The county bordering Gansu and Inner Mongolia Ningxia, once a contested strategic location, boasts a living military stronghold.
Mango Travel Diary: When people in Gansu Province mention foodies, they might think of its capital, Lanzhou, because noodles from all over the country can be found there; people who love travel might think of Zhangye, because there are beautiful Seven-Color Danxia formations; art lovers might think of Dunhuang, because there are the world-famous Mogao Caves; and history lovers might think of the Hexi Corridor, because it was where young general Huo Qiaobing built his achievements.
At the eastern end of the Hexi Corridor, where it borders Mongolia, Ningxia, and the Left Banner of Inner Mongolia, the location is prominent and has been contested by warlords; there have been frequent wars, and the Ming Dynasty built a large-scale military stronghold here, which, when viewed from the air, looks like a turtle drinking water, so it is called Turtle City.
This Turtle City is located in Yuetai County, Pingli City, Gansu Province. Perhaps many people haven't heard of Yuetai County, and I didn't know it existed until I traveled to Gansu. Yuetai County borders Ningxia Wuhua, Inner Mongolia Alashan Left Banner, and has historically belonged to several dynasties.
During the Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou dynasties (in 771 BC), Yuetai was the residence of the Western; during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to the Qin Dynasty, it belonged to the Monthu people; during the late Qin and early Han Dynasties, it was occupied by the; during the Han Wu Emperor's reign, the Han Dynasty defeated the , and Yuetai returned to the Han Dynasty's territory; during the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Tangongsheng's Guangde Second Year (764 AD), the Tubo people took advantage of the Anshi Rebellion and occupied Yuetai for 86 years until Emperor Xuanzong's Middle School Year (849 AD) when they were finally recovered.
After the Ming and Yuan Dynasties collapsed, Yuetai belonged to the Ming Dynasty, but there were still frequent wars during this period, so the Ming Dynasty built a long wall and military strongholds (Yuetai City was once a military city) to resist the northern minority nations. Because of frequent wars and shifting allegiance, there are very few historical materials left in Yuetai, and they can only be pieced together from the records of the ethnic groups that once occupied it.
Today, Yuetai is mainly populated by Han Chinese, mostly descendants of soldiers garrisoned in the Ming Dynasty's Shanxi Big Lu Tree (Hongting County) and Shaanxi Big Willow Tree (Han Cheng County) after the soldiers were stationed there during the Ming Dynasty's military system – they farmed the land during peacetime and fought in battle during times of war.
Because of its special geographical features, Yuetai has become a filming location for many Western movies, such as Cheng Long and Jin Xian's 'Myth', Bin Bin and Qianqian's 'A Spoonful of Love', Ning Pi and Yan Kai's 'Beautiful Big Feet', and Honglei and Lin Zhi Ling's 'Battle of Chasma Town', all of which were filmed and shot in Yuetai. The picture shows Yellow River Stone Formation, which is one of the shooting locations of 'Myth'.
The Yellow River Stone Formation is larger and more magnificent than the Kunming Stone Formation in Yunnan, and when you look down from the top, you feel 'one sees all the mountains small'. It is located on the banks of the Yellow River, and besides visiting the Yellow River Stone Canyon by donkey cart, you can also experience the Yellow River's unique sheep skin raft.
The picture shows Yuetai City, which is also called Turtle City because it looks like a turtle and is also called a Living Military Stronghold, it is one of the most representative and well-preserved Ming Dynasty military fortresses on the Silk Road, including the Great Wall, watchtowers, artillery positions, city walls, city gates, and city canals. It is said to have housed 2,000 soldiers and 500 cavalry. When you enter the city, you feel a sense of bleakness and desolation, a characteristic of the northwest, reminiscent of ancient wars.
The picture shows Five Buddha Along Temple, with caves inside containing five large Buddha statues and thousands of small Buddha statues, so it is also called Thousand Buddha Temple, built approximately during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the Buddha statues preserved today span from the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, and Qing Dynasties. Five Buddha Along Temple faces the mountain and faces the Yellow River, with the rushing Yellow River right in front of the temple.
There are also West Chammer Kilns, the Great Dunhuang Film and Television City, and the Shoulu Mountain National Forest Park, etc., Yuetai is not well-known, but it has many attractions for visitors to see.
The picture shows Five Buddha Tofu, which is different from tofu made with brine and gypsum, but made with sour water, it has a rich and chewy taste, with a bean fragrance that lingers in the mouth. Besides Five Buddha Tofu, Yuetai's lamb, beef, watermelon are all delicious, making it a very delicious small county in the northwest.
Although I only stayed in Yuetai for a few days, I was deeply impressed by this place, as if it were a weathered gem lost in the long river of history. As long as you wipe it clean, it will burst with dazzling light.
I am Mango, a solo wandering China, welcome to follow Mango Travel Diary, sharing travel experiences every day.
