his defense. My parents work outside, and I grew up at my grandmother's house. The small hydrological station was my childhood paradise.
The giant passenger ship passed by, sounding its long whistle, attracting a group of children to scream and chase along the riverbank until the ship gradually drifted away before playfully running back. I don't know where this big ship comes from or is heading. Since then, I have been filled with inexplicable curiosity and longing for the outside world.
As spring approaches, on the banks of the Yangtze River, withered yellow weeds gradually turn green, like accidentally spilled light green paint. One piece at a time, one piece at a time, slowly immerse themselves day by day, and then merge into a whole piece. The riverbank becomes a playground for children.
Summer, the joy that belongs to us truly begins. A swimming ring made of a car tire liner, with a large wooden basin placed on top, lying on it and drifting along the water, drifting on it for the whole summer. During the flood season, the floodwaters recede, and the river silver carp, black fish, and turtles left in the grass and puddles on the shore occasionally surprise us.
In winter, during the dry season, the brown riverbed is exposed. A cold wind rises, and snowflakes cover the sky and ground. Villages, fields, embankments, and riverbanks are all covered in silver, and the thick snow can be preserved for a long time without melting. The magnificent snow scenery is now rare.
My home is by the Yangtze River, and memories are not all beautiful. Sometimes when I wake up, the river rises rapidly, and I have quietly entered the house without crossing my bed legs. My shoes, chairs, and other items are all floating on the water. At every critical moment, relevant departments require the Luoshan Hydrological Station to report the water situation directly to the National Defense Administration every 30 minutes by phone. Measuring, calculating, and analyzing rainfall conditions... jumping data one by one, accurately measuring and reporting time and time again, with word weight as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"Life was meant to be constantly injured, constantly restored, and constantly created." As the poem describes, the place where floods once flooded has undergone earth shattering changes. The state has invested heavily in protecting and governing the great rivers, and the operation of the Three Gorges Project has gradually made "Jingjiang Anlan and Two Lakes Abundant" a reality.
Each era has its own theme, and each generation has its own mission. After the flood season in 2020, my uncle also retired. I came to pick him up and leave this small hydrological station, which has been held for 70 years for two generations. Lock the door, my uncle refused to turn around for a long time and bid farewell to his 40 year career as a Yangtze River "sentinel".
Driving along the Jingjiang embankment, winding along the river, I asked my uncle: Is it worth it? He replied, looking at the lights on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, no matter how hard it is, it's worth it.
The golden waterway of the Yangtze River and the Menghua Railway intersect here, and the regional GDP growth rate in the first half of this year ranked first in Hubei Province. This is Jingjiang, also the Yangtze River. The development pulse of the new era, where people and rivers are closely related and cities and waters are interdependent, echoes in Jingzhou.
Jiangbian City Affairs
Eel bones and chicken bones are boiled into a rich broth, with noodles and watered pork slices. Two bites of noodles and one bite of soup are simply satisfying in life. In Shashi District, Jingzhou, people start their day with a bowl of morning noodles.
In the early years, dock workers working by the Yangtze River liked to eat oily and heavy food. A local noodle shop owner created this kind of oily, fatty, and delicious noodle soup. Due to the fact that dock workers often come to eat noodles in the early morning hours, it is named "Morning Noodle".
In 1986, I came from a small town by the Yangtze River to study in Shashi and enjoyed this bowl of morning noodles. At that time, Shashi was still a shining star city with a GDP of 16 billion yuan, ranking fourth in the country, only behind Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan.
According to historical records of the Song Dynasty, Shashi Town was the leader of the 22 commercial and tax affairs in Jiangling Prefecture, and was an important rice market in the Jianghan Plain. Before and after the Ming Dynasty's Wanli reign, in Shashi, "Shu boats and Wu boats, if you want to go up and down, you must trade here. Therefore, thousands of boats are arranged in rows, and department stores and lanterns gather.".
A millennium old commercial port, a century old foreign dock. In 1876, Sha Shi Port was opened, and countries such as Britain, France, and Germany successively established consulates and ports here, hence the name "Yang Port". After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Shashi relied on its port advantages to develop light industry, giving birth to a number of well-known brands nationwide, such as Huoli28, Shasong Refrigerator, Jingjiang Warm Water Bottle, and Yuanyang Brand Bed Sheet.
