The most prestigious ferry in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is the ancient Yellow River ferry. The Yellow River is flowing through the Ningxia Plain, whose course covers over 390 kilometers, leaving in Ningxia the old ferries. Ancient Hengcheng Ferry is the most famous one. It is located 52 kilometers to the east of the Yellow River on the east coast. Climbing high and looking into the east, visitors will see the vast expanse of sand and in the west across the river there is a vast expanse of green fields. The water of Yellow River is surging northward from here; the Ming Great Wall extends to the southeast. There is a place called “Huangshazui (the mouth of yellow sands)” in the north of Hengcheng, so Hengcheng Ferry is also called “Huangsha Ancient Ferry.” In recent years, there has been a vast area of desert, green mudflat wetland, picturesque frontier wonders and the quaint appearance of the Yellow River with twists and turns in the Ancient Huangsha Ferry Scenic Spot. It is like a pretty bride who will attract attention and interest from more and more people once the veil is lifted.

It is said that Meng Tian from the Qin Dynasty and Wei Qing from the Han Dynasty had stationed here. Wang Zhaojun from the Han Dynasty crossed the Yellow River from here to establish amity with minority ethnic groups in the border areas through marriage by the times. Prince Qingjing Zhu Zhan, the 16th son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, had been to the ancient ferry for many times and described the scenery here with the poem Huangsha Ancient Ferry. In order to keep the ferry from being unblocked, a garrison was built here in the Ming Dynasty as recorded as “Ninghe Platform” in history. Emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty led an expedition against the Galdan crossing the river, and the boat which carried Emperor Kangxi is still seen at the ancient ferry.

The roaring Yellow River, once flowing out of Longmen, is blocked by Qinling Mountains. It then turns east and wriggles in the watercourse as wide as 10 kilometers. It runs across the Central Plains, today’s Shandong Province and merges with Bohai Sea after extending for thousands of miles. Along its way, there are precipitous mountains and rivers, 10, 000 hectares of fertile lands, lots of people and traffic, as well as pleasant scenery