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观赏钱江潮，早在汉、魏、六朝时就已蔚然成风，至唐、宋时，此风更盛，李白、刘禹锡、孟浩然、苏轼等都留下过观潮诗篇。相传农历八月十八是潮神生日，因此，潮峰最高。按南宋朝廷规定，这一天在钱塘江上校阅水师，此后相沿成习，逐渐成为观潮节。中秋佳节前后，八方宾客蜂拥而至，争睹钱江潮的奇观，盛况空前。某些年头潮涌凶猛，涌上江岸，冲伤观潮者。汹涌钱江潮，注定了永世的抗击与坚强。
一
最早的“弄潮”更多的是因“惧潮”而生的“祭潮”和“习潮”，进而融入血脉代代传承。
“三十七年十月癸丑，始皇出游……过丹阳，至钱唐，临浙江，水波恶……”
2200年前，汹涌的钱塘江潮水挡住了秦始皇祭大禹陵的去路。那天他一抬头，便看见了皋亭山上摇摇欲坠的黄鹤楼。相传，一道“大秦免征皋亭粮，济修鹤楼寿无疆”的圣旨，修的是楼，恤的是江岸被潮水折磨得心力交瘁的子民。远古人类在水边的高地繁衍生息谓之“高停”，通“皋亭”。江岸人民为了生存与潮抗争，这便是“弄潮”的初衷了。但当时大多数人还是希望与潮与天相安，多采取祭神的方式。
这不，千年之后，就还有一个人祭完潮神匆匆忙忙从江边跑到了皋亭山。他就是当年的杭州市长白居易。
白居易为民求雨，先是去伍公庙求潮神伍子胥，但“灵虽应期，雨未霑足”，所以改祈皋亭神。皋亭神是在海水环绕皋亭山、钱塘江还未成型时上古族群的信仰之神，从原始文化角度考虑，皋亭之“山神”早于钱塘之“潮神”。在《祈皋亭神文》中，白居易先是夸赞皋亭神“聪明正直，洁净慈仁”，然后用了“激將法”说，如果你降雨了，是“不独人之福，亦为神之光”;如果你不降雨，那就是“不独人之困，亦为神之羞”，拳拳的爱民之心溢于言表。
通过求神祈福这些故事可以看出帝王、官员在大潮面前是敬畏的，普通百姓呢？南宋杨万里有首题为《疍民》的诗是当时钱塘江上以船为家的渔民生活的真实写照，“天公分付水生涯，从小教他踏浪花。煮蟹当粮那识米，缉蕉为布不须纱”。辛弃疾有首《摸鱼儿·观潮上叶丞相》，“ 诮惯得、吴儿不怕蛟龙怒。风波平步。看红旆惊飞，跳鱼直上，蹙踏浪花舞”，说的就不仅仅是困苦的生活情态了，已有一种驾驭潮水的勇猛与快感。但民间这种“踏浪花舞”的行为并非出于闲情逸致，据史料统计，从宋代到解放前，钱塘江曾发生大潮患200余次，明代诗人朱妙瑞的《海上纪事》就再现了“临海人家千万户，漂流不见一人还”的潮灾。
可见，“弄潮”的初衷是面对汹涌江潮时为了生存而进行的习练，是钱塘江南北两岸人民在强大不可抗的大自然面前想要与潮共生的一种精神驱使。
这种精神深深融入浙江人的血脉之中。
历经潮水排山倒海、变幻莫测的洗礼，这个乘风破浪、勇不可挡的族群，没有什么能使其畏惧。南宋朝廷摇摇欲坠之际，当杭州城的百姓面临兵戮之灾时，便发生了像文天祥“皋亭抗论”这样大义凛然的历史事件。“皋亭抗论”根植于中国深厚的家国文化中，发生在汹涌澎湃的钱塘江边，是钱塘江精神在南宋垂亡之际时迸发出的耀眼光芒，是中华文明面临野蛮侵袭之刻响彻日月山河的千古绝唱。
二
如果说，“习潮”是弄潮精神的萌发，那么钱塘江海塘的修筑则是国家组织“抗潮”的总动员。
钱塘江南北两岸，百姓心中都有着自己的弄潮英雄。
杭州海塘的建设，约始于东汉，已有两千年的悠久历史。据元嘉十三年（463）钱塘县令刘道真的《钱唐记》所述，“在县东一里许，郡议曹华信家议立此塘，以防海水。始开，募有能致一斛土石者，即与钱一千。旬日之间，来者云集。塘未成而不复取，于是载土石者皆弃而去。塘以之成，故改名钱塘焉”，华信心生一计，“智取”了第一条海塘。之后，西湖（钱塘湖）渐渐成形。
从此多少烟柳画桥，多少诗文咏叹，打开了杭州风情万种的一千五百年。
唐代是历史上大规模筑塘的开端。晚唐五代十国时期，吴越王钱镠发动二十万民工，用竹笼装石倚叠为塘，筑成六和塔至艮山门的“钱氏捍海塘”，保护了杭州城基，并使城邑向东南继续扩展。“三千强弩射潮低”，苏轼《八月十五日看潮五绝》中的最后一绝，说的就是“钱王射潮”的千古佳话。世居北岸的学者沈树人说，钱镠就是江干百姓心目中的“弄潮先贤”。钱镠，出生在杭州临安，在帝王身份的背后，他也是一个“弄潮儿”。所以公元910年的八月十八，钱江潮最为凶猛的这天，他才会巍然屹立在高高的射台上，命五百勇士，面向汹涌的潮水，开弓射箭！
而钱塘江南岸的萧山，百姓心中也有一位“弄潮英雄”——张夏。据《宋史卷十》记载，宋初沿江堤塘多为泥塘，竹笼装石固堤主要用于重要的地段。真正凿石筑塘的第一人正是北宋的护堤侯张夏。为感念张夏治水之功德，民间至今建有18座张夏庙。屡毁屡建的萧绍海塘中，有一段高3米左右、长约690米的石塘甚是宏伟，紧靠着衙前张夏行宫的这一段为南宋咸淳年间绍兴太守刘良贵修建，因遍植柳树被称为万柳塘，有文描述道，“千峰隐约危阑外，万柳萧疏落照边”。历代为民修建海塘的人，是百姓心中永远的英雄。
在科技不发达的古代社会，钱塘江海塘的建设是自然力面前的社会总动员。其间，大量官员与乡民为筑塘、保塘“以死勤事”“以身殉职”。所以，随着海塘这一“地球年轮”的演进而成熟的是一种精神，以及这种精神所归依的道德力量。这种道德力量来源于海塘所具有的庇护苍生的功能，使“家国情怀”得以最淋漓尽致地释放。
三
“钱塘自古繁华”和浙江的大气开放，早已行走在熙熙攘攘的走马塘上。
“东南形胜，三吴都会，钱塘自古繁华……”柳永笔下的“钱塘”即杭州。杭州地处东南，在北宋属于两浙路，是东南最重要的城市之一。三吴指的是吴兴郡、吴郡、会籍郡，泛指今江苏南部和浙江部分地区。
那“自古繁华”又从何谈起呢？“钱塘”作为地名最早见于记载的就是《史记·秦始皇本记》中的“过丹阳，至钱唐”。唐代为回避国号讳，于武德四年 （公元621年） 改“钱唐”为“钱塘”。随着钱塘江河口沙淤陆涨，原本接近皋亭山的岸线渐渐南移。据《宋史·河渠志》记载，北宋末年钱塘江已“北趣（趋）赤岸口二十里”。而山与江之间这片广袤的沃土正是杭州的“立城之基”，“钱塘自古繁华”就在这巍巍皋亭山和滚滚钱塘江之间一寸一寸长大。 在这片土地上，早于“钱氏海塘”曾筑起过一条防潮堤塘，一直从艮山门外至笕桥并连接到皋亭山下，即后来的“走马塘”。南宋时期，走马塘沿线是农桑物贸最发达的地区，至今大家熟悉的“笕桥历史街区”和“杭罗织造”“笕十八”等非遗传承都与当年的走马塘有关。走马塘整日车水马龙，两旁苍松夹道、花柳繁盛，还有两里多长的商肆店铺，各地客商贩运居积，蚕茧、药材、麻布、山茶、杨梅等，都是走马塘一带出产的岁贡。清代诗人金海《步城东九里松》有云：“城东旧路有遗踪，南宋曾栽九里松。鼙鼓喧闹来白雁，风云消散失苍龙。”
