Laixianggou

　　    Lai was an ancient place name, known as Lai during the Shang Dynasty and retained the name in the Zhou Dynasty. It was a feudal state of the same surname enfeoffed by the Western Zhou royal court, located in Taiqinggong Town, ten li east of present-day Luyi County. In 1989, when the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology excavated the Wuzhuang site in Wangpiliu Township, a number of Zhou Dynasty pottery and bronze artifacts were unearthed, likely burial objects from the palace of the State of Lai. After the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Lai was conquered by the State of Chen, which was later annexed by the State of Chu. Thereafter, Lai came under the jurisdiction of Chu and became known as Laixiang, a name that persisted until the time of Sima Qian, who wrote “Records of the Grand Historian” during the Han Dynasty. Because “Lai” and “Li” were homophones in ancient times, it was also written as “Lixiang.”

　　    Laixianggou originates at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, northwest of Laozi’s former residence, meandering southeast before flowing into the Guo River (historically, the Guo River flowed eastward in front of the Laozi Temple before turning north, as clearly described in Li Daoyuan’s “Commentary on the Water Classic”). After the Guo River changed course, Laixianggou flows southeast into the Jisan Daohe. Due to factors such as soil erosion, Laixianggou today is merely a sloped gully. Because Qucun in Laixiang, the birthplace of Laozi, it has gained widespread fame, becoming a scenic spot associated with the hometown of Laozi.

　　    Source: Website of the People's Government of Luyi County