Knowing a city begins with its heart.
In the 1950s, when building an office building in Peking University, it was found that there were a large number of ancient architectural relics, pillars and stone cases underground, which were verified as the location of the Forbidden City in the Western Chu Dynasty, the Xiaoyao Hall of Su Shi and the yamen of past dynasties. In recent years, in the architectural ruins of Jindi Shangdu, under the thick silt layer of the Yellow River, the cultural accumulation from Ming and Qing Dynasties to Song and Yuan Dynasties, Tang Dynasty, Southern and Northern Dynasties and Han Dynasty has been found, with distinct levels and rich remains. Blue and white porcelain in the Ming Dynasty, wells in the Song Dynasty, black glazed porcelain pots in the Tang Dynasty, granaries in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, cobblestone paths and smelting workshops in the Han Dynasty are all in sight. In particular, the rammed earth abutment, slab tile, pipe tile, tile and other building materials of many large palaces in the Han Dynasty indicate that there have been large buildings here. According to historical records, it is located at the northern end of the central axis of the ancient city and is the former site of Xichu Palace.
People's attention to the site of the Forbidden City in Western Chu is not only an important historical building, but more importantly, they are very interested in the countless treasures that Xiang Yu plundered from Xianyang, Qin Dynasty and excavated from the Qin Mausoleum. At that time, Xiang Yu plundered the treasure of Xianyang Palace. According to the vehicle speed at that time, you can drive 1600 miles in 30 days, which is the distance from Xianyang to Xuzhou. Where are the rare treasures such as Qin Gong Sui Dynasty Pearl, Tai 'ajian and Bianhe Jade? It is still an unsolved mystery.
Since the Han Dynasty, I don't know how many treasure hunters have made unannounced visits to Xuzhou and Pengcheng privately! Is it wrapped in the circus? Jiulishan? Some people analyze the most suspicious, when the number of Western Chu Palace Museum. However, in those days, the palace of Xi Chu was large in scale and ingenious in layout, but the exact location of the treasure was unknown, not to mention it had been buried deep underground for more than 2,000 years.
Xuzhou once had a corridor department, a town department and a county department, but they all turned to dust and disappeared. Fortunately, there is also a yamen-the original site of the Palace Museum in Xichu. Therefore, many scholars suggest to protect the cultural area of the site and make it a landmark building in Xuzhou. This is of great significance to highlight the charm of Xuzhou's historical and cultural city, embody the rich connotation of "Chu-Han culture" and enhance the visibility of Xuzhou's regional city.
Autumn wind, the former Palace Museum in Western Chu, and now the Peking University Courtyard, the autumn sun is shining, the traffic is busy, and the scene is lively. Only the rustling leaves remind people of the distant thoughts of Pengcheng in the Millennium.
■ Tracing back to the source
The capital of Xiang Yu is Pengcheng.
"Don't judge heroes by success or failure". Xuzhou is a place of heroes, especially for Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu began to call himself overlord, and his capital was Pengcheng. The move to build the capital is no small matter. Xiang Yu's capital is Pengcheng, and he also has some ideas.
In 65438+February, 207 BC, Xiang Yu led the troops to attack Hanguguan, stationed 400,000 troops in Xinfeng, and soon met Liu Bang, the Hongmen Banquet. A few days after Liu Bang's escape, Xiang Yu led his army to the west to Xianyang, killed Qin Zi and burned Epang Palace. At this time, a lobbyist advised Xiang Yu: "Guanzhong is blocked by mountains and rivers, and the land is rich and fertile, but all of them can be tyrants." It means that Xiang Yu now lives in Xianyang, Guanzhong, and it is just the right time to dominate the capital. If you have this idea, Guanzhong has dangerous terrain and fertile land, so you can choose this place to build its capital.
But the scene before Xiang Yu is the decadent and dilapidated palace of the king of Qin in the raging fire. The broken wall is out of control and still refuses to meet people's wishes. Moreover, Xiang Yu's thought of "returning to his hometown" is deeply rooted. He said, "If you go back to your hometown without wealth, who knows?" It is impossible not to return home after victory. As a result, Xiang Yu ceded land to the eighteen kings and became the local overlord of Chu, the capital of Pengcheng. ("Historical Records of Xiang Yu").
