Maojin Ferry

Maojin Ferry

Pinglu Maojin Ferry has endured over a thousand years of wind and rain since the Shang Dynasty. Today, one "Maojin Ferry" thrives as the name of a trendy economic development zone, while the other—the true ancient ferry—stands lonely and forgotten on the riverbank after shedding its millennia of heavy traffic.

According to the Pinglu County Annals: Maojin lies at a strategic water and land junction, a key thoroughfare connecting Shanxi and Henan provinces, bustling with officials and merchants, and especially vital for the salt trade in the Three Jin regions. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Maojin Ferry was a contested military stronghold. Duke Xian of Jin attacked Guo by way of Yu, and Duke Mu of Qin marched on Zheng—both forces crossed the Yellow River here. Moreover, Jin launched a surprise attack across the river to defeat Qin. The Song Dynasty poet Wei Ye once wrote the poem “Maojin Ferry”: “A few crows cry in the distance, / As travelers dwindle on the sunset road. / Twilight rises over the bamboo-thatched hamlet, / And west winds sweep through Maojin Ferry.” As a key transit hub, Maojin Ferry continuously transported goods such as salt and coal from southern Shanxi to central China.