Yuncheng Huangnigang

Yuncheng Huangnigang

Huangnigang

About 16 kilometers southeast of Yuncheng lies a market town called Huangduiji. It is said that this is the place where Chao Gai and Wu Yong cleverly seized the Shengchengan (the Birthday Gift Convoy) in the classic tale. The Yuncheng County Cultural Relics Management Office preserves a stone tablet unearthed from Huangduiji during the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era. The inscription reads: “Upon detailed investigation, during Emperor Huizong of Song’s Chongning reign, an area of 800 li surrounding Liangshan was entirely water. The northern edge of the mound is about 60 li from Liangshan and forms the southern bank of Liangshan, historically known as Huangtugang — which is this very place.” Furthermore, the text describes the location’s orientation and terrain: “To the north, it faces shoulder to shoulder with the summit of Liangshan; to the south, it overlooks the lowlands of Juye; to the east, it borders the fords of the Wen River and Ji River; to the west, it connects to the heights of Linqiu and Diqiu. In the center, the mound rises prominently and flatly, surrounded by gently undulating land. Its length and breadth vary, and its ridges connect to the range of Jinxiang Ridge.” This indicates that the site served both as a resting place for fishermen and as a strategic hub for water and land transport during the Song Dynasty. Due to soil extraction by later generations and silt deposition from the Yellow River, the once prominent and flat mound is no longer as it once was. However, upon entering the village, one can still see land that is higher than the surrounding areas. A large stone inscribed with the words “Huangnigang” stands by the roadside at the entrance of the village, and nearby another stone tablet details the story of how Chao Gai, Wu Yong, and others cleverly seized the Shengchengan.