However, in order to build the capital, someone was boiled to death. Those who were boiled and killed were the people who suggested to Xiang Yu to build the capital in Guanzhong. His suggestion was not adopted, and he blurted out Xiang Yu's "bath monkey coronation", meaning that Chu people were monkeys in clothes, pretending to be human, not human, grumpy and unreasonable. Xiang Yu really did it and cooked it in a rage. It is not surprising that lobbyists are convicted because they failed to give advice or were abused.
Pengcheng, the capital of Xiang Yu, has always been criticized by historians. In fact, Pengcheng, the provincial capital, is not a word to "go home". At that time, the situation was unpredictable. Moreover, Xiang Yu said "Glory to my hometown" and did not say "Glory to Pengcheng". In the end, Pengcheng became the capital, which should be an expedient measure for Xiang Yu. Besides, Pengcheng is not Ma Pingchuan, but a strategic place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Tracing back to the Forbidden City in Western Chu
China has a long history of 5,000 years. How many Forbidden Cities can go down in history? Count the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Qing Palace in Shenyang, the Ming Palace in Nanjing and the Xichu Palace in Xuzhou ... There are many capitals in China, but there are few records in history. Our Xichu Palace Museum in Xuzhou is among them. In terms of qualifications, Xichu Palace Museum is the oldest.
The Forbidden City built by Xiang Yu is not new. In 209 BC, Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, Yi Song and other uprising troops gathered in Pengcheng, Fan Ceng also lived in Pengcheng, and Chu Huaiwang Sun Xin was also established in Pengcheng. Chu Huaiwang issued an order to conquer Qin Jun and moved the capital to Xuyi for three years. Xuzhou once became the political and military center of Qin Chu's restoration. Such a central position is the predecessor of Xiang Yu's Forbidden City.
So, when did this building start? How old?/How big? I don't know. But there are some clues to follow. In 2 19 BC, Qin Shihuang traveled around the world, went to the sea to seek immortality, and came to Pengcheng in order to get the national symbol-Zhou Ding. There is a clear record in Historical Records of Qin Shihuang: "The first emperor also visited Pengcheng, fasted and prayed in the temple, and wanted to leave Surabaya, Zhou Ding. Make thousands of people have no water to ask, Ford. " There is a Han stone that vividly depicts this scene. When Qin Shihuang came to Pengcheng, he would not leave immediately, nor did he build a palace specially, so he had to leave the "Peking University Courtyard".
The Palace Museum in Western Chu can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. Pengcheng returned to the Song Dynasty in Song Xianggong (650- 637 BC), when the economy of the Song Dynasty was prosperous and the national strength was strong, and it was one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, Suiyang (Shangqiu) was the capital of Song Dynasty. During the Warring States Period, Song Daogong (403- 395 BC) moved the capital to Pengcheng. (Yang Kuan's History of the Warring States). At that time, Pengcheng, according to the "Warring States Policy Zhao Ce San", recorded: "One city in thousands of feet, one city in thousands of households." During this period, there was a battle of Pengcheng, which lasted for 8 months and involved 13 vassal states. Chu got it, and once equipped 300 chariots for guarding the city. It is conceivable that at this time, Pengcheng's "Peking University Courtyard" is so important!
It can also be pushed forward and traced back to Guo Xu, which continued the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Xu Guofan is surrounded by the Huaihe River in southern Jiangsu, and there are many countries, including Pengcheng. The widely spread story of "Hanging Sword Platform" happened in Pengcheng, the capital of Xu State.
It seems that we can push it further. Professor Zhao of Normal University thinks that it can be pushed to Da Peng State in the Yao, Shun and Yu era. At that time, if there was a government office in the countryside of Da Peng, it must be in the urban area, and the "Peking University Courtyard" may have been founded at that time, with a leisurely history. Many historical facts and beautiful legends in Xuzhou can be linked.
Looking around, the city of Xuzhou is like a bow, half-moon-shaped, with a straight south chord and a bow in the north. The Palace Museum in Xichu is located east of the center of the archway, facing south, with the central axis reaching the south gate. This is in line with the traditional architecture and geomantic omen in China.
