Myths and legends, Dayu controlled the water:
When Dayu controlled the Yellow River, he had three treasures, one was the river map; the other was the ax to open the mountain; the third was the water-avoiding sword. Legend has it that the River Map was given to Dayu by He Bo, the god of water in the Yellow River.
In ancient times, there was a man named Feng Yi in Tong Township, Huayin. He was restless in farming and wanted to become an immortal. He heard that if a person drinks the juice of daffodils for a hundred days, he can transform into a fairy body. So I looked for daffodils everywhere.
Before Dayu regulated the Yellow River, the Yellow River had no fixed channel and flowed everywhere, often causing disasters. The ground is full of streams, ditches and forks, all filled with Yellow River water. Feng Yi ran around looking for daffodils, often crossing, crossing, and crossing the Yellow River, and often dealing with the Yellow River. Ninety-nine days later, he found a daffodil and sucked its juice for a day, and he became an immortal. Feng Yi was very proud and crossed the Yellow River to a small village to find daffodils. The water here was not deep. Feng Yi waded across the river. When he reached the middle of the river, the water suddenly rose. He panicked, slipped, fell into the Yellow River, and drowned alive.
After Feng Yi's death, he was full of grievances and resentment. He hated the Yellow River with gnashing of teeth, and went to the Jade Emperor to complain about the Yellow River's condition. The Jade Emperor was also very angry when he heard that no one was controlling the Yellow River, and it was flowing wildly everywhere, endangering the people. Seeing that Feng Yi had sucked the juice of the ninety-nine-day narcissus flower and was about to become an immortal, he asked Feng Yi if he would like to become the Yellow River Water God and regulate the Yellow River. Feng Yi was overjoyed. Full of agreement. This will fulfill his wish to become an immortal, and secondly, he will be able to avenge his death by drowning.
Feng Yi became the water god of the Yellow River and was known as He Bo. He had never had to control floods before, so he suddenly took on the task of regulating the Yellow River. He was helpless and worried. What to do? Since I was not very knowledgeable and had no magical skills, I had no choice but to ask the Jade Emperor for advice. The Jade Emperor told him that in order to manage the Yellow River well, we must first understand the water conditions of the Yellow River and draw a river map. With the water conditions and river map of the Yellow River as a basis, it will be much easier to manage the Yellow River.
He Bo followed the Jade Emperor's instructions and was determined to draw a river map. He first went to his hometown and wanted to ask the villagers for help. The villagers all hated him for being idle and indolent, and no one paid him any attention. He went to the old man in the village and told him about his ambition to control the Yellow River. Later, when the old man saw that he had become an immortal and wanted to do something good for the people, he agreed to help him. From then on, Hebo and Hou Laohan traveled through mountains and rivers in all weathers to observe the water conditions of the Yellow River. The two of them ran away for several years, which finally made the old man sick from exhaustion. Later, the old man had no choice but to go back, leaving He Bo to continue observing the water conditions along the Yellow River. When we parted, the old man Hou repeatedly told He Bo that he should work hard to the end and not give up halfway. He would start regulating the Yellow River after drawing the map. There were not enough manpower, so he persuaded the villagers to help.
Checking water conditions and drawing river maps is a hard job. By the time He Bo finished drawing the river, he was already old and weak. He Bo looked at the river map and clearly drew where the Yellow River is deep and where it is shallow; where it is easy to break the embankment and where it is easy to burst; where it should be dug and where it should be blocked; where the water can be cut off and where the flood can be drained. I can only lament that I don’t have the strength to regulate the Yellow River according to the plan, which is very sad. He Bo thought that one day there would be a capable person to manage the Yellow River. At that time, granting him the river map would mean that he had not worried in vain.
He Bo spent his remaining years peacefully under the Yellow River and never appeared again. Unexpectedly, the Yellow River continued to rise and flooded frequently. The people knew that the Jade Emperor sent He Bo to control the water, but they did not see his face. They all scolded He Bo for not fulfilling his duties and not caring about the lives of the people.
The old man looked forward to Hebo every day in his hospital bed, and they didn't see him for several years. He was worried about the management of the Yellow River and wanted to find He Bo. His son's name was Yi, and he was a master of archery. No matter what the old man said, Yi would not let him go to He Bo. Later, the old man refused to listen to his son's dissuasion. As a result, he encountered a burst in the Yellow River and was washed away and drowned. Even his body was not found. Hou Yi hated He Bo very much and said through gritted teeth that he would shoot He Bo to death sooner or later.
