Yellow River Iron Ox

Huanghe diniu is located on the Yellow River beach outside the west gate of ancient Puzhou city in Yongji, about 4 li away from Pujiu temple. It is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. People on both sides of the Yellow River had better go through the floating bridge on the river. However, due to the turbulent River, the built floating bridge is often collapsed, which makes people's travel very inconvenient. For the sake of the traffic and trade between the two sides of the Yellow River, the floating bridge was rebuilt in the Tang Dynasty, and this "Zhenhe iron ox" was cast, which was placed on the Yellow River beach outside the west gate of the ancient Puzhou city ruins as the God of protecting the bridge. According to the literature, Tieniu was made by Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, during the Kaiyuan period (around 724 AD). It was used as the cable and pier of Pujin bridge, which is the transportation hub between Chang'an and Hedong. Under the cow, there are 36 iron pillars connected to the abdomen, and more than 30 feet into the ground. There is an iron man beside each ox and two iron mountains, which are connected with ox, man and pillar. There is a big shaft behind the iron ox tail, with eight iron chains. Under the chain, there are thousands of boats and hundreds of feet across, forming the grand pujindu floating bridge at that time. Pujin bridge is the earliest and longest floating bridge on the Yellow River in China. It is also one of the three bridges on the Yellow River in Tang Dynasty. Four iron oxen have been unearthed. They are crouching in shape. They are tall and majestic, with broad body and round chest. They are exquisitely shaped. Their heads are held high, their eyes are angry, and their ears are listening. Each one is more than 3 meters long and weighs 10000 Jin. Iron men are tall, graceful and lifelike. In the early period of Kaiyuan iron ox in Tang Dynasty, the quantity, volume and craft are extremely rare in history. It is of great historical, scientific and artistic value to study the history of metallurgy, water conservancy and Bridge in China. There are eight iron oxen, four of which have been unearthed. Each one is more than Zhang long and weighs about one ton. They are all facing the Yellow River. At the same time, there are iron mountain, iron pillar, iron man and so on, which are vivid and moving.

Yellow River Iron ox

synonym

The Yellow River Iron ox generally refers to the Yellow River Iron ox

Pujindu, a famous ferry on the ancient Yellow River, is located on the East Bank of the Yellow River outside the west gate of ancient Puzhou City, Yongji City, Shanxi Province. Pujinqiao and tangkaiyuan tiniu are also located here. Later, as the Yellow River moved eastward, Kaiyuan iron cattle and others submerged in the water and disappeared quietly. In the 1940s, the river flowed along the west city wall of Puzhou. According to the local old people's recollection, during the dry season, the horn of iron ox could be touched in the water, and the bottom of the boat was hurt by the horn of the ox when sailing. After the 1950s, the Sanmenxia reservoir area was flooded, the riverbed silted up, and the river moved westward. By the 1960s and 1970s, the iron ox had been buried more than 2 meters under the Yellow River.

In 1988, with the strong support of the county Party committee and the county government, Yongji County Museum discovered and unearthed the Tang Kaiyuan iron ox and iron man in August of the next year after more than a year of investigation and exploration, which attracted the attention of people from all walks of life.

Historical evolution

Kaiyuan iron ox, also known as Tang Dynasty iron ox, is located 15 kilometers west of Yongji city and on both sides of the ancient Yellow River Road West of Puzhou City, with four on each side. It was cast in the 13th year of Kaiyuan (725) of Tang Dynasty to stabilize the Pujin floating bridge and maintain the traffic between Qin and Jin Dynasties. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the bridge was destroyed and was not used for a long time, so it was called "Zhenhe iron ox". Due to the changes of the Yellow River, it is gradually buried by sediment.

In the 1940s, the river flowed along the west wall of Puzhou. During the dry season, the horn of the iron ox could be felt in the water, and the bottom of the boat was hurt by the horn of the ox.

After the 1950s, the Sanmenxia reservoir area was flooded, the riverbed silted up, and the river moved westward. By the 1960s and 1970s, the iron ox had been buried more than 2 meters under the Yellow River.

In 1988, with the strong support of the county Party committee and the county government, Yongji County Museum discovered and unearthed the Tang Kaiyuan iron ox and iron man in August of the next year after more than a year of investigation and exploration, which attracted the attention of people from all walks of life.

In August 1989, four iron oxen on the East Bank of the ancient Yellow River were unearthed from the pujindu site. It is 51 meters away from the west wall of Puzhou city and 110 meters away from the west gate.

It was excavated at pujindu site by Yongji Museum in August 1998. There are four iron oxen, four iron men, two iron mountains, a group of Seven Star iron pillars and three earth rock rammers unearthed. The excavation of the Yellow River Iron ox is the first discovery of the Yellow River ancient ferry site in China since the founding of the people's Republic of China. The four iron Ox are also the heaviest (45t-72t each), the longest history and the highest level of craftsmanship precious cultural relics found in China, which are extremely rare at home and abroad.

Cultural relic structure

Kaiyuan iron ox is the most prominent cultural relic of pujindu site, which is located outside the west gate of Puzhou ancient city and on the East Bank of the Yellow River. Later, the Yellow River moved eastward, and Kaiyuan iron ox was submerged in the water. Kaiyuan iron ox is the most outstanding, well preserved and most ornamental cultural relic in pujindu site. The Ming Dynasty strata are about 7 meters away from the surface of the earth. There is an iron man beside each of the four iron oxen, such as Mu CE Niu. Tieniu was divided into two groups. Two cows in a group, front and back, facing west. Tieniu and others are relics of Pujin bridge in Tang Dynasty. They are still listed at the front of the bridge. You can appreciate the bridge construction project in the prosperous age of Tang Dynasty.