Xiang Yu and the Western Chu Palace
After Xiang Yu proclaimed himself emperor, he built the Overlord Palace in Pengcheng. Mr. Chang Wansheng, a historian, said that Xiang Yu spent his heyday here, and realized his heroic words of "Qin will die" and "he can take his place" when he first met Qin Shihuang, showing his great ambition of sweeping the world and dominating the princes.
Professor Zhao from Normal University praised Pengcheng in Western Chu as the capital of China's first prince. He said that Xuzhou, an ancient city, was the capital of several vassal states in history, and the most far-reaching one was the old capital of the western Chu, which was mainly due to the historical achievements of the overlord of the western Chu, and he laid the foundation for destroying Qin and prospering Han.
The building in the Forbidden City in Western Chu called "Bawang Hall" by later generations is probably the "Dazheng Hall" built by Xiang Yu, or the original "Dazheng Hall" was too simple in scale and was withdrawn for reconstruction. According to the data of later generations, Wang Ba Temple has a main hall and a side hall.
Xiang Yu built Pengcheng, the capital city, and built a lot of buildings. At that time, another important building was the circus stage built high in the south of the city. One of these buildings is a political need and the other is a military need. At the same time, it is also to store the treasures of the Qin Dynasty. "Historical Records of Xiang Yu" said: After Xiang Yu entered Xianyang, "women came to collect his treasures." Notes on Water Classics. "Wei Shui" contains: Xiang Yu once dug the tomb of Mount Li, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty, which was huge in scale and "a rare treasure". The Palace of the Western Chu Dynasty contains rare treasures such as Qin Gong Sui Zhu, Tai A Jian, He Yu, etc., with a grand scale and exquisite layout. The remaining "Peking University Courtyard" should be regarded as the original core part.
Han Dynasty: the capital of King Chu and King Pengcheng.
During the Han Dynasty, Xuzhou was the capital of the Han family. The protection of the Forbidden City in Western Chu in Han Dynasty is very important. In the second year of Liu Bang's accession to the throne (20 1 year ago), his half-brother Liu Jiao was named the first generation King of Xuzhou, namely King of Chu Yuan, and passed down for eight generations. Later, Xuan Di named his son Liu Tao King of Chu and passed it on for four generations. The Western Han Dynasty * * * scattered the King of Chu 12. There were another generation of Chu kings and five generations of Pengcheng kings in the Eastern Han Dynasty. For more than 400 years in the Han Dynasty, Xuzhou was stable, with dangerous terrain, developed production and prosperous economy. In addition, Xuzhou was the birthplace of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, and the court granted many exemptions and paid more attention to it. As the capital of many kings of Chu and Pengcheng, Xuzhou's palace architecture is self-evident.
Liu Yuzhi, an expert from Xuzhou Cultural Bureau, believes that King Yuan of Chu was a talented and respected member of the royal family after 23 years in office. When he came to Pengcheng, he worshipped the sage of Xuzhou as a master of traditional Chinese medicine and built the city according to Liu Bang's instructions. "This stone is four feet high and cut into a ring." Naturally, it includes the palace of Peking University Yard, as well as the armory, imperial palace and other projects, all of which are large in scale. In this way, it is said that in order to settle the world, Liu Bang did not destroy Xiang Gu and Xiang Yu's palace, but kept it.
According to historical records, the central official positions of feudal countries in the early Han Dynasty were modeled after the central government, so it is not difficult to imagine the grand scale of the palace. In addition, we can also have a glimpse of a large number of Han stone reliefs unearthed in Xuzhou, as well as the unearthed Han tombs and exquisite cultural relics. The tall Han Que and the heavy door pavilion reflect the miracle of court architecture in Han Dynasty.