Later, when Dayu came out to control the floods, Hebo decided to give him the map of the Yellow River.
On this day, Hebo heard that Dayu came to the Yellow River with a mountain-opening ax and a water-avoiding sword, so he came out from the bottom of the water with the river map to look for Dayu. He Bo and Dayu had never met before, and they did not recognize each other. He Bo walked for a long time and was so tired that he wanted to take a rest when he saw a young man walking on the other side of the river. This young man was brave and majestic, he must be Dayu, so He Bo shouted and asked: "Hey, who are you?"
The young man on the other side was not Dayu, but Hou Yi. He looked up and saw an immortal old man shouting from the other side of the river, and asked: "Who are you?"
He Bo said loudly: "I am He Bo. You are Dayu. When Hou Yi heard that it was He Bo, he immediately became angry and sneered, saying, "I am Dayu." As he spoke, he drew his bow and drew an arrow without thinking about anything. The arrow hit He Bo's left eye. He Bo pulled out the arrow and covered his eyes, sweating from the pain. He cursed in his heart: "Damn Dayu, you are so unreasonable!" The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he went to tear up the water map. At this moment, there was a sudden shout: "He Bo! Don't tear up the picture." He Bo reluctantly looked with his right eye and saw a man wearing a bamboo hat on the other side, stopping Hou Yi. This man was Dayu. He knew that He Bo had drawn a map of the Yellow River and was about to ask He Bo for advice. Hou Yi pushed Dayu away and stretched his bow again. Dayu grabbed him tightly and told He Bo about the difficulties of drawing pictures. Hou Yi regretted his rashness and shot He Bo out of his left eye.
Hou Yi waded across the river with Dayu. Hou Yi admitted his fault to He Bo.
He Bo knew that Hou Yi was the son of Hou Laohan, so he didn't blame him much. Dayu said to He Bo: "I am Dayu, and I came to you specifically to ask for advice on how to regulate the Yellow River."
He Bo said: "My efforts and methods of regulating the river are all on this map. , I will grant it to you now."
When Dayu showed the picture, he saw that the picture was densely packed with circles, and the water conditions up and down, left and right of the Yellow River were clearly drawn. Dayu was very happy. He wanted to thank He Bo. When he raised his head, He Bo jumped into the Yellow River and disappeared.
Dayu obtained the map of the water conditions of the Yellow River. He worked day and night and based on the instructions on the map, he finally controlled the Yellow River.
The legend of carp jumping over Longmen:
Longmen is located about 65 kilometers south of Hukou Waterfall, at the southernmost end of Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge. South of Longmen is the open and flat Guanzhong Plain. The water of the Yellow River suddenly enters the wide river bed from the narrow Longmenkou, and the nature of the river changes greatly. The formation of Longmen is that Longmen Mountain to the east and Liangshan Mountain to the west each extend their ridges and move closer to each other, forming a narrow entrance gate only 100 meters wide, like a giant pincer, restraining the river water and forming a rapid current. During the flood season, due to the high water level in the mouth of the gorge, the valley suddenly widens and the water level drops suddenly after leaving the canyon, thus forming a significant water level difference in Longmen, hence the saying of "Three Water Drops in Longmen". The story of "carp jumping over the dragon's gate" that has been passed down from generation to generation refers to jumping into the falling water here. The story tells that the little carps are not afraid of dangers and jump over the gates on the road to becoming a dragon. Those who can jump over will become a dragon. Only those little carps who persevere can eventually become dragons. This story has inspired the descendants of Yan and Huang to fight tenaciously and strive endlessly for thousands of years. Ancient people felt incredible about the formation of the natural wonder of Longmen Gorge, so they imagined it as a gorge dug by Dayu. Therefore, Longmen was also called "Yu's Gate".
