The Yangtze River is the first major river in my country, and it is also one of the lifeblood of Chinese civilization. For thousands of years, the flow of the Yangtze River has been closely related to the reproduction of the Chinese ancestors, and it has also left behind many cultural heritages. and cultural relics.
In the upper reaches of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of ??the Yangtze River in the north of Fuling City, Chongqing City, there is a very famous landscape, which is Baiheliang. Baiheliang is a natural giant stone beam about 1,600 meters long and 16 meters wide. It is also the only national key cultural relic protection unit in the Three Gorges cultural relics landscape. It is called "the only well-preserved ancient hydrological station in the world" by UNESCO.
Baiheliang has now become one of the important tourist attractions. Our country has also built an underwater Baiheliang Museum under the Yangtze River with Baiheliang as the center. The museum is 40 meters deep underwater. Its purpose is to protect the Baiheliang ruins and display its cultural features, and to preserve the historical relics engraved on Baiheliang.
But today we are going to talk about Baiheliang before the closure of the Three Gorges on November 8, 1997. Baiheliang has 165 inscriptions and more than 30,000 words. There are 18 tails, 2 Guanyin statues, and 1 white crane. There are 108 inscriptions involving hydrological value, which span the ages from the Tang Dynasty to modern times. It is also the only place in the world where stone fish are carved as water marks. It is an ancient hydrological station that observes and records hydrology, so it is known as "the world's first ancient hydrological station".
We have already said before that there are two stone fish on Baiheliang. After identification by relevant experts, it was found that the stone fish has a realistic image and full shape. It is a masterpiece of ancient stonemason's skillful hands. Its production period should be during the Tang Dynasty. In addition, there are two stone fish on the other side of Baiheliang, but their styles are very different from the former. In the end, experts discovered that these two stone fish were added during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. , which is hundreds of years different from the stone fish of the Tang Dynasty.
However, what is interesting is that although the shapes of the stone fish on both sides are very different, they all have the same characteristic, that is, the fish eyes of the two are on the same horizontal line. What's even more amazing is that the locals also discovered that during the dry season between spring and winter, once the height of the Yangtze River water surface is equal to the fish's eye, that is, when the upper half of the fish's body is exposed to the water, the crops in the coming year will grow well and gain benefits. Very good harvest. From this, the local people also spread the proverb and legend that "stone fish coming out of the water will bring a good year".
As for the local people’s oral belief that “stone fish coming out of the water will bring good harvests”, no one knows its origin. They only know that the elders already know the truth. Archaeological experts have conducted special research on it and consulted a large number of ancient books and materials to find the accurate source of the proverb "stone fish emerges from the water".
As the saying goes, "hard work pays off," and relevant records have indeed been found in the vast sea of ??historical records. Judging from the timeline, the earliest classic record of "stone fish emerging from the water" is "Xie Changyu's Inscriptions", which says: "According to Zuo Du'a, Xie Changyu and others' petitions, the stone beam in the center of the river... is engraved in ancient records and on the water's edge. Two stone fish...Xianyun: When the river recedes and stone fish are seen, it means a good year." This means that Xie Changyu and others accidentally discovered the stone fish emerging from the water and reported it to the local magistrate. Through on-the-spot investigation and inspection, the magistrate found that what he said was true, and thus confirmed the ancient theory of "stone fish". See, the authenticity of the record "Nian Fenghuan".
At this time, some readers will be very curious. Is the saying that "stone fish coming out of the water means a good year" is a superstitious thought of the ancients, or does it have certain scientific truth? In fact, from a scientific perspective, "stone fish coming out of the water" does have certain positive significance for agricultural production. As we all know, the growth of crops is dependent on hydrological conditions. The amount of water used to irrigate crops cannot be more or less. Therefore, once drought or flood disasters occur, crop yields may be significantly reduced.
The amount of water depends on the water level of the local river. If the water level is high, there will be severe floods in the coming year. If the water level is low, there will be severe drought in the coming year. The location of the stone fish on Baiheliang is just above the "drought-flood dividing line" , once the stonefish is exposed during the dry season, it means there will definitely be a good harvest in the coming year. This is the same principle as the "water gauge zero point" marking method used in modern hydrological stations.
Our country has always been a large agricultural country. In this ancient land, our ancestors have summed up many valuable experiences in the long process of production and life. These are the crystallization of the diligence and wisdom of the ancients. It is worthy of inheritance and development by future generations.