■ Tracing history
Tang Dynasty: Xuzhou Cishi Academy
Time passed by in the Tang Dynasty, and after the war in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Bawang Hall still stood tall and could still be used as a place for the director of the secretariat. But the empty overlord hall is cold and solemn, and the secretariat often dares not enter the main hall. Cui Min went to Xuzhou alone, that is, the officer cleaned the overlord hall and sat in the hall to see things. A few days later, there was a shout in the air: "I am the overlord of the place of Chu." Cui Min, who are you to dare to take my house? " Cui Min scolded him slowly: "What a shame, Xiang Yu! Life can't compete with Emperor Gaozu for the world. Why fight with Cui Minyi for a loser after death? " A few words of backchat made the overlord ghost speechless and disappeared after a long whistle. Since then, Bawangtang has been quiet.
This matter was first seen in Guang Yi Collection of Tang Dynasty, and was later included in Taiping Guangji.
Song Dynasty: the State Council, our yard.
In the Song Dynasty, the Forbidden City in Western Chu was still the administrative office of Xuzhou, where Su Shi handled political affairs. In the tenth year of Xining (1077), Xuzhou was flooded in summer and autumn, and Su Shi made an oath that "I am here, and the city will be defeated by water".
Su Shi built Xiaoyao Hall here, which was the living room when he was a magistrate, and also the place where he slept on the couch and talked with Su Zhe at night. So the two brothers spent more than one hundred days.
When the flood receded, Su Shi prepared to build Taohuawu to celebrate his victory. Due to the lack of financial and material resources after the disaster, Su Shi thought of the Overlord Hall, so in February of the first year of Yuanfeng (1078), the once majestic Overlord Hall was demolished in Su Shi's thought. After its skeleton is removed, it can be used to build a new tall yellow building-this hall has been strong for a long time.
■ Tracing history
Ming Dynasty: Xuzhou Prefecture
In the Ming Dynasty, Xuzhou was still an important place in the State Council. Especially worth mentioning is the construction of the Drum Tower. Xuzhou City was burned and slaughtered at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, completely destroyed. The restoration of Xuzhou City in the early Ming Dynasty was the most glorious period of Xuzhou City. In the seventh year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1374), Xuzhou was known to build the Drum Tower 200 meters forward along the central axis after the restoration of the Palace Museum in Xichu, Gao Yulin, and wrote the book "Palace Museum in Xichu", which became an important part of the Palace Museum in Xichu. With the construction of the Drum Tower, the scale of the Palace Museum in Western Chu has expanded and its status has improved.
About one hundred years later, in the first year of Shunyi tomorrow (1457), the Drum Tower was destroyed, and it is well known that Song Cheng will be rebuilt on the original site, with a higher height. Another hundred years later, during the Wanli period of Ming Shenzong (1573- 1620), Liu Shunzhi was rebuilt again. In the 4th year of the Apocalypse (1624), the Drum Tower was destroyed by the flood.
In the 22nd year of Jiaqing (18 17), the magistrate Wang Zhongxian rebuilt the Drum Tower. Only 30 years later, the Drum Tower was dilapidated and Daoguang was 28 years old (1848). While rebuilding the "Overlord Building", the Drum Tower was built according to the old concept of the Ming Dynasty, like a castle building, majestic and tall, and the abutment was all made of big bricks. (In 2006, when Pengcheng Road was renovated, the brick of Dacheng was still unearthed). The gate is tall and 90 feet long from north to south. The pavilion has two floors, with wooden towers and built-in drums, which tell the time to the whole city with the sound of drums.
On the south side of the gatehouse are the words "Central Giant Town", on the north side are the words "Grand View on the Top" and the words "First Building in Jiangbei" in the Republic of China. 1948 There is a photo of the Drum Tower. Drum tower is regular in shape, with double eaves and magnificent momentum. The arched doorway is spacious and spans the street, and you can see the Overlord Building of the Forbidden City in the distance.
Before the Anti-Japanese War, Tongshan County Library was located on the Drum Tower, where reading and painting exhibitions were held. When the Japanese invaded Xuzhou, they staged a ceremony to show off their exploits in the Drum Tower destroyed by artillery fire.
/kloc-in the summer of 0/952, the Drum Tower collapsed due to heavy rain in Xuzhou, and it was demolished due to disrepair.
