Laohuzhao Power Station

Laohuzhao Power Station

Laohuzhao Power Station, referred to by the DPRK side as the Weiyuan Power Plant, is located in Digou Village, Yulin Town, Ji’an City, and 5 kilometers downstream in Weiyuan County, Chagang Province of North Korea. It is a cascade hydropower station jointly built by China and North Korea.

There is a beautiful legend about the name “Laohuzhao” (Tiger Whistle).

In the early days, two brothers came floating timber down from Changbai Mountain.

They found the land fertile and the water abundant, so they built a wooden house and settled down. Before long, the elder brother got married, while the younger one went up the mountain daily to chop firewood, and the elder brother floated timber on the river.

Life was easy and pleasant. Before long, they reached the age when it was time to marry. The elder brother’s wife said to him, “You work so hard floating timber every day—it’s not easy to save money, and you can’t use it all to get your younger brother married. Let’s separate the family.” When they divided their property, the younger brother took nothing except an old ragged knife and a worn cotton-padded jacket.

He then built another wooden hut at the foot of the mountain and began living alone.

One day, when the younger brother went up the mountain to chop wood, he saw an old man with a white beard. At lunchtime, the younger brother shared half of his bread with the old man. Seeing that he was still not full, he gave him the other half as well. After the old man finished eating, he left. This happened for three days in a row. On the last day, just before leaving, the old man said to the younger brother, “You are a kind-hearted person. I won’t come tomorrow, but I’ll give you a gift as a keepsake!” Then he molded a small tiger out of the mud on the ground and said, “This little tiger is called Xiaoli. Whenever you lack something, just ask it for it.” With that, the old man turned and disappeared.

The younger brother was half skeptical, but when he got home and tried it, it actually worked. He asked for a new pot, a new cotton-padded jacket, a new chopping knife, and some rice and flour.

From then on, life became much better for him.

Later, the elder brother and his wife found out about this. They also tried to find the old man the same way the younger brother had. The old man also made them a tiger, which they named “Dashì” (Big Matter). After getting “Dashì,” the elder brother and his wife started wanting everything and became extremely greedy. Gradually, “Dashì” stopped working, so the elder brother’s wife said to him, “Let’s swap with the younger brother’s.”

The elder brother went to the younger brother to explain his intention, but the younger brother disagreed, and the two brothers began to argue. As the quarrel escalated, both tigers came to life and jumped into the river together. The river immediately churned wildly as if roaring like tigers, forming a rapid and turbulent narrows—and that’s how it got the name “Laohuzhao” (Tiger Whistle).

To this day, due to the strong and fast-flowing water here, a power station was built,

and thus it is called Laohuzhao Power Station. The scenery within the power station is pleasant, with green mountains and clear waters,

making it an ideal destination for summer tourism and escaping the heat.

Yulin Town: Yulin Town is located 29 kilometers southwest of Ji’an City. The Ji’dan Highway runs through the town area, and the Yuhua Line connects northward to Tonghua City. It is a demonstration area for green planting management.

During the Qing Guangxu period, this place was covered with elm trees, hence the name Yulin (Elm Forest). It is situated 25 kilometers southwest of Ji’an urban area. It lies between longitude 125°51′–126°00′ and latitude 40°53′–41°07′. To the east it neighbors Maxian Township, to the west it borders Dalu Town and Liangshui Korean Ethnic Township, to the south it faces the Yalu River, and to the north it adjoins Taishang Town. It stretches 10 kilometers from east to west and 28 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of 281.4... More details about Yulin Town++