An aerial view of the Dayu Du Project. (Photo by Li Yingjing)
From May 7 to 9, Venerable Wanxing, the abbot of Donghua Zen Temple, led a delegation on a journey to trace the roots of Chinese civilization, departing from the Yellow River Golden Triangle Region in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, the heartland of Chinese ancestral culture.
“Heart-pounding!” remarked Venerable Wanxing as he rode a traditional raft, an ancient transportation tool with a thousand-year history, bouncing along the turbulent waves of the Yellow River downstream. He expressed deep admiration for the wisdom and courage of ancient Chinese laborers who navigated these waters.
The Yellow River, cradle of Chinese civilization, has nurtured the descendants of Yan and Huang along its banks for thousands of years, leaving behind countless stories and legends.
Following the footsteps of Yu the Great in taming the floods, the delegation visited the ancient Dayu Du ferry site, which overlooks the river, inspected the Dayu Du Water Pumping Project, and studied the modern “Spirit of Yu the Great”. The group also explored the Guangren King Temple, one of only four surviving Tang Dynasty wooden structures in China, paying respects to the “Dragon King” and praying for favorable weather and agricultural abundance. Through this journey to Yuncheng City in Shanxi Province, Donghua Zen Temple’s cultural pilgrimage traced the footsteps of Chinese civilization along the Yellow River.
Dong Zengwu, Director of the Dayu Du Water Pumping Project Management Center, briefs Venerable Wanxing on the project’s history and current operations. (Photo by Li Yingjing)
Dong Zengwu, Director of the Dayu Du Water Pumping Project Management Center, introduced the history and current status of the project to Venerable Wanxing. Dayu Du is not only the legendary site where Yu the Great tamed the floods, but also stands as a modern masterpiece of the Chinese people’s efforts to transform nature and channel water to plateaus. As China’s highest single-stage-lift Yellow River irrigation project, it benefits 650,000 mu (approximately 43,333 hectares) of farmland and a population of 280,000 people.
Venerable Wanxing poses with the “Sacred Cypress of Yu the Great”. (Photo by Li Yingjing)
Venerable Wanxing posed with the “Great Yu Sacred Cypress Tree,” which is 4,000 years old. According to legend, the sacred cypress tree was planted by Great Yu himself when he was controlling the floods, or it was where Great Yu tied his horse. The tree’s crown resembles a dragon raising its head; from every angle, one can see its lofty head and twisting branches soaring into the sky. Local residents reverently call it the “Dragon-Head Sacred Cypress”.
Venerable Wanxing tours the Guangren King Temple. (Photo by Li Yingjing)
Venerable Wanxing and the delegation experience a millennium-old traditional raft on the Yellow River. (Photo by Li Yingjing)
Viewing the opposite bank of the Yellow River from a traditional raft. (Photo by Li Yingjing)
(translator: Jiang Renfeng)