为何这条走马塘会如此兴盛？当年，走马塘连接起了两个重要的码头——皋亭山的赤岸古埠和钱塘江的浙江古渡，成为南宋都城连接北方地域的交通要道，从苏州、嘉兴等地传递的紧急邮件和官员商旅，多数都从临平驿路抵皋亭山下的赤岸港，沿杨家桥、沙田畈，经过走马塘进入临安城。继续南下的货物就从江干的浙江渡转运，送到对岸萧山的西兴渡从浙东运河出海;或沿钱塘江逆流而上经清湖古渡和仙霞古道往福建漳州方向出海。十里走马塘，承载的不仅仅是钱塘的繁华，更是在潮头搏击千年的这个族群之忧患意识、奋斗精神和创造力的交汇和体现，是杭州作为海陆丝绸之路重要交汇点的历史见证。
四
“弄潮圣地”是弄潮精神的故乡，所有敢于、善于与潮抗争、以潮谋生、与潮共舞的人都是“弄潮儿”。
“弄潮儿向涛头立，手把红旗旗不湿。”2016年9月3日，习近平主席在杭州出席二十国集团工商峰会（二十国集团领导人峰会的重要配套活动）开幕式，并发表主旨演讲。他在演讲结尾引用这句“弄潮儿向涛头立”，表达了对二十国集团勇做世界经济弄潮儿的期待。
何为弄潮儿？《武林旧事》卷三《观潮》記得十分传神：“吴儿善泅者数百，皆披发文身，手持十幅大綵旗，争先鼓勇，溯迎而上，出没于鲸波万仞中，腾身百变，而旗尾略不沾湿，以此夸能。”
淳熙九年（1183）八月十五日，有史记载的最盛大的弄潮和观潮也在钱塘开幕了。这天，宋孝宗邀请太上皇赵构“出候潮门”至“浙江亭”观潮。先是观赏水军表演，再是弄潮儿“僧儿”“留住”等百余人上场。他们“皆手持十幅彩旗，踏浪争雄，直至海门迎潮。又有踏混木、水傀儡、水百戏、撮弄等，各呈伎艺，并有支赐”，太上皇大悦，赞曰：“钱塘形胜，东南所无。”
至此，弄潮和观潮已经成为传统文化活动，古往今来历经千年江南文化的熏陶，钱塘人、浙江人“弄潮”骨性的生长已呈不可逆之势。
直至上世纪六十年代，寒冬黎明中，钱塘滩涂万头攒动，一锹一锹，挖土成河，一担一担，堆土成丘。白杨“三号大堤”一路延展，五号六号七号大堤势如破竹。披星戴月的50年围垦，让千百年来“从流飘荡，任意西东”的钱塘江入海口（闻家堰至金丝娘桥段）岸线总长度减少了31公里，平均河宽从6.87公里减少到4.39公里，有效地遏制了潮汐洪涝对钱江岸的侵袭。而围垦新增的160万亩滩涂地，已从麦浪滚滚到炊烟袅袅，从人迹罕至到一个又一个开发区崛起……
从惧潮到祭潮、习潮到弄潮，铸就了求真务实、诚信和谐、开放图强的浙江精神，世代传衍、历久弥新，始终激励着浙江人民励精图治、开拓进取，“干在实处、走在前列、勇立潮头”。
（作者系浙江省社科联理事。）
Riding the Tides on the Qiantang River
By Ying Qunying
The tradition of watching the Qiantang River tidal bores can be traced back to as early as in the Han dynasty （202 BC-220 AD）. During the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） dynasties， it became even more popular， when poets like Li Bai （701-762）， Liu Yuxi （772-842）， Meng Haoran （689-740）， Su Shi （1037-1101）， among others， penned memorable poems on tide-watching.
