Matou Bay Tourist Area

　　Friends, have you ever been to Matou Bay Sea on the northern edge of the Kubuqi Desert? Now let’s get to know it together. Matou Bay Sea is located within the territory of Hemumudu Town, Hangjin Banner, 3.5 kilometers north of the Yellow River pontoon bridge, facing Bayannur City across the river, and about 30 kilometers from the Beijing (Beijing)–Lanzhou (Lanzhou) Railway. The transportation conditions are convenient. The current lake area spans 2,400 mu, and for many years the water level has remained stable with excellent and unpolluted water quality. The entire lake surface is vast and open, with sparkling blue waves, ducks and gulls flying overhead, and colorful fish leaping in the water. The natural reeds are lush green in spring and summer, while the reed flowers flutter in the deep autumn. A tributary of the Yellow River runs through the center of the tourism development zone and connects with the Kubuqi Desert, making it an undeveloped comprehensive tourist scenic area that integrates desert, Yellow River, and lake landscapes.

　　As the saying goes, there are ninety-nine bends in the Yellow River, and Matou Bay Sea is a microcosm of it. A folk song goes: “Matou Bay is a winnowing-basket-shaped bay — easy to come but hard to leave.” This shows how attractive the scenery of Matou Bay Sea is to tourists. And the legend behind its name is also full of magic.

　　Legend has it that during the Han Dynasty, there was a thrifty and kind-hearted man here named Li Wan. He had no children,

　　and made a living selling tofu. Through hard work, he saved up 20,000 taels of silver and was always ready to help those in need. In an era when temples were being widely built, he once contributed a large sum of money to renovate temples. One year, seeing a blind man playing a shabby erhu, he spent a fortune to buy the best horsehead fiddle and gave it to him. Since then, in his spare time, he learned to play the horsehead fiddle from the blind man. The long, drawn-out tones of the horsehead fiddle conveyed sorrow, desolation, joy — emotions layered with both sadness and happiness — touching the hearts of people across the surrounding villages. After Li Wan lived to be 88 years old and passed away, people named the sea after him to commemorate his noble character of helping others and the moving music of his horsehead fiddle. Young couples in love who stand by the shore will be tested by the mandarin ducks — known as “birds of foresight” — to see if their love is true. If they are destined to be together, a pair of mandarin ducks will joyfully swim towards them. Also, if visitors go diving or swimming here, don’t forget there’s a large underwater cave that leads straight to the Yellow River. If you’re a strong swimmer, why not swim through it into the Yellow River and back out for an unforgettable thrill?

　　Dear friends, visiting Matou Bay Sea allows you to experience the vicissitudes of the Yellow River’s history through boating and sightseeing, and also appreciate its unique combination of water, trees, sand, grass, birds, and beaches. The crystal-clear lake, poetic reed islands… Take a small boat and freely paddle across the lake, listening to the calls of various water birds, weaving through lush reed beds, with splashing waves, leaping fish, and startled birds. Step off the boat onto the beach, and finding a few colorful pebbles or uniquely shaped seashells could be your lucky reward. Here, you can also ride a camel into the desert to enjoy the thrill of sailing across the vast sea of sand, pitch your own tent, and camp,

　　enjoying a self-prepared picnic — how delightful it would be.