The Historical Evolution of Zhoukou Port

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhoukou was always an inland river terminal with developed shipping and prosperous trade. It ranks among the four famous towns in Henan and is famous in eastern Henan. According to historical records, Zhoukou in history is called Zhoujiakou, which is located at the intersection of three rivers (Shahe, Heying and Jia Luhe) and is a famous "land-water intersection town and goods accumulation place" in the north, ranking among the "four famous towns" in Henan.

In the sixth year of Yongle reign in the Ming Dynasty, Ming Taizu Chengzu was instructed by the Ministry of Housing to open three rivers, namely Huai River, Ying River and Sha River, and Zhoujiakou was the main waterway. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, shipping developed again, and docks, merchants and masts gradually increased. Zhoujiakou has become one of the distribution centers of materials in Huaihe River Basin. At that time, Xiong Tingbi, a bachelor of Hanlin, wrote a poem in Zhoujiakou: "Jiangpu shines with lights, and Qian Fan is like Gao Han."

During Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty, after Jia Luhe joined Zhoujiakou, Zhoujiakou's water transportation was connected to Jianghuai in the east, Xiangwan in the west and Zhuxian Town in Zhou Zhou. As a result, the commodity economy developed rapidly and the number of cargo ships increased day by day. Up and down Sanchuan, docks and ports are dotted, merchant ships gather, Qian Fan travels day and night, and there are hundreds of battlements and masts. According to the data, at that time, there were more than 10,000 cargo ships in the dock from the east to Xiangxiang in the west, and there were more than 700 boatmen in Zhoujiakou alone, occupying more than 0/000 ships/kloc. Businessmen and craftsmen from 14 provinces have invested in this week. The diversity of the five parties makes Zhoujiakou a hub for material exchange in eastern, western, southern and northern Henan, and an important commodity exchange and distribution center in Qin Jin, Chu Jiang and Zhao Yan. At that time, tea and hemp in Lu 'an, bamboo and wood in two lakes, paper sugar in Guangdong and Guangxi, salt in Tianjin, mules and horses in Mongolia, mountain products coal in western Henan, red dates in Xinzheng, cotton in Qi Kang, daylily in Chen Huai and local fur, grain and oil. , are gathered in Zhoukou, marketing all over the country.

In the prosperous period of Kanggan in Qing Dynasty, Zhoujiakou reached its peak, which was called "the land where land and water meet and goods are piled up". There are 22 ferries along the river, more than 40 water and land gates, 120 streets in the town, 7 foreign clubs and more than 50 temples, with a population of over 220,000. Zhoujiakou once galloped on the historical ferry and became a distribution center for goods. Zhoujiakou ships reached the sea through the river, which wrote the glorious history of Zhoukou shipping and promoted the prosperity of Zhoukou commerce.

In the Qing Dynasty, anti-corruption flourished and Zhoujiakou reached its peak. During the reign of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty, Shahe management successively opened docks such as Dadukou, Xiaodukou, Shangxiaqikou and Xindukou. So far, Zhoujiakou has 22 docks and ferries, more than 40 land and water gates, and its population has exceeded 220,000.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Pinghan, Jinpu and Longhai railways were opened to traffic one after another, and shipping began to decline, but the total number of civilian ships in Zhoujiakou in summer was still between 200 and 500.

The resumption of the Shaying River carries the ardent hopes of generations.

Shahe and He Ying meet at Zhoukou to form Sha Ying, which has been an important inter-provincial waterway leading to Huaihe River and connecting Anhui and Jiangsu provinces since ancient times, and is a natural waterway with a long history.

According to the information provided by the local port authority of Zhoukou City, Sha Ying originated from Waifangshan of Funiu Mountain in Henan Province and is the largest tributary of Huaihe River. Sha Ying flows from west to east through central and eastern Henan into western Anhui, and flows into Huaihe River at Mohekou in Fuyang, with a total length of 6 19 kilometers, including 404 kilometers in Henan and 2 15 kilometers in Anhui. ...

At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Shaying River experienced the fastest period of shipping revival, and the freight volume increased rapidly. Shipping management institutions have been gradually established and improved, and navigation channels have been systematically rectified. The original wooden sailboat was gradually updated into a motor boat, and the loading and unloading conditions of the dock were also improved.

