White Horse Dragging Its Reins

White Horse Dragging Its Reins

In the urban area of Zhongwei City, there is one of the oldest irrigation canals called the "Meili Canal." Its principle of drawing water involves building a dam in the middle of the river to divert water, hence it is known as the "Dujiangyan of Ningxia." As the river water crashes against the 10-li-long diversion embankment, splashes of waves resemble flying white clouds. From a distance, it looks like a white horse galloping through the Yellow River, dragging a long rein behind it—this is one of the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Zhongwei, known as "White Horse Dragging Its Reins."

Legend has it that long ago, the north bank of the Yellow River was a vast expanse of alluvial plain. However, this beautiful land was often threatened by droughts and floods due to the fluctuating water levels of the Yellow River. To ensure stable harvests in both dry and wet years, people planned to dig an irrigation canal. At the foot of Shapotou lived a highly skilled stonemason, known as Uncle Stonemason. Upon learning of the people's desire to build a canal, he packed his tools and led his only son up to Shapotou. Together with the villagers, they selected several potential canal sites and eventually dug a canal capable of irrigating 100,000 mu of farmland. However, due to the unpredictable rise and fall of the river, the water level in the canal remained unstable—during high water, the canal banks would be washed away, and during low water, insufficient flow would cause droughts, leading people to call it the "Dry Canal."

In search of the ideal canal inlet, Uncle Stonemason traveled tirelessly year after year, day after day. After nine years and nine months of hardship, he eventually passed away from overwork, leaving behind deep regret. His young apprentice, the Little Stonemason, inherited his father’s dream and was determined to find the perfect canal inlet on the north bank of the Yellow River.

One day, under the scorching sun that baked the earth like a burning brazier, the Little Stonemason had been searching for a canal inlet for three days and nights. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the riverbank and fell asleep. In his dream, a beautiful fairy emerged from the waves of the Yellow River beneath the great locust tree at Shapotou. With her hair tied up high, dressed in splendid garments, and riding a tall white horse, she approached him and said, "Young man, your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others is truly admirable. Please follow me." With that, she whipped her horse and galloped along the north bank of the Yellow River, trailing behind her a long, shimmering ribbon. Wherever the ribbon passed, it left a long white mark on the ground.

When the Little Stonemason woke up, the fairy was gone, but the white mark remained on the riverbank. On the cliff appeared several large characters: "Let the canal inlet follow the mark, and the river water will flow ceaselessly." So, he led the villagers to build a dam and dig the canal along the white mark. After overcoming numerous challenges and working diligently for 365 days, a 10-li-long stone embankment was finally completed. From then on, no matter how the Yellow River's waters rose or fell, the canal always had a steady flow. Later, to commemorate the young stonemason, this 10-li-long embankment was named the "Weinong Embankment," also known as "White Horse Dragging Its Reins."