According to legend， the 18th day of the eighth lunar month is the birthday of the God of Tides， when the tidal bores reach their peak. The government of the Southern Song dynasty （1127-1279）， therefore， stipulated that a parade of its naval forces held on this day on the banks of the Qiantang River. Over time， it somehow developed into a tide-watching festival. Around the Mid-Autumn Day， people from all over the country and from abroad would flock to the Qiantang River， and witness the wonders of the tidal bores.
“In the 37th year [of his reign]， on the day of Kuichou [November 1] of the tenth lunar month， Shi Huang went on a trip…he passed Danyang and arrived at Qiantang， to the Zhe River， where the tides were so ferocious…” described the Records of the Grand Historian on Qin Shi Huang’s （259-210 BC） passing the Qiantang River during his southern tour to offer sacrifices to， dittingly， Yu the Great， tamer of the ancient deluge. After Qin Shi Huang saw the vicious tides and the ravages wrought on local people of that area， it is said he decided to exempt their taxes. Indeed， while most of the times， people along the Qiantang River chose to pray to gods for “peaceful” tides out of sheer fear， they also had to “fight” the tides to survive. “Born to a life on the river， riding waves young in the water，” Yang Wanli （1127-1206）， a Southern Song poet， wrote of the local fishermen in a poem. “Rice is unknown as crabs are eaten， silk is unneeded for coarse cloth is better.” In another poem， Xin Qiji （1140-1207） claimed， “…the Wu sons are not afraid of the wrath of the flood dragon， walking the waves as if on flat ground.”
Although these brave folks had been “riding the waves” from very early on， they were by no means doing it for fun. Records show that over 200 major disasters were caused by the Qiangtang River tidal bores in the period from the start of the Song dynasty to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. “Tens of thousands of households along the sea， have been washed away and none alive，” a Ming （1368-1644） poet once lamented.
Praying and fighting. These were perhaps the earliest practices of “tide-riding”. They were driven by the strong will of the people along the Qiantang River to live together with the tides which， to them， were simply too powerful to overcome.
Still， “tide-riding” heroes have tried to tame the Qiangtang River tides throughout history. In the Eastern Han （25-220） period， a local official named Hua Xin was believed to be the first to organize local residents to build an embankment on a large scale， which incidentally helped lay the foundation for the renowned West Lake to take shape.
Qian Liu （852-932）， king of the Wuyue Kingdom （907-908）， mobilized a total of 200，000 workers and built a “Qian’s Seawall”， stacking bamboo baskets loaded with stones. It not only solidified Hangzhou’s geological foundation， but enabled its southeastern expansion. More notably， perhaps， was the story of King Qian Liu shooting the tides. On the 18th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar in the year 910， when the Qiantang River tidal bore was at its most ferocious， King Qian Liu ordered 500 of his bravest soldiers to shoot 3，000 arrows into the tides.
In Xiaoshan （present-day Xiaoshan district in Hangzhou city）， located on the south bank of the Qiantang River， a certain Zhang Xia， a Song dynasty official， has long been worshipped as a local hero. He was the first to replace mud with bamboo baskets loaded with stones， which were usually reserved for more important locations， as the material for embankment. Today， there are still 18 temples standing that were established by local people in Zhang’s honor. Near the former official residence of Zhang Xia， there is also another majestic stone dike， measuring about three meters high and 690 meters long， which was built under the auspices of Liu Lianggui， a prefect of Shaoxing during the Southern Song period. In an age when science and technology were far from developed， the construction of breakwaters， dikes， embankments and seawalls in the Qiantang River amounted to no less than a general mobilization of the entire local society. Laborers were called in， money was expended， and even lives were lost. Underlying all is the willpower to “ride the tide”， making the most out of the waves while keeping their damages to a minimum， as well as the moral strength symbolized by the breakwaters， dikes， embankments and seawalls， i.e. the protection of innocent lives against the elements.
It is no wonder that Hangzhou， and Zhejiang province as well as its neighboring areas for that matter， has long been among the most prosperous since the Tang and Song times. “The tide riders surf the currents; the flags they hold up never get wet，” President Xi Jinping quoted an ancient Chinese poem as saying in his keynote speech during the B20 summit in Hangzhou on September 3， 2016， looking forward to “a G20 that will ride the tides in the world economy.”
From fearing the tides， praying to the tides to riding the tides， “the sons of Wu” have gradually grown into “tide riders”， and the spirit of tide-riding has spread across the Chinese nation. Qiantang， for this reason， will forever be remembered as the spiritual home of tide-riding.
一
最早的“弄潮”更多的是因“惧潮”而生的“祭潮”和“习潮”，进而融入血脉代代传承。
“三十七年十月癸丑，始皇出游……过丹阳，至钱唐，临浙江，水波恶……”
2200年前，汹涌的钱塘江潮水挡住了秦始皇祭大禹陵的去路。那天他一抬头，便看见了皋亭山上摇摇欲坠的黄鹤楼。相传，一道“大秦免征皋亭粮，济修鹤楼寿无疆”的圣旨，修的是楼，恤的是江岸被潮水折磨得心力交瘁的子民。远古人类在水边的高地繁衍生息谓之“高停”，通“皋亭”。江岸人民为了生存与潮抗争，这便是“弄潮”的初衷了。但当时大多数人还是希望与潮与天相安，多采取祭神的方式。
这不，千年之后，就还有一个人祭完潮神匆匆忙忙从江边跑到了皋亭山。他就是当年的杭州市长白居易。
白居易为民求雨，先是去伍公庙求潮神伍子胥，但“灵虽应期，雨未霑足”，所以改祈皋亭神。皋亭神是在海水环绕皋亭山、钱塘江还未成型时上古族群的信仰之神，从原始文化角度考虑，皋亭之“山神”早于钱塘之“潮神”。在《祈皋亭神文》中，白居易先是夸赞皋亭神“聪明正直，洁净慈仁”，然后用了“激將法”说，如果你降雨了，是“不独人之福，亦为神之光”;如果你不降雨，那就是“不独人之困，亦为神之羞”，拳拳的爱民之心溢于言表。
通过求神祈福这些故事可以看出帝王、官员在大潮面前是敬畏的，普通百姓呢？南宋杨万里有首题为《疍民》的诗是当时钱塘江上以船为家的渔民生活的真实写照，“天公分付水生涯，从小教他踏浪花。煮蟹当粮那识米，缉蕉为布不须纱”。辛弃疾有首《摸鱼儿·观潮上叶丞相》，“ 诮惯得、吴儿不怕蛟龙怒。风波平步。看红旆惊飞，跳鱼直上，蹙踏浪花舞”，说的就不仅仅是困苦的生活情态了，已有一种驾驭潮水的勇猛与快感。但民间这种“踏浪花舞”的行为并非出于闲情逸致，据史料统计，从宋代到解放前，钱塘江曾发生大潮患200余次，明代诗人朱妙瑞的《海上纪事》就再现了“临海人家千万户，漂流不见一人还”的潮灾。
可见，“弄潮”的初衷是面对汹涌江潮时为了生存而进行的习练，是钱塘江南北两岸人民在强大不可抗的大自然面前想要与潮共生的一种精神驱使。
这种精神深深融入浙江人的血脉之中。
历经潮水排山倒海、变幻莫测的洗礼，这个乘风破浪、勇不可挡的族群，没有什么能使其畏惧。南宋朝廷摇摇欲坠之际，当杭州城的百姓面临兵戮之灾时，便发生了像文天祥“皋亭抗论”这样大义凛然的历史事件。“皋亭抗论”根植于中国深厚的家国文化中，发生在汹涌澎湃的钱塘江边，是钱塘江精神在南宋垂亡之际时迸发出的耀眼光芒，是中华文明面临野蛮侵袭之刻响彻日月山河的千古绝唱。
二
如果说，“习潮”是弄潮精神的萌发，那么钱塘江海塘的修筑则是国家组织“抗潮”的总动员。
钱塘江南北两岸，百姓心中都有着自己的弄潮英雄。
杭州海塘的建设，约始于东汉，已有两千年的悠久历史。据元嘉十三年（463）钱塘县令刘道真的《钱唐记》所述，“在县东一里许，郡议曹华信家议立此塘，以防海水。始开，募有能致一斛土石者，即与钱一千。旬日之间，来者云集。塘未成而不复取，于是载土石者皆弃而去。塘以之成，故改名钱塘焉”，华信心生一计，“智取”了第一条海塘。之后，西湖（钱塘湖）渐渐成形。
从此多少烟柳画桥，多少诗文咏叹，打开了杭州风情万种的一千五百年。
