Yumenkou

Yumenkou, the very place where the legendary Yu the Great dredged the river during his flood-control efforts, also known as the Dragon Gate. It is said to be where the carp leaps over the gate to become a dragon, as recorded in the Taiping Yulan. This is the border between Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, where the Yellow River bursts out of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge and surges forward mightily. Towering cliffs rise on both banks, and the roaring river rushes violently through the narrow gap. The opposite cliffs face each other at a distance of just eighty steps, forming a natural gateway. On each side stands a Temple of Yu, with the one on the Shanxi side, in Longmen Village, being particularly grand and majestic. Legend has it that the Longmen Temple of Yu on the Shanxi side was built in the second year of the Guanghe era during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han (179 AD). A "Temple of Yu Stele," weathered by two thousand years of history, bears witness to Yu the Great’s monumental achievement in taming the floods, telling stories of history and the evolving culture of the Yellow River. Yu the Great’s legacy in carving the Dragon Gate endures through the ages, and the majestic landscape has been celebrated across the land. Since ancient times, Longmen has been a renowned scenic destination.