Each iron ox is about 1.9 meters high, about 3 meters long and about 1.3 meters wide. There is a transverse axis behind the tail, about 0.4 meters in diameter and about 2.3 meters long. There are patterns on the shaft head, and each shaft is different, including Beaded ornaments, water chestnut, rolled grass, lotus, etc.

Tieniutou West tail East, face river two rows. Lying on the back, eyes wide open, weight-bearing, vivid. There is a horizontal iron shaft behind the oxtail, 2.33 meters long, which is used to tie the bridge cable. There is an iron cast high nose and deep eyes on the side of the ox. the Hu people are in traction shape. Now the part is exposed to the ground, 1.5 meters high and 0.6 meters wide. The four cattle and four people are different in shape and basically the same in size. It is estimated that each iron ox weighs about 30 tons, with a chassis and iron pillars under it, each weighing about 40 tons, and there is an iron mountain between the two rows.

The shape of the cattle is vivid. The front legs are in the shape of pedaling, the back legs are in the shape of crouching, the horns are straightened and the head is raised. The cattle are vigorous and strong, and the tail is equipped with iron shaft to tie the floating bridge. There are six iron pillars with a diameter of 0.4 meters and a length of about 3.6 meters under the mountain. Each iron pillar has a reverse extension iron foot, and its function is the same as the ground anchor. In the upper and lower parts of the iron ox, there are traces of casting seam. The traces of casting and mould block can be observed, and the casting technology can be analyzed.

Cultural relic value

The discovery of pujindu site on the Yellow River shows the scientific and technological achievements of ancient bridge transportation, Yellow River harnessing, metallurgy and foundry science and technology in China, and provides precious data for historical geography, hydrogeology, Yellow River changes, environmental archaeology and Yellow River harnessing.

Protection status

Iron ox is back in the sun, but the protection work is difficult. After several debates, the relevant departments chose the protection plan of Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics: local promotion, that is, lifting the iron ox, iron man, iron pillar from the original place by 12.2 meters, restoring the original appearance above the surface, and displaying them in the open air; other relics, such as some stone embankments and steps built in the Tang Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, and the ground paved with stones around the iron man, will also be restored on the ground, and the original site will be backfilled Buried.

Archaeologists from the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of cultural relics said that the protection of iron cultural relics is still a worldwide problem, and the difficulties encountered in the actual construction are far beyond the prediction: what kind of tools to use to lift, how to make the iron ox underframe, what methods to take to make it safely land without any damage, and how to prevent rust and remove rust, which have been bothering experts.

Main role

In addition to fixing the cable bridge, the giant iron ox has many functions. According to the book of changes, "Niu Xiangkun, Kun is earth, and earth is better than water.". The ancients said: soldiers to block, water to cover. Cast iron cattle placed on the Bank of the river is a deterrent to the wanton flood of the Yellow River, a symbol of blocking floods, conquering floods, and benefiting the people. The ancients paid attention to the relativity of yin and Yang. They also cast four iron men and Seven Star iron pillars while casting iron ox. The Seven Star column represents the sky (imitating the layout of the Big Dipper in the sky), so that the sky and the earth are all (iron ox is earth, that is, the earth), covering the universe. As a matter of fact, the Seven Star iron pillar is just a stake to tie the boat, which is integrated with the iron ox as a bridge anchor. The iron man standing next to the iron ox also plays the role of the rope stake like the iron ox. Mr. Tang Huancheng, a famous bridge expert, praised Tieniu and Tieren: "this is a concrete engineering construction, an art treasure with practical functions, a typical example of the organic combination of technology and art, the contribution of the Chinese people to the world's bridge, metallurgy and sculpture undertakings, and a priceless treasure in the world's bridge history."

The Yellow River Iron ox is a treasure handed down from generation to generation in the history of bridges in the world. Mao Yisheng, a famous bridge expert in China, concluded that "among the ground anchors of floating bridges, Pujin bridge iron ox anchor is the most famous". The Yellow River Iron ox is located on the East Bank of the Yellow River outside the west gate of Puzhou city ruins, 15 kilometers west of Yongji City, between the Pujiu temple in the holy land of love and the stork tower, a famous historical and cultural building. The four iron oxen are majestic and majestic. Beside each iron ox, there is a petunia iron man with exquisite and lifelike shape, representing four different nationalities. According to historical materials, the four giant iron oxen are all used to tie iron ropes. The iron ropes and boats form the earliest, longest and largest Yellow River floating bridge on the Yellow River, which is an important link between Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan provinces. Although the four iron oxen are far away from the river, they are the historical witness of the strength of the Tang Dynasty and the wisdom of the working people in ancient China.

Site of excavation

History of pujindu

Pujindu is a large-scale site with rich remains, and it is also the first large-scale ferry site excavated in China. It shows the scientific and technological achievements of ancient bridges and transportation, yellow river regulation, smelting and casting technology, and also has great significance

Chinese PinYin : Huang He Da Tie Niu