The pink background and large peony flowers on this "outdated" bed sheet have caused countless people to reminisce in recent years, earning it the title of "national bed sheet". This is exactly the flagship product of the "Yuanyang Brand" bed sheets in Shashi, which was once popular throughout the country.
My desk mate in elementary school is named Teng Yi, and his grandfather, Teng Jixin, is the founder of the "Huoli28" brand. In 1982, Fuji Shin discovered at the annual Canton Fair that a Dutch company was interested in transferring a new laundry detergent formula with strong cleaning power, low dosage, and super concentration. Other laundry detergent factories do not believe it, but Fuji Shin is very interested in it.
After some investigation, he and the Dutch company have decided to cooperate. In the same year, the first ultra concentrated non foaming laundry detergent was launched, named "Huoli 28".
"Huoli28, Shashi Daily Chemical", a short and catchy advertising slogan, stirred up thousands of waves. In 1994, with a sales volume of 90000 tons, "Huoli28" occupied 80% of the Chinese laundry detergent market share, ushering in its shining moment.
Under the wave of reform and opening up, market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the glory of "Huoli28" is already a thing of the past. Many old brands distributed around the Yangtze River Pier have gone bankrupt and shut down one after another due to a lack of innovative momentum, and problems have arisen: abandoned factories are everywhere, historical buildings are gradually dilapidated, sewage is discharged directly into the Yangtze River, and shantytowns are built arbitrarily... Residents are "facing the river but not the river", and the Yangtze River Pier has become a prominent "scar" on the bank of the Yangtze River.
Zhou Hongzhi, who previously served as the Deputy Secretary General of the Jingzhou Municipal Government, believes that after the 1998 flood, Shashi was known as a place with severe flood disasters, and due to the lack of railways, there has been a lack of major projects to settle down. Gradually, Sha Shi fell behind.
The Chu people revere the phoenix, and the phoenix is reborn. Entering a new era, the floods have been alleviated, the high-speed rail has been opened, and a series of national strategic preferences have been enhanced. The Sha City has also regained its vitality.
In 2016, with the start of the battle for the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River, the renovation of the Yangtze River wharf was officially launched. A batch of historical buildings that have carried the memories of several generations of Shashi people, such as the Packaging Factory, Daci Street, Anli Yingxing, Jixianghua, Laohou Ship Room, Power Supply Company, and Laocotton Machinery Factory, have been endowed with new era values and are shining again at the new era node.
The old factory of "Huoli28" has been transformed into an exhibition hall of "Shashi Industrial Achievements", presenting the development process of Shashi's industry since the founding of New China. "Huoli28" occupies the first floor, with well-known TV commercials, dazzling packaging bags, and named football teams... Time has passed, and one can still feel the trendy atmosphere of the past.
Industrial relics awaken urban memories, while creative elements illuminate the night sky of the docks. Under the cover of night, food, trendy play, and light shows are overwhelming. The songs of the small tavern and the cheers of night market vendors complement the renovated museum and modern creative wall paintings of the old factory building.
"A few years ago, I passed by the under construction Yangmatou Cultural and Creative Park and was looking forward to what it would look like after it was built! I grew up by the Yangtze River and had a unique affection for it, so I had the idea of opening a hotel by the river." Cai Xuan, the owner of Shiye Garden Hotel, said that since its opening in June this year, business has been booming, with 50 rooms almost fully booked every day.
I can no longer see batches of dock workers, nor can I hear the roaring of machines working in the factory. But as the benefits of the Yangtze River Golden Waterway gradually emerge, Shashi has transformed from a transit base to a comprehensive transportation hub, and the revival of dock culture is no longer a dream.
Jiang Zhi's feedback
In early autumn of 2023. The showers on the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River have just stopped, and in the dense air, the dim yellow light melts into a fuzzy and soft cluster of light. In this light cluster, elk gallops, white finned dolphins jump, water droplets scatter, warm and joyful. Who could imagine that the Swan Island in front of us was once a part of the rolling Yangtze River.
In the last century, the Liuheyuan River channel of the Yangtze River was naturally bent and straightened, forming a new 2.5 kilometer long river channel outside the main stream. This is the best preserved wetland in the Yangtze River Old Channel Group, and also a national nature reserve for the white finned dolphin and elk.
