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?