Luo Chun, director of the Navigation Department of Zhoukou City Transportation Bureau, said that although the shipping industry in Zhoukou reached its peak rapidly after liberation, the transportation volume of 1960 reached a record 2130,000 tons. But history played a big joke in the 1960s. Under the influence of the idea of heavy irrigation and light transportation, after 1956, when the water conservancy department began to build water conservancy projects, six shiplocks were built below the Luohe River, including Xiaoyao, loess bridge, Zhoukou, Shenqiu, Fuyang and Yingshang. Due to the lack of understanding of comprehensive utilization of water resources, there are no boats except Fuyang sluice, which is equipped with a simple lock with a tonnage of 100.

From June 1977 to June 10, Zhoukou Boat People's Commune cooperated with the handling company. At this point, Sha Ying river transport was completely replaced by land transport, and its glory can only be sealed in the memory of the old boat people.

The suspension of navigation caused immeasurable losses to Zhoukou, so tens of thousands of boat people chose to make a living again: some left their homes and sailed to other provinces; Some make a living by setting up cigarette stalls and selling big bowls of tea; Some people disembark for land operations. ...

Many boat people abandoned the water and landed, and a large number of Henan ships fled to other places. According to a statistical data of Zhoukou Port Authority, 5% of the boat people who make a living on the Yangtze River waterway today are Zhoukou people. The dream of crossing the river into the sea has become the wish of them and future generations.

On August 18, 2004, the resumption and continuation project of Sha Ying Zhoukou Port, with an investment of more than 200 million yuan, started, including the maintenance of Zhoukou Port, Zhengbukou Shipping Hub, Shenqiu Shiplock and channel dredging. The project was completed in only 15 months.

In February 2005, the project was completed and Zhoukou Port was built. This port is the only inland port in Henan Province and the "sea mouth" of Henan Province. It is located on the Sha Ying River, covering an area of 173 mu, with an annual throughput of 800,000 tons.

On February 28th, 2005, 65438+, the Provincial Communications Department and Zhoukou Municipal Government held a navigation ceremony. The Shaying River in Zhoukou resumed navigation.

At 9: 00 am on August 1 day, Gao Deling, Mayor of Zhoukou City, announced: "The first batch of goods in Zhoukou Port officially set sail!"

The words sound just fell, and the whistle of cargo ship in Zhoukou Port instantly resounded through the river bank of Sha Ying in Zhoukou Port.

This outbound cargo is the first time that the Sha Ying River in Henan has been suspended for 30 years to transport its own products by its own ship, which indicates that Henan shipping is about to walk out of the 30-year trough. This is another important event in Zhoukou shipping history after the resumption of navigation of Shaying River on February 28th, 2005.

In April, 2006, the bulk cargo of Zhumadian gas power plant, weighing 720 tons and worth 300 million yuan, successfully passed through Zhoukou Port from Shanghai by water, which marked the decisive victory of Shaying River's resumption of navigation project and fully proved that Shaying River has full navigation capacity in Zhoukou. This time, 300 tons of "Wudeli" flour transported by No.9128 cargo ship of Zhoukou Port sailed out of Zhoukou, passed through Xinzhan-Xiangcheng-Shenqiu-Jieshou-Huaihe-Hongze Lake-Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and then crossed the Yangtze River to reach Hangzhou Port of Zhejiang Province, with a total mileage of 1 100 kilometers. This is the first time for Zhoukou Port. This transportation will open the climax of water transportation after Shaying's resumption, which will play an important role in promoting economic exchanges between our province and the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone and promoting the rapid and coordinated development of regional economy in our province, and become one of the key points and highlights of the transportation development in Henan Province.

After the navigation of Shaying River and Heying River all the year round, the economic and social benefits of Zhoukou Port are immeasurable.

First, ease the transportation pressure in the hinterland. Our city is an important passage from Henan to the east China coast, and its location advantage is very obvious. Sha Ying hinterland is rich in resources, and it is an important production base of coal, chemicals, mining materials and commodity grain in China. Zhoukou is a big grain-producing city, rich in agricultural products resources, and its agricultural and sideline products mainly include wheat, soybeans, cotton, oilseeds and tobacco leaves. , the external traffic volume is large. After Shaying River is opened to traffic all the year round, it can effectively solve the transportation shortage, build a large-capacity and low-cost waterway transportation platform in the hinterland, and add a transportation "artery" for economic development.

Second, the economic benefits are remarkable. The water freight rate is low and the traffic volume is large. After calculation and comparison, the railway can save freight, reduce the production cost of enterprises, and improve the production efficiency and the survival and competitiveness of products for every ton of goods transported from Zhoukou to East China via Sha Ying by water. At the same time, after the Shaying River is opened to traffic all the year round, it can promote the shipping industry and transportation service industry, increase the number of employed people by 25,000, and solve the problems of reemployment and petition brought about by boat people's unemployment, which will play a positive role in stabilizing society.