唐代是历史上大规模筑塘的开端。晚唐五代十国时期，吴越王钱镠发动二十万民工，用竹笼装石倚叠为塘，筑成六和塔至艮山门的“钱氏捍海塘”，保护了杭州城基，并使城邑向东南继续扩展。“三千强弩射潮低”，苏轼《八月十五日看潮五绝》中的最后一绝，说的就是“钱王射潮”的千古佳话。世居北岸的学者沈树人说，钱镠就是江干百姓心目中的“弄潮先贤”。钱镠，出生在杭州临安，在帝王身份的背后，他也是一个“弄潮儿”。所以公元910年的八月十八，钱江潮最为凶猛的这天，他才会巍然屹立在高高的射台上，命五百勇士，面向汹涌的潮水，开弓射箭！
而钱塘江南岸的萧山，百姓心中也有一位“弄潮英雄”——张夏。据《宋史卷十》记载，宋初沿江堤塘多为泥塘，竹笼装石固堤主要用于重要的地段。真正凿石筑塘的第一人正是北宋的护堤侯张夏。为感念张夏治水之功德，民间至今建有18座张夏庙。屡毁屡建的萧绍海塘中，有一段高3米左右、长约690米的石塘甚是宏伟，紧靠着衙前张夏行宫的这一段为南宋咸淳年间绍兴太守刘良贵修建，因遍植柳树被称为万柳塘，有文描述道，“千峰隐约危阑外，万柳萧疏落照边”。历代为民修建海塘的人，是百姓心中永远的英雄。
在科技不发达的古代社会，钱塘江海塘的建设是自然力面前的社会总动员。其间，大量官员与乡民为筑塘、保塘“以死勤事”“以身殉职”。所以，随着海塘这一“地球年轮”的演进而成熟的是一种精神，以及这种精神所归依的道德力量。这种道德力量来源于海塘所具有的庇护苍生的功能，使“家国情怀”得以最淋漓尽致地释放。
三
“钱塘自古繁华”和浙江的大气开放，早已行走在熙熙攘攘的走马塘上。
“东南形胜，三吴都会，钱塘自古繁华……”柳永笔下的“钱塘”即杭州。杭州地处东南，在北宋属于两浙路，是东南最重要的城市之一。三吴指的是吴兴郡、吴郡、会籍郡，泛指今江苏南部和浙江部分地区。
那“自古繁华”又从何谈起呢？“钱塘”作为地名最早见于记载的就是《史记·秦始皇本记》中的“过丹阳，至钱唐”。唐代为回避国号讳，于武德四年 （公元621年） 改“钱唐”为“钱塘”。随着钱塘江河口沙淤陆涨，原本接近皋亭山的岸线渐渐南移。据《宋史·河渠志》记载，北宋末年钱塘江已“北趣（趋）赤岸口二十里”。而山与江之间这片广袤的沃土正是杭州的“立城之基”，“钱塘自古繁华”就在这巍巍皋亭山和滚滚钱塘江之间一寸一寸长大。 在这片土地上，早于“钱氏海塘”曾筑起过一条防潮堤塘，一直从艮山门外至笕桥并连接到皋亭山下，即后来的“走马塘”。南宋时期，走马塘沿线是农桑物贸最发达的地区，至今大家熟悉的“笕桥历史街区”和“杭罗织造”“笕十八”等非遗传承都与当年的走马塘有关。走马塘整日车水马龙，两旁苍松夹道、花柳繁盛，还有两里多长的商肆店铺，各地客商贩运居积，蚕茧、药材、麻布、山茶、杨梅等，都是走马塘一带出产的岁贡。清代诗人金海《步城东九里松》有云：“城东旧路有遗踪，南宋曾栽九里松。鼙鼓喧闹来白雁，风云消散失苍龙。”
为何这条走马塘会如此兴盛？当年，走马塘连接起了两个重要的码头——皋亭山的赤岸古埠和钱塘江的浙江古渡，成为南宋都城连接北方地域的交通要道，从苏州、嘉兴等地传递的紧急邮件和官员商旅，多数都从临平驿路抵皋亭山下的赤岸港，沿杨家桥、沙田畈，经过走马塘进入临安城。继续南下的货物就从江干的浙江渡转运，送到对岸萧山的西兴渡从浙东运河出海;或沿钱塘江逆流而上经清湖古渡和仙霞古道往福建漳州方向出海。十里走马塘，承载的不仅仅是钱塘的繁华，更是在潮头搏击千年的这个族群之忧患意识、奋斗精神和创造力的交汇和体现，是杭州作为海陆丝绸之路重要交汇点的历史见证。
四
“弄潮圣地”是弄潮精神的故乡，所有敢于、善于与潮抗争、以潮谋生、与潮共舞的人都是“弄潮儿”。
“弄潮儿向涛头立，手把红旗旗不湿。”2016年9月3日，习近平主席在杭州出席二十国集团工商峰会（二十国集团领导人峰会的重要配套活动）开幕式，并发表主旨演讲。他在演讲结尾引用这句“弄潮儿向涛头立”，表达了对二十国集团勇做世界经济弄潮儿的期待。
