Nine Lions River

Nine Lions River

The section of the Xin River that flows through Yanshan is also known as the Nine Lions River. It gets its name because on the north bank there are nine stone hills lined up, resembling nine majestic lions about to cross the river, or as if they are guarding the ancient town by the river.

On the broad waters of the Nine Lions River, masts stand like a forest and boats weave like a tapestry, with thousands of sails competing to set off, flowing endlessly. Anchored ships of all sizes stretch continuously, reaching out to the middle of the river. In addition, there are also tens of thousands of bamboo rafts drifting or moored here. At its busiest, over two thousand cargo ships of various sizes would be docked daily.

At quieter times, there were still several hundred, with the daily cargo throughput reaching hundreds of thousands of kilograms. Sometimes cargo ships would remain anchored on the river for three full days without being able to dock.

Tea was the most important commodity traded in Hekou. At its peak, there were over three hundred tea houses. Tea merchants from all regions gathered here, and the area was filled with large inns, tea shops, and warehouses. Most of these tea shops were built along the river to facilitate loading and shipping.

There are more than ten docks along the river. These docks are arranged sequentially from Yiputou to Sanpuiwei, including Guanbutou Dock, Jinjianong Dock, Bajia Dock, Jinbian Dock, Xinglongkou Dock, Xiaoqiaolong Dock, Changzhou Dock, Xiaogongmiao Dock, Jiangjia Dock, and Fuxing Dock. “Guanbutou” was the docking area for official boats, while the others belonged to various merchant groups. These docks are connected to the streets via lanes. They vary in size but are mostly named after the nearby streets or alleys that connect to or are close to the docks. Some are named after nearby buildings in the fields. The docks are mostly built with huge bluestone or granite slabs, and come in semicircular, rectangular, or trapezoidal shapes.

Upon disembarking at “Guanbutou,” not far away lies the “Tongzhi Yamen” (commonly known as “Er Fu Tang”). At “Guanbutou” there is a bluestone “Honor Stele,” erected on the 14th day of the intercalary fifth month in the 35th year of the Qianlong reign. It is inscribed with phrases such as: “All goods being loaded or unloaded must not be seized without authorization, and merchants’ luggage should be carried by door attendants.”

Jinjianong Dock is the docking point for local voluntary ferries, where ferries traveling between both banks of the Xin River are moored.

Bajia Dock is one of the larger docks in Hekou, where transport vessels traveling between Hekou and Shangrao are docked.

Xiaoqiaolong Dock, also called Guixi Dock, is where vessels transporting lime, stoneware, grain, and miscellaneous goods from Guixi and Yingtan are docked.

Changzhou Dock mainly accommodates ships from Shixi. These ships primarily transport coal, lime, and paper to Hekou for sale.

Xiaogongmiao Dock is the main dock for transporting the raw bamboo needed by the bamboo ware industry. Almost all businesses in this trade in Hekou are run by people from Fuzhou, hence it is also known as the Fuzhou Dock.

Qingshibu Dock accommodates ships from Jianchang and Yujiang, most of which carry grain and porcelain. Wanzi Dock is a dedicated dock for the shuttle-like large ships coming from Wanzi.

Fuxing Dock is where paper, tea, medicinal herbs, and local products from Yanshan are loaded onto ships bound for Nanchang, Hankou, and other destinations.