After Centuries of Change, a Forgotten Stone City by the Yellow River – Wubao Stone City
When it comes to Wubao Stone City, most people are unaware of what it is like. Where exactly is it located? What kind of city is it? Over a thousand years, what has it experienced? Today, I will answer all of these questions for you.
Wubao Stone City is located east of the(Yellow Earth Plateau) and west of the Yellow River's middle course; it controls the key transportation route of the Qin and Jin dynasties, with the Yellow River as its head; to the east, it is bordered by the Yellow Earth Plateau's gullies and ravines, and to the south, it is defined by the Yellow River channel, while to the north, a road leads to the mountains, located on a rocky hill overlooking the Yellow River, easy to defend and difficult to attack, known as 'Copper Wu Fortress'.
Wubao Stone City has a history of a thousand years, having experienced countless years, frost, rain and snow, it is now dilapidated; it is a key battleground, repeatedly subjected to warfare, still standing tall, but now uninhabited;
Having experienced warfare and vicissitudes of life, ancient people praised and yearned for it; even after a thousand years of change, it stands proudly on the rocky hill overlooking the Yellow River, witnessing the transformations of the Chinese land.
Writer Gao Jianqing's novel 'The Last Han' is based on this place. Wubao Stone City, a thousand-year-old stone city.
In 2015, Wubao Stone City was awarded the 'China's Most Valuable (Heritage) Tourism Destination Scenic Area' title. The background patterns of the 2015 and 2016 Silk Roads exhibitions used Wubao Stone City. After that, the rapid increase in the fame of Wubao Stone City both at home and abroad, this thousand-year-old stone city, which had been isolated on the mountains and by the Yellow River, was gradually unveiled and came into the sight of people.
Wubao Stone City was built during the Northern Han Dynasty (951-957) and is a city made of stone. The city walls are built with stone, the city gates are constructed from stone, and the houses are built with stone and brick(kiln houses). The city is quite small, occupying a small hill. Nowadays, everything here seems simple and ordinary.
It is a typical example of buildings on the Yellow Earth Plateau. The houses all have courtyards, with walls built of rubble. The city has a short and narrow road inside. I remember that after 1955, all the residents moved to the current Wubao County. The old homes slowly became ruins. As long as a few houses were repaired, there was only one old man living in the stone city, and that is the management office of the stone city.
There are two land temples in Wubao Stone City, with some sculptures. The rebuilding is not long ago, but it is very suitable for the buildings in the city. There are many(date trees) planted both inside and outside the city, which are the main economic source of the city.
In recent years, reporters from various places have interviewed the old city, and tourists have also increased. However, the stone city is inconvenient for transportation and the road is rugged, so most of the residents have moved away, and it has become abandoned. The villagers mobilized to build a road, but due to financial difficulties, it has not been completed. Coupled with years of rain and floods, no one has repaired it, making it even more difficult to travel.
Wubao Stone City is 4 kilometers north of Wubao County, and it takes about 1 hour to walk from the county seat. The road is all uphill, and most of the road sections follow the Yellow River. You can overlook the southward flow of the Yellow River. There is a small road from the north gate that leads to the Yellow River.
Along the Yellow River Highway, one of China's most beautiful highways; following the Yellow River Highway near Wubao Stone City, the scenery is beautiful. The Yellow River is paved with pebbles and fine sand, which alternate. Continuing to walk, the road becomes a narrow path carved into the river cliff, which is very beautiful.
Wubao Stone City has three sides surrounded by water, with the north side connected to the back mountain. The mountains are undulating, with steep terrain and key defensive features. In ancient times, this place was a key gateway to the border. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it was the eastern gate of the Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, facing the Tao River in Shanxi Province's Liu Lin County. It is a key transportation route to North China.
In 1938, the Japanese occupied Liu Lin County in Shanxi Province, and the Japanese repeatedly crossed the Yellow River for an attack. They bombarded the city, and the city became a ruin. For decades, no one cared about it.
Wubao Stone City is now dilapidated and ruins, no longer as prosperous as before. Entering the south gate, you will see the(moat city), and inside there is a hall dedicated to Emperor Jing, and there are three main halls in the temple, built with brick and wood, and the statue of the Emperor is placed in the center. ''(Heavenly Protector) is written on the door.
At the intersection of the south gate and the east gate, there is a six-corner building on the upper floor, with a statue of the star cluster god on the upper floor, red face and red beard, holding a brush, and a wooden top on his feet. Legend: The first place in the imperial examination was usually assigned by the star cluster god, which was a wish of all the young scholars.
On the left side of the south gate, there is a primary school with a lawn outside the door. It was once a place for students to do gymnastics. Going further up, you will see the Li family's ancestral hall, with three adobe houses and a painted facade, dedicated to the ancestors of the Li family.
There are also other ancient sites in Wubao Stone City: Xingwen Academy, Zhenjie Stele, ancient temples with evening bells, ancient city god temples, a bed of burning incense, and the Temple of the Virgin Mary.
The Chinese architectural master Ma Xuxiu once commented that Wubao Stone City is 'China's first stone city'. There are too many secrets waiting to be uncovered in this thousand-year-old stone city. Today, many scholars are coming here to study this city.
