Yongji: Stork Tower, Yellow River Iron Oxen, and Puji Temple (A September Journey through Henan and Shanxi)

The bus from Ruicheng to Yongji is fully integrated into public transit.

The road seems to bypass Zhongtiao Mountain. On one side is the Yellow River, on the other Zhongtiao Mountain.

To get to an old town called Fenglingdu, you need to change buses. The ferry crossing is located at a corner where the middle Yellow River forms an inverted L shape. From here, the great river exits the Jin-Shaanxi Gorge and enters the vast Central Plains, like a wild horse breaking free, causing severe flooding in earlier years.

This area is still within Ruicheng County, Shaanxi. It commands a key transportation route between Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan, facing Tongguan in Shaanxi across the river. Since ancient times, it has been a strategic choke point and a major military location. During the War of Resistance, it was also an important battlefield.

After getting off, I asked someone for directions. "Fenglingdu? That's right here!" The local villager kept saying that the town under his feet was it. After some back-and-forth, he finally realized I meant the place by the Yellow River Bridge, but he insisted, "There's nothing to see—either floodplains or the bridge, definitely no ancient ferry left."

I had wanted to take a taxi to see the ancient ferry and the old city of Tongguan on the Shanxi side across the river, but the rain was getting heavier. I was afraid of mud and slippery paths in the open fields, and the villager was so adamant. So, forget it. Let me leave some room for imagination about this Tongguan and ancient ferry.

Yes, yes, "Fenglingdu Crossing where they first met, a glimpse of Yang Guo ruined her life"—the poignant, chivalrous love story happened right here. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west" refers to the Yellow River's frequent shifts in course here. As the river moved east and west, many ancient ferry towns of yesteryear were submerged in water or buried in soil. But some ferry place names still survive locally.

During the holiday, a few parents with children were reciting before this old man: "The sun beyond the mountains glows; the Yellow River seawards flows. You can enjoy a grander sight by climbing to a greater height." People composed poems because of the tower, and the tower was celebrated because of the poem, passed down through generations. To this day, from childhood, very few Chinese don't know of the Stork Tower. With Zhongtiao Mountain behind it and the winding river before it, in the direction the poet gazed, vast green Yellow River floodplains stretched out. The scenery is truly beautiful; no wonder Wang Zhihuan was inspired to write such timeless lines. To date, of China's four great towers, I have yet to visit Yueyang Tower.

At Pujin Ferry, now several kilometers from the present Yellow River, four iron oxen were unearthed over thirty years ago. Cast during the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, each weighs 50 tons. There are also four human figures representing Han, Mongol, Tibetan, and Uighur ethnicities, as well as iron pillars and iron mountains, used to anchor the pontoon bridge back then. It is said that the story of the monk Huaibing retrieving the iron oxen took place right here. Excavated scenes from the Ming Dynasty show stone embankments and fixed iron hooks. Under each iron ox, several iron pillars were driven to secure them, simulating the ancient ferry scene.

Puji Temple, where the story of 'The Romance of the Western Chamber' took place. Pear Blossom Courtyard, the West Chamber, the wall-climbing spot, the back garden, Oriole Pagoda... Every courtyard, every hall, every corner here seems connected to Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying.