Was Shanghai just a small fishing village over 600 years ago? This claim might be thoroughly debunked. After nine days of intense excavation by experts from the municipal cultural relics management committee, the truth about the Yuan Dynasty stone sluice site at Zhidan Garden, located at the intersection of Zhidan Road and Yan’an Road Extension, was finally revealed yesterday. At the site, two massive bluestone columns stood upright in the northwest corner of a large pit, with the upper part of the Yuan Dynasty stone sluice clearly visible. Further down, at a depth of 2 meters, a structure made of over 1000 square meters of large stone slabs was also uncovered, soon to reveal its true appearance. Such a large-scale, meticulously crafted ancient stone sluice has never been seen before in the country. It witnesses the prosperity of Shanghai’s maritime history over 600 years ago. This is the most significant archaeological discovery in Shanghai’s history and one of the major archaeological finds in the nation. The discovery of the site was purely by chance. In 2001, while a developer was constructing an 18-story commercial building at Zhidan Garden, they couldn’t proceed when piling reached 7 meters. Mr. Ma Pingping, the project manager, spent 12,000 yuan on a diamond drill to continue digging, uncovering artifacts like iron alloy ingot clasps and stone slabs. On May 3rd, a citizen concerned about cultural relic protection called the municipal cultural relics management committee, prompting the director of the archaeology department, Song Jian, to dispatch Dr. Chen Jie, an archaeologist living near the site, for an investigation. Chen Jie found, aside from the iron alloy ingot clasps, thick stone slabs joined by dovetail joints, with iron clasps connecting the slabs, and underneath, a thick wooden beam with rivet grooves, supported by wooden piles. Chen Jie immediately ruled out the possibility of an ancient tomb and reported back to Song Jian. Based on his extensive archaeological experience, Song Jian anticipated that this would be a large underwater stone structure, thus ordering the construction company to halt work and preserve the site. With meticulous preparation by city and district government leaders and relevant experts, excavation officially began on August 26 this year. At the excavation site, reporters witnessed the discovery of bricks, tiles, blue-and-white porcelain fragments, and celadon bowls from the Yuan and Ming periods in the layers of the site. Several large wooden piles were found at depths of 5 meters in the southeast and southwest corners of the site. The Yuan Dynasty stone sluice consists of two massive bluestone blocks arranged in a straight line from north to south, spaced 680 centimeters apart, with the tops buried 150-250 centimeters below the surface. The exposed bluestone blocks are 330 centimeters high and 90 centimeters wide, with well-defined edges and surfaces. Each of the facing sides of the two stones has a groove 28 centimeters wide and 17 centimeters deep, straight up and down, with a flat bottom. This sluice surpasses the Beijing Jinzhongdu Water Gate site, which was listed among China’s ten major archaeological discoveries in 1993 and now houses the Song, Liao, and Jin Dynasty Relics Museum, in terms of scale, craftsmanship, and preservation. According to historical records, this area was near the ancient course of the Wusong River at Luzipu and Huhu, where the Wusong River was the most significant waterway in Shanghai before the Ming Dynasty, directly flowing into the East Sea, playing a crucial role in Shanghai’s rise and development. During the Yuan Dynasty, Ren Renzhi, the Director of Water Affairs, was tasked with dredging the Wusong River and installing several stone and wooden sluices to control sediment and tidal flow. The stone sluice discovered this time might be related to Ren Renzhi’s efforts in managing the Wusong River system. Mr. Wang Qingzheng, a leader from the municipal cultural relics management committee, stated, “The discovered Yuan Dynasty stone sluice site is the largest in the nation, especially those two stone pillars are remarkable, even surpassing the Beijing Jinzhongdu Water Gate site, a national cultural heritage site. This is even more remarkable given the rarity of major archaeological finds in Shanghai. The transformation of Shanghai, its waterways, and its water management are mentioned in textbooks, but not clearly. Ancient architecture in Shanghai seems significant locally but does not rank nationally. The Yuan Dynasty water gate architecture is not just a matter for Shanghai; it’s a national affair, and it ranks first in the nation. This is Shanghai’s pride.” Deputy Director Chen Xiejun expressed strong confidence during an interview, stating that this is the first time since the founding of the People’s Republic of China that such a significant discovery has been made in Shanghai, with extraordinary implications. This site has a high chance of being listed among China’s ten major archaeological discoveries.
Yesterday, the leadership of the Shanghai Cultural Heritage Administration officially revealed that due to the vast scale and well-preserved nature of the Zhidan Garden ruins, which hold significant importance in archaeological history, they have decided to construct an in-situ museum at the site of Zhidan Garden. It is reported that this will be the only ruins museum within the city. If everything goes smoothly, construction is expected to start by the end of this year.
When I read this report in the “Shanghai Morning Post” on September 6, 2002, I couldn’t help but smile, especially as I began writing this journal. In fact, for the residents of the Zhidan Garden community, this is hardly “news” since the construction site has been there for several years, and rumors of the ancient ruins were circulating a year before this report was published. Shamefully, back when I was a rookie reporter, or what you might call a “greenhorn,” I had already encountered setbacks with this matter. Upon hearing about it, I rushed to the scene to report, and I dare say I was the first journalist to cover it. However, the response from the authorities was unexpectedly cautious, and they immediately instructed the media to suppress the news. Enthusiastically, I went back to the site for follow-up coverage, only to be met with a cold shoulder and no further information. It was like having a bucket of cold water thrown over me.
Unexpectedly, a year later, the authorities organized the media for another round of coverage. By then, I had lost interest in the matter, so I just briefly visited the construction site, casually interviewed a few people, and wrote an official-sounding article, which is the one mentioned above. Of course, as I’ve said, from the perspective of its actual significance, this news can be considered quite major. For a city like Shanghai, which has a relatively short history as a migrant city and prides itself as the country’s most modern, advanced financial, commercial, and industrial center, what it lacks most is a long history and its documentation. Thus, there’s always an unusual enthusiasm for archaeology. Such historical sites are rare and can refute the view that Shanghai was merely a small fishing village before modern times. How could a small fishing village have constructed such a grand water gate?
From the report, it seems there’s nothing suspicious about the Zhidan Garden ruins. If it were truly as unremarkable as it appears, then it would be my brain that’s malfunctioning—which, of course, is impossible. Before I delve into the series of bizarre and incredible events that followed this report, I must solemnly declare that everything I say is absolutely true, without a single falsehood. If you don’t believe that humans know next to nothing about this world, you might as well stop reading.
Chapter One: The Nine-Lived Black Cat
