Author/Li Qingyou
Launch/Cultural Impact
Nanyang Fan Li, the founder of the earliest Shaoxing City
On September 1, 2021, the 26th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth People's Congress of Nanyang City adopted the Decision of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Nanyang City on Agreeing to the Establishment of Sister Cities between Nanyang City and Shaoxing City. The establishment of a sister city relationship between Shaoxing City and Nanyang City is conducive to the complementary advantages of the two cities and promotes mutual benefit and win-win results and common development of the two places.
Like Nanyang, Shaoxing has a long history. The exchanges between the two places have always been remarkable. As early as 2500 years ago, Fan Li, a Nanyang native, stepped onto the stage of history in Shaoxing. Fan Li was the founder of the earliest Shaoxing City.
At first, King Yue did not listen to Fan Li's advice and insisted on attacking the state of Wu, but was defeated. Therefore, Fan Li accompanied Gou Jian to the State of Wu as a slave for three years. Under Fan Li's meticulous planning, Gou Jian returned to Yue after three years.
Back in Yueguo, Gou Jian and Fan Li, with the desire to restore the country, but also face great pressure, they want to regroup, avenge the shame, first of all, to re-determine the location of the capital. After careful planning, they decided to move the capital from a mountain settlement to a water town plain – this Capital City of Yueguo was called Huiji, renamed Shaoxing during the Southern Song Dynasty, which is the predecessor of today's Shaoxing City.
The actual designer of Huiji City is Fan Li. Fan Li has a forward-looking strategic vision, and his capital design concept is carried out in accordance with the goal of competing for hegemony.
In the location of the capital city, it is very elaborate. Fan Li chose the capital city in the narrow plain area of Hangzhou Bay, with rivers on both the east and west sides of the city, and huiji Mountain in the south of the city. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, there are natural military defense conditions. The narrow plains ensure economic development and population reproduction, which is conducive to strengthening the material foundation of the country.
In the design of the capital city, the functional partition is obvious. Fan Li carefully planned and designed small cities and large cities. Small cities are political centers and military fortresses, and large cities are economic centers and production bases, with very clear functions. This kind of urban design concept was commonplace in the ancient Central Plains, but in the relatively backward southeast land at that time, it was indeed a very big progress and quite advanced.
According to Mr. Xia Tingxian's writing, the two cities and pools of the size of Huiji City were built along the water according to the "Hui" shape of the astronomical star order. The small city wall is two hundred and twenty-three steps, named:"Gou Jian XiaoCheng", which is the residence and administration place of the king and queen. The large city outside the small city, the city wall is twenty miles long and seventy-two steps long, and the courtyard is built for courtiers, princes and nobles, and the relocated commoners, leaving streets and building markets. The name of the big city is "Licheng", which is intended to surround the monarch and defend the monarch. In the appropriate places in the big cities and small towns, barracks and equipment rooms were built to defend the capital. Fan Li's ideas and practices of capital construction are outstanding examples and far-reaching influences in the history of Chinese capital architecture.
Facts are the only test of truth. Sure enough, in the 13th year after the capital was moved, the King of Yue destroyed the State of Wu, led his troops north, accepted the title of Count of King Yuan of Zhou, and the princes came to congratulate and achieved hegemony!
Creating a capital city is not an easy task, not only to comprehensively consider the political, military, economic and other conditions and advantages, but also to combine the traditional concepts such as yin and yang and the five elements, and must maximize the achievement of time, place, and people. To do extraordinary things, extraordinary people are needed. With his rich knowledge experience and super comprehensive ability, Fan Li successfully created the capital city of Yueguo. The city is integrated into Fan Li's thoughts. It should be said that most of these ideas originated from the culture and concept of Nanyang at that time. Because Fan Li's youth was spent in his hometown of Nanyang, his main ideas were formed during this period. The urban architectural ideas of GuWanyi may also be the blueprint for the construction of Fan Lihui City.
With the capital city of Yueguo huiji as the starting point, the capital of Yueguo gradually developed into today's Shaoxing City. In the conclusion of today's sister cities, the wisdom of integration explains the past and the present, and also makes people awe-inspired by the founder of the city, Fan Li, a Nanyang native.