In spring, the purple clouds on the floodplain converge into a sea of flowers; On summer nights, where the water and sky meet, the sun and moon shine together; The turning green of autumn gradually grows from the slowly fading water; The winter reeds fly freely on the open river.
In 2007, I accompanied researchers to the Shishou Swan Island White finned Porpoise National Nature Reserve for interviews. The ship was sailing on the water surface of the old road, and suddenly, about 300 meters away from the ship, a gray black curved line jumped up and quickly entered the river surface. Then, it followed suit, drawing a beautiful arc in the field of vision... This kind of "contact" is far more exciting than the finless porpoises seen in the dolphin house.
Afterwards, multiple interviews on the banks of the Yangtze River made me deeply feel the changes in ecology.
The Honghu Lake on the north bank of the Jingjiang River reproduces the beautiful scenery of "waves hitting waves".
"It's better to rely on the big lake than on the wealthy." The wealth in the big lake is inexhaustible, embodying the good times of the elders.
In the 1960s and 1970s, everyone rushed to develop Honghu Lake. In the 1980s, artificial aquaculture emerged in Honghu Lake, using lake grass to raise lake fish, and gradually leading to the emergence of net farming. In less than 20 years, the area of Honghu Lake has rapidly decreased by more than half from 1.14 million mu, with scars and devastation everywhere: there is no "waves hitting waves", only "poles connected to poles". The water is turbid, the water quality is declining, waterfowl are scarce, lake grass is depleted, and species are sharply decreasing.
The people of Honghu realize that if this continues, the land of fish and rice, which has been proud of for generations, will be completely destroyed. Starting from 2005, Honghu began to dismantle its fence and restore its ecology. After more than a decade of arduous efforts, the most beautiful Honghu Lake water has finally returned - the natural wetland area has gradually expanded, the bird population has recovered to 138 species, the national second level protected plants wild soybean and coarse stem water fern have been rediscovered, and the wild lotus has been restored to tens of thousands of acres
In September, at Honghu Lake, one cannot see the "hundred boats competing for the flow" during the summer tourism peak, and the lake surface is empty and lonely, with no visible edge at a glance. "Ship leader" Zhang Shengyuan said that summer migratory birds are gradually flying away, and winter migratory birds have not yet arrived. By the end of the year, water birds that come here to overwinter will cover the sky and sun again.
Zhang Shengyuan used to be a famous bird hunter. Under the repeated education of the staff in the protected area, Lao Zhang changed from a bird catcher to a bird ranger, patrolling the lake every day, rain or shine. After retiring at home, Zhang Shengyuan still cares about the wild birds in the Honghu Nature Reserve and likes to go to the lake area to see them in his free time. The inspection diary cherished by my side records the bits and pieces of ecological changes in Honghu Lake.
The Honghu Wetland is a natural reservoir that can store 1.96 million cubic meters of water annually, providing drinking water for 600000 people along the lake and meeting the irrigation needs of 1.3 million acres of farmland. Tonghu brand eel, Qingshui hairy crab, as well as Honghu's caviar, white lotus, water chestnuts, lotus root powder, lotus leaf tea and other products, are all feedback from nature to humanity.
"The most important thing in raising crabs is' three non greediness'." The third generation of crabs, "Wang Guijin, talked about his own 'crab farming experience' - not being greedy for farming density, not being greedy for shrimp and crab mixed farming, and not being greedy for cheap feed!"! This is the "three no greediness". Last year, he raised over 300 kilograms of crabs per mu. "If the lake water is good, the fresh water will grow well and sell well. If we don't burden the lake, the gifts it gives us will be more generous."
On the banks of Changhu Lake in Jingjiang, You Xingquan, who has been fishing for 30 years, responded to the call for a fishing ban and withdrawal in the Yangtze River. He handed over his boat and started farming crayfish, and even applied to become a fish guard. After five years on the shore, You Xingquan sighed: Only with a good ecology can business be good and the "rice bowl" be stable.
Jingjiang is changing, with drones taking aerial photos and citizens taking them casually, becoming more and more beautiful; Jingjiang is changing, changing in appearance and concept.
The great river flows relentlessly day and night.