何为弄潮儿？《武林旧事》卷三《观潮》記得十分传神：“吴儿善泅者数百，皆披发文身，手持十幅大綵旗，争先鼓勇，溯迎而上，出没于鲸波万仞中，腾身百变，而旗尾略不沾湿，以此夸能。”
淳熙九年（1183）八月十五日，有史记载的最盛大的弄潮和观潮也在钱塘开幕了。这天，宋孝宗邀请太上皇赵构“出候潮门”至“浙江亭”观潮。先是观赏水军表演，再是弄潮儿“僧儿”“留住”等百余人上场。他们“皆手持十幅彩旗，踏浪争雄，直至海门迎潮。又有踏混木、水傀儡、水百戏、撮弄等，各呈伎艺，并有支赐”，太上皇大悦，赞曰：“钱塘形胜，东南所无。”
至此，弄潮和观潮已经成为传统文化活动，古往今来历经千年江南文化的熏陶，钱塘人、浙江人“弄潮”骨性的生长已呈不可逆之势。
直至上世纪六十年代，寒冬黎明中，钱塘滩涂万头攒动，一锹一锹，挖土成河，一担一担，堆土成丘。白杨“三号大堤”一路延展，五号六号七号大堤势如破竹。披星戴月的50年围垦，让千百年来“从流飘荡，任意西东”的钱塘江入海口（闻家堰至金丝娘桥段）岸线总长度减少了31公里，平均河宽从6.87公里减少到4.39公里，有效地遏制了潮汐洪涝对钱江岸的侵袭。而围垦新增的160万亩滩涂地，已从麦浪滚滚到炊烟袅袅，从人迹罕至到一个又一个开发区崛起……
从惧潮到祭潮、习潮到弄潮，铸就了求真务实、诚信和谐、开放图强的浙江精神，世代传衍、历久弥新，始终激励着浙江人民励精图治、开拓进取，“干在实处、走在前列、勇立潮头”。
（作者系浙江省社科联理事。）
Riding the Tides on the Qiantang River
By Ying Qunying
The tradition of watching the Qiantang River tidal bores can be traced back to as early as in the Han dynasty （202 BC-220 AD）. During the Tang （618-907） and Song （960-1279） dynasties， it became even more popular， when poets like Li Bai （701-762）， Liu Yuxi （772-842）， Meng Haoran （689-740）， Su Shi （1037-1101）， among others， penned memorable poems on tide-watching.
According to legend， the 18th day of the eighth lunar month is the birthday of the God of Tides， when the tidal bores reach their peak. The government of the Southern Song dynasty （1127-1279）， therefore， stipulated that a parade of its naval forces held on this day on the banks of the Qiantang River. Over time， it somehow developed into a tide-watching festival. Around the Mid-Autumn Day， people from all over the country and from abroad would flock to the Qiantang River， and witness the wonders of the tidal bores.
