Illustrated Treatise on the Golden River Transport, Part II

In the fourth year of the Zhengde eraThe reign of the Ming Emperor Wuzong, 1509., the river breached its banks at the Flying Cloud Bridge in Pei County and poured into the Grand Canal transport route. In the eighth year of the Jiajing eraThe reign of the Ming Emperor Shizong, 1529., the waters at Flying Cloud Bridge shifted northward toward Yutai and Guting, and a passage for boats was cleared. In the forty-fourth year of the Jiajing era (1565), the silt-laden waters of the Yellow River leveled the areas of Changguo and Jialou. The entire river reversed its course and overflowed, flooding the region from the Sha River to Xuzhou. The full force of the river entered the northern branch. From Tanglin Grove in Cao County downward, the river split into two branches. The southern branch entered Pei County via Mount Qi and Yang Family Grove, flowing into the Qin Trench towards Xuzhou. The northern branch circled Mount Hua in Feng County, heading northeast from the Three Religion Temple to exit at the Flying Cloud Bridge. There it split into thirteen separate streams, scattering wildly into the lakes at the mouth of Huling City, where the waters became a vast, interconnected sea. In the sixth year of the Longqing eraThe reign of the Ming Emperor Muzong, 1572., a thin "Water-Thread" long embankment was meticulously constructed to defend the land and prevent the water from encroaching further north. In the sixth year of the Wanli eraThe reign of the Ming Emperor Shenzong, 1578., the Shaojia embankment was built.

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The New River at the mouth of Liucheng connects here with the Old River.

Liucheng Sluice Gate
Liucheng Sluice Gate

original: 留侯廟 (Liuhou Miao). This temple is dedicated to Zhang Liang, the famous strategist of the Han Dynasty, who was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Liu.

Huang Family Sluice Gate

The stretch from Liucheng to Chacheng was silted shut in 1565; it was reopened the following year, spanning a total of fifty-five liA Chinese unit of distance, roughly 500 meters or 1/3 of a mile..

Lumeng Lake

Yaozhuang Lake

In the second year of the Longqing era (1568), it was proposed and decided that the tenant farmers and military colonists on both banks of Liucheng should reinforce the dikes with stone masonry.

Lajing Spring

East of Mount Wei

In 1565, the Yellow River waters discharged directly through the Majia Bridge into the Gebin Canal with a violent, erupting force. Consequently, two hundred li of the old river bed above and below Pei County were completely silted up, turning into level ground. The following year, the channel was reopened; the new and old sections joined at Mount Jing, and the grain transport shipstribute ships carrying tax grain to the capital via the Grand Canal were finally able to pass. Furthermore, fifty-three li of dikes were newly constructed on the eastern bank to force the water to flow in its proper course.