Qing Dynasty: Xuzhou Prefecture
In the early Qing Dynasty, Xuzhou was successively Zhili Prefecture, belonging to jiangnan province and Jiangsu Province. At the end of Yongzheng, it was promoted to Xuzhou Prefecture, and Pengcheng County was changed to Tongshan County, which governed 7 counties of 1 state. The Forbidden City in Western Chu is the official residence of the state capital of Qing Xu. During the 270 years of Qing Dynasty, the original building of "Peking University Courtyard" was protected and the Wang Ba Building was newly built.
When Kangxi was here, he built the tomb of Sugu, erected a monument, and people sometimes offered sacrifices. According to an old book, "In Zhouling, it is said that when Su Shi was guarding Xuzhou, he buried his young girl here. 17, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Songjiang Prefecture Water Resources Department ruled that Dong Hongshu was in charge of state affairs, built a pavilion, and Shijie reopened the tomb door. In the fifty-eighth year of Kangxi, Jiangzhuo was rebuilt, and Zhifu Shijie was rebuilt during the Qianlong period. Later generations put a statue in front of the tomb to worship. " In the 28th year of Daoguang reign, the memorial tablets of Xiang Yu and Yu Ji were rebuilt in the former site of Wang Ba Hall (now Building 3 of Peking University), and a reconstruction monument was erected in front of the building.
Following the construction of the overlord building and the memorial tablet to worship the overlord's concubine, there is another anecdote. 1934, Mr. Lv Fengzi, a famous Chinese painter and art educator, returned from a visit to Huashan with teachers and students of CUHK Art Department and came to Xuzhou to visit the historic site Xichu Palace. He was glad to see a rare chrysanthemum by the wall of Wang Ba Building. After returning to Nanjing Central University, I specially used this as a material to paint for my old friend Gu Liancun and wrote: "Under the overlord, I can see chrysanthemums." Mr. Feng is interested. "I haven't seen this painting, and it's hard to describe the shape of chrysanthemums. It's a flash in the pan, but it's rare to be captured by painters, painted as painters and handed down from generation to generation.
War: the cradle of revolution
When the Revolution of 1911 broke out, 19 12 February, the revolutionary army arrived in Xu, and the officials of Xuzhou of the Qing government fled, and the government, roads and towns disintegrated on their own. At the order of the Governor of Jiangsu Province, all localities changed the magistrate and magistrate to the director of civil affairs. 19 13, Wang Shaohua, a revolutionary of Xuzhou and a member of the League, was appointed as the acting chief of civil affairs, and the Tongshan county administrative office was located in the county government street (later changed to Hua Shao street).
1923, the third women's normal school in the province moved from Shipaifang Street to the Palace Museum in Xichu. This ancient courtyard serves as the schoolhouse of the girls' normal school. During this period, Wu Yalu, a native of party member, was born in early China. Under the guise of being a teacher, he spread revolutionary truth, developed revolutionary comrades, and engaged in revolutionary activities such as establishing party organizations in Xuzhou area. He created a number of female heroes, such as Su Tongren, Lu Tongying and Xu. At present, there is still a well-preserved ancient bungalow on the west side of the compound, which is the former site of Comrade Wu Yalu's activities and the activity center of Xuzhou Party organization at that time. Comrade Jin Cao, a party history worker, said that the Palace Museum in Xichu is the birthplace of Xuzhou's modern revolutionary history and the birthplace of Xuzhou's party organization, which is of great significance.
During the Japanese puppet regime, the "municipal government" of Wang puppet regime was also located in the Palace Museum in Western Chu. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it was also the seat of the Kuomintang Xuzhou Municipal Government.
Xuzhou Liberation: Military Management Committee
1948 65438+February, Xuzhou was liberated. This ancient courtyard with a history of thousands of years has become the office of the Military Management Committee of Xuzhou Special Committee of East China Military Region with Comrade Fu as the director, and the office is located in Bawang Building. In the autumn of 2006, the descendants of Comrade Fu sent people to Xuzhou to look for the Overlord Building, an ancient building where Comrade Fu worked, but it was demolished in the middle of last century.
1 April 949 to1958+065438+1October, Pengcheng Road1,the former site of the Palace Museum in Xichu, served as the office of Xuzhou Municipal Committee. In the late 1950s, Xuzhou Municipal Committee moved out and became the office compound of the Municipal Bureau, commonly known as Peking University.