Hukou Waterfall
When the Yellow River reaches Hukou where Ji County in Shanxi Province faces Yichuan in Shaanxi Province, you will see the Hukou Waterfall, the second largest waterfall in my country. The height of Hukou Waterfall is generally between 15 and 20 meters. Although it is not very high among the many waterfalls in my country, its water volume is the largest among the waterfalls in my country. The rolling Yellow River water falls from a high altitude into a stone trough only 30 to 50 meters wide. The water splashes, the sound of the water is loud, the rapids are surging, and the fog is soaring into the sky. Climbing high and watching, it looks like a huge teapot pouring water out with great momentum, forming a scene of "a large stream of Kunlun flows out, and the Yuguan turns nine times and closes it in one pot". This is where the name Hukou comes from.
Viewing Hukou Waterfall is breathtaking. The huge amount of river water is like the Milky Way bursting and the sea hanging upside down. That momentum and sound must be the most majestic spectacle in China! The roar of Hukou Falls can be heard miles away. The clouds of mist caused by the waterfall can be seen from a distance. If you walk to the rocks near Hukou Waterfall, you will feel the earth shaking violently, and the valleys will echo with rumbling thunderous sounds. It seems that under the huge impact of the river, the earth and valleys feel unable to resist and have no choice but to let the river flow. Raging, scouring rocks and carrying away soil.
The scenery of Hukou Waterfall changes with the four seasons. At Hukou Falls in spring, the ice and snow in the upper reaches begin to melt, and the so-called "peach news" comes. It’s the time when the pink willows are blooming, the wind is gentle and the sun is shining brightly, and the distant mountains are beginning to be covered with a light layer of emerald green. However, the ice from the upper reaches still floated down from time to time, gathering in the wide river upstream of the Hukou, and then poured down, like a mountain collapsing and the ground cracking, causing the Qiong Palace to collapse, stirring up jade ice crystals and throwing them everywhere. At this time, the water color and mountain scenery look particularly charming.
When summer comes and the Yellow River enters the flood period, the water level of the river rises sharply, which in turn reduces the original height of the waterfall, turning Laikou Falls into a rapid, with a wide river surface and turbulent waves. Unique.
When autumn comes, the air is crisp and the northern geese fly south, and the Qinjin Plateau is cloudless. Climbing high and looking into the distance, you can clearly see the shape and form of Hukou Falls, which makes you feel relaxed and happy. Whenever the sun rises, the smoke under the waterfall refracts into rainbows that circle the sky, creating a magical scene. And when there is heavy rain or after bursts of autumn rain, the Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River looks like a yellow dragon coming from the clouds and riding in the fog. Only the wind and rain smoke fills the sky, and the sky, earth and water are the same color. Therefore, there is a saying that "fog and rain cover the mouth of the Hukou in four seasons, and the waves on both sides are rolling." The poem "Shocking the Mencius".
In the past nine cold days, the yellow land of the Qinjin Plateau suddenly disappeared. Thousands of miles of ice, thousands of miles of snow drifting, silver snakes dancing in the mountains, and wax figures galloping in the mountains, it is a northern scenery. At this time, the Hukou Waterfall has also turned into a white horse, which is particularly fascinating.
To fully appreciate the majesty of the Hukou Waterfall, go to the rock in the middle of the Hukou, then raise your head and fall onto the rock, splashing countless water droplets, in the blink of an eye. It turned into misty clouds, and under the sunlight, brilliant rainbows stretched across the sky. The river then rushed into a deep trough and rushed downstream. This situation and scene are just like "the waves of mountains are coming over the island, and the sound of thousands of thunders shaking the earth", "the rainbow reflects the sun and connects the mountains and rivers, and the sky is filled with wind and rain without any clouds".
If you get closer to the waterfall, you can find a shining stone in the middle of the "spout" of Hukou Waterfall. It seems to be floating up and down with the water in the rapids of the waterfall. Its shape is like a stone. The turtle only plays in water, so it is called "turtle stone". It is also like a bright pearl. The two waterfalls rolling down on both sides are like two dragons. The dragon soars and the pearl leaps, forming an extremely vivid picture of two dragons playing with a pearl. There have been many touching legends about this strange stone.
Some say that when King Yu was controlling floods, he "first cut rocks at Hukou, then Mengmen, then Longmen, and led the water down" to dredge the river and control the floods. This strange stone was left behind during the flood control. There are also legends that this stone is the "sacred stone" left behind by Nuwa when she patched the sky; others say that it was the "matchmaking stone" used by Fuxi brother and sister when they got married.