A thousand years in one glance! Here is the "archaeological version of Along the River During the Qingming Festival"

Zhouqiao and the nearby Bianhe River ruins are located about 50 meters south of the intersection of Zhongshan Road and Ziyou Road in Kaifeng City. They are landmark buildings at the intersection of the Imperial Street, the central axis of the city of Dongjing in the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Bianhe section of the Grand Canal. "Zhouqiao was first built during the Jianzhong period of the Tang Dynasty. It is a bridge at the intersection of the central axis of Kaifeng City and the Bianhe River. It has gone through the Five Dynasties, the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty for more than 900 years." Following the footsteps of the guide, the dusty historical appearance reappeared, "During the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhouqiao was located on the Imperial Street, overlooking the Suzaku Gate in the south and the Xuande Tower in the north. The north and south were Tianjie, and the east and west were the Bianhe River. Water transportation converged here, making it the most prosperous central area of ​​the capital."

Due to wars and flooding of the Yellow River, Kaifeng was buried by silt many times in history. Today, there are six ancient cities buried under the city from bottom to top: Wei Daliang City, Tang Bianzhou City, Northern Song Dongjing City, Jin Bianjing City, Ming Kaifeng and Qing Kaifeng. The excavation of Zhouqiao ruins unveiled the mystery of the "city upon city" under Kaifeng.

"Cranes and auspicious clouds, even from such a long distance, the patterns on the murals are still clearly visible." The huge stone-carved auspicious murals on the north and south banks of the Bian River on the east side of Zhou Bridge are carved with seahorses, auspicious beasts, auspicious clouds, etc. The patterns are about 3.3 meters high, and the longest exposed stone wall is about 23.2 meters, forming a huge scroll.

According to the "Dongjing Menghualu" written by Meng Yuanlao of the Song Dynasty, "Zhou Bridge, whose real name is Tianhan Bridge, faces the Imperial Street of the Palace. It and Xiangguo Temple Bridge are both low and flat and cannot be used by boats. Only flat boats from the West River can pass through. Its pillars are all made of bluestone... There are stone walls on both sides of the bridge, carved with seahorses, water beasts, and flying clouds. There are densely arranged stone pillars under the bridge, which are the roads for carriages."

"The excavation and discovery of the Zhouqiao site has confirmed many speculations about Kaifeng. In fact, there is no direct evidence for the so-called Kaifeng city-upon-city. The central axis of Kaifeng city has not changed for a thousand years. The discovery of Zhouqiao and the nearby Bianhe site provides strong evidence for this." Peng Hengli, associate professor at the School of Cultural Industries and Tourism Management of Henan University and director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Center of Henan University, told reporters that Zhouqiao is located on the central axis of Kaifeng. Since the Song Dynasty, the central axis of Kaifeng has not changed for a thousand years.

Use culture to promote tourism, and use tourism to shape culture. "Kaifeng plans to build a large cultural and tourism scenic spot around Zhouqiao," added Peng Hengli. The Song culture, which "inherits the Han and Tang dynasties and opens up the Ming and Qing dynasties," and the Yellow River culture, which has been passed down for thousands of years, are constantly evolving. The splendid and glorious ancient civilization is now going global.