The Yellow River is the second largest river in China and the birthplace of Chinese civilization. There are many anecdotes related to the Yellow River, all of which are related to the hydrogeographic characteristics of the Yellow River.

The mainstay

"The mainstay". This idiom is a metaphor for a strong person or group that can act as a pillar, just like a pillar mountain standing in the rapids of the Yellow River. Dianzhu Mountain is actually a huge stone, located in the rapids of the Sanmenxia section of the Yellow River. It is a stone island, known as "Maizhu Stone" or "Mainstream Pillar". The water of the Yellow River flows into the canyon and is bundled into a narrow stream by the rocks on both sides. It rushes to the main pillar stone, forms a rapid whirlpool, splits into two streams and flows out, leaving the Sanmen Canyon. The scene is thrilling. In the past, water transportation on the Yellow River was developed and it was once an important shipping route. But in the Sanmenxia section, people often hit the rocks. The mountains under the water are also known as "rice piles" and "grain piles". Every time the boat reaches this point, the boatmen get out of the boat and pull it through with ropes. The legendary pillar stone is used to calm the waves of the river, but in the eyes of the boatmen, the pillar stone is a navigation mark. The stone was originally engraved with three characters "follow me", which means to sail towards it. When the ship was about to hit it, the waves in front of the mainstay came back and pushed the ship to a safe channel. It was very magical.

Speaking of the shipping of the Yellow River, it has played an important role in history. Therefore, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, there are records of "Qin Su lost to Jin, and the boating battle". The Western Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty both established their capital in Chang'an. They used the Yellow River and the Wei River waterways to connect the canal and the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River, making Chang'an convenient for transportation and becoming an international metropolis. However, the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River have many dangerous shoals, fast currents, and a lot of sediment in the middle and lower reaches, which is not conducive to navigation. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, roads and railways have been developed, but the waterway has not been repaired for a long time, and the Yellow River water transportation has declined.

There was a saying in history that "when the Yellow River is clear, saints will emerge". But can the water of the Yellow River become clear? The water of the Yellow River in Qinghai is very clear, but after flowing through the Loess Plateau, various tributaries bring in a lot of sediment. This is mainly due to the damage to the environment caused by human activities, resulting in soil and water loss on the Loess Plateau. Nowadays, the amount of sediment entering the Yellow River every year is beyond human control. Although long-term efforts have achieved certain results, reducing sediment by 50%, there are still 800 million tons downstream, and the Yellow River still cannot be cleared. It is difficult to become a saint. When the saint comes out, the Yellow River must be cured first. This sentence is changed to "when the saint comes out, the Yellow River becomes clear".

Carp jumps over the dragon gate

"Carp jumps over the dragon gate". Longmen is at the southernmost end of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge, 65 kilometers north of Hukou Waterfall. South of Longmen is the open Guanzhong Plain. The water of the Yellow River enters the wide river bed from the narrow Longmenkou, and the nature of the river changes greatly. The formation of Longmen is because Longmen Mountain in the east and Liang Mountain in the west each extend their ridges and approach each other to form a narrow gate only more than 100 meters wide, which restricts the river water and forms a rapid current. During the flood season, the water level rises, and after exiting the narrow valley, the valley widens, and the water level drops suddenly, with a large drop, so there is a saying of "three drops of water in Longmen". The legend of "carp jumping over Longmen" refers to jumping here. It is said that the little carps are not afraid of dangers and are vying to jump through the door of Jackie Chan. Anyone who can jump over it will immediately become a dragon. Only those carps who persevere can eventually become dragons. This legend has inspired the descendants of Yan and Huang to fight tenaciously and strive for thousands of years. The ancients believed that Longmen Gorge was opened by Dayu, so it was also called "Yu's Gate".