“In the 37th year [of his reign]， on the day of Kuichou [November 1] of the tenth lunar month， Shi Huang went on a trip…he passed Danyang and arrived at Qiantang， to the Zhe River， where the tides were so ferocious…” described the Records of the Grand Historian on Qin Shi Huang’s （259-210 BC） passing the Qiantang River during his southern tour to offer sacrifices to， dittingly， Yu the Great， tamer of the ancient deluge. After Qin Shi Huang saw the vicious tides and the ravages wrought on local people of that area， it is said he decided to exempt their taxes. Indeed， while most of the times， people along the Qiantang River chose to pray to gods for “peaceful” tides out of sheer fear， they also had to “fight” the tides to survive. “Born to a life on the river， riding waves young in the water，” Yang Wanli （1127-1206）， a Southern Song poet， wrote of the local fishermen in a poem. “Rice is unknown as crabs are eaten， silk is unneeded for coarse cloth is better.” In another poem， Xin Qiji （1140-1207） claimed， “…the Wu sons are not afraid of the wrath of the flood dragon， walking the waves as if on flat ground.”
Although these brave folks had been “riding the waves” from very early on， they were by no means doing it for fun. Records show that over 200 major disasters were caused by the Qiangtang River tidal bores in the period from the start of the Song dynasty to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. “Tens of thousands of households along the sea， have been washed away and none alive，” a Ming （1368-1644） poet once lamented.
Praying and fighting. These were perhaps the earliest practices of “tide-riding”. They were driven by the strong will of the people along the Qiantang River to live together with the tides which， to them， were simply too powerful to overcome.
Still， “tide-riding” heroes have tried to tame the Qiangtang River tides throughout history. In the Eastern Han （25-220） period， a local official named Hua Xin was believed to be the first to organize local residents to build an embankment on a large scale， which incidentally helped lay the foundation for the renowned West Lake to take shape.
Qian Liu （852-932）， king of the Wuyue Kingdom （907-908）， mobilized a total of 200，000 workers and built a “Qian’s Seawall”， stacking bamboo baskets loaded with stones. It not only solidified Hangzhou’s geological foundation， but enabled its southeastern expansion. More notably， perhaps， was the story of King Qian Liu shooting the tides. On the 18th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar in the year 910， when the Qiantang River tidal bore was at its most ferocious， King Qian Liu ordered 500 of his bravest soldiers to shoot 3，000 arrows into the tides.
In Xiaoshan （present-day Xiaoshan district in Hangzhou city）， located on the south bank of the Qiantang River， a certain Zhang Xia， a Song dynasty official， has long been worshipped as a local hero. He was the first to replace mud with bamboo baskets loaded with stones， which were usually reserved for more important locations， as the material for embankment. Today， there are still 18 temples standing that were established by local people in Zhang’s honor. Near the former official residence of Zhang Xia， there is also another majestic stone dike， measuring about three meters high and 690 meters long， which was built under the auspices of Liu Lianggui， a prefect of Shaoxing during the Southern Song period. In an age when science and technology were far from developed， the construction of breakwaters， dikes， embankments and seawalls in the Qiantang River amounted to no less than a general mobilization of the entire local society. Laborers were called in， money was expended， and even lives were lost. Underlying all is the willpower to “ride the tide”， making the most out of the waves while keeping their damages to a minimum， as well as the moral strength symbolized by the breakwaters， dikes， embankments and seawalls， i.e. the protection of innocent lives against the elements.
It is no wonder that Hangzhou， and Zhejiang province as well as its neighboring areas for that matter， has long been among the most prosperous since the Tang and Song times. “The tide riders surf the currents; the flags they hold up never get wet，” President Xi Jinping quoted an ancient Chinese poem as saying in his keynote speech during the B20 summit in Hangzhou on September 3， 2016， looking forward to “a G20 that will ride the tides in the world economy.”
From fearing the tides， praying to the tides to riding the tides， “the sons of Wu” have gradually grown into “tide riders”， and the spirit of tide-riding has spread across the Chinese nation. Qiantang， for this reason， will forever be remembered as the spiritual home of tide-riding.