Linyi:Rivers, Mountains and Much, Much More

By WU MEILING

I have been to many cities across China. For sure， cities in the south are modern. But in my opinion they lack the depth. In the north， its just the opposite，” said renowned scholar， author and commentator Yu Dan recently. But she also added： “Linyi in Shandong Province is an exception to this rule. Its inherited the souths modernity and the norths sense of dignity.”

Linyi literally means “by the Yi River.”Today the city is the largest in Shandong Province， in terms of both territory and population. The Yi River has played an important role in the citys history， which can be traced back 2，400 years.

The river itself is 300 kilometers long. It is fed by eight tributaries and flows united through Linyi before arriving at the sea. Mengshan Mountain rises in the north of Linyi， and the two geographic features have long battled for prominence in the minds of Linyis residents– the city is also known as “Yimeng，”literally “The Yi River and Mengshan Mountain.”

Linyi is connected to faraway locales via the Yi River. Both Jiangsu Province in the south and Hebei Province in the north are short journeys upstream. Waterborne contact ensured the city was influenced by both southern and northern regional cultures.

Rivers may have been replaced by roads as modernity imposed itself upon China， but the syncretic culture of Linyi has remained intact to this day.

As with many ancient towns in China， Linyi developed a culture of its own， by drawing on the venerable Wuyue， Dongyi and Qilu civilizations. The boom in arts and literature and highly developed education in the region gave rise to a number of academic luminaries and moral role models that have etched their names in the nations history.

The region continues to loom large in the Chinese peoples consciousness. In most peoples minds today， Linyi is synonymous with patriotism， fighting spirit and war. Much of this is thanks to the 42-episode TV drama Yimeng， which is aired by national and several provinciallevel broadcasters. The drama depicts Linyi peoples sacrifices and dedication to combat， first against Japanese aggression and then in the civil war. The city seated the headquarters of the communist army in the province in the 1930s and 40s， and many founding fathers of the PRC， including late President Liu Shaoqi， worked and fought here.

Before visiting Linyi， I too was ignorant of the citys long history. When I arrived， and delved into the citys incred- ibly rich cultural legacy， I was amazed.

Linyis history is long， and much remains in the city today to attest to millennia of cultural achievement. Chief among the cultural relics are surely the bamboo slips on which were written the original passages of Sun Tzus The Art of War. The slips were unearthed in an ancient tomb in Linyi in 1972 alongside Sun Bins （a descendent of Sun Tzu） own Art of War.

The city is the also birthplace of famed calligraphers Wang Xizhi of the fourth century and Yan Zhenqing of the eigth.

Among all the outstanding men born in Linyi， Zhuge Liang （181-234） is perhaps the most popular and influential. The statesman is recognized as having been the most accomplished strategist China has ever known. Today， he is worshipped by some as an incarnation of wisdom at its purest.

Confucian tradition is strong in Linyi； indeed， Confucius himself was born not far away. Filial piety has always been a highly regarded virtue in the region， and Linyi natives contributed seven stories to the classic work 24 Stories of Filial Piety.

In todays Linyi， history is everywhere. But recent events have in some ways fundamentally altered the charac-ter of the city. War， long banished from China， has left its mark on Linyi.

During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression （1937-1945） and the Civil War （1945-1949）， Linyi was a key stronghold of the Communist-led army.

Linyi was home to a whole generation of revolutionists. Among its 4.2 millionstrong population at that time， 1.2 million gave their support in some form or another to the Peoples Liberation Army during the Civil War. As many as 200，000 Linyi natives joined in the army； over 100，000 lost their lives in battle here.

War has left its mark on Linyi， but the visible scars have long faded. Today the citys highrises and broad avenues attest to the economic success Linyi has enjoyed in recent decades. The river， as ever， figures prominently in local development. Plans are underway to construct new urban regions along its course.

Natural beauty and historical legacy place Linyi firmly on the tourist trail in China. The rolling mountain ranges， collectively known as Mt. Yimeng， stand tall as the local tourism star； their lower slopes burst forth in vivid green in spring， and hikers clambering up them can look down and spot flocks of sheep and herds of cattle lazily grazing their time away. Heading back to the city after a day on the mountain， the Yi River cools the evening breeze and makes for an idyllic backdrop to an evening meal.

Mengshan Mountain is the second highest peak in Shandong Province， overshadowed only by Mount Tai， one of Chinas “Big Five” peaks. Confucius is reputed to have said that when standing on Mengshan Mountain， one feels the whole of Shandong Province is at ones feet. But when standing atop Mount Tai， one gazes down upon the whole world.

Yimeng Mountain National Geological Park is also near the city. The park stretched over six counties and is home to many rare geological structures and scenic spots. The underground karst limestone caves in the parks Yishui County are rarely seen in northern China. The size of these caves， the variety and quantity of mineral deposits and the rapid rate of water flow in the underground streams in them all make Linyis cave complexes something of a geological miracle. One has to travel thousands of miles south to see similar formations. In one of the caves runs the worlds longest subterranean river. Tourists with nerves of steel can go rafting down a two-kilometer stretch of the river.

Ensuring the Yishui caves have survived to this day has required protection measures from the local government. And just like the regions nature， Linyis culture has benefited from local policies to ensure the citys legacies and history are not lost.

Part of this push is to bring traditional culture back into modern lives. In line with this goal， the government has sponsored a number of high quality cultural dramatic and musical productions that gained national airtime. The city also runs a calligraphy cultural festival and a festival to celebrate the achievement of Zhuge Liang.

According to The Analects of Confucius， Zeng Ziyu， a disciple of Confucius， once described his perfect day to his master. He said： “It is late spring， and I shed winter apparel. I bathe in the Yi River and feel the breeze on the slope in the company of a dozen friends. After， we all walk back to town， singing along the way.” Confucius， on hearing Zengs ideal， exclaimed， “You know what？ I agree with you.”

Confucius may have passed on long ago， and skyscrapers may dot Linyis modern skyline， but Zengs perfect day